Guest Post & Giveway with Author/DARK SHADOWS Actress Kathryn Leigh Scott

Kathryn Leigh Scott

I'm thrilled to pieces to have actress/author Kathryn Leigh Scott as a guest blogger here at Suburban Vampire.  Kathryn played Josette DuPrés and Maggie Evans in the Gothic '60s soap opera, Dark Shadows, which Tim Burton is currently turning into a major motion picture starring Johnny Depp (Kathryn recently filmed a cameo for the movie!).

Today she's kicking off a blog tour for her debut vampire novel, Dark Passages, an affectionate nod to both the New York Playboy Club, where she worked as a Bunny, and Dark Shadows.

About the Novel:

"Dark Passages is a deliciously wicked witches’ brew—a sly look at the swinging Sixties, a private glimpse behind the scenes of the New York Playboy Club, and, to top it all off, a supernatural tale of love and personal empowerment on the set of a hit TV show suspiciously similar to Dark Shadows—in which the author once starred!"
   —Robert Masello, author of The Medusa Amulet

"Reading Dark Passages was like being back on the sets of Dark Shadows, except with real vampires behind the scenes!"
   —Jonathan Frid, Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows
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Guest Post:
KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT, author of DARK PASSAGES

Dark Passages is, for me, a very personal book. It’s a novel—certainly not a memoir! None of the events in Dark Passages actually happened in my own life, but I wanted to capture that period of great change and intense discovery that I did experience when I left my home town after high school and went to the big city.

It was not only a time of great change for me but also for our country, which is why I chose to bookend my story with two significant events: the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 and the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963, just a year and a month later. That time frame also marked my first year in New York City.

True, I did grow up on a farm in Minnesota and move to New York with dreams of becoming an actress. I did work as a Bunny at the New York Playboy Club to support myself until I got my big break, a role on the afternoon Gothic Romance soap, Dark Shadows—and all of that is part of the background, the setting for my novel. But Dark Passages is about Meg Harrison’s very secret life as a vampire living among mortals. Everything that a young woman would experience leaving her home and family for the first time, exploring a strange, new city, making friends, launching a career and finding love and romance, are all heightened by the fact that Meg has no one to guide her, no one to confide in or provide support. She also challenges herself with her commitment to make it on her own without utilizing her paranormal gifts.

When I was creating the character of Maggie Evans on Dark Shadows, I thought about a Carl Sandburg poem I read in high school, called "Mamie." “Mamie beat her head against the bars of a small Indiana town and dreamed of romance and adventure somewhere . . . down the railroad track.” That’s Maggie, and it also expresses the yearning and youthful dreams of Meg Harrison.

I also took a cue from Jonathan Frid, who created the iconic character of Barnabas Collins, the reluctant vampire who was repulsed by the curse that made him harm other people to satisfy his blood lust—and sought a cure. I have created my own world of vampire life, one that I am exploring further in my sequel to Dark Passages.

Obviously, I’ve written Dark Passages with more than a passing nod to Dark Shadows. This year, while we celebrate the 45th anniversary of Dark Shadows, Johnny Depp is playing Barnabas Collins in the new Warner Bros. film, directed by Tim Burton. Thanks to the Internet, it is now no secret that you may catch a glimpse of me, Lara Parker, David Selby, and Jonathan Frid in the new Warner Bros. film, due to be released in May 2012.

Readers of my nonfiction books about the series know what really happened all those years ago when a small company of actors got together and created the world of Dark Shadows. Now I’m satisfying my itch to write a novel about that time and that world—combining elements of horror, romance, and fantasy to tell my own story about a vampire, a witch, and unrequited love.

                                                                                        —Kathryn Leigh Scott

Contest Rules:
Kathryn Leigh Scott has graciously offered a giveaway copy of Dark Passages to one lucky Suburban Vampire winner.

To enter:
1. You must have a U.S. mailing address.
2. Leave a comment for Kathryn in the comments section of this post (I've been told she'll be stopping by to chat with readers).
3. Please include your email address if you don't plan to check back on the day I draw the winner (you do not need to list your snail mail address).
DEADLINE: Monday, September 12, 2011, 8:00 AM Pacific Time

Good luck!