[ Claudia from the movie Interview with a Vampire ]                        [ Anne Rice ]

Since so many of you are fans of Gothic and urban fantasy, I though we should stop by and visit someone more contemporary on our tour. As a reader, I am also a big believer of going to the source. Meaning, read the predecessors of the authors you love, and Anne Rice is the Vampire Queen. If you think you're a fan of the vampire genre and you haven't read Anne Rice… think again.

No one does vampires like Anne Rice. She is not only a world-builder, who never breaks her own rules (think Cassandra Clare), but most of her novels are set in the South.

Born Howard Allen O'Brien, Anne grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated with a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from San Fransisco University. Her first novel, Interview with a Vampire, was published in 1976. Anne Rice returned to New Orleans, and the Vampire Chronicles are set there. Rice is a master at creating a precise and atmospheric picture of her Southern settings. I visited New Orleans years ago, after having read many of Anne Rice's novels, and the city was exactly as she described down to the smell of magnolias and chicory coffee in the air.

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My favorite Anne Rice novels:

Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Servant of the Bones, and the Witching Hour, a frightening tale of several generations of witches tied to a powerful supernatural being.

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Interesting Facts:

Anne Rice wanted Rutger Hauer to play the vampire Lestat, in the movie Interview with a Vampire,  after seeing Hauer in the movie Blade Runner.

Anne's mother, Katherine O'Brien, gave Anne a boy's name (Howard) because she thought it would make her daughter stronger.

Anne Rice lived most of her adult life in the Garden District of New Orleans.

Favorite Quote:

"Evil is always possible. Goodness is a difficulty." – Anne Rice

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Recipes from New Orleans:

Beignets

Recipe Or Order the Original Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix Here

   Best enjoyed with Chicory coffee.

Shrimp Creole

   Recipe

If you're interested in purchasing Cajun or Creole Seasonings, shop at the Cajun Grocer here.

And if you need a cookbook with authentic New Orleans recipes:

Buy it here.  Buy it here.