A Correspondence Between Generys and Anne Rice

hat follows is an email I wrote to Anne Rice recently. It gives you a brief sketch of what I'm about and of one of the many testimonies of my life. Anne replied the same day! I'm placing her answer right underneath my letter.

Dear Anne,

The Lord moves in mysterious ways. Most of the time we accept that as common knowledge, but every once in a while He surprises us with that and as a result we can’t say much more than what was said in Job 42:1-5.

I’d like to give you a testimony, if you allow me...

My name is Generys and I’m 37 years old. I’ve been sick with a burnout and a metabolic disease since more than four years. The causes were many: abuse, bad circumstances at work, perfectionism, you name it.

On an invalid pension, it has been a daily struggle to find a balance between enough rest, keeping my strict diet, and remaining somehow significant in society. Loneliness and the danger of loosing your self respect are never far away... Leading two prayer groups for civil servants every week has been helping me in maintaining my life-line with God and the world of the working.

Now come and look with me while I’m sketching what my life looked like the last few months: this Summer I felt more lonely and misunderstood than ever. I didn’t get much better, but still wanted to be with friends that I couldn’t find on the phone due to the holiday season. There also was this anger, been there for several years, but still remaining and becoming stronger in me. Of course, one has learned a lot. Of course I knew that those periods come and go. But I have also learned to listen to the Holy Spirit, and He was telling me to do something with this anger, to let it out.

Anyway, there was a point when I was fed up with being sick. And against all odds, a month ago I applied for a job in the field that I have been working in: as a Dutch/Turkish translator. That was nothing else than a step of faith!

Don’t be insulted, but I’ve never read a book of your hand (yet.) I did see the movies “Interview” and “Queen Of The Damned” on television, though.

Two weeks ago, I was remembered by the latter of those films. And I bought the DVD. I watched it, and watched it again, and again. I wondered what drew me so much in the story. Was it only the sex appeal of Stuart Townsend? Was it the music? I didn’t know. But it surely intrigued me. I talked to people about “how cool that movie is” and I found out that you are the writer of the story. So I looked at your website, and learned more about the Vampire Chronicles and you. To the friends that wanted to hear it, I said that I was kind of intrigued by the fact that life is not always “Hallelujah, praise the Lord,” that there is also weakness, dark times and death that we have to deal with.

But still, what was God telling me through that realization?

Last Friday, I played the song “System” and watched some more of the “Queen Of The Damned.” And suddenly I found myself screaming, grunting and yelling along with Lestat: “Why is everything so hard for me???” Finally I understood: the story “Queen Of The Damned” worked as a huge OUTLET for my anger! I broke down and cried my eyes out and at the same time felt Jesus being so close to me, which made me cry MORE! In a strange way, something inside broke at that moment and found its way out of me through singing and crying.

The story, described in the movie, tells about Lestat and his discontent with his being a vampire. How many parallels there appeared to be with my feelings:

• He needs to drink blood to “survive.” I need to keep a strict diet and take a lot of rest to “survive.”
• He no longer wants to live as an undead, alone in the shadows. I don’t want to live as a disabled person but want to become a significant part of society again.
• He takes action and becomes a rock star. I’m taking action by applying for my first official job since 4 1⁄2 years.

Now I could go on with more examples but I guess you can fill them in yourself...

My message to you is: God has surely used a story that you wrote in a time that you might not have been very good friends with Him, to free somebody else from anger! And I’m thanking Him for that with all my heart. Please be encouraged Anne, and believe with me that He indeed does move in mysterious ways. He used your story, a vampire story, possibly despised by many Christians, to help me starting a process of spiritual healing.

In the month after my job application, all of a sudden things started to come to me: I was accepted as a freelance photographer at the Rotterdam Diocese. A Christian women’s magazine interviewed me about the civil servants prayer groups which I’m involved in. And another journalist, of a prime time news program on Dutch national television asked me if I’d come along with her as an interpreter and researcher for documentaries in Turkey!

And last but not least: I ordered your book Christ The Lord and will read it eagerly.

So, be encouraged Anne. And be deeply blessed!

Love,
Generys
Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Anne Rice wrote:

Thank you for your beautiful and affirmative letter. Your courage and strength shine through. I'm glad you had such a positive experience with Queen of the Damned. The film was not really a good reflection of my work. However certainly elements you describe are there.... The book is I hope a much richer experience, and the first film, Interview with the Vampire, is profound. But I am glad you found that second film to be helpful. --- The vampire is the perfect metaphor for the romantic and the outsider in all of us, the isolated one, the alienated one, and the romantic rebel who shakes his fist at a sometimes meaningless cosmos. I wrote those vampire novels for years as I worked my way towards Our Lord.

Take care and be well.
Anne Rice

So this was a very significant moment. And I actually was expecting that my interest in vampires and the gothic culture would subside after this. But it didn't. I have looked back and found that many important experiences with the Lord in my life were dark and bloody, more about that later.

- Generys