10Q Tuesday with Shayne Leighton!

Tell us about your favorite character from your books. While I’m in love with my two leads, Valek (super illustrious, cunning, dangerous, and extremely intelligent) and Charlotte (quirky, timid, sweet, innocent, and adorable)…my favorite character (because he just simply pops, his Francis – the leader of the rogue vampire coven. He’s basically Lestat on crack and loosely based off of John Quale’s “Prince Poppycock” from American’s got talent. In fact, I would love to actually cast John Quale as Francis. He’s a vampire from the restoration, who is super glam and over-the-top. There are moments when you simply love him, and moments when you love to hate him. My favorite Francis quote: “Besides, I like cliché!” You’ll get it when you read it.

Where do you dream of traveling to and why? The Czech Republic (duh). Not only because my story is set there – but also because a member of my family is from their. I’m in love with Eastern Europe and have taken an extreme liking to Czech’s rich culture and history. I also have a weakness for castles, rolling hills, dungeons, and the like. I must have been born in some similar era. And Prague is supposedly one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

What was your first sale as an author? This one! Of Light and Darkness was my first sale and I’m really excited. I think I’ve found a good home for it at Decadent. So far, it’s receiving a lot of pre-release online attention, for which I am very thankful. I really home the rest of the world loves my characters as much as I do.

Has someone been instrumental in inspiring you as a writer? Yes. But at the risk of embarrassing him, I won’t reveal who it is. I will say that the first moment I met him, I kind of thought he was a vampire…lol. I’m very grateful to have such a beautiful muse, and he’s fueled more than one story. He’ll probably continue to be the inspiration for stories to come. (I hope) ;)

If you could be an animal, what would it be? For the color of my hair…maybe a fox? Not sure. But I’d love the freedom of flight, so maybe I’d be a bird. Perhaps a nightingale. They sing so beautifully…hmmm…

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what? Oh yes. All of the time. It’s what helps me get over my writer’s block. When I’m writing Of Light and Darkness I especially listen to Clint Mansell movie scores, because they’re so epic and romantic. My favorite is the score from The Fountain.

What group did you hang out with in high school? I was a theater geek. I went to an art school and majored in theatre, so musical theater used to be my whole world. (Now it’s, like, a 3^rd of my world.) I really should have been on Glee. I was the redheaded version of Rachel Berry.

Is there a writer you idolize? If so, who? I really love Anne Rice. Her prose are always so beautifully and deliciously dark. I compare her Vampire Chronicles to drinking a glass of fine, red wine. Her mega-novels read like a singular poem. And of course, I love her characters. Lestat was the best vampire ever created in my humble opinion.

Beatles or Monkees? Why? BEATLES! Totally The Beatles. I know most people my age listen to Lady Gaga…but I was raised in a family who taught us that The Beatles were/are the greatest gift to pop music. Here Comes the Sun is my all time favorite.

What is the next big thing? *Musters up best valley-girl accent* Of Light and Darkness obviously…duh! Haha. In all seriousness, I love vampires, but I think the world is getting a little spent. I’m planning on writing the novel version of my first film, The Incubus. So who knows? Maybe incubi and succubi will be the next big thing…

Find Shayne:

http://shayneleighton.com (my website)

http://OfLightandDarknessSeries.wordpress.com (Of Light and Darkness website)

http://twitter.com/shayneleighton (my twitter)

http://facebook.com/shayneleighton (my Facebook)

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Of-Light-and-Darkness/132435133476596 (Of Light and Darkness Facebook)