Servant of the Bones

Author Essay

Who would you consider to be the perfect author with whom to spend Halloween?  Anne Rice, right?  Well, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to do just that two years ago for the publication of SERVANT OF THE BONES.  We met in Miami, where she was doing a booksigning for several thousand fans at Books & Books, right in the heart of South Beach.  

The evening started with a grand parade, complete with a marching band and Anne as the leader of this procession, which ended in front of the store.  Nevermind that it was 80-90 degrees outside, Anne dressed to the nines with a black crushed velvet vest and skirt, a long-sleeved poet’s blouse, and a gold chain-link headpiece (This outfit was in keeping with the Babylonian mood of her book, SERVANT OF THE BONES).   She was right in step with the rest of the crowd, all of whom were in full costume.

People started waiting in line for the Anne Rice signing early in the morning, so you can imagine what the line looked like by the time we arrived around 6PM.  The store provided entertainment and refreshments, so everyone was quite good-natured about the wait.  In fact, many people forged new friendships while waiting to meet Anne.  Others took the time in line to read her book.  By the time they reached the front of the line, they were full of questions for her about her new novel.

The costumes were amazing.  One highlight was a male fan who dressed up as a futuristic super-vixon.  He asked Anne if he could lie across the length of the booksigning table and have his picture taken with her.  Being the great sport that she is, she said "sure."  This bizarre moment was captured on the local news later that evening.

I must say that after spending the evening with Anne, I admired her all the more.  She spent over 7 hours signing books and didn’t take one break during the entire time!  Her only wants were a few cans of cold TAB, a plentiful supply of well-inked pens, and cough drops.  She took the time to speak with every single person whose book she signed that night, and you could tell how much this meant to her fans.

So, if you ever have the opportunity to attend an Anne Rice signing, GO!  It’s worth the wait, especially if you are lucky enough to catch her on Halloween.