An author is not her main character. Seriously. Before, I started writing I assumed that most authors were like their main characters—that they were an extension of themselves. This isn’t always the case. I remember the first time I realized my main character (Desiree) was nothing like me—especially me at seventeen. I was entertained by the idea…..then I was a little concerned, then confused, and then—ultimately—really happy about the whole thing. I figured that by creating a character unlike myself, I’d let her take on a life of her own.

If Desiree was real (wouldn’t that be awesome), we would probably be friends. We both like horses and I do like witty (oh, alright—sarcastic) people. She’s a bit of a tomboy and I love that. So, yes, there are similarities. But there are differences too—like Desiree growing up without a mom. I was very blessed (and still am) to have an awesome mom around. And while I consider myself fairly athletic, I hate running. Desiree loves it. Desiree is not much of a planner. I’m practically OCD. Then there are the attributes Dezi has that I wish I had: She’s bold. She’s fearless. She challenges herself. She’s more rational than emotional. Of course, Desiree also has some qualities I’m happy to be without…trouble trusting people, a violent temper, a habit of distancing people. Basically, she’s flawed in all the ways I needed her to be.

I think developing Desiree’s character was probably the most rewarding part of writing The Convergence. It was fun to throw her into funny, dangerous, and demanding situations and then decide how she would react. The best part about working on the sequel is having the opportunity to develop her character, deepen her convictions, and write more of her change.

And who knows—when all is written and done—maybe she’ll have become more like me after all. But I won’t ever claim to be nearly as cool.