I fell in love with New Orleans through Anne Rice’s words. Interview with the Vampire influenced me in more ways than I can count. But I can say with no doubt that Anne Rice’s books taught me that no idea is too crazy, too powerful or too heartbreaking to be included in genres of all kinds. As I reread her books this week, I’ll thank her for showing a high schooler the beauty of writing who now has the confidence to share her own words set in the city she fell in love with all those years ago.