ArtToday: Anne Rice, the Interview

Interview

Anne Rice

I received an invitation through GoodReads to have a video interview with the Great Writer Anne Rice.

You may know her only as the writer of Interview with the Vampire (the 90's movie with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt) about vampires and vampire life; but the fact is that Anne has several books written not only about vampires but also about witches and now Werewolves, with her new book:

Wolf Gifts Chronicles

And because of this book, it was created a good opportunity to talk to Anne via GoodReads.

The Interview through video call in which several of the "GoodReaders" were invited to make their questions to Anne Rice and see her in real time (I was one of the lucky ones in several aspects, since 3 of my questions were answered).

Some facts about Anne Rice

During the interview

Question:

In your books, you have supernatural creatures, such as vampires, ghosts, angels, witches and now werewolves; but you always represent them as in humanized instead of the "monster" version.

Why do you humanize them?

Anne:

(smiles) That is a good question! I think maybe I consider myself as a monster. Inside each of us there is an animal or monster. The vampire are seductive and can literally "suck" the blood or energy of others; the witch exists inside each women and can be from the light or the dark, just like your mood; the werewolves are a new thing for me to write, but I think the monster, the transformation can be our aggressive side that we only discover when we are "trapped" like an animal in situations during life.

That's why I think I humanize these "creatures", because in fact, who tells us that who is who, or aren't we all animals? And because i have to enter in the character, sometimes I have to think I am a monster... and I am one.

Question:

If you could have diner tonight in New Orleans, where would it be and with which fictional character would it be?

Anne:
Fictional characters of mine or somebody else's?

Editor:
Either one, pick whatever you like.

Anne:

Well I would have diner at Mr B's on Royal Street, right opposite of the Hotel Monteleone, and I would have a Chicken Gumbo, by the way, with rice and their delicious bread and butter; and I think I would have Lestat with me, Louis, mighty vampires, and maybe Armand.

(Click on the pictures to go there)

Question:

Do you think that Lestat become like an Alter Ego of yours? Since you wrote so much about his story, dug so much about his persona?

Anne:

Yes. Lestat is a male Alter Ego of mine.There is no question about it. And he obsesses me like no other character. I always know where he is in the world. In any minute. If someone comes in the Facebook page and says: "Where is Lestat tonight?", I can tell them... He's in New York or he is Rio de Janeiro or he's in France. I have a relationship with that character that's absolutely unique...

And I would like to add that, when he chooses to speak, he speaks; and when he doesn't chooses to speak to me... he does not speak.

I must say that I really love this opportunity, as a reader, as a writer as a lover of books.

Anne Rice has her own world and when she speaks, you can almost imagine here with one foot in each of the worlds and you can see her passion when she talks about writing or her characters.

It was a good lesson.