Visiting the Czech Republic, Shayne works on the sequel to her book, which has a huge teen following.
By Rachel Galvin
Deep in the mysterious realm of the Czech Republic sits a young red-haired spitfire of a girl writing thoughtfully on a notepad lit by candlelight. The written words relay the stories of characters Charlotte and Valek and their world of vampires and fantasy. The young 22-year-old writer is none other than Lighthouse Point’s own Shayne Leighton (Machova), author of “Of Light and Darkness: The Vampire’s Daughter.” Now, she just finished its sequel, which is set to release in March or April, and is working on her third book. She has been writing since she was a teenager and now has many teenage fans (and adults) that follow her every move.
When not penning her next fantasy novel, Shayne is location scouting in Prague for the movie based on the book. Although still in pre-production, she already has some well-known actors attached, including Michael Welch from the “Twilight” Saga, Cassie Scerbo from “Make It or Break It” on ABC Family, Johnny Pacar from “Playback,” and others.
Leighton has acted and directed before, and is best known for her film “Incubus,” which she co-directed with Marcie Gorman. The film received limited distribution in theaters and in venues like Blockbuster through Maverick Entertainment in 2011.
But making movies and writing books isn’t all that this jet-setter is about. She also is a singer and has just been picked up by Spectra Records. She is working on her debut album, which promises to be a throwback to the days of 80s glam rock.
She explained, “It will be heavily inspired by classic ’80s rock anthems like the ones from Pat Benatar, but with an edgy, modern flair. I begin working on the album as soon as I get back to the U.S. in April. The entire debut album will be original songs with the exception of one cover tune.”
She added, “All of my songs are very personal and stem from real life experiences. That’s what makes good music memorable – when other people can relate to what you’re feeling.”
When it comes to writing, she finds solitude and the right atmosphere to be key.
“The Czech Republic is perhaps the most inspirational place to be for a writer like myself who favors in vampires and dark, fantasy subjects. The entire country is clad in ancient mystery within the many historical buildings and baroque bell-tower helmets and statues. It’s as if the place is frozen in time and is perfect to get the creativity flowing,” said Leighton, who is in Czech with her husband, Frantisek Mach, the “soulmate” she fell in love with as a teenager.
She prefers to write her stories by hand in the silent wee hours of the morning, coffee in hand.
“If I’m inspired and have a good direction in my head, I write. If the story seems stale, I let it percolate for a few days. I do a basic outline in my head first … how the story starts, the major obstacle, how it’s solved in the end; but the rest just streams from my consciousness. If I have to go back and rewrite … then I go back and rewrite.”
Her advice for would-be writers or entertainers?
“You can’t be disappointed in the success you don’t have for the work you don’t do. It takes a lot of dedication and sacrifice. Do it for the love, and not the fame or money. Don’t look at other people’s journey. Everybody’s success is different. If you feel you have accomplished what you set out to accomplish, you are successful. Jealousy will get you nowhere.”
To find out more about Shayne and her projects, visit www.shayneleighton.com.
