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DarkAngel's Spec Writer Links
A List of VampChron Spec Writers's Best Friends
Hold Everything!
Stop Right There!
Before you even read the rest of this page, go here: The Basics for Beginning Writers by Melisa Michaels
Okay, writers, got the basics? Good, then let's surf!
Research-It!
My FAVORITE Reference Site : Dictionary, Thesaurus, Translator, Currency Converter, FRENCH CONJUGATOR!!! and more!
LOGOS - non solo parole
Multiligual Dictionary, Word Context Translator, Anagram Generator and more
AltaVista Babel Fish Translator
Quickest easiest Translator I have found.
The Alternative Dictionaries
International Slang : Multilingual Cursing! How Cool is THAT!
The Lestatian and Louisian Historical Era A Victorian Gentleman
Though aimed at Irish Catholics, from a British point of view, it nevertheless gives great insight to Louis's character.
The Men's Page
Men's Fashions from the Regency Age (1700s-1800s) - What Louis and Lestat really wore.
Eighteenth Century Studies
An EXCELLENT links page with everything you want to know about Louis and Lestat's growing up years (1700-1799). Most importantly links for the French Revolution and Art and Literature of the time.
Nineteenth Century Timeline
What happened in the world during the Louis, Lestat and Claudia Years. Though this timeline focuses mainly upon Great Britain, it is still a valuable resource.
Creole Culture - Louis's World The Official St. Louis Cathedral Website
Takes you through the history, and right into the Cathedral to view the altar and the art work (They cleaned the bloodstains off of the altar though, Louisians!)
American Cultural Studies: New Orleans and the South
WONDERFUL Historical and Cultural Links - General, Slavery, Film, Music, Religion, Mardi Gras etc.
Oak Alley Plantation
Official Site of Oak Alley Plantation, the exterior stand-in for Pointe du Lac
Destrehan Plantation
Official Site of Destrehan Plantation, the interior stand-in for Pointe du Lac
Pitot House Museum
Pitot House is of Creole design. Anne based her vision of Pointe du Lac upon it.
New Orleans Historic Homes - Gallier House
This historic house, though not built until 1857, contains a mural very like the one described in Claudia's room, and is located on Royal Street. Therefore, the town house in the Rue Royale occupied by Louis, Lestat and Claudia is thought to be based upon it.
My personal unauthorized idea of the town house in the Rue Royale
This is an image of the Hotel Ste Helene on Chartres Street, in the French Quarter. It has three storeys, as does the town house in the Rue Royale; the first story being rented to a bookseller, the second and third occupied by vampires. It has beautiful and ornate iron lacework on both galleries, and it has a street lamp just outside. Take out the flags, imagine a second storey entrance from the courtyard in the back and VOILA! it's the town house!
Well, at least it is to me, anyway.
New Orleans Cemetaries
A good, brief, concise overview of above ground tombs and customs in New Orleans cemetaries.
Tombs and Vaults of New Orleans Cemetaries
Great images of above ground tombs and vaults.
Iron Lace Gallery
This image of A Creole House Bed and Breakfast shows off the beautiful cast iron lacework so common in the French Quarter.
Mardi Gras New Orleans.Com
Everything you want to know about Mardi Gras, including live broadcasts during the event, and re-broadcasts all year long.
The Best Spec Writer's Resource for New Orleans New Orleans Facts for Spec Writers by Laura Ann Troise
A veritable font of information by one who has not just lived there, but was a tour guide, describing many of the Rice/Vampire related locations day after day after day after day!
What does the Cafe du Monde look like? What were the streets paved with in the 1800s? How far is it from the French Quarter to the Garden District? All those answers and tons more are here!
Even better, the Brat Queen has rendered floor plans of the flat in the Rue Royale (Gallier House), and maps of the French Quarter, the Garden District and the city of New Orleans showing the vampire sites and their relative distances from one another, along with her personal photos of the sites! What more do you want? Well you get New Orleans historical facts too!
(Linked with permission)
Images of New Orleans and Louisiana Where to find Louis
Morrigan has done a wonderful job of finding images of Louis-related places in New Orleans! She even has INTERIOR pictures of the Gallier House! (linked with permission)Louisiana Images and Guide
This site is still under construction (I can't WAIT until they get the Historic Houses of New Orleans images up!!) But it is already a wonderful resource for contemporary New Orleans and Louisiana. I'm keeping my eye on it, I am sure that it will get better and better!
Ricean Flora
Anne Rice often mentions flowers and plants in her writing. Many were unfamiliar to me, and so I needed to find images of them before I could write about them.
The links below are not directly to the images themselves, but to the pages which contain the images. The pages themselves are irrelevant.
Queen's Wreath Pointe du Lac was an indigo plantation. The surrounding plantations could have been indigo, but sugar cane was much more profitable. These are images of the plants which Louis would have seen when walking through his own or other planter's fields.
Wisteria
Crape Myrtle
Jasmine
Honeysuckle
Third down on the page under Vines and Shrubs, and Grape Vines
Chrysanthemum
Lavender and Camellias
Lavender is under the 3rd paragraph, camellias under the 8th
Roses
The image is down the page, under gardening
Bougainvillea
Irises
The images are 6 lines down, in the 3rd and 4th columns
Lilies
Magnolia
Oleander
Live Oak Trees
There are wonderful pictures of the live oaks at Oak Alley, but this is another image
Spanish Moss
Let me repeat, I am not promoting this page, only directing you to a good image of Spanish moss
Indigo There is a garden in the courtyard of the town house in the Rue Royale. Louis mentions that jasmine and roses grow there, but what else might they have?
I looked all over the net for an actual photograph of indigofera tinctoria, but this was the only image I could find
Sugar Cane
3rd picture down
Cotton
Cotton was not prevalent in Louisiana, as it was in other southern states, but we know for a fact that it was grown at Magnolia Mound Plantation in Baton Rouge, and that the 1884 World's Industrial and Cotton Exposition was held in New Orleans.
Time-Life Plant Encyclopedia Louis and Lestat will only be enjoying their garden at night, therefore it is possible that when renovations were done, Lestat may have had a moon garden planted in the courtyard. This is complete speculation on my part, but then I am a spec writer, that's what I do!
This database may be searched by climate and soil conditions to determine what sorts of plants would grow well in what areas. New Orleans is between USDA climate Zones 8 and 9, but all of the French Quarter is in Zone 9. Enter 9 for Zone and moist for soil and the resultant plants could grow in the Rue Royale courtyard.
Southern Gardening Links
These will give you other ideas as to what is traditionally grown in southern gardens
Moon gardens contain two kinds of plants; Night blooming flowers and flowers which produce white blooms which are luminous in the moonlight. The following links give an idea of what types of plants are in a moon garden.
Moon Garden
Moon Gardening
How to plant a moon garden
Rue Royale Specs Inc.
Home of Specs by DarkAngel and Father of Lies
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