Anne Rice

I have been a fan of Anne Rice for many years. As strict as my mother was about what we were allowed to watch on television, she was very casual about what we were allowed to read, and I read Interview With The vampire when I was still very young. It was either junior high or early high school.

That book is what started my life long obsession with the strange and dark. I fell in love with it completely, and it has shaped me as a writer as well. It may also be responsible for my obsessions with redheads. Maybe. (WHY did they chose Antonio Banderas for the movie?!?!?!)

Ms. Rice is an amazing woman. She is brave, compassionate, and strong willed. I wanted to be her when I was younger. Maybe I still kind of do.

I, of course, follow her on Facebook, and love the inspirational and encouraging things she posts for her fans. She never comes across as condescending or stuck up. She seems very genuine. And, she is still writing, now with a new book out co-written with her son, Christopher. You can get information about the new book here, on her web site. I’ll be honest. I already pre-ordered my copy.

Claudia – Interview With The Vampire

I really planned to write a piece about how I admire her as an author, and her persistence and nerve, but I just recently put together a couple facts and it made me change my mind. Granted, she is amazing, and a pioneer, and worthy of praise in many ways, but for some reason I never connected the loss of her daughter at age five to the character of Claudia and Interview With The Vampire.

I am not sure how I missed it for all these years, but now I cannot get it out of my head. It makes Claudia’s anger at not being able to grow up and become a woman so much more poignant and heart breaking. Like her daughter, the character will be five forever. Trapped as a child with no chance to become a woman. I always felt so bad for Claudia, and now I feel so sad for Ms. Rice. How painful it must have been to write that.

It has been years since I re-read the books, but now I feel like I really need to go back and revisit them, and hope I do not cry when I read that part.