Phone Message Transcript: October 9, 1997
[appearing on Anne's fan phone line]

"Okay, I'm home from Florida. It's October 9th, Thursday. It's early in the morning. I had a wonderful time. We went to my condo in Miami Beach and the beach was beautiful. It was absolutely beautiful.

The grief over the loss of Versace hangs over everything, like a deep shadow and yet the sun is still shining. The innocence is there. The crime has been resolved but Versace will always be missed. I think its a rare thing for a fashion designer to put a mark on the century, especially in so short of a time. Anyway his presence is so warm, so reassuring and so special that even in death his personality or the loss of it can really cause a cloud. The house is beautiful. I went past it and saw the gates. I don't know what will happen to it. All you have to do is look at the house on Ocean Drive in South Beach and you'll see what Versace did for South Beach and what he meant.

Then I went to Naples, Florida to stay at my condo on the gulf. It was placid and beautiful. One experience is that of going out over Miami seeking new experiences, buying statues of saints, getting all kinds of merchandise for the Anne Rice Collection, our store at the Rink. The other experience being in Naples, Florida is indoors for me. I never go out of our condo with its screened porches. I just stay there the entire time looking at the beautiful water and watching the sunset when it happens. I really belong on the east coast of Florida because I never get up in the morning. I certainly am not going to see the sunrise over the Atlantic. Did I get that right? Yeah, I did. Okay.

Our first signing is October 15th at Britton Trice's Garden District Bookstore. We'd love to see you. Britton is one of my oldest friends in New Orleans and he's owned this bookstore for years. It's my neighborhood bookstore. I only live a few blocks away. I am planning a grand entrance. All I can tell you is that it will be morbid and macabre as hell. But uh, anyway nothing unusual it will take about five minutes. But I hope we see you. The book signing starts at four, you have to buy your books at Britton's store. This is the only way an independent book seller like Britton can make it and we abide by the rules for good will.

Our second signing will be October 31st and that will be downtown in New Orleans. That will be a signing that you will be able to bring books that you bought from another store. There is a great wisdom to coming early to the one on the 15th. We anticipate big crowds and we want to stay and go the distance, if we can. Our last signing in New Orleans was eight hours. We are really looking forward to this like an Olympic event, you know. What else can I tell you?

I was on Walton & Johnson this week. I actually met the dudes. It was transcendent, you know. I called them from Florida and had a great conversation with them. These are our local DJ's and I hear about ****** DJ's man I don't play discs. Our local entertaining morning hosts, I think that may be more appropriate. All my friends talk about Walton & Johnson. I never get up at that time to hear them, but I shot up out of bed in Florida and picked up the phone to call them in time. I had to get them before they dissolved into thin air or the air waves. I had a nice conversation with them. They are good guys and I like them a lot.

On November 1st we have the Coven Party Ball for Memnoch, not Memnoch, I am betting a thousand. Hey give me some slack in that I've just made the Florida change. Which is almost like making the sea change. My apologies, ge' regret, ge' regret. On November 1st we have the fan club Coven Party. They have a listed phone number and they can answer all of your questions. They are mailing out the tickets, I'm sure.

On November 2nd we are going to have the supreme pleasure of hosting Leila Josefowicz and she is going to preform a concert in a beautiful uptown church. I think that we are sold out at this point. Well I know that we will have cancellations. So we'll still be able to give away some tickets. We have pretty much packed this church. We, this is the joy of our lives to bring Leila Josefowicz to New Orleans for this very special event. She is going to be playing at Carnegie Hall in November, in New York. I hope to hear her there too. I have never even set foot in Carnegie Hall even though I have a condominium right in back of it, in New York. It will be a super joy to see this violinist whom I love so much. She plays Tchaicovsky and Sebelius and Varay and Senson with so much passion. "Violin for Anne Rice" is already out. I am just, how can I explain it, I am just overwhelmed by the fact that she would allow such a thing to happen. If she would connect the great name Leila Josefowicz which means perfection in classical virtuosity, that she would connect that with me. In fact the discs are in there, we just got our first batch of them. It's extraordinary to have that connection with another artist, I love Leila. I hope you will like her music. Her music is beautiful. If you never listen to classical music or if you've never been a fan of violin music, your going to love Leila Josefowicz. The selections she plays are so perfectly done and they are so melodic. They sweep you off your feet.

Okay now after that on November 2nd, I think that we leave New Orleans maybe later and go up north for a while. I really don't know the whole schedule. I will tell you because I know that you want to know and you ask me and I'm glad that you ask me and for god's sake please keep asking because if you ever stop I'll die. It's wonderful to be home. It's dark and it's probably 2 o'clock. I can't see much of New Orleans but I can sure feel it all around me. The air that kisses your back and hugs your back. Take care. I love you guys.

I haven't seen any movies while in Florida. But you know that I'm recommending very much BULLETPROOF HEART with Anthony La Paglia and the beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Mimi Rogers. And I'm also recommending anything with Leonardo DiCaprio who just gets better movie after movie after movie. He was fantastic in MARVIN'S ROOM and WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE and fantastic in ROMEO AND JULIET and let me see what else I can say before this machine sabotages me. Right before I left I saw some stunning movies, this is a wonderful time for movies. I saw ANGEL BABY out of Australia, this was recommended to me by someone at Warners. I recommend it, it's marvelous. It equates madness with creativity and art and of course all of us who are mad are creative and artistic, and I love that equation. It truly was a masterly film. I like any film that is honest about mad people or about art, it's about everything else.

I love you guys. I can't live without you. Take care. Be careful and leave me a one minute message after the beep. I may not be able to answer you personally but I will certainly try to answer questions when I come back on the wire. Over and out my darlings."