I WONDER WHO'S COMING . . . .

Looking out the window to see if anyone is walking up to the door . . . 

I leave in a week on my book tour! I'm so excited! here's the schedule:

Tues., Aug. 20 (Official publication date!) – 7:00 pm – Barnes & Noble at The Grove (at Farmers’ Market) – 189 The Grove Drive, Suite K-30, Los Angeles, CA. (323) 525-0270. 

Wed., Aug. 21 – 7:00 pm - Mysterious Galaxy - 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite 302, San Diego, CA. (858) 268-4747.

Fri., Aug. 23 – 7:00 pm – Borderlands Books – 866 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA. (415) 824-8203.

Sun., Aug. 25 – 4:00 pm – Barnes & Noble - 7227 SW Bridgeport Road, Tigard, OR (Portland - Bridgeport area). (503) 431-7575.

Fri.-Sun., Aug. 30 – Sept. 1 – DragonCon convention (with Kathryn Leigh Scott) – Atlanta, GA 30303  4 days!!. www.dragoncon.org 

Wed., Sept. 4 – 7:00 pm - Barnes & Noble, 2416 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. (407) 894-6024.

Thurs, , Sept. 5 – 6:00 pm – Booksellers at Laurelwood, 387 Perkins Extended, Memphis, TN 3811. (901) 683-9801.

Mon., Sept. 9 – 7:00 pm – Barnes & Noble - 150 E. 86 St. NYC, NY 10028. (212) 369-2180.

Mon., Sept. 14 – 2:00 pm – Dark Delicacies - 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA. (818) 556-6660 / 1-888-DARKDEL       

SHADOWGRAM OFFICIAL ONLINE DARK SHADOWS NEWS UPDATE # 291

SHADOWGRAM OFFICIAL ONLINE DARK SHADOWS NEWS UPDATE # 291

  

Update Number 291

July 31, 2013

********************************************

Hello, Dark Shadows Fan,

ShadowGram (SG), The Official Newsletter & News Source for Dark Shadows (DS) announces the following breaking news in this Official Online News Update "bulletin."

**** LARA PARKER’S NEW DS NOVEL – NATIONWIDE BOOK-SIGNING TOUR

Lara (Angelique) asks SG to announce all 9 of her book tour appearances for her 3^rd DS novel, “Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising.” The publication date is August 20, from Tor Books, and the launch is at Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles on that date.

She talked with me at length about the book and its various points of view: “Barnabas's, of course, but also Quentin's, and young David's – who has fallen in love with Jacqueline, a mysterious witch girl.”

Lara hopes that many fans will come to each event. More of her comments follow the tour listings below.

Tues., Aug. 20 (Official publication date!) – 7:00 pm – Barnes & Noble at The Grove (at Farmers’ Market) – 189 The Grove Drive, Suite K-30, Los Angeles, CA. (323) 525-0270. 

Wed., Aug. 21 – 7:00 pm - Mysterious Galaxy - 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite 302, San Diego, CA. (858) 268-4747.

Fri., Aug. 23 – 7:00 pm – Borderlands Books – 866 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA. (415) 824-8203.

Sun., Aug. 25 – 4:00 pm – Barnes & Noble - 7227 SW Bridgeport Road, Tigard, OR (Portland - Bridgeport area). (503) 431-7575.

Fri.-Sun., Aug. 30 – Sept. 1 – DragonCon convention (with Kathryn Leigh Scott) – Atlanta, GA 30303. www.dragoncon.org

Wed., Sept. 4 – 7:00 pm - Barnes & Noble, 2416 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. (407) 894-6024.

Thurs, , Sept. 5 – 6:00 pm – Booksellers at Laurelwood, 387 Perkins Extended, Memphis, TN 3811. (901) 683-9801.

Mon., Sept. 9 – 7:00 pm – Barnes & Noble - 150 E. 86 St. NYC, NY 10028. (212) 369-2180.

Mon., Sept. 14 – 2:00 pm – Dark Delicacies - 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA. (818) 556-6660 / 1-888-DARKDEL

If it isn't possible for you to come to a book signing, you might call the bookstore nearest you and order a copy to be autographed while Lara is there and sent to you.

  

Following are Lara’s comments about the book and writing it.

“I’m very excited about my 3^rd book.

“It’s a whole new Dark Shadows chapter and it moves very fast,” with three different storylines in two different time periods.

For one thing, “Quentin has lost the portrait” that keeps him youthful and his werewolf curse at bay. Now he dreads the full moon. “Everyone is doomed,” Lara said, laughing.

“A treat for the fans is the Humbert Allen Astredo character, Nathaniel Blair. He is Nicholas Blair’s brother, and he's a scientist and an expert in the occult. He comes to Collinwood because he suspects a vampire is being harbored there. He wants to find the creature and perform an autopsy!"

