A New Year, A New Novel, A New Kind of Fairytale

By Shayne Leighton

This past year provided a lot of excitement, a lot of learning curves, and a lot of obstacles for me as a writer along with the other facets of storytelling I’m involved in. I started speaking at high schools–something I dreaded, knowing full well what to expect from an audience of apathetic, jaded teenagers. (I was one only a few years ago, so I’m not that far removed.)

In April, I learned to keep my ears open when I was invited to attend an author’s conference in Palm Beach, Florida. I couldn’t believe who I was surrounded by when I looked to see the authors of Jumanji and Beastly among the mix of people. Clumsily stumbling over my words, I asked them about their processes, attempting to soak up as much information as I could and tried desperately to hide my fledgling qualities that would very easily give away the fact that I am still such a novice.

I learned a lot about how to promote a novel to potential readers when I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to a Vampire Diaries convention. Strangely enough, it took a lot to get those people interested in taking a chance on a new series when they were all they cared about was getting an autographed picture of ‘Damon’ from the television show. Though, I can’t really blame them. A have to admit, there were moments when I felt like a used car salesman, trying to talk people into buying a copy of my book. But it was so gratifying when one of them did, and then came up to me at a later point during the convention to tell me that they’d already read half of the book and loved it!

In October, the crew of the Of Light and Darkness film adaptation assembled to film another pass at a teaser trailer in an effort to excite and entice potential film production companies, investors, and other professionals in the industry. We filmed for two days on a shoe-string budget with our vampy cast of characters. With the resources we had to work with, I’d say we did a pretty darn good job, but I’ll let you all be the judge. I will also add, that we are releasing an extended version of the trailer in the coming weeks.

2013 promises to be a year of huge change, and seeing as how we didn’t blow up on the 21^st, I sort of expect at least a few exciting shifts in the new year. One of them being my new release through Decadent Publishing’s Bono Books!

I’ve always heard from friends and colleagues in the publishing world that writing your sophomore novel is one of the most difficult things you will ever work on as an author. I didn’t really take that advice very seriously until I began writing the sequel in my Of Light and Darkness series, The Vampire’s Reflection. After wrapping up the first book so nicely, it was definitely a challenge to begin the second installment with a fresh, new take. New characters are introduced within the first couple of chapters and with them comes new obstacles, new romances, and a lot of new action. I’m really excited to release this second book, because I think it definitely brings the series to an even darker, more adult place. I won’t give anything way, but I hope and pray my readers don’t hunt my down with pitchforks and torches.

Blurb:

Months after their brutal victory over Aiden and his hierarchy of Wizards, Charlotte and Valek have returned from Prague to their home in the Bohemian Occult City. However, this time, they are joined by their new band of misfit, magic friends. In the light of day, all seems to be at peace now that the Regime has been toppled and the coven of rogue monsters have finally found their freedom. But Charlotte soon finds, much like her adopted Vampire family, that she has developed a strange addiction of her own. Her new disease is destroying her from the inside out, and Valek finds himself at a loss as he defies all odds to save her life. Danger continues to lurk around every corner and they realize that their happily ever after has not ended so happily after all, in this highly anticipated sequel of the Of Light and Darkness Series.

My current work in progress is the third installment in the Of Light and Darkness series. I have yet to decide on a definitive title yet, but I’m at about 40,000 words so far. This project has proved to be an easier task than the last one being that I ended the second book with quite a cliff-hanger.

So I am continuing to push on in the new year. My goals are to get the film adaptation officially green-lit (financed) and to complete my current work in progress as well as begin work on a new science fiction series I have in mind. Pair those things with another screenplay I’ve been commissioned to write, continuing to record music, and my wily husband and I’ve got myself a busy year!

Find me at: 

www.ShayneLeighton.net 

Find my novels at: 

www.OfLightandDarknessSeries.com 

Follow me on Twitter: 

www.Twitter.com/ShayneLeighton 

What It's Like on the Inside

by Shayne Leighton

I'd say, it's very rare that an author get's to actually live (I mean physically live) inside the world they've created. I cannot recall many instances (especially when writing fantasy) where that would be possible, though I suppose many would want to, especially if they've manifested a literary hunk within their pages that they'd like to meet. 

Thanks to the art of filmmaking, it was odd that I actually was able to experience this -- even for just a little while. Not odd because of the fact that I was able to see my world play out in real time before my 

eyes, but odd in the sense that, while I was acting within it, it didn't actually feel like it was my story.

