Kathryn Leigh Scott's Novel Mystery

Dark Shadows actress Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) has written a new novel, Down and Out in Beverly Heels, which is released today. We caught up her to chat about the book's inspirations and her writing routine...

So Kathryn, what was your starting point for Down and Out in Beverly Heels?

I once saw a segment of 60 Minutes about women who were living homeless in affluent neighbourhoods in plain sight – what I call homeless and hiding it. I was intrigued by the idea of a woman who had it all and lost everything, and it doesn't take much. Illness, bad investments, career meltdown, divorce, mental health issues or natural disaster can destroy everything in short order. For me, writing and acting always begin with a what if? So I imagined not only what it would be to lose everything – home, friends, reputation, earning potential – but how to survive it and, most important, redemption and finding the road back. But I also write funny, so my story has an edgy humour.

You first published the story as Murder in Primetime, back in 2006. What made you decide to revisit the idea and how different is the new version from the original?

I printed a limited number of Murder in Prime Time paperbacks that were never sold in stores, but only available to fans of Dark Shadows at the festivals and on my website. I asked everyone who read the book to send me their suggestions to make it better. Well... I got so many really complimentary letters full of ideas... I used all those reviews and comments to rewrite the book, and even changed the name of the lead character. It's a far better book, and I am now almost finished with the sequel!

The theme of suddenly losing one's financial security seems more topical now than it was when the book was first published...

In truth, these days anyone can identify with this story because it's about people who have worked hard, found success through their own efforts and then see it all wiped out. Who doesn't understand that?

Meg, your central character, is an actress from a cult television show. Dare we ask how much of her is drawn from your own experiences?

I write like an actress. I write in scenes and imagine what I would do 'if'... Hollywood is a world I know and experience, so it's fun to write about, but also when something goes wrong, the public exposure is terrific! I know you can hear my voice in the writing, but Meg Barnes is quite different from me and what she experiences only exists in my imagination.

What's your approach to writing? Are you disciplined when working on a manuscript?

I make up a story and write it down in a few pages, that are full of what ifs. Then I write an outline and force myself to write 1,000 words or three pages a day and I don't get a glass of wine until I do. Sometimes I find an excuse to come up with less, but it has to be a really good excuse.

Who inspires you as a writer?

I've always been a fan of the great British women mystery writers, who create wonderful atmosphere, characters you care about and stories that pull you into their world...  Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, P.D. James, Josephine Tey... I love them and their use of language! And I'll never be their equal.

Nonetheless, is there a particular passage or scene in the book you're proud of?

There are some scenes where Meg is auditioning and working on set that I think really capture the behind-the-scenes experience... and I'm most proud of the scenes when Meg is very vulnerable as a homeless woman living in her car.

What are you working on next? Are there any more novels in the pipeline?

I have a screenplay based on Down and Out in Beverly Heels completed and another screenplay in the works. I'm almost finished with the sequel to Down and Out... I am half through a non-fiction book  and have the sequel to Dark Passages to write.

To order Down and Out from Beverly Heels in paperback and Kindle formats, click here.

Kathryn is also offering fans a bonus signed bookmark with proof of purchase from the book from Amazon. For more information, click here. Kathryn will be signing copies of the book at New York's Barnes & Noble store on 82nd Street and Broadway on Monday April 1 from 7.00pm. For full event details, click here.

Lara Parker Talks Wolf Moon Rising

We recently chatted to actress Lara Parker about her cameo in the new Dark Shadows movie. In recent years, she's carved out a second career as a writer, and her third Dark Shadows novel, Wolf Moon Rising, is out later this year... 

You've recently completed the manuscript for Wolf Moon Rising. How was the writing process this time around?
Honestly? It was hard – grueling at times. This is a complicated story and there are four or five points of view from various characters, so it was much harder to write. I gave myself a difficult task, to take this whole group of characters and have their stories intertwine.

When you're writing, do you have any tricks to get you into the story?
I always pick a season. For The Salem Branch, it was fall and the trees... This time it's the dead of winter – everything's white and covered in snow. David has a snowmobile he dug out of the garage – he's quite handy with mechanical things. So he drives this snowmobile quite recklessly through the woods behind Collinwood and the sea road on the way to the Old House.  

In The Salem Branch, you explored a more adolescent version of David Collins than we saw on the series...
I tend to be much fonder of my own characters – they're much more alive for me. I think that the 16-year-old David is really my creation now. When we last saw him [on television], he was eleven or twelve, but had certain characteristics that are still there. He's quite self-centred and full of himself, and thinks himself to be very smart.

Lara Parker On The Dark Shadows Movie

As the beautiful witch Angelique on the original Dark Shadows, Lara Parker became one of the show's most memorable and enduring characters. We caught up with her to talk about her cameo in the new movie and her thoughts on the project...

So Lara, what was your reaction when you heard that Dark Shadows was heading to the big screen?
I never thought it would get made – I was so pessimistic. This is a reinterpretation, and I feel – with all humility – that it's to Dark Shadows' credit that someone can find a new way of doing it. That's what we did on the original show – we reinvented things like Dracula and Turn of the Screw and Dorian Gray...

Do you think this film is still Dark Shadows as we know it?
When I was on the set, seeing what was going on, I could tell that the tone was significantly different. I had misgivings, I’ll admit. I thought hopefully it would be OK, but it could be a real bomb. But then I saw the first trailer and was kinda taken with it! It's an homage – it's a recognition of the value of the original material, to have made Tim Burton's imagination take off with it the way it has.

