RAYNE LACKO: THE SECRET SONG OF SHELBY RAY
Award-winning author Rayne Lacko joins us to talk about her upper YA novel “The Secret Song of Shelby Rey.” This gritty and emotional coming-of-age story follows a teen navigating the uncertainty of early adulthood through the lens of music, love, addiction, and self-discovery. In this episode, Rayne explores how music can be a tool for healing, how young people form identity, the role of parents in their journey, and the power of literature to help teens feel less alone. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
Eighteen-year-old Shelby Rey has a secret superpower: she can hear people’s deepest emotions and truths, in song form, just by touching them. But in a world where everyone guards their secrets, her gift feels more like a curse.
Life has been hard since she lost her dad, and it reaches a new low when she gets kicked out by her drug-addicted mom. Shelby’s life hits a turning point, however, when she meets Zac Wyatt, a chart-topping rock star with a hidden side only she can hear. Swept into his world of fame and music, Shelby forms an electrifying connection with Zac that she can’t resist.
But darkness lurks beneath the spotlight. Zac’s jealousy of his bandmate Stanford, a troubled musical genius, threatens to destroy everything—and when Shelby uncovers Stanford’s devastating truth, she faces an impossible choice that could shatter their world. In a whirlwind of love, betrayal, heartbreak, and injustice, Shelby must find the courage to listen to her own inner song.
RAYNE LACKO writes about emotions, creativity, and the healing power of music in Dream Up Now: The Teen Journal for Creative Self-Discovery, My Life Journal, and the YA novels, The Secret Song of Shelby Rey, and A Song For The Road, an Eric Hoffer Book Award finalist. A social-emotional learning specialist with a master’s in humanities, she lectures on writing and literature, advocates for social justice, and travels for inspiration. Rayne’s short stories and poetry have appeared in international publications and anthologies. She lives on a forested island in Washington, US, where the trees whisper story ideas. Learn more: https://raynelacko.com/
