1938
Howard O'Brien marries Katherine Allen on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, at 5:00 A.M.; they live at 2301 St. Charles Avenue with Katherine's mother.

1939
Alice born

1941
Howard Allen (Anne) born October 4 in Mercy Hospital.

1942
Howard goes into the navy for three years.

1946
Anne's first writings.

1947
Tamara born
Anne changes her name from Howard Allen.

1949
Karen born
Mamma Allen dies.

Anne as Howard Allen ~ aged three

1950
Anne sees 1936 film Dracula's Daughter and is impressed by emotional resonance; she also hears the story "The White Silk Dress," about a child vampire.

1951
Anne writes a novella about two aliens from Mars.

1953
Anne writes several plays.

1956
Katherine O'Brien dies.

1957
Anne is sent to St. Joseph Academy boarding school.
Howard remarries and is transferred to Richardson, Texas.
Anne sees Stan Rice in a journalism class. They develep a casual relationship. He edits the high school newspaper; Anne writes features.

1959
Anne graduates high school. She enters Texas Woman's University. Her stepmother, Dorothy, buys Anne her first typewriter. Completes two years of college in one year.

1960
Stan arrives in Denton for college, but Anne goes to San Fransisco; they correspond.

1961
Stan proposes by telegram. Anne returns to Texas to marry Stan in a civil ceremony on October 14.

1962
Anne and Stan return to San Fransisco and take night courses at the University of San Fransisco until they can enroll in day courses at San Fransisco State University. They live in Haight-Ashbury.

1963
Anne writes The Sufferings of Charlotte and Nicholas and Jean; Stan gains reputation with his poetry.

1964
Stan and Anne graduate from San Fransisco State - Anne takes a B.A. in Political Science, Stan in Creative Writing; Stan starts Ph.D. program at Berkeley but drops out and returns to SFSU.

1965
Anne publishes short story, "October 4, 1948," in Transfer.

1966
Move to Taraval; Anne gives birth to Michele on September 21. Stan starts teaching at San Fransisco State University. Stan's poetry is getting published and he gives readings; he receives a $1000 grant.
Anne publishes first chapter of Nicholas and Jean in Transfer.
Anne is in graduate school, changing majors from Art History to German to English.

1969
Anne and Stan move to Berkeley, 1621 Dwight Way. Anne writes a short story called "Interview with the Vampire"; she writes a novella, Katherine and Jean, which she sends to publishers. There is some interest.

1970
Stan wins Joseph Henry Jackson Award for poetry and they use the $1500 to buy a red MG sports car.
Anne enters the Ph.D. program at the University of California at Berkeley. She is dissastisfied and leaves to complete a masters in creative writing at San Fransisco State University.
Stan and Anne move to an apartment in North Berkeley at 1275 Bonita Avenue; she writes Tales of Rhoda.
Anne is haunted by her New Orleans past; begins extensive research.
Michele is diagnosed with leukemia.

1972
Anne takes masters degree in creative writing. Masters thesis: Katherine and Jean; orals on Woolf, Shakespeare, and Hemingway.
Stan receives a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for $5000; they take Michele to Disneyland.
Michele dies on August 5.

1973
Anne quits job to write full time; turns "Interview with the Vampire" into a novel in five weeks and sends it out to publishers. It is rejected.

1974
Anne enters Interview with the Vampire in a contest and is rejected; takes it to Squaw Valley writer's conference where Phyllis Seidel reads it and agrees to represent it; sells it to Vicky Wilson at Knopf for hardcover release and a $12,000 advance.

1975
Stan publishes Some Lamb, poetry about Michele, The Figures Press.

1976
Interview with the Vampire is published; 75 reviews; paperback sale of $700,000; Paramount buys film rights for $150,000 for 10 year option.
Stan publishes Whiteboy, Mudra Press.
Anne and Stan move into a succession of houses in Berkeley and Oakland.
They visit Port au Prince and New Orleans, where Anne researches for The Feast of All Saints.

1977
Anne and Stan go on a grand tour of Europe and Egypt.
Stan wins Edgar Allan Poe Award for Poetry.
Anne returns later to Italy with her father, stepmother, and sister.

1978
Christopher born on March 11.

1979
Anne and Stan stop drinking on Memorial Day.
The Feast of All Saints published by Simon & Schuster; $150,000 advance.
A short story about vampires is published in Playboy.

1980
Anne and Stan move to a Victorian in the Castro district, where Anne writes Cry to Heaven.

1982
Cry to Heaven published by Knopf; $75,000 advance.
"Master of Rampling Gate" appears in Redbook.
Anne is devastated by a terrible review in San Fransisco Chronicle and begins to withdraw.

1983
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by "A. N. Roquelaure" published by Dutton; a three-book contract.
Article on gender appears in Vogue.
Stan publishes Body of Work, Lost Roads Press.

1984
Beauty's Punishment, Dutton (second Roquelaure).

1985
Anne writes "Desert Song" for Tommy Tune.
Exit to Eden published by Arbor House, under "Anne Rampling"; $35,000 advance.
Beauty's Release published by Dutton (Roquelaure).
The Vampire Lestat, Knopf hardcover, $100,000 advance; makes best-seller list in hardcover.

1986
Belinda published (Rampling), Arbor House.
Editor John Dodds dies of cancer; Anne withdraws more from San Fransisco.
Paramount's rights revert to Anne. Lorimar picks up the option. Lorimar has rights to The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned; Warner buys Lorimar.
Anne writes treatment for "The Voice."

1987
Anne and Stan buy a house in Sonoma County on seven acres where she writes part of The Queen of the Damned.
Editor Bill Whitehead dies.

1988
Stan and Anne sell the Sonoma house and buy a second house, at 1020 Philip Street in New Orleans; Stan takes a leave of absence from teaching.
The Queen of the Damned, Knopf hardcover, $500,000 advance.

1989
Anne and Stan move to New Orleans permanently; Stan retires from teaching to paint; they buy a large mansion in the Garden District.
The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned, published by Ballantine.

1990
The Witching Hour published by Knopf as part of two-book contract for $5 million advance; Warner purchases film rights for $1 million; BOMC buys it as main selection.

1991
Anne writes fourth Vampire Chronicle.
The Witching Hour, released in paperback.
Cry to Heaven released in trade paperback.
Howard O'Brien dies at age seventy-four.

1992
The Tale of the Body Thief is published in hardcover by Knopf.
Ballantine releases The Feast of All Saints in trade paperback.
Anne writes the sequel to The Witching Hour and the script for the film based on Interview with the Vampire.

1993
Anne signs three-book, $17-million contract with Knopf.
Anne and Stan purchase St. Elizabeth's, a former Catholic girl's orphanage.
Lasher released in hardcover; The Tale of the Body Thief realeased in paperback. A companion guide to the Vampire Chronicles, The Vampire Companion: The Official Guide to Anne Rice's "The Vampire Chronicles" published.

1994
Anne writes fifth Vampire Chronicle.
Exit to Eden made into a film.
Interview with the Vampire made into a film.
Taltos released in hardcover; Lasher released in paperback. A companion guide to Anne Rice's "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" published.

Prism of the Night ~ Katherine Ramsland