Director Tim Burton has spoken a lot about wanting to capture the 'vibe' of the original show. What do you take that to mean?
I've been asked so many times what I think was the most distinguishing characteristic of the TV show, and I think it was that the acting was realistic. Now that's not true of everyone... There were some more arch performances – people like Grayson [Hall] (Julia Hoffman) and Chris Pennock (Jeb Hawkes) – but for the most part, we played it with conviction. We were encouraged to be believable, so when a bat came in the room – and it was a Halloween toy dangled by some anxious prop man – there was no question of rolling our eyes or letting the audience in on the joke. It was played with total conviction. So here were all these absurd situations – telling ghosts to go back to their graves – but played with total conviction. That gave Dark Shadows its tone. I think audiences are smarter than they used to be. Tim Burton is letting the audience in a little more on that joke.  

Kathryn Leigh Scott's Return to Collinwood

Pomegranate Press have released cover artwork for the new reference book Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood. Featuring contributions from original series actors Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans), Lara Parker (Angelique), David Selby (Quentin) and a foreword by Jonathan Frid (Barnabas), the 208-page softcover book is due out in May. From the publisher:

Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood presents a look back at five decades of the classic Gothic horror soap opera that made sympathetic vampire Barnabas Collins a pop culture phenomenon and prompted the big-screen revival starring longtime fan Johnny Depp, directed by Tim Burton.

Includes hundreds of rare photographs and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from Kathryn Leigh Scott, Jonathan Frid, Lara Parker and David Selby, who appear in cameo roles with Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Michelle Pfeiffer in the new Gothic epic. With the ongoing fascination for all things vampiric, this book about the making of the new film and the history of the original series is an enticing volume for new and old fans alike.

Return to Collinwood can pre-ordered now at a discount price by clicking here. Pomegranate Press are also offering a signed photo with the first 200 pre-orders made through their website. The Dark Shadows News Page caught up with co-author Kathryn Leigh Scott to chat about the new book and her cameo role in the new Dark Shadows movie...

Kathryn, what's the format for the new book?

Return to Collinwood is five decades of Dark Shadows in all of its incarnations – including the two original films, the 1991 series, the Warner Bros. pilot, and of course the original television series. It's our Dark Shadows family album. Ben Martin found a treasure trove of new photographs that we did not have when we did the previous books and we came across quite a few others, so it's nearly all new photographs, too.

What was your reaction when you were asked to appear in the new Dark Shadows movie?

It's highly unusual, because people always want to reinvent the wheel and make something new and their own. Hollywood just normally doesn't do that. But I think that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp and everyone connected with this project... for them, it's a labour of love. They wanted us to be a part of it. That's so refreshing and so wonderful. I think that, more than anything, has endeared the fans to this new film.

From the original Dark Shadows studio to Pinewood must be quite a leap. Do you think the new movie feels recognisably like the original?

Yes, I think so. I love the sort of Rip Van Winkle twist... The film starts in 1972 and Dark Shadows went off the air in 1971 – I love the idea of that. I think that what they have done with the story is to make it fresh and new – to really appeal to the sensibilities of an audience some 40 years later. They needed to make it their own, but the fact that they included us and made us a part of it is really magical.

Johnny Depp has spoken about wanting to make Barnabas a classical vampire. Do you think that will work for a modern audience?

With this huge current interest in all things vampiric, this is film has the advantage of being about the granddaddy of all contemporary vampires – Jonathan Frid's Barnabas. Johnny Depp has created what is essentially a valentine to Jonathan Frid, while at the same time making it very distinctly his own. So I think for someone 14 years old, who has no awareness of the original show, they will be be catapulted into the heart of the real Dark Shadows. Johnny Depp will become their Barnabas Collins.

That's an interesting way of putting it. How do you see Dark Shadows enduring beyond this film?

There are certain shows – things like Star Trek, I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners... and we're now in that pantheon. There's no question that Dark Shadows is now iconic and I think that has a great deal to do with the fans, in collusion with the original actors. Because, were it not for our books and appearances at events over the years... together we've really nurtured it. Rather than preserving it in aspic, we've created a legacy that's an ever-growing thing.

For you and the other actors making cameos, how did it feel to see a new cast playing your roles?

It was a nice feeling. In Return to Collinwood, Lara Parker and I both address this. I created Josette, she created Angelique, and there have been others who stepped into those roles. One does feel a little proprietorial about it, but on the other hand one is fascinated by what another actress can bring to those roles. So we feel both territorial and kind of willing embrace a new interpretation. It will be very interesting to see what Eva Green brings to that role of Angelique. We did the original Dark Shadows on a budget that wouldn't pay for a day or two of filming on this new production. They have so much more, by way of resources, and will use them. We have only what we originated, 45 years ago.

Original creator Dan Curtis tried many times to remake Dark Shadows on a grand scale. Do you think he would have approved of this version?

Dan had – if you'll forgive the word – a very rigid interpretation of Dark Shadows and he always stayed within certain parameters. He wanted to produce his vision in a big budget way. He was so excited about the 1991 primetime version – I think that gave him enormous satisfaction. Tim Burton's interpretation is going to be Tim Burton's interpretation, and I'm really looking forward to it. He's just an amazing film maker, and I can't envision anybody else but Johnny Depp taking on this iconic role. I think that it's a match made in heaven.

Does this feel like signing off from Dark Shadows?

None of us feel that we're handing the show over to a new generation. We really feel like the baton is still in our hands – I think it's wonderful that the new production realises that we're still very much a part of the world of Dark Shadows. Johnny Depp may not be the last Barnabas Collins. He certainly wasn't the first, but he's now part of the Dark Shadows legacy too.

To pre-order Dark Shadows: Return to Collinwood at a discount price, click here. UK readers can also order by clicking here.