Who is the Main Character in the Dragonfly Series?

Many people who know me personally who read my Dragonfly series will immediately think the main character, Jessica, is me. This isn’t exactly true. I did come up with the general story line and the world, Nimbe, when I was fourteen with my best friend, Linsey, and we/I had the plot include the two of us. However, I changed Jessica’s character somewhat to be more suitable for where I want the story to go. Mostly, Jessica is who I aspire to be. Jessica is an extravert whereas I’m an introvert. This means she’s far more vocal than I would be in similar situations.  She also has more knowledge about the natural world than I did at that age. There are also little changes in what she likes. She plays the flute and I play the piano. She plays soccer on a team and I never did.

But there are also some similarities. I used to sneak out early in the morning to go to a swampy woods near my house to track animals and watch the birds when I was seventeen. I also would build shelters and attempt to sleep out there over night. My father didn’t mind this activity, but my mother would often send my father after me because she worried about crazy people lurking around. Also, my father got me interested in wilderness survival skills just like Jessica’s father did. 

Also, I kept a journal starting at the age of seven and added a separate, nature journal sometime in high school. In college, I discovered other people wrote notes in a small notebook throughout the day and then added them to a special, tidy notebook at night. I adopted this and maintained it though college. I didn't have Jessica's knowledge of the natural world or study habits until sometime in college, when I was 18 or 19.

 

Me at age 18.