That was the conversation Michael Welch (The Twilight Saga, Born Bad) and I had on set this past October while we were in North Carolina filming scenes from the Of Light and Darkness movie that is currently in the late stages of development. I have to admit that I was a little intimidated, after only being a part of small, independent projects, that I was now on set with creative professionals from Los Angeles who were busily working to make the world I created a reality. (At least on screen.) I felt constantly on my toes, watching everyone, taking everything in, as I tried to learn as much as possible to the extraordinary experience that was packed into only one week of filming in the VERY small town of Snow Camp. 

Mr. Welch turned me while we were filming a scene together and asked, "So, is this weird for you? Because you wrote it? Your character must come pretty easily." 

I thought about that for a moment, for is indeed was a logical assessment. My character should come to me pretty easily, since she was birthed from my imagination. But when I considered my process as an actor and everything I had done thus far to prepare myself for this moment, I am up with the conclusion of; no. She was just as difficult as any other character I'd played from other people's stories. 

I found that conclusion to be odd as well. But in truth, while we were filming, it really didn't feel like my story at all. While I was "Charlotte", it felt completely like the script belonged to someone else's mind. I chalk that up to having to wear multiple hats at any given time, but you can never wear two hats at the same time. Does that make sense? 

Dean Jones (make up for Pirates of the Caribbean and Emmy-Award winner for Star Trek) helmed the project along with Worth Keener as the Director of Photography. Co producer of the feature, Candace Charee was on set, making sure everything was running smoothly, and indeed, wearing my other hat while I couldn't. 

Aside from Michael Welch, Cassie Scerbo (ABC Family's Make It Or Break It) and Johnny Pacar (Playback, Make It Or Break It) were also starring as "Sarah" and "Lusian". 

It was one of my favorite experiences filming anything. Super intimate -- as we all stayed in the same house during production at the Hollywood Horror Show. Filming during Halloween didn't hurt either, as a few of the other local actors were made available to us. 

The video is currently in post production now. I'm a little eager to get it out there after two and a half months of the footage sitting in the can. 

Hopefully, what's next is the next stage in production for the feature film. You can follow the progress of the novel series and the film development on Facebook.com/OfLightandDarknessSeries and by checking our status on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2122436/

Thanks for reading and more soon! 

Shayne Leighton  

Of Light and Darkness Movie in pre-production!

 

Hey to all of the fabulous Decadent authors! I know I've already posted my playlist on the DDD, but I wanted to drop in again with some very different music news. Because I'm currently in the process of adapting my debut, paranormal YA into a motion picture, I wanted to announce some of the things we're working on for the soundtrack of the film!

Pre-production is currently underway for the official trailer and music video, slated to be shot the 3rd week of October in North Carolina! We've got some of our main cast involved in this project, including Michael Welch from the Twilight Saga. Emmy-award-winning makeup artist, Dean Jones will co-produce the video (as well as obviously turn our cast into awesome vampires!) I'm all a twitter about this and can't wait for October to roll around. Wake me up when September ends! Haha. The song we are featuring for the video is the title track, Of Light and Darkness (featured below), though we are going in to do some remixing and recutting. The song might sound totally different in a couple of weeks!

We also already have a music video and song slated for the soundtrack. This one was released a couple of months ago; Not Like the Others. I've listed that one below as well!

I'll definitely be taking photos on set, and will do a blog here again to share everything that happened! I'll be around all day - so if anyone wants to leave a comment with any questions about the movie end of things, I'd totally be happy to answer them!

Hugs,

Shayne

Wild Wednesday Turns "Wizardy"

 by Shayne Leighton

Harry Potter has graduated Hogwarts and Bella and Edward have their white picket fence, their shiny car, their baby, their walk off into the *glittering* sunset, and their happily ever after.

What now?

Can we try…a young girl raised by an ancient vampire in a country that YA literature rarely talks about, the Czech Republic? A country which is magical in its own right for its sprawling forests, mysterious, violent history, its legendary castles and architecture, and its deeply-rooted culture. They say Prague is the most haunted city in the entire world, and in my opinion, the perfect place for (what I'm hoping is) the next, big YA fantasy series.

Granted, this is some serious wishful thinking for a twenty-year-old debut author. But hey, a girl can dream. :-)

Of Light and Darkness has been a story that I've been working on for the last five years. I began writing when I was in my second year of high school at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts and was inspired by my wild, weird imagination. I wanted to answer questions like, "What if magic existed in this world?", and "What would it be like if people were creatures and magical powers were a day-to-day thing?"

