Books on Film: Interview with the Vampire

When Interview with the Vampire was penned, everyone was still wearing polyester. The book wouldn't become a film for nearly 20 years. When the film was released, vampires weren't even cool. But if you were around back then, you know that Interview was the Twilight of its day...minus the werewolves.

The Book

Interview with the Vampire was the first book Anne Rice wrote. It began as a short story around 1969, but soon blossomed into a multi-book series. The first book in The Vampire Chronicles, Interview, was published in 1976. 

The story opens with Louis, a vampire who's 200 years old. He's telling his incredible life story to a reporter, referred to as "the boy." Louis lived in New Orleans in 1791 when he met the vampire Lestat, who turned Louis. The two became companions of a sort on the plantation. Louis hates himself. He cannot stand his own nature, so he feeds only from animals (remind you of anyone?), while Lestat gives in wholeheartedly to his bloodlust. In fact, Lestat finds Louis's kind-hearted nature and apparent regard for human life to be a huge flaw.

He is fighting the bloodlust, and failing. One late night in a poor section of New Orleans, Louis finds a weeping 6-year-old child next to the dead body of her mother. Louis feeds on her, against his own will. Lestat discovers him, and he turns the girl into a vampire. Her name is now Claudia.

Louis hates what Lestat has done, but he loves Claudia. She is an able killer of humans right from the start, and for many years the three live in a happy, lavish lifestyle in New Orleans. But time passes, and passes, and passes...and little Claudia does not grow. She does mature, and soon begins to understand her own nature and the fact that she will be trapped in a child's body for all eternity. She blames Lestat for her condition and develops an intense hatred. Claudia turns Louis's own wishy-washy feelings against him and hones his ambivalence into searing hatred.

Together, they kill Lestat by poisoning him, slitting his throat and dumping his body into the swamp. The matter thus settled, Louis and Claudia leave New Orleans to go to France together. They are in search of other vampires, believing themselves to be the only undead in America now that Lestat is gone. Or is he? While the pair departs via ship France, Lestat begins to recover. He attempts to stop a fleeing Louis and Claudia, who set fire to their home, and Lestat is left to burn. 

Louis and Claudia finally do find vampires in Paris in the form of the Theatre des Vampires. They specifically encounter Armand, who is 400. The group stages plays to find their human victims. Claudia dislikes them at once, but Louis is strangely compelled to Armand. Santiago, another of the group, is suspicious of the two newcomers. He believes they are guilty of the worst of all vampire crimes: killing their maker, Lestat.

Claudia, jealous of Louis's growing friendship with the others, demands her own companion. She chooses Madeline, a dollmaker, and the three set up house together. It doesn't last long. They are taken in the night by the theater group based on the word of Lestat, who is not dead but immortal and well in Paris.

Louis is locked in a coffin so he may slowly starve to death. Claudia and Madeline are locked within an open courtyard with no roof to await the appearance of the sun. Armand arrives in time to release Louis, but not in time to free the other two. Claudia and Madeline are both burned to ash by the sun. Louis retaliates by killing all the vampires and fleeing with Armand.

The relationship doesn't last. Louis is heartbroken, and he splits from Armand to return to New Orleans in the 20th century. Here, he feeds off humans as needed but avoids contact otherwise.

Louis is a brooding, reluctant vampire. The purpose of his tale is that being alive for ever is weary, lonely, fraught with suffering. The interviewer sees none of this. He begs to become a vampire as well, but Louis does not fulfill the request. Louis leaves, and the interviewer sets off to find Lestat.

The Film

Paramount Pictures purchased the rights to Interview even before the book was published. Nothing happened for 10 years, and Paramount's rights expired. Rice sold the rights to Lorimar Productions, which was bought out by Warner Bros. shortly thereafter.

 

In the early 90s, they decided to make the film. Rice co-wrote the script with veteran screenwriter Neil Jordan, and the cast was picked. Rice didn't agree with the choices. She disliked the idea of seeing Tom Cruise as Lestat, and made it public knowledge that she was unhappy. Studio executives wouldn't be deterred, however.

When the film premiered in 1994 and became a gigantic success, Rice recanted her statements and loudly cheered Cruise's performance.  Brad Pitt starred as Louis, Antonio Banderas as Armand and Kirsten Dunst as Claudia. Christian Slater ended up playing the interviewer (the boy) when River Phoenix tragically died before he could perform the role.

The movie was such a big success, it brought Interview back to the bestseller lists and sparked a huge vampire craze in bookstores and film. It is faithful enough to the book, though the ending was changed somewhat. In the film, the interviewer ends up being approached by Lestat after Louis has left the interview room. Lestat drinks from him and they drive off together -- in San Francisco, not New Orleans.

