Phone Message Transcript: Apr. 18, 1997
[appearing on Anne's fan phone line]

"Hi, Anne Rice here. It's Thursday the 17th of April. I have a question for you, and this is for all my readers who call this line, and who call from all different countries and all different places about all different things. I've spoken to you in the past about the fact that I want to do a series of shorter novels, and shorter for me, by the way, means about anormal size novel, it does not mean a little bitty book, by any means. But I want to do a series of shorter novels and focus on the vampires individually and members of the Mayfair families individually. For example, a novel called PANDORA, which would focus entirely on how the ancient Pandora seduced the ancient Marius. A vampire novel that is entirely Claudia's diary, and what her feelings were during the time she was alive. A novel called LOUIS, which would have to do simply with Louis and the way he relates to his victims. What I would like to know from you tonight, and there's a one minute message on this machine, is how you feel about this. The way I see it, I would like to publish one of these a year, in addition to my regular books. In my regular books, as you know, I like to roam far and wide. I've done VIOLIN, which is coming out this fall, which concerns a very romantic and very bitter ghost, Stephan, who died in the prime of life in the 18th Century, and has taken into immortality, within his Strata, his violin. And I am working on another book having to do with the autobiography of Jesus Christ, which will be a very large enterprise, and that will probably be out in 2 years. Those books will continue, and I will also get back to the Mayfair series and continue with a full scale onward continuation of the story of Ashlar and Morrigan and the Taltos. But what do you feel about another book a year, in the short format, a slightly shorter format, that focuses simply on characters. Tales, in other words, of the vampires. I would call them THE VELVET VAMPIRE TALES or something of this kind. Tales of the Mayfair Family; where we don't necessarily advance the main plot, but we talk about particular stories. Also, some of these short novels could be files from the Talamasca. They could be individual ghost stories that come from the Talamasca's records. I would love to know, in your one minute response, if you would, how you feel about this, and the characters that most interest you. And if you could tell me that, I will be very grateful, and if you allow me to use that information, to copy it and to keep it, and to share it with my co-workers, I would appreciate it. This is very much an aesthetic decision. I really write more than could be published in any one year, and I have at this point more worlds going than I can do justice to, and I've very eager to write individual stories about Mayfairs and about vampires, that don't, necessarily, have to do with Lestat, and don't necessarily have to do with the main Mayfair crisis with the Taltos. So your answers are very important to me. Please leave me your name and how you feel about it, what you would like to see, and what characters in particular would interest you, and if you think the two novel a year system would be a good one. The big novel in the fall and the smaller novel, and by smaller I really mean almost what other people call normal novels of about 200 pages, things like that, you know, appearing some time in the summer. Thank you very very much for your input, remember you have a minute after the beep, and I wish there were time for other news, but this is a very important moment to me, and if you could give me this feedback, it would be very important to me. I love you all, thank you very much for calling."