Fourteen-year old Jessica M. Lee is a rising ninth grader at Gloucester High School and, as her father said, is likely among the youngest people here who hold a county business permit.

Lee, who has already written and self-published two science-fiction books, said she writes when "I feel the inspiration."

She laughingly recalls how she attended a sci-fi convention as a vendor and the organizer made up a name card for her as "Jim." Boy, were the visitors surprised to see that Jim was really just "JM Lee," how she pens her books.

At age 13, Lee said she penned the "emotional sci-fi rollercoaster" which is titled "When October Ends." That book is listed as Book 1 of the "Novus Propris" Chronicles.

The story line, Lee said, is that after an environmental disaster, the world is no longer what it seems, especially since humans no longer top the food chain.

The second book, titled "Chasing," tells about how the ...