Tribute to Anne Rice

Looking back at my childhood, I was influenced by many authors; however, Anne Rice was my favorite. She gave us many great stories to escape to; however, my favorite was "Interview with the Vampire.". Unfortunately, this legend died of a stroke at 80 on December 11, 2021. According to CNN, Anne Rice made Lestat do things she could not. But, like many of us, Anne made a world she could escape to, and in a sense, Lestat was who she needed to escape in her 13 book Chronicle series. (Rose, 2021)

Anne Rice was why I started writing about vampires when I was a young teen. As she also breathed life into others who began to write about vampires. Many, however, will remember the movie that Neil Jordan directed in 1994, "Interview With the Vampire," that starred Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. (Coyle, 2021)

Many of Anne's stories are based out of New Orleans, where she was raised. While she was raised in an Irish Catholic family, Anne announced in 2010 that she was no longer Christian because she refused to be anti-feminist and anti-gay. According to ABC News, Anne also stated that she refused to be anti-artificial birth control. (Coyle, 2021)

Interview with the Vampire was written because of Anne's fixation with vampires from a film from 1934, "Dracula's Daughter." Anne struggled to get the 'Interview with the Vampire' published. However, it quickly became a significant hit.

Who was your influence when you began to read or write? Does your writing resemble their style? I am nowhere near Anne's level, and we have different writing styles, but my characters are based on who I needed growing up or how others depict me. Or my recent Athelayna, who is based on a strong-willed young woman who doesn't give up when she is knocked down. So I made Athelayna the hero, and around every turn, she has someone who is constantly trying to knock her down, and she keeps getting up more robust than before.

Frevanth is much like Anne's Lestat but twisted into my image of what a dragonlord would be. He's strong and calculated. He believes himself to be the villain in everyone's life. However, there is an underlying story to Frevanth. Athelayna was initially supposed to be the main character. However, Frevanth has turned into the main character because he has twisted into the villain, and now he is this lovesick man who is going through hell to find the woman he loves.

Without Anne Rice, I would not have started writing stories. My first story was about a vampire who broke into a child's room begging for help because he was dying. The child gladly obliged and let the vampire suck the life out of him. When the sun began to rise, he begged the vampire for the same liberties; however, he denied and watched the child wither away. The story ends with the child's ashes blowing in the wind and the vampire grinning in the shadows.

Who are your favorite writers? Have you written a story or poem influenced by them? If they have passed, how did that impact you? As of December 12th, 2021, you can read a message her son wrote after her passing where he invited everyone to come and celebrate her life and her writings in New Orleans.

The page is: https://www.facebook.com/annericefanpage

May you rest in peace, Anne Rice.

References

Coyle, J. (2021, December 12). Anne Rice, who breathed new life into the vampires, dies at 80.

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/anne-rice-author-gothic-novels-dead-80-81704252

Rose, A. (2021, December 12). 'Interview with the Vampire' author Anne Rice dies at age 80.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/12/entertainment/anne-rice-obit/index.html