YA Blog Stomp with Decadent Publishing!
It’s my pleasure to do this interview with Shayne Leighton whose debut novel Of Light and Darkness will be released soon by Decadent Publishing. Doing developmental edits gave me a behind the scenes glimpse into the colorful cast of characters and suspenseful plot of this paranormal. One of the things I find most exciting is the multimedia aspect Shayne is bringing to this project. Read on to get the scoop on what’s in store for not only readers, but film and music fans as well.
What originally gave you the idea for Of Light and Darkness?
I rode the train to my high school everyday. (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* I tried 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 though it might turn into more, so readers will just have to keep their eyes peeled. 
To learn more about Shayne and her work check out the following links:
Twitter | Facebook | Shayne’s Website
Special Note: A little bit about author Barbara Sheridan, who has begun writing YA for a different epublisher and who edited Of Light and Darkness, and new author Shayne Leighton. Shayne is also currently making this book into a movie, she’s scouting locations in Prague as we speak. One of the secondary actors, Michael Welch, from Twilight is playing a lead in the movie version of OLAD.
Prize Time. Decadent Publishing is having a HUGE give away for this event:
GRAND PRIZE – 1 Kindle loaded with 6 Decadent Publishing Young Adult ebooks!
1ST PRIZE – 12 Decadent Publishing ebooks of winner’s choice, 1 per month for 12months.
2ND PRIZE – 6 Decadent Publishing ebooks of winner’s choice, 1 every month for 6 months.
Win here today!
2 lucky people (who post a comment today) are going to win a Young Adult eBook of their choice from Decadent Publishing!
Congrats on getting published! It’s amazing that you’re also getting a movie made based on the same book.
acm05atjuno.com
Hi. I really enjoyed this post. Shayne is new to me and I look forward to learning more!!!
~Brandy
brandyzbooks(at)yahoo(dot)com
New-to-me author, but I'm very interested in reading this work!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Pat Cochran
The post was great, really enjoyed it. Shayne is a new author for me, so would love to read this book. Thanks for the giveaway and the chance to win.
christinebails@yahoo.com
I can't wait to read it.
I'm new to writing YA so of course I'd love to win so I can compare my writing style to another YA author's.
Pick me, pick me! *lol*
Great post, very interesting. (:
Thanks for the great opportunity!!!
Nat
nat_isabel@hotmail.com
You got my attention, I love your blogs and reviews! Thanks for the awesome contests!
A huge congrats to you, Shayne Leighton, for your upcoming release. Your interview is very insightful and I look forward to reading your work. Best wishes with this, and all of your future endeavors.
Kienna Riley
An extremely generous prize. Thank you.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I love YA books. My husband and I first got into this genre when we saw the preview for the first Harry Potter movie. Wanting to reads the books first we devoured each of them. From there we have been fans of YA ever since. Your book sounds great and I hope I get a chance to read it. HUGE congrats on getting this turned into a movie BTW!
Wow, I'm amazed at how imaginative you were as a student! This has been a wonderful basis for your work as an author. Congratulations!
I think the book sounds interesting and I'll be sure to pick it up. I'll be sure to stop back by and tell you what I enjoyed most! Congrats to Shayne on the book and the movie in development!
I never have much luck winning contest, so I hope I win
Congrats on the release
Sounds great . I bet even my mom would like this one
meandi09@yahoo.com
I can't wait to get my eyes on this one. It is on my to buy list. Thanks
Congratulations on your upcoming release and thank you for a very interesting interview! Shayne Leighton is a new author to me and I would love to try out her books. Thanks for the chance to win.
tamsyn5@yahoo.com
Huge congrats on your release!
Sounds like its going to be a fantastic read. Congrats on your release!
Great interview. Isn't it amazing how when we let our minds wander, we can come up with something spectacular? Good luck in all your writing endeavors.
I found it interesting that your fictional world was inspired by a dream. So was my first published book, Circle of Light. The dream ended and I had to finish the story! Mine was a sci fi romance. It's really cool that you're doing a film with your characters and setting, and Prague gives an intriguing backdrop.
Wow I can't wait to read this one! The historical connection sounds intriguing as I am a total history junkie.
Thanks for introducing me to a new author…I'm always looking for more books to spend my nights with (:
Love this! Is the contest still on?
You are an inspiration
Best wishes with both the book and film. I enjoyed eading the interview very much.
Congrats. I can't wait to read this book. Maybe even my daughter would like to read this. She need to read more, but I have a hard time trying to find books that she is interested in. I think she might like this one.
A great interview, Congratulations and the best to you and your wonderful book.
This novel sounds really cool! I've wanted to go to Prague for a while (I've been to Budapest) and I'm really into the whole architecture of the city. I'd also like to see more of Francis. Lestat (the way he was portrayed in The Vampire Lestat) is still one of my favorite vamps ever
I'm not usually lucky with giveaways but I really hope I'll win this one!
After reading that interview I can't wait for the book. Congrats, on being so young and knowing just what you want to do and making it happen.