William Hollinshead Loomis was a reporter, but he wanted more, he wanted to be a great writer. His marriage to Carolyn Stoddard did nothing to make that goal easier financially, other than providing him a home at the Old House; her mother's inheritance had been lost long ago by Roger Collins's bad investments. But it did bring him in contact with Angelique, the wife of Carolyn's cousin Quentin Collins. An expert manipulator, Angelique cleverly stroked Will's ego, building up his confidence, but at the same time making him totally dependent on her encouragement. Carolyn watched and fumed helplessly, as her husband became one of Angelique's many doting lovers.
Will had talent to match at least some of his dreams, and a series of novels met with great success - Pride Of Lions, Cold-Hearted Lover and Door Beyond Doors, all of which were best-sellers and became motion pictures. His last and biggest best-seller, surprisingly, was an historical novel based on the life of an obscure 18th Century gentleman - The Life and Death of Barnabas Collins. But as his career took off, his marriage foundered. One night in 1969, Carolyn demanded a divorce.
When Angelique was murdered that same night, Carolyn reconsidered. But the damage already done was irreversible, and Angelique's death only made it worse. Will became bitter and self-pitying, and found it impossible to write anything decent without his "inspiration". Instead of turning to his wife for comfort, he looked for it in a bottle. Carolyn sought the same release, and their marriage became more of a mockery than ever.
When the Barnabas Collins of a parallel time appeared at Collinwood, Will was naturally suspicious at once - he knew too much about the Barnabas of his world to believe he had a British descendant. Quickly discovering that Barnabas was a vampire, he conceived a wild, desperate plan. He would write another best-seller by telling the story of this Barnabas I (As a work of fiction, one hopes.) Holding Barnabas captive with a crucifix, Will forced him to tell the tragic history in detail, chaining him in his coffin between sessions.
But eventually Barnabas got free, and it took only a moment's freedom to sink his fangs into Will's throat. The manuscript of The Life of Barnabas Collins warn tossed in the fireplace, and the Loomises became part of that life, playing the role of gracious hosts to the "cousin from England" for the family's benefit. As Barnabas discovered that Angelique had returned from the grave, and took steps to thwart her vengeful plans, Will was caught in the middle - torn between Barnabas's hypnotic control and the lingering spell of his passion for the beautiful witch. He did realize now, however, that Angelique was evil, and willingly did what he could to fight her. He befriended Dr. Julia Hoffman when she arrived from Barnabas's universe to join him, and helped to rescue the comatose Roxanne Drew from the sinister laboratory of Timothy Stokes.
But his role in the battle came to an abrupt end on the night when Angelique confronted him in Collinwood's tower room. Terrified, Will retreated to an open window, vowing to jump unless Angelique backed off. Using all her persuasive powers, Angelique reminded him of their old "love", promising that all could be as it once was if he would switch his allegiance to her. For a moment, he started to waver, and then Julia, who had overheard, suddenly entered the room. Panicked, William H. Loomis jumped to a crushing death on the ground far below.
