Horror novels are a very popular genre and are often transformed by Hollywood into movies. Many of us love to be frightened out of our wits, albeit in a safe environment!

Anne Rice is one of the most successful writers of horror and fantasy, and is best known for her Vampire Chronicles. Her tales are best sellers but have received mixed reviews, with some critics admiring her as a literary writer and others dismissing her works as mere pulp.

Anne Rice was born in 1941 in New Orleans, and the city is the background for the majority of her stories. The reading public lapped up the subject matter of her books, which generally explore the great themes of immortality, death and love. They also often refer to real historical events and the characters share an ambiguous sexuality. She has also published other fiction under the pseudonym of Anne Rampling.

Her very first published novel, which forms the first part of the Vampire Chronicles series, launched Anne Rice to fame and fortune. It was called Interview with the Vampire and was published in 1976. However, it was to bring her even more success when the movie version of the novel was released in 1994. Director Neil Jordan worked faithfully from Rice’s own screenplay and it starred Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and an emerging Kirsten Dunst.

The Vampire Chronicles did result in a flop however, in 2006. A stage musical version of the books lasted only a month on Broadway, despite it having been written by the hit songwriting partnership of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Called Lestat, most of the critics panned it and attendance was overall poor. However, other Anne Rice stories have been successfully adapted - for example, one of her Anne Rampling novels was turned into a movie called Exit to Eden and featured Rosie O’Donnell and Dan Aykroyd in 1994. Also, in 2001, The Feast of All Saints was produced as a TV mini series.

A recent development in her life has left the loyal band of Anne Rice fans somewhat bewildered. Having been born into a Catholic family, she initially turned away from organized religion and was an atheist for much of her life. However, she has now re-joined the Catholic Church and this decision has impacted on her writing career. She has stated that she will not write on the theme of vampires again in the future and that that particular period of her life is now firmly in the past. Many horror fans are naturally disappointed at this announcement.

However, her new endeavor will no doubt bring her a new batch of enthusiasts, although from a very different literary tradition. She has recently published Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, the first volume in a trilogy that explores the life of Christ. Thus, Anne Rice has now begun the next chapter of her personal and professional life and it will be interesting to observe how this will develop further in the future.