At the same time, “David Collins is 16 and in love with Jacqueline, also16, an artist – and the reincarnation of Angelique.

“The two teenagers decide to look for the portrait and so they go back in time to a very exciting period, the Roaring 20s, where Elizabeth Collins is 19 and a flapper, a party girl in a sparkly dress with her blonde hair cropped short.”

Lara explains:

“There is a lot here for those who loved the show," and the book is dedicated to the Dark Shadows fans. "Whether you raced home from school to miss not a minute or discovered the DVDs only yesterday, if you fell under the spell, this book is for you.

“You are and have been loyal and steadfast. You come to the conventions, form groups on Facebook, share in all kinds of social media, and more.

“I recently was asked on my webpage if I’m being paid to do this book tour. No, I am not. I’m doing it on my own because I want to meet more of you. I plan to show up at each of the book signings at least an hour early to enjoy being with you."

 **** “Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising,” will be released on Tues., Aug. 20, through bookstores and online retailers.

Pre-orders can be placed at various online sources such as amazon.com

http://www.barnesandnoble.com and other bookseller websites and sources can ship pre-orders to you or to your local store for pick-up on the official release date (Aug. 20).

Lara also shares these reviewers’ comments:

"A suspenseful, scary, superbly crafted addition to the Dark Shadows saga--once you begin reading you can't put it down." --- John Farris, New York Times best-selling author of The Fury.

“Lara Parker is as bewitching and cunning an author as she was when she portrayed the sexy enchantress Angelique on Dark Shadows…Wolf Moon Rising injects new blood into a classic saga on werewolves and vampires.”—The Commercial Appeal on DARK SHADOWS: WOLF MOON RISING

On her second novel, “Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch”:

“Fans of Dark Shadows have long awaited this second book by Parker. (She) has done her research. She takes us effortlessly from Collinsport in 1971 to Salem Village in 1692 and does a wonderful job of capturing the history of both periods. Her spellbinding plot and descriptive prose will please those who love a supernatural romance. She has captured the characters, the dialogue, and the spirit of the show perfectly.”—Romantic Times Book Reviews on Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch

**** Fans attending any of Lara’s book tour events are invited and encouraged to please send their photos, video footage, reports, local publicity materials and articles, media coverage, reviews, interviews, etc., to SG. Please send hard copies (newspapers, magazines, flyers) when possible and always include your full name, the date, and the complete source name.

Please send all materials to SG’s e- and/or postal- mail addresses:

shadowgram@aol.com

Marcy Robin

P.O. Box 1766

Temple City, CA 91780-7766

Thank you in advance!

  

Lara’s first 2 DS novels – “Angelique’s Descent” and “The Salem Branch” – both were published by Tor Books. Both novels were re-issued by the company last year, in a number of languages and countries worldwide.

SG Update # 289 (May 7, 2013) shared her news that her 4^th DS book will explore the story of Victoria Winters.

Wolf Moon Rising News

Here are my book signings so far. If you are in the area, please come by. I'm deathly afraid of an empty house. And I want to see my friends!

Tuesday, August 20 - Barnes & Noble at The Grove - 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles
7:00 pm

Wednesday, August 21 - Mysterious Galaxy - 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Suite 302, San Diego, CA 92111
7:00 pm

Friday, August 23 - Borderlands Books - 866 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110 -
7:00 pm

Sunday, August 25 - Barnes & Noble - 7227 SW Bridgeport Road, Tigard (Portland), OR 97224 - 4:00 pm

August 30 - Sept 1 - Dragon-Con - Atlanta, GA

Wednesday, September 4 - Barnes & Noble, 2416 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803 -
7:00 pm

Thursday, September 5 - Booksellers at Laurelwood, 387 Perkins Extended, Memphis, TN 38111- 6:00 pm

Monday, September 9 - Barnes & Noble - 150 E 86 St. New York City 10028 --
7:00 pm

Saturday, September 14 - Dark Delicacies,  3512 W. Magnolia, Burbank, CA 91505-
2:00 pm

Wolf Moon Rising Revealed

My new Dark Shadows novel Wolf Moon Rising is released in August. Here's an interview about writing the book, which was originally published on the Dark Shadows News Page...

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.

What's in store for him this time around?
There's a romance between David and the young girl, Jacqueline, who are both 16. David is totally besotted – he's so in love with her that he can't think straight. But she's distant, because she's troubled by the fact that she remembers her past lives – she's actually a reincarnation of Angelique. She can remember being in Salem, being on the scaffold and Martinique and swimming in the ocean. She's very schizophrenic and unpredictable.

A Book Signing Near You

My third Dark Shadows novel, WOLF MOON RISING, will be released August 20.

My publicist at TOR is putting together a small book tour crossing the country, and she wants to know where I would like to go. Any ideas?

If you want me to visit your town, I need a book store to contact and a guarantee that at least 25 people will show up. This is my chance to meet Dark Shadows fans who have never been able to come to the festivals. Or to see old friends!

