Hello, reader! Welcome to THE MAILBAG, which holds extra fun content related to my story-in-progress, the serialized historical novel DANCING AT THE ORANGE PEEL. Here, you’ll find my unexpected discoveries while writing, research and history bits, travel updates and photos, and much more.
Today’s entry relates to Episode 1: Alleys and Shadows in DANCING AT THE ORANGE PEEL. (You don’t have to read the episode first to enjoy this piece!)
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ANGELIQUE: RIP Laura Parker
At the end of the first episode of my serialized novel Dancing at The Orange Peel, “Alleys and Shadows,” Libby sneaks to watch Dark Shadows, a show I was not allowed to watch either. That’s probably not 100% true. I was prone to nightmares as a child so, even though I was fascinated by the show, my fears kept me from tuning in, even without parental restrictions. It was creepy, y’all.
In my story, Libby’s interest in the show has more to do with being able to join in conversations about it with her peers. She doesn’t want to be left out. In the show she tries to watch, there’s a portrait of a woman named Angelique, the witch who was always at odds with Barnabas, a man she cursed to lived forever as a vampire. The fights between Angelique and Barnabas were the most popular elements of the show.
The actress Lara Parker played Angelique. Parker died recently, on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at the age of 84.
Validating my fears and fascinations with the show and its characters, Parker once said in an interview, “I can remember standing on the subway when school got out and seeing 200 or 300 kids all waiting to take the train. They would see me and start screaming and run to the other end of the platform! They were so terrified because I was so evil.”
After her acting career, she went on to earn a master’s in creative writing and wrote four Dark Shadows novels: Angelique’s Descent (1998), The Salem Branch (2006), Wolf Moon Rising (2013), and Heiress of Collinwood (2016).
Here’s a peak at that portrait Libby got a glimpse of without permission.
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Thanks for reading. See how this article relates to my novel DANCING AT THE ORANGE PEEL by checking out Episode 1: Alleys and Shadows.
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My sister and I watched Dark Shadows every day after school. One of my clear childhood memories is of my cousin (we were visiting my aunt’s home over Christmas break) scaring my sister while we watched Dark Shadows in their very dark TV room. She was lying on the floor watching and was engrossed in the show. My cousin was slightly older; he just tickled her ribs a little, but she screamed — which scared him!