Q&A with Jacquelyn Wheeler discussion

I'd love to hear what makes you fall in love with a book. Is it the protagonist? The environment? Do you prefer a page-turner or something you can savor?

I like a book that keeps you intrigued about what might happen. In the book, Rising Shadow, I was turning pages quickly trying to find out if Kai was a good guy or a bad guy. I thought that he was going to be a bad guy at first and then was so happy that he turned out to be a good guy. It was a nice surprise. When I read James Patterson books I have a relationship with the character Alex Cross since I have read about him for years in different situations that James P has put him in. The storyline is that much more important because I feel that I know how he is going to figure something out. James P's best books are those that are not easy to figure out right away or have a realistic twist.

With your books, if you keep the main characters, in character and don't change them too much throughout the course of the books, I think that you will have an amazing successful set of books. That is how Harry Potter came to be so well known, it was a comfort to find Harry in the same uncomfortable situation at the beginning of every book at his muggles house and then he would save the day at school.

My favorite book? Hmmmm, series is Narnia..CS Lewis - can't top that and when I was a child, Where the Red Fern Grows" and then I got into those "Flowers in the Attic" books when I was a teen. I have never been able to read all the way through the Lord of the Rings books, too boring for me. I was a Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys reader and loved adventures and mysteries.
I was always reading more than one book at a time and writing was my passion, I have never done anything with my writing talent even though I was told by an English teacher that she saw me as an incredible writer one day....hmmm, harder than it looks I'm sure.

Thanks so much for sharing your book with us...can't wait to read more in the coming books. If there is anything I can do to promote your books beyond a signing, let me know...Lauren is organizing her friends for a signing to benefit their track and field season...we will let you know. Cheers, MJames

Thanks, Mary! I think you should definitely write as soon as an idea strikes you that you feel compelled to write about. You have a vast number of experiences to draw on and a wonderful way of expressing yourself.