Anne Rice Announces New Vampire Chronicles Novel

Writer Anne Rice announced that she will soon be releasing the next installment of her ongoing Vampire Chronicles series during an episode of The Dinner Party With Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn.

Titled Prince Lestat, the book is due to be released in October and according to Rice, will be a "big Vampire Chronicle." Rice added that the novel examines how the vampires are "coming to terms with everything that's happened to them and how Lestat is dealing with demands from all sides that he step forward and become the leader of the tribe."

The Vampire Chronicles began in 1976 with the best-selling Interview With the Vampire, and Price Lestat is the 11th entry in the series. The upcoming book also marks Rice's first vampire novel in over a decade. While Rice seemed initially hesitant to continue this particular storyline after the last entry, Blood Canticle, she announced in a 2012 question-and-answer session at the Toronto Public Library that she "wanted to hear what Lestat had to say."

Rice's oeuvre contains numerous queer characters, such as the bisexual vampire Lestat, portrayed by Tom Cruise in the 1994 adaptation of Interview With the Vampire. The author has since gone on to champion numerous LGBT causes, and recently used her Facebook page to support actress Ellen Page's decision to come out.