What Got Adapted?

Of course, it wouldn't be a book on film if a bunch of little changes that don't seem to make a lot of sense weren't added or omitted. Lestat never appears in Paris in the film, and Louis is given a wife and child in the opening scenes. Claudia's poison cocktail for Lestat was also changed on film, and many of her travels with Louis are omitted. The two journeyed many places in search of vampires, and found only a race of mindless drinkers in Transylvania before locating the Parisian group.

And then there's the casting, which many fans (and Rice herself) found fault with. Kirsten Dunst, while adorable, was 12 years old when she played Claudia -- twice the age of the character. Considering the subject matter and the demands of the role, however, I think this is a fair change. The other changes are iffier. Banderas doesn't look like Armand, Cruise doesn't look like Lestat and I thought Brad Pitt was frankly horrible as Louis (he just didn't know how to play it).

Some other bits of story were cut, like Lestat's relationship with his father, but all in all Interview is a very good film adaptation that accurately captures the original book. The end scenes were shoved into a more modern period (you won't see any disco balls) and the star-studded cast is more about box office figures than actually fitting into the roles, but it's a decent little flick if you like vampire movies. Anne Rice deeply studied vampire lore while writing her tale, and I always appreciate good research. If you're a Twilight fan, and even if you aren't, you should definitely read this version of a vampire book.

Thinking About Justice

 "This book is full of twists and turns. There is never a dull moment and Justice really keeps you guessing."

"That is what is so great about Jade's writing. She is fresh, original and makes you think!"

Justice has been reviewed at Little Hyuts. Find out what the reader didn't like when you read the full review. Sign up for one of the giveaways (look to the left!) to get a free copy of the book, and see if you agree with the review! 

Deck of Lies Diva Challenge Now Open

The Deck of Lies Diva Challenge is now open! 

Use the button on the right to sign into Fashion Fantasy Game with your Facebook account and start designing an outfit for Rain. You'll get a chance to win a copy of the first book in the series when you play!

Writing 101: Know Your Audience

I've written a great many blog posts on punctuation and grammar, word usage and various ways to self-publish. What I haven't written much about is marketing, though it is a huge part of self-publishing. Some experts say that marketing is most of self-publishing; I read somewhere that many advocate spending 80% of your time on marketing and only 20% on the actual writing. But I believe in fundamentals. Build a book from a strong foundation of good grammar and perfect punctuation, and it'll all work out.

But let's face it, you're going to have to think about marketing sometime. Before you launch your strategy and start spending time on promotion, you've got one important task to complete. You've got to know your audience.

Picking Labels

Readers like to read, and most readers enjoy many different genres. But if you write a sex-soaked historical drama with a love-heavy bent, you've got to realize your words are going to attract mainly female readers. Likewise, if you write a book that largely takes place in a high school then you should try to find as many teen readers as you can. It's not always so cut-and-dry, of course, and it's never easy for any author to define themselves or their work. But you're going to have to.

Before you can even publish a book, you're going to have to pick genres. Many authors are afraid of putting themselves into a neat little box and choosing a single genre, believing that this may keep them from getting sales in other markets. This simply isn't true. The readers who go across genres are going to go across genres anyway, despite the labels. In fact, focusing strongly on one or two genres (and all the readers therein) is one of the most effective ways to sell self-published boots.

So how do you figure out where your work belongs?

Who Are You Writing To?

You've got to identify your readers so you know how to market your work. Familiarize yourself with main genres, and find out where your book fits. After you pick one main genre, you can branch into other genres and market toward that crowd as well.

• YA. Is your main character under the age of 20? Are most of your supporting characters around the same age? If so, it's very likely that your book qualifies as a young adult book. This means you should appeal to teens primarily. You'll want to market strongly on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to connect directly with your audience. 
• Romance. Romance books are written for adults, though plenty of YA books also contain a romantic element. If your books feature adults who are engaging in intimate acts, you do not have a YA book but a romance novel. Depending on how graphic those sex scenes are, you may even fit into the erotica category. Market your book on blogs that are dedicated to either the romance or erotica genre. You should also look for blogs that talk about love in books, a characteristic of romance works.
• Mystery. Is there a mystery element in your book? Mystery books do not necessarily have to be about murder, though this is common. If the book revolves around a crime or crimes that characters are attempting to solve, you can fit into this genre. There's a huge market for mystery books. Look for crime and mystery blogs where you can connect directly with your readers.
• Fantasy. Fantasy books appeal to a huge audience of readers. If your work contains fantastical elements like magic, dragons and wizards, you can probably fit in well with this genre. You'll find lots of fantasy fans on social media sites, and there are many book blogs dedicated solely to the genre. 
• Paranormal. Many books containing paranormal elements can also fit into the fantasy genre, but paranormal is starting to become a genre that stands on its own. If your books contain ghosts, zombie, vampires or other paranormal creatures, you can fit into this genre. Many teens are very interested in this genre, though it also appeals to adults, so you'd be well-served by marketing on social media.