Suddenly, I was assigning different creature-aliases to real people in my life. The security guard on the train was an ogre. My math teacher was a witch, and so on. It was enough to make me want to pick up a pen and write!

It has been a long road, but I am so excited to release my debut, Of Light and Darkness to readers! I realize Vampire stories are absolutely saturating the bookshelves right now, but I believe my story absolutely stands apart from the others. It's got things like giant half-spiders, fire-throwing elves, and a love story that will have you feeling just a little guilty for rooting for it. (I hope!)

Here's a short excerpt from Of Light and Darkness:

She heard these last words despite the rushing, like a flash flood through a hollow tunnel that was submerging her. “I love you” rang out so saliently as the rest of her dark world seemed to evanesce into hell. The hissing, the screaming, the pain. And “I love you.” She kept hearing it over and over again until she realized she was speaking the words herself. Too weak to yell it, so it came out in a whisper. “I love you.” She hoped he could hear the thing she wanted to scream to the world. “I love you.” She said for the last time before she melted into oblivion.

Like any other debut author, I'm very nervous about how readers will take to my story that I feel so passionately about, but I'm definitely hoping for the best!

Of Light and Darkness is participating in Decadent's YA blog tour beginning June 1st! I hope those of you reading this will follow, because it's sure to be a good time and includes all of the other fantastic YA Decadent titles!

I can't wait for the feedback (good and bad) and I'd love to thank the amazing Decadent editors that taught me so much and made this story shine! Love to Barbara Sheridan, Terry Bruce, Ansley Blackstock, and of course Lisa and Heather!

More than excited!

Of Light and Darkness

 

What originally gave you the idea for Of Light and Darkness?   I rode the train to my high school every day. (I attended an art school that was too far for a school bus to take me.) I loved to pretend that it was something similar to the Hogwarts train, because I've always loved fantasy. I remember sitting alone a few days, watching out the window at the world around me thinking; "what would everything I'm looking at be like if it existed in a fantasy?" I started assigning creatures to the chaperones that attended the students on the train. One woman instantly became a troll. One of the students, a witch.

And then I remember a dream I had that I kind of considered to be the catalyst for my beginning to write OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS. There was no one in the dream but me. I was completely alone walking through this Halloween-esqe town. It was night. There was a dirt packed road, giant mushrooms with windows that might have been houses. There were jack-o-lanterns. It was really dark and eerieÉand cool! I thought, THIS is the setting for my story. And then someone very special in my life inspired me to set it in the Czech Republic (which workedÉbecause Prague is famous for its rich culture and a history that dates very far back).

I just wanted to twist it, and make it a little edgier and a bit more controversial than some of the other YA stories that I'm reading (and loving) these days. I wanted to add that element which would make readers slightly cringe and then root for that which was "wrong". (Sort of like FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC) *Cue the evil laughter!*

You've got an unusual setting apart from your paranormal world. Why did you pick the Czech republic as the backdrop for the book?   As stated earlier, it was inspired by someone very special in my life. :) But also, after doing A LOT of research about the history of the fall of the Iron Curtain, the effect of World War II, Communism, and then some events from earlier Czechoslovak history, the setting of Prague seemed inspired and perfect! As you said, it's a place you don't come across a lot when reading. I see Paris a lot, London, Rome. I'm happy to hopefully get to introduce a new place to readers that they can fall in love with just as much as I have. The culture is so interesting. The architecture is amazing. With all of the ancient castles, spires, gargoyles, cathedrals and dark, historical events, Prague and the rest of the sort of mysterious Czech Republic was the PERFECT setting for my fantasy. The country is shrouded in mystery and beauty, and when you begin to read more about it, it really has this attraction to it that is difficult to ignore.

Did any of the characters surprise you while writing OLAD?  This question instantly made me smile. I did not go in with a plan when I was writing this book. I just went inÉand started writing. I let my characters talk to me, and dictate what would happen next in the story as they each evolved and developed their own distinct personalities in my head. (Did I mention writers are schizophrenic?) All of my characters shocked me in one place or another, but the one who continuously surprised me and who was the most fun was Francis, the leader of the Rogue Vampire Coven. He's sort of my flamboyant ode to 'Lestat' from Anne Rice's THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES. He is simply hilarious, witty, cunning, snarky, and everything that comes out of his mouth will throw the reader for a loop! He's too much fun and one of my favorites. I have a lot of plans for Francis later in the series! 

