In the Shadows of New Orleans
Authors who inspire me
This is the third installment in my “Authors that Inspired Me series” of blog posts. You can find the first two in the series “Bertrice Small” and “Amanda Quick” posts. I’ve been a voracious reader all of my life, it came from growing up with readers and not being censored in my reading material. This blog series is a way in which I can share with you all the authors who inspired me in life and in my passion to become an author myself.
The Woman and Myth
Today’s author almost needs no introduction. She’s one of the most famous New Orleans authors, “Anne Rice”. Many people today are familiar with Anne Rice for being the author of the first in her Vampire Chronicles series “Interview with the Vampire”. The novel that has recently turned into a television series started in 2022 on AMC starring Jacob Anderson as Louis and Sam Reid as Lestat. It was also a motion picture starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in 1994.
The Vampire Chronicles series comprises the titles; Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil, The Vampire Armand, Merrick, Blood and Gold, Blackwood Farm, Blood Canticle, Prince Lestat, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, and Blood Communion.
I’m choosing to talk about Anne Rice’s novel “Interview with the Vampire” because it was the book that made me fall in love with a city and introduced me to gothic vampire fiction. At around the age of seven or eight years old, I somehow got my hands on a copy of the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance. This also started my habit of listening to an audiobook at night, because I would fall asleep listening to Simon Vance read as Louis. Not too many years later, I picked up the hardback of the novel at a thrift store and read it yearly all the way to my senior year of high school.
Anne Rice, an American author, was born in October 1941 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is famous for her influential vampire novels in the Gothic fiction genre.
Rice’s Catholic upbringing strongly influenced her writing, as she often explored themes of religion, morality, and existentialism in her works. She started her writing career in the 1970s under the name Anne Rampling, with the release of “Exit to Eden.” The book was later adapted into a romantic comedy featuring Rosie O’Donald and Dan Ackroyd. The novels under her Anne Rampling pen name explored themes of eroticism and psychological complexity. However, it was under her own name that she achieved worldwide acclaim with her groundbreaking novel, Interview with the Vampire, published in 1976.
She passed in 2021, but her legacy continues to inspire countless readers and remains an enduring testament to the power of storytelling. Throughout her career, her writing evolved beyond the vampire genre, encompassing historical fiction, supernatural tales, and religious explorations with notable works like “The Witching Hour”. Her impact on literature extends far beyond her written words. By fearlessly delving into taboo topics and infusing fantastical tales with profound philosophical insights, she has made a lasting impression on readers and writers.
The Big Gold Book
“Interview with the Vampire” was the first novel I read of hers and, of course, it goes without saying that it impacted my formative years. In the novel, Louis de Pointe du Lac becomes a vampire in 18th-century New Orleans. He later tells a young reporter about his experiences living with his maker, Lestat de Lioncourt. Lestat changes the child named Claudia into a vampire to keep Louis by his side, but this unknowingly starts a tragic story of yearning, love, deceit, and sadness.
While attending a graduate program in creative writing at San Francisco State University, her four-year-old was diagnosed with acute granulocytic leukemia. She died two years later and Rice fell into a deep depression, her daughter was the inspiration for the character Claudia.
While still grieving, she reworked a short story that was written from the interviewer’s perspective. That short story became a 338-page novel in five weeks’ time.
123HelpMe has a great article on the Critical Analysis of “Interview with the Vampire” talking about how Rice reinvented the vampire genre and introduced us to the gothic horror genre again.
Me, the book, author, and the city
In this series I’ve talked about how I feel so lucky that my family never censored my reading or watching content.
I’m sure that this is often a controversial topic, and I would love to hear about your take on this topic; comment on this blog.
As I mentioned earlier in this blog post, I read “Interview with a Vampire” when I was around seven or eight years old. I was a sophomore in high school when the movie was released. I was on a visit with my family in California when the movie was available on video. The distinct memory of being up late at night as the movie started and the eager chills as I anticipated the movie in my head coming to life. Many of us have experienced this as book lovers, the excitement and then the shock of reality. When I was younger, I didn’t understand that it was simpler to empathize with Louis if you believed his wife and child died in childbirth, rather than focusing on his brother’s illness and death for a long time.
“Interview with the Vampire” was my first introduction to gothic vampire horror fiction and started my love affair with all thing’s goth, morbid, and the decadence of New Orleans, LA. I have to admit that I was spoiled by the riches of some of the best gothic male role models;
David Bowie- Jarid in Labyrinth
Tim Curry- Darkness in Legend 1985
Brad Pitt- Louis in Interview with the Vampire
Antionio Banderas- Armand Interview with the Vampire
Christian Slater- J.D. Dean in Heathers, Mark Hunter in Pump Up the Volume, Adam in Untamed Heart
Corey Feldman- Bobby Keller in Dream a Little Dream
Brandon Lee- Eric in The Crow
Michael Wincott- Top Dollar in The Crow
Laurence Mascon- Tin Tin in The Crow
Gary Oldman- Dracula in Bram Stolker’s Dracula, Ludwig van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved
Johnny Depp- Edward in Edward Scissorhands
Raul Julia- Gomez in The Addams Family
Jason Patric- Michael in The Lost Boys
Kiefer Sutherland- David in The Lost Boys
Keanu Reeves- Don John in Much Ado About Nothing
The city I love. There has been a pull on my mind and heart for a chance to visit New Orleans, LA, since I was young. To be honest, I’m sure this book was more than likely the catalyst that opened the door for this obsession. I was married under a year when I got my first chance to truly walk the streets and banquets of the city of my dreams.
Have you ever visited a place that gave you an overwhelming sense of Home? I hadn’t until I stepped down and felt the history under my feet and saw the river move like blood in my veins. I was truly lucky that my husband at the time let me just wander. He had visited the city before, so he let my feet lead me where they would take me. I’ve tried to recreate the experience a few times, but nothing feels like home as much as the Crescent City.
I invite you to share your thoughts and experiences with her work. What impact has Rice had on your reading journey? Have you ever felt a similar connection to a city or place in literature? I’d love to hear your stories and insights in the comments below.
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Thank you for embarking on this literary adventure with me. Until next time, may you embark on a literary adventure filled with wonder and discovery.