Guest Post: Jacquelyn Wheeler (Rising Shadow)

Today, we have Jacquelyn Wheeler, author of the YA novel Rising Shadow, here to talk about what she likes to do when she's not writing.  Welcome back to I'd So Rather Be Reading, Jacquelyn!

When I'm Not Writing

I have always admired people who have a single purpose in life. Ice skaters who train hours every day with the goal of being in the Olympics and going pro. Musicians who know that all they want to do is music. Writers who care about nothing else but writing.

I'm exactly the opposite. I have a million interests and hobbies, and I am enthusiastic about each and every one of them. The running joke around my house is that the most dreaded words I can utter are "I've had an idea." It usually means I've started some crazy new hobby.

By day, I am a director at a software company. It's a very interesting and challenging job, but working in software is extremely stressful. I am also an orthopedic and prenatal massage therapist, so I see a handful of clients each month, which really helps balance the stress of my day job. Some of my clients are refugees whom I work with as a volunteer, which is incredibly rewarding work.

On the sports side, I'm into martial arts and triathlons. I don't have time to do both at once, so I took a few years off triathlons to work toward my black belt, which I got last October. Lately I've been focusing mostly on skiing, which is my favorite winter activity, but I'm getting ready to figure out what my next sport will be. I'm considering Capoeira, yoga, Qi Gong, and dance classes. Knowing me, I'll probably end up doing a combination of all of them.

I also really love to sing, and I play some guitar, piano, and theremin. I sang in a band for a while, but now I just love going to karaoke. It's such a blast to get up there and sing whatever I feel like singing, and to dance to the great tunes other people sing. No hassle with rehearsals or paying studio rent--just show up and do what you want. I'm pretty hooked.

Every night, I love to take a hot bubble bath and read before bed. I'm really into young adult fiction, and my daughter and I are always swapping books, but I also love cyberpunk, chick lit (especially Jane Austen), and science fiction. Reading is one of my favorite escapes of all. I don't watch television, so that leaves me a lot more time for reading, writing, and all the other hobbies I have. Around all of this, I try to spend as much time with my friends and family as possible, which is really challenging with my schedule being what it is.

I also love playing games. I especially love playing the online game City of Heroes with my husband and my daughter. It's so much fun to run around in the virtual world with them defeating villains, finding clues, and, of course, flying.

But of all my hobbies, writing really is my favorite. When I started writing The Soterians series two years ago, I had no idea it was going to take over my life like it has. But it's turned out to be the greatest hobby I've ever had. And it's been such a blast interacting with readers and bloggers all over the world, learning about publishing, designing covers, and all the rest of the many tasks that go into getting a book out into the world. I do a pretty good job of balancing all my interests (and trying to get enough sleep along the way), but the one thing I really wish I had more time for is writing. I guess if I could choose any super power, stopping time would be number one.

Hmm, stopping time...

I've had an idea.