Which writers influenced you the most?   When I first began writing OLAD, I was sixteen and editing book trailers for Cynthia Leitich Smith's books, Tantalize and Eternal. She's an amazing author and we instantly became fast virtual friends. I sent her the beginning pages of what was to become OLAD, and she sent them back to me with a lot of great critiquing, many red pen marks, and a shiny sticker and then she told me to keep going because a had a long road ahead of me. Well, now I'm here, four years later. :) She was a great influence on my writing as well as a phenomenal mentor that kept me going even after the task of breaking in to publishing seemed to be a bit daunting.

Also, I'm really in love with Anne Rice's style. I think the woman's work is fascinating, dark, sexy, and reads almost like poetry. I strive to be a similar voice in the young adult genre. 

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy or girl?   I think the best villain is definitely Anne Rice's 'Lestat'. He's a villain, but you're so in love with him, you don't care. You almost giggle when he does something deplorable. I think the best villain, is when you can disguise him/her as a friend. (*Wink*Étried to do that in the book) The best villain, is when they are a wolf in sheep's clothing and you never see them coming. 

Favorite fictional good guy or girl?   Harry Potter spoke very loudly to me when I was younger. He was the perfect underdog hero, and I think a lot of children related to him when they needed to find the strength, courage, and power within themselves to fight off something difficult in their lives. I remember reading those books, and being inspired. I love Harry Potter for what J.K. Rowling had him stand for and for what the message is behind him; never give up. I think a lot of children need to hear that. 

I know readers have some special "multimedia" things to look forward to concerning OLAD. Can you tell us some of what's in the works?   Here comes my "cat-that-swallowed-the-canary" grin. We have a motion picture in development currently, as my background is primarily in film. Michael Welch, who played 'Mike Newton' in the TWILIGHT SAGA has signed on to play the role of 'Aiden' in OLAD. It is still in the extremely early stages of development, but we are all very excited about it. The project is currently being co-produced by myself and Candace Charee', though when this interview is released, that might have very well changed.

Also, there are two original songs released for the soundtrack to OLAD. One is available now entitled 'Not Like the Others' and is available on iTunes. The music video is up on YouTube and gets posted every now and again to the OLAD Facebook page and the second song is called 'Of Light and Darkness' will be released soon. :-)

Will there be any more books featuring Charlotte and Valek?   Absolutely! This is my absolute favorite project, and I have a lot of plans for Charlotte and Valek. I have a series of 5 planned right now.  Although it might turn into more, so readers will just have to keep their eyes peeled. ;) 

Shayne Leighton's Playlist for Of Light and Darkness

Let me preface by explaining how I did this. These songs are listed in order of particular events/happenings in the book, but are not listed according to chapter necessarily. Next to the song and the artist, I have also listed (in italics) which character’s point of view that particular song is from and possibly a few notes to go along with it. Okay, …here we go.

1. Blood Lust by Lauren Shera – (Charlotte): This is sort of my theme song for the entire book.
2. In My Arms by Plumb – (Valek): This song is for the moment when Valek finds Charlotte abandoned in the streets of Prague and decides to adopt her. *not a spoiler because this is in the first chapter which I’ve already released for your previewing pleasure1*
3. Stripped by Shiny Toy Guns – (Charlotte & Aden)
4. Good Enough by Evanescence/Amy Lee – (Charlotte)
5. Our Last Fight by Scala Choir – (Charlotte & Valek)
6. Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria – (Charlotte & Valek & Evangeline)
7. 9 Crimesby Damien Rice – (Charlotte & Valek)
8. Blinding by Florence + The Machine – (Charlotte)
   
9. Look After You by The Frey – (Valek)
10. The Sharpest Lives by My Chemical Romance – (Valek)
11. Together by The Kin – (Valek)
12. Escape by 30 Seconds to Mars – (Valek & Aden)
13. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Tori Amos – (Charlotte)
14. Gone With the Sin by H.I.M. – (Valek)
15. Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine – (Charlotte)  
16. Help I’m Alive (Edit) by Metric – (Charlotte)
17. Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) by Concrete Blonde – (The Rogue Coven)
18. Howl by Florence + The Machine – (Valek)
19. Mi Mancherai by Josh Groban – (Valek)
20. Numbers by Great Northern – (Valek & The Rogue Coven)
21. Tautou by Brand New – (Charlotte)
22. Night of the Hunter by 30 Seconds to Mars – (Valek & Aden)
23. Running Up That Hill by Placebo – (Valek)
24. Hurricane by 30 Seconds to Mars – (Valek)
25. Alibi by 30 Seconds to Mars – (Valek)
26. Lucky by Biff Naked – (Charlotte & Valek)

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)