The launch will be in Los Angeles on the day the book comes out, August 20, at the Barnes & Noble at The Grove. The following day, the 21st, I go to San Diego, to Mysterious Galaxy, and then to San Francisco on Friday, August 23, to Borderlands in the Mission District. I'll be in Portland (Tigard) at B&N on Sunday, August 25.

I'll go to Memphis, my home town, and maybe to Orlando.  Hopefully, I'll end up in New York City sometime in September.

If there is a Dark Shadows Fan Club that feels like organizing a signing in their area, please let me know! Your local Barnes & Noble would probably do it if they thought there would be a nice crowd.

Thanks!

We're Still Here!

Two years ago in August we were all wondering whether we were attending our last convention. Jonathan was still with us and the fans were crowding around him at the festival just trying to get a glimpse.

By then he had journeyed to England with Kathryn, David and myself to perform our very brief cameo in the Dark Shadows movie, and we were all wondering what sort of impact the film would have on the Dark Shadows legacy. Everything seemed to depend on Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.

Most of us believed it would be a huge success, garnering thousands and thousands of new Dark Shadows fans across the globe. But others were fearing a monumental flop, especially after the trailer was released and its dark comic tongue-in-cheek undertones were revealed.
 

Then, on April 14, 2012, we lost Jonathan. Sadly, he would never get to see the moment on screen when he passed the torch to Johnny Depp. A month later, on

May 11, 2012, the film opened to not-so-bad, not-so-good reviews. It didn’t bomb, but it didn’t take the world by storm either.

And the arguments began. Some fans walked out, others saw it ten times. Some wrote reviews overflowing with venom, some composed peons of praise. Almost everyone commented on the gorgeous photography and Johnny Depp’s witty and endearing performance. But the rants raged on.

I tried to reassure any unhappy fans that Tim Buton’s movie had not eclipsed the original television show, but had added to its heritage, a classy tip of the hat, if you will, to an enduring classic.

Then everything quieted down and the fans came back to the show they love. Last weekend in Coronado in a hotel by the sea, a smaller but select group of devotes attended still another convention. A new independent film was shown featuring three Dark Shadows actors, and a musical tribute to Dark Shadows by David Selby left the crowd speechless with delight. The legacy is intact.

Those lucky enough to be there witnessed a most unusual Dark Shadows weekend. Saturday night we trooped to the stunningly restored Art Deco movie theatre--the sister of the Vista in Hollywood—the Coronado Village Theatre. There we watched the premiere of DR. MABUSE, a 30’s era film noir concoction written and directed by a talented new director, twenty-one year old, Ansel Faraj. Jerry Lacy gave a spine tingling performance as the evil villain out to take over the world, and Kathryn Leigh Scott and I played spooky soothsayers who tried to warn others of his wicked plans.

Fully in the vein of Dark Shadows, DR MABUSE was dark and creepy, drenched a lush powerful score, confusing at times, but always mesmerizing. It was a special treat, and the fans loved being there.

What they didn’t realize (until the Q & A after the film was shown) was that the entire movie had been shot in front of a blue screen in Ansel’s tiny one car garage, and that the backgrounds were digitally inserted later. The result was weird and hypnotic with a very cool tone. And, it seems there will be a sequel, with Chris Pennock also in the cast.

Sunday brought more delights. David Selby, accompanied by his wife Chip and Jim Storm on the guitar, sang a collection of twelve original songs he had composed as a tribute to Dark Shadows and to the fans who had always welcomed him into their lives. In an age where cynicism reigns and no one admits to sentiment, such a tender show of affection was deeply moving. Some beautiful lines and melodies reminded us of how important the show had been to us all, and there was many a teary eye when David finished. We felt honored to have seen another side of this gifted actor, and to be, now more than ever, safe in the Dark Shadows fold.

Angelique's Portrait

Dan Curtis gave me this portrait after the Dark Shadows movie was over, and I have kept it ever since. It hangs in my house at the bottom of the stairs.

Many people have said they would like to buy it. Almost every year, before the festival, I have considered bringing the portrait to sell at the auction. That way I could give the money to charity. But I have always changed my mind at the last minute. Just can't let it go. Then the people at Lyndhurst asked for a copy, and I had one made.

Now that it has been scanned, I have offered copies for sale, and I have received many orders. Why are they so expensive you ask? I wonder that myself. The Giclee process is costly, the expensive digital printer, the canvas it is printed on, the huge amount of ink to get the perfect copy. And it is perfect, down to every detail.

Of the three sizes, the largest is the same as the original, but the medium size is nicer for homes. After paying for the print, picking it up in Santa Monica, packing it and mailing it with insurance, I make about $10. Just so you know.

I wish you could meet the printer. He is a little Russian man over eighty years old with a small studio and this big Giclee printer. Every time I give him another order he is gracious and grateful.