Interview with Jacquelyn Wheeler and free copy of Rising Shadow

Jacquelyn has worked as a professional writer since 1991. She has received numerous awards for her technical writing, but creative writing has always been her passion. After writing poetry, children's stories, and screenplays, Jacquelyn embarked on The Soterians series, a series of fantasy novels for young adults. As an advocate for volunteerism and service, Jacquelyn donates 20% of her royalties to the charities listed on her site.

In her spare time, Jacquelyn enjoys martial arts, triathlons, skiing, playing music, and volunteering. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their daughter.

Personal blurb from Jacquelyn's blog . Network with her there, on facebook, or on Goodreads
You can read my review of Rising Shadow here

I was lucky enough for Jacquelyn to answer some questions for the blog, and without further ado, here they are!

--Can you give us a brief description of Rising Shadow in your own words?

It's the story of a girl who goes off to college, hoping to leave her wild past behind her and have a nice normal life, only to discover once she gets there that she's developing magical powers that she has to use to fight evil.

--How did you get the idea for the story?

It felt like it literally fell out of the sky one day, but it was a natural confluence of interests in my life. I study martial arts, and I had been playing a lot of the online game City of Heroes. I'm also the co-inventor on a patent for the display of your genetic profile. So it occurred to me one day how interesting it would be if a rare gene would cause people to develop special powers, but only if that gene were triggered by a shift in the balance of good and evil. And that's when the idea for the story hit me. I sat in silence for about half an hour while the ideas for the stories flooded my brain, and then I went home and started writing. I had the outline for all five books in my head by the end of the day.

--Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

That is so hard to answer. I would love to have dinner with every single character. I'd love to discuss philosophy with John, their Mentor. I'd love to have a romantic dinner with Kai. And I'd love to go out for a fun evening of dinner and dancing with Jesse, not to mention going flying with him! 

--Can you give us any teasers from the sequel? Will there be a third book?

There will be five books in the series. I just released a second edition of Rising Shadow (http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Shadow-Jacquelyn-Wheeler/dp/0982516061/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1286567043&sr=8-10), which has a cool new cover and tightens up the story a bit so that it moves at a faster pace. I've already released the second book, Merger, which is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com. The third book, Fracture, will hopefully be ready at the end of the year. Merger has a greater emphasis on Ashlyn's relationships with Kai, Jesse, and Rebecca, but there's also a much darker storyline that takes them from California to Minnesota to Mexico. Instead of politicians, this time they're dealing with a shady corporate merger.

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

I read every night before bed, even if it's just a couple of pages before I can't keep my eyes open anymore. I love YA. I just finished reading Inkdeath, which was amazing. My all-time favorite books are the Harry Potter series. I'm a huge fan of J.K. Rowling.

--If a fairy godmother told you your life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?

The Goblet of Fire. I would love to be at Hogwarts studying magic full-time, and I love competition, so it would be a blast to be in the Triwizard Tournament.

--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on the Rising Shadow "playlist-" songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

I can pretty much write anywhere. I wrote Rising Shadow on the train commuting to and from work and at the dining room table at home. When I was writing the scene where Ashlyn is losing her powers, the song Into Dust by Mazzy Star was going through my head the whole time. I became obsessed with that song and played it over and over again on the CD player, and then played it on the piano and the guitar, until my family yelled at me to stop. For me, it really captures the emotion of where Ashlyn is at that point in the book.  

--If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

Flying. Definitely flying.

--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

My problem is that I have way, way too many hobbies. I love martial arts, cycling, and skiing. I love to read and watch movies. And I love playing music. I recently started playing the theremin, that crazy instrument you hear in old science fiction movies. I also volunteer. So between my hobbies, my day job, and writing, I'm kind of ridiculously busy. I don't remember the last time I was bored.  

--Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers?

By far, the most rewarding experience I've gotten from writing has been connecting with people all over the world who have enjoyed my books. I love connecting with people on GoodReads, interacting with my fans on Facebook, and doing interviews with bloggers. I answer every email I get. That's one reason I'm not in any big hurry to try to get my books published by a traditional publisher. It would be hard to have to give up the personal connection I have with readers right now. 

  Now, if you remember from the title, I mentioned a FREE book! That is right, you can read Rising Shadow for free on Jacquelyn's site here 

Here is the book trailer

Thank you Jacquelyn for your time!