Pete Peterson praises the revelations in Anne Rice’s memoir, Called Out of Darkness.

Such an about face of worldview surely came as a shock to some fans her vampire mythology and there is a sense that she wants to lay out the pieces of the puzzle to provide insight for those to whom the final image was a surprise. She also aims to lay to rest the suspicions of those that may think her conversion is flighty, shallow, or spur of the moment.

It’s a rare pleasure to hear an author whose work you’ve loved talk about her life and career as she looks back on it from the wisdom of her years. She recounts memories from her childhood as a Catholic in an edenic New Orleans and her eventual falling away as a young woman. Anyone familiar with her writing will be thrilled to see how the events, people, and places of her formative years have shaped her stories for three decades. Not only did I gain a wealth of understanding about why she wrote her books but I found myself thinking, “Of course she wrote these books, how she could have done anything else?”

Here’s a 2006 photo of Rice with Elton John on the opening night of a performance based on her last vampire book (I believe).

Below is a photo from her house. I’ll copy the official caption: “The library annex and entrance into the library at St. Elizabeth’s, built in 1865 and used as an orphanage, is shown March 27, 2002 in New Orleans, LA. The building is a residence owned by novelist Anne Rice. The furnished four story structure, occupying one square block, is for sale for $6.5 million. (Photo by Alex Brandon/Getty Images)”