New York Times bestselling authors Christopher Rice, son of the late author Anne Rice, and Eric Shaw Quinn, her friend and collaborator, return to New Orleans to celebrate the novel’s 50th anniversary.
NEW ORLEANS – The legacy of iconic author Anne Rice takes center stage in New Orleans this Halloween, marking the 50th anniversary of her classic debut novel, “Interview with the Vampire.” Anne’s son, New York Times bestselling novelist Christopher Rice, and his producing partner, and Anne’s close friend and collaborator, New York Times bestselling novelist, Eric Shaw Quinn, return to the city at the heart of the novel for a week of events Oct. 23-Nov. 1. As the stewards of Anne Rice’s literary estate, they are developing a new generation of projects inspired by her work through their production company, Dinner Partners.
First published in 1976, “Interview with the Vampire” is the confession of Louis de Pointe du Lac, the reluctant heir to a Louisiana plantation who is made a vampire by the radiant Lestat. Fifty years later, the novel has become a cult and cultural phenomenon, a global best-seller, and has redefined the modern Gothic genre.
The special 50th anniversary edition, published by Knopf on Oct. 6, features a new foreword by No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo, and an afterword by Christopher Rice sharing previously undisclosed details about the novel’s history, and never-before-seen bonus pages from Anne Rice’s original manuscript. The edition is finished with a foil-embossed jacket, blood-red sprayed edges and marbled endpapers.
Anne Rice was born in New Orleans in 1941 and was laid to rest here following her death in 2021. In 2025, Rice and Quinn produced the sold-out live event “Anne Rice: An All Saints’ Day Celebration” at the Orpheum Theater, along with its companion documentary, “Anne Rice: A Life in Stories.”
Halloween Week Events
- Saturday, Oct. 24 – Krewe of BOO! Rice and Quinn reign as Co-Grand Marshals of New Orleans’ Official Halloween Parade, followed by an Anne Rice-themed float. Rice and Quinn will wear costumes designed and constructed by local artisans.
- Sunday, Oct. 25 – “Interview with the Vampire” screening. A screening of the 1994 film at The Prytania Theatres, uptown, followed by a Q&A with Rice and Quinn moderated by local, best-selling author, Alys Arden.
Friday, Oct. 30 – The 38th annual Anne Rice Vampire Lestat Fan Club Ball. The sold-out ball, held this year in celebration of the novel’s 50th anniversary, gathers costumed fans from around the world. - Saturday, Oct. 31 – A discussion with Leigh Bardugo. The Garden District Book Shop hosts Rice and Quinn in discussion with Bardugo at 3 p.m. at Loyola University’s Roussel Performance Hall, followed by a meet-and-greet line with the authors. The discussion will be recorded live for Rice and Quinn’s podcast, Dinner Partners. Each ticket includes a copy of the 50th anniversary edition, distributed at check-in. A limited number of tickets are available here.
“We are thrilled to return to New Orleans to celebrate this milestone in true Anne fashion,” Rice and Quinn said in a joint statement. “There will be costumes galore, a book signing, a film screening, an Anne-themed float in the Krewe of BOO! parade and of course, the ball! Halloween week is a fitting occasion to celebrate Anne’s legacy and her iconic novel, “Interview with the Vampire,” a modern classic that beautifully captures the essence of New Orleans and has captivated readers and fans for half a century.”
For more information, visit AnneRice.com.
About Christopher Rice, Eric Shaw Quinn and Dinner Partners
Christopher Rice published four New York Times bestselling novels before the age of thirty. He is a Lambda Literary Award winner and has twice been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. Together with his best friend and producing partner, New York Times bestselling novelist Eric Shaw Quinn, he runs the production company Dinner Partners LLC, which controls rights to the literary works of Anne Rice. Through Dinner Partners, Rice and Quinn produce a popular podcast and video network at DinnerPartners.com, which played a key role in solving the thirty-year-old cold case murder of William Arnold Newton. Their individual works include Rice’s gothic bestseller “A Density of Souls” and his No. 1 Amazon bestselling Burning Girl series, and Quinn’s “Say Uncle” and “The Prince’s Psalm.” Dinner Partners LLC and the Anne Rice Estate are represented by Literate Management & Production, Inkwell Management, and Kleinberg Lange Cuddy & Carlo LLP.
About Anne Rice
Anne Rice (1941-2021) was one of the world’s foremost writers of supernatural fiction and the author of 36 novels, which have sold over 150 million copies. Her debut novel, “Interview with the Vampire,” was published in 1976. Her groundbreaking works include The Vampire Chronicles, “The Mummy” and The Wolf Gift Chronicles, among others. Her trilogy The Lives of the Mayfair Witches made a tourist attraction of her former home in New Orleans’ Garden District. Her final novel, “Ramses the Damned: The Reign of Osiris,” written in collaboration with her son Christopher Rice, was published in 2022. She was known for complex, gothic, romantic portrayals of vampires, witches, werewolves, mummies and other so-called “monsters” as the protagonists of their worlds, introducing an entirely new approach to paranormal storytelling. She wrote across genres, including gothic fiction, horror, historical fiction, erotica and books with religious themes. Her influence can be felt throughout popular culture to this day, and her works have been adapted into critically acclaimed films, stage productions and television series.