Above: The cover of the first book in the Dark Shadows paperback series published while the TV show was still on the air. The series consisted of 32 volumes and took place in a number of different time periods.
In the 1960s and '70s, using the pen name Marilyn Ross, Canadian author Dan Ross wrote a series of extremely popular paperback books based on the TV show Dark Shadows. The books featured many of the same characters and settings seen on the show, however they took place in their own "Parallel Time."
In the book series, Ross wanted to solve one of the TV show's greatest mysteries-the parentage of heroine Victoria Winters-and he outlined a story he intended to flesh out into a novel.
However, when actress Alexandra Moltke left Dark Shadows, Victoria was written out of the TV show. At that time, the editors of the book series asked Ross to write her out of the books as well-without solving the mysteries surrounding her heritage.
Twenty-five years later, Ross shared his original outline with writer Craig Hamrick, a long-time Dark Shadows fan. With Ross's permission and input, Hamrick used the outline as the basis for a novella called "The Secret of Victoria Winters," which was first published in the anthology "Victoria Winters" in 1993. To read the story, click here: Read The Secret of Victoria Winters.
Above: The cover of "Victoria Winters," published by Clique Publishing. The anthology included articles, short stories and art created by some of "DS" fandom's most talented writers and artists, including Connie Jonas, Anna Shock, May Sutherland, Sherlock, Dan Silvio and Jeff Thompson. Although currently out-of-print, the volume may be reprinted at some point in the future.
LINKS:
Read The Secret of Victoria Winters
Read Craig Hamrick's 1990 interview with Dan Ross