Once you learn how to categorize your work, you can hone your marketing efforts by focusing on genre-specific blogs and forum groups where you can find your readers. Don't ever be afraid to label yourself or your work. In fact, you should put on as many labels as you can get to fit. Know your audience, find your audience, and start marketing your book based on what they like to read.

Reviewing Justice

"Justice was well written, had a good pace, and had so many twists to the plot it was really hard to work out what might happen next."

Kelly at Have Book Will Read has kindly reviewed Justice on her blog, and I want you to read the whole thing. While you're there, make sure you sign up for the giveaway to win a free copy of the book.

From the Trenches: Master of Perseverance

Sometimes, the dream of becoming a published author feels like a silly fantasy. Repeat rejection letters have a way of taking their toll, and everybody's got their limits. Well, maybe not everybody. One author you've definitely heard of was rejected 800 times before selling any of his writings. Today, his books are among the most popular fiction ever written. 

Clive Staples Lewis, more commonly known as C. S. Lewis, lived in a world of words. He was on the faculty at Oxford University's English Department and belonged in a literary group called the Inklings (cute, right?). Whether he was working or socializing, words were everywhere. One of Lewis's closest friends was J. R. R. Tolkein, who famously wrote the Lord of the Rings books. 

No, Thank You

C. S. Lewis also wanted to be an author. He began writing while working at the University, but every manuscript he sent to editors came back with a rejection slip...by the hundreds. Lewis didn't publish his first book until 1933, a novel about his own very personal spiritual journey. Academic books followed, and in private Lewis started writing the first of his Narnian books in 1939. 

He wouldn't finish it for ten years. When The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was published in 1950, C. S. Lewis was still getting rejected. His good friend J. R. R. Tolkien criticized Lewis and the book itself -- he thought it was too busy, with too many elements that clashed.

But C. S. Lewis was a veteran in the rejection department. Critics didn't fall in love with the book, either, so he went ahead and wrote 6 more of them. The readers loved the books, and word of mouth began to spread them all over the world. Today, more than 100 million copies of the Narnia books have been sold. 

C. S. Lewis wrote in the writing trenches even when he was drowning in rejection letters and criticism. He persevered, despite what the critics and even his friends had to say about it. For him, the idea of being a famous author wasn't a silly little fantasy...but he had to go through a lot of letters before it came true.

New Review, Interview and Giveaway

"It's a great read, filled with life-like, credible characters, and to be honest, I found it impossible to put down."

After you read the newest review for Justice at Today in Shenaya, keep going to get a look at an in-depth interview where I discuss the other books in the Deck of Lies series and my writing process in general. While you're there, sign up for the giveaway to get your own copy of Justice, and see if you agree with the review!

Writing 101: Forget About the Slash Key

You wouldn't be wrong if you called me an author/blogger...unless you do it in a book. I'm a big fan of brevity, a point I've made clear in several past posts, but I am not a fan of the slash key. When you're writing your books, forget it even exists.

/

The slash serves a very important function on the Internet, and it's a fantastic little device for shorthand purposes. Lots of people and items are more than one thing. Gene Kelly was an actor/dancer, Marilyn Monroe a pinup girl/movie star, new Kindles function like ereaders/tablets. It's common to see the slash in product advertising, online and print articles, commercials -- you can find it everywhere.

That doesn't mean I want to find them in your books. The novel is one of the last vestiges of civility society still has. Each book is a tribute to, and an expression of, the written word. Start substituting those words with handy little symbols like the slash, and you're on a slippery slope. Next, you'll be adding abbreviations to your work -- and at that point, why even bother to put the thing into an ebook, why not just tweet it? 

However, I am willing to make a concession. 

Slashing Sometimes

Adding a slash isn't always the worst thing you can do in a book. Let's face it, there's just no way better to write input/output. Sometimes, the slash really is the best choice, but only if it's not within dialogue. Outside dialogue, if you're using an expression or certain phrasing that is best-served by the slash, then you ought to use it. But you can't use it in dialogue, not ever.

People don't often use the slash when they are speaking, and when they do they don't sketch a funny little symbol into the air. They actually say the word slash, so you've got to spell it out properly (example: "Marilyn Monroe was an actress-slash-pinup girl"). When in doubt, always just spell it out. Symbols don't really have any business being in books...because books are for words.