Library of Characters: Jovey

Hello everyone! I’m Jovey from Jovey’s Journal! I’m a Christian homeschooler, author, and artist. My current WIP is the first book of my fantasy/adventure series, The Adventures of Bailey Sallow. I have been slowly working on it for the past two years. Today, I’m with the main character and protagonist, Bailey Sallow.

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Introduce your character to me—who is she? What story is she from?

Bailey is a teenage girl who lives with her parents, Tara and Ted Sallow. Vaguely, so as to not spoil anything, her father works for the government, though Bailey isn’t exactly sure what he does since he doesn’t really talk about work. What she does know is that her family has to move a lot because of his job. She doesn’t mind, she loves going to new places, though she does wish she had some more consistency in her life, they make it work and she loves her family.

What gave/gives you inspiration for her?

I started writing The Adventures of Bailey Sallow with my sister. I think the very rough version of Bailey first originated back then, but she has definitely changed a lot since. I think a lot of female characters I like from books or movies I’ve seen have really influenced her attitude and overall how she is presented.

How has her past shaped what she is now? What is that personality?

Bailey is still pretty young in this book so she doesn’t have much past to shape her quite yet. The Adventures of Bailey Sallow is more of a way to show the challenges (or adventures *wink wink*) she’ll face, how she overcomes them, and how it shapes her.

She is really fun and lighthearted (and even a little annoying sometimes). She has a very positive outlook on the world, especially because she is just a teenager living her life. Throughout the book, she faces a lot of new and scary things, but in the end, she can’t let that change how she perceives the world. She isn’t super physically strong and she definitely has her moments of weakness but she is very persistent and I think that helps say a lot about who she is. I like this quality in characters from other books I’ve read or movies I’ve seen so I love writing her.

What are her strengths and weaknesses?

Some of her strengths are that she is persistent (when she wants to be), fun and not too serious, and very trusting in God. I wanted to have Bailey represent the fun innocence of a young girl.

Her weaknesses are that she can be immature, irrational, and unconfident. There are a good amount of small “flaws” or mess-ups that Bailey struggles with throughout the book as well, I wanted her as a main character to also be known she is not perfect.

Give a few examples of how she needs to/will grow throughout the story. (Without spoilers)

She has a tendency to be dependent on others. During the book, she is separated from her family, and even with the help of her co-main character, Flynn, there are moments when she has to figure things out for herself. It’s definitely something that proves difficult for her with her lack of self-confidence. So, I’d say one of the main ways she grows in The Adventures of Bailey Sallow is by becoming a little more independent and believing in herself more.

What is her greatest struggle or fear? What is she most afraid of losing?

She has a slight fear of the dark and she absolutely hates being alone, but her greatest fear is losing her family.

Character Appearance:

Bailey has very light brown/dark blonde hair, green eyes, and fair skin. I haven’t really written down her height… but I imagine she’s about 5’4.