NPR's Book of the Day 'Interview with the Vampire' author Anne Rice takes NPR on a tour of her haunted home
Oct 27, 2025
In a captivating revisit of a 2003 interview, bestselling novelist Anne Rice shares her love for her haunted New Orleans home, where spooky tales take shape. She discusses the influence of her late husband, Stan, on her characters and reflects on her return to Catholicism after personal loss. Rice reveals insights about her famous novel Blood Canticle and the ghosts tied to her house. With playful anecdotes about writing in her flannel nightgown and dreaming of her beloved Stan, this conversation is both haunting and heartfelt.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Living With A Haunted Historic Home
- Anne Rice describes living in a huge 1856 Greek Revival mansion she fell in love with and took on as a challenge.
- She mentions the house has legends and ghosts, including Pamela Starr Clapp and a man who allegedly committed suicide at the foot of the steps.
Stan Rice’s Art Still Present
- Anne Rice shows paintings by her late husband Stan and explains their personal meaning as a community of diverse people.
- She also notes she keeps seven Siberian cats that live quietly in the house.
Stan’s Final Months And Painting
- Anne Rice recounts her husband Stan's rapid decline from a brain tumor and his determination to keep painting.
- She says he painted three paintings after diagnosis and died in less than four months.
