“The thing should have plot and character, beginning, middle and end. Arouse pity and then have a catharsis. Those were the best principles I was ever taught.”

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.