Traylor Donovan

Traylor was born aboard the Decagon, one of the largest ships in the Archipelago. Teased early on in life for having red hair, Traylor fought back by being better at things than the people who picked on her. Her drive made her excel at school, sports and flight simulations. Her piloting skills are second only to Brandon’s.

Traylor is fair skinned with freckles and long red hair. On the outside she is a tomboy who is highly competitive and ready to fight at the drop of a hat, but inside there is a softer side.

Author’s Note:

Traylor is one of the most complicated characters in the Brandon Sparks Universe. She is the main female character, and challenging to write because though her interests are the same as the boys, she needs to stand apart. The difference between Brandon and Traylor is much bigger than between Brandon and Reggie. Traylor’s participation in the action at the end of Brandon Sparks and the Hidden Sun is one of my favorite parts of the first novel.

Traylor got her name because of Frank Drek. From the very beginning I knew that these two characters would bump heads. Originally I was going to have Frank’s insults be more derogatory than they turned out to be. With a name like Traylor, it would come naturally for Frank to call her “trailer-trash.” Once I got to that point in the book where the two have words, I decided not to have Frank use the “trailer-trash” comment. I thought it would open up a can of worms I didn’t want to get into. I kept the name Traylor because I liked it. Donovan was derived from the idea that I would make each character come from a different country and therefore have an accent. I had already decided to make Traylor a redhead, so an Irish last name fit. When I dropped both the country of origin and accent ideas, I kept the name and Traylor was born on a space station.

Charlie’s Note:

I’ve always like Traylor. Over the years we have had many conversations about life, and love. One moment that sticks in my mind is her retelling of the events in the McLaren F1 that led to her often tumultuous love affair with Reggie. With only three seats in the car, Sly in one, and Brandon was behind the wheel in the middle seat avoiding General Swift’s goons, Traylor was forced to sit on Reggie’s lap. As Brandon spun the car under the the  tractor trailer, Reggie wrapped his arms around Traylor’s waist and held her close to him, making sure she wouldn’t go flying through the windshield should Brandon decide to suddenly stop. How romantic!