“My own funeral, I'd like to be laid out in a coffin in my own house. I would like my coffin to be put in the double parlor, and I would like all the flowers to be white.”

Anne Rice was an American novelist of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She gained fame for her gothic and erotic vampire saga *Interview with the Vampire*, which redefined the genre with its psychological depth and lyrical prose. Her work often explored themes of desire, morality, and the supernatural with a blend of sensuality and philosophical inquiry.