Braxton’s Fall Festival: Day 7 – Character Overview (Danby & Ayrwick Families

Braxton’s Fall Festival – What’s Happening Today?

Welcome to Braxton’s Fall Festival. Today we’re celebrating the launch of Haunted House Ghost with a thirty-one (31) day virtual festival, where we share the scoop on all the exciting book promotions coming up this month. Who’s ready for…

The Braxton Campus Mysteries wouldn’t exist without the clever, witty, sarcastic, hilarious, and tough characters who make the series shine. When you spend the day at a Fall Festival, you’re often with your family and friends, people-watching and interacting with tons of new acquaintances. As part of Braxton’s Fall Festival, we’re going to introduce you to the characters in the books over several different posts. Today… we start with the core Ayrwick and Danby families.

Core Characters in the Ayrwick and Danby Families

Wesley Ayrwick: Patriarch of the family, in his late 60s. Wesley was the President of Braxton College for almost a decade, until he decided to retire in the first book, Academic Curveball. He’s been married to Violet for almost forty years and has five children. Stay out of any room where he and mother-in-law Nana D are together; you might get hit with an insult! While he’s often stern and commanding, there is a hidden heart that we see in later books. Nowadays, he’s fishing and camping with his buddies.

Violet Danby Ayrwick: Matriarch of the family, in her late 50s. Violet is Nana D’s daughter, and they couldn’t be more different. She currently oversees the Admissions Department at Braxton College, but she’s usually fretting about her appearance, weight, or children. Never ask the woman to cook, or you might end up one of the latest victims!

Hampton Ayrwick: Eldest son, in his late 30s. Married to the heiress of an oil tycoon and has 4 children with her. He and Kellan do not get along, but you’ll see that for yourself when he moves to Wharton County in Haunted House Ghost. Kellan’s nickname for him: The Hampster. You’ll have to read the books to find out why he’s earned such a moniker.

Penelope Ayrwick: Eldest daughter, in her mid 30s. Married and lives in NY. Has a stepdaughter and twins, but we’ve never met her yet. Rumor has it that she’ll be coming for a visit in 2020. Can you imagine what she must be like, given everything we know about all the siblings? Even I’m afraid to deal with the likes of her.

Kellan Ayrwick: Middle child, in his early 30s. Protagonist, Amateur Sleuth, Film Director, Professor. Father of Emma. Married to the late Francesca. Lovable but sarcastic. Loves desserts and working out. Definitely outnumbered by the women in his life. Between April Montague, Myriam Castle, Nana D, and the rest of his family, Kellan should probably never open his mouth. But he does. And things usually get alarming! Lots of people have nicknames for him, including Little Ayrwick, Kel-Baby, The Unlikely Death Locator…

Note: There is a rumor that this character is based on the author. I can neither confirm nor deny such an opinion. I will say that there are many similarities but there are many differences. Perhaps you’ll find out about them in one of these Fall Festival posts.

Eleanor Ayrwick: Youngest daughter, 30. Runs the Pick-Me-Up Diner. In love with several guys. Keeps Kellan from going insane and usually puts him in his place. Fancies herself a psychic but is the most normal of them all… she just can’t figure out what to do with the rest of her life.

Gabriel Ayrwick: Youngest son, in his late 20s. Left town for suspicious reasons, but eventually returns. Has a big role in Flower Power Trip and Mistaken Identity Crisis. Often in trouble with someone. Sometimes as innocent as an angel. Rides a motorcycle and usually surprises people with his actions, for both good and bad reasons.

Seraphina Danby (Nana D): Kellan’s sarcastic and never-holds-back seventy-five-year-old grandmother who makes his life way more interesting. Runs an organic farm. Founding member of the Septuagenarian Club, which is on prominent display in Broken Heart Attack. Widowed over a decade ago. Has 3 other children: Deirdre, Zachary, and Campell. Grandson Ulan is a new arrival, and he’s Zach’s fifteen-year-old son from Africa. Frequently heard threatening to slap someone’s bottom silly.

Emma Ayrwick: Kellan’s precocious seven-year-old daughter. Turning into a mini-Nana D. She’s often training her new puppy, Baxter, and complaining about how much her father forgets to feed her. Emma is what drives Kellan’s motives each day. His daughter has had difficult life in some respects, and all he ever wants to do is protect her.

The Castiglianos: The In-Laws… Kellan’s late wife, Francesca, was the daughter of Vincenzo and Cecilia, who run a very interesting business in Los Angeles, where Kellan lived for a number of years after graduating from college. People you do not want to cross, and when you do, there are always consequences. Figure prominently in Mistaken Identity Crisis.

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Those are the major players from the Danby and Ayrwick families. Kellan is the primary character we follow in all the books, and depending on the story, his siblings appear both in the main mystery and a bunch of interweaving side stories. Nana D and Emma are always in the books, as they are his sidekicks for life. Kellan has a good relationship with his parents, but they are academics and had five children to raise: he loves them but likes his space too! That said, this family is full of love and support for one another, especially around the holidays.

Many of the antics, relationships, and situations are based on real-life experiences I’ve had. The only thing I must reveal: I am an only child. The dynamics between the siblings comes from relationships I have with ~15 first cousins, friends and their families, and being a huge people-watcher myself. Despite claiming to be nothing like her, I might have some of the same tendencies as our beloved Nana D. But if you tell anyone I admitted to it, I’ll sick The Castiglianos on you in the next book. I wonder… will you live to experience tomorrow’s Fall Festival activity?

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The section below here will repeat at the end of every successive post, so we don’t have to explain the Fall Festival in the beginning each day. We’ll dive right into the content but also allow newcomers to catch up. Previous posts include…

October 1st – Overview & Kickoff

October 2nd – Great Escapes Book Blog Tour

October 3rd – GIVEAWAY for FREE Kindle Copy of Haunted House Ghost

October 4th – Name Kellan’s House Poll

October 5th – Excerpt from Academic Curveball

October 6th – Guest Post Interview with Noriko on Halloween & Autumn

What is the Braxton Fall Festival?
For the entire month of October 2019, we are celebrating three events: (1) Autumn, (2) Halloween, (3) Haunted House Ghost, the fifth book released in the Braxton Campus Mysteries by author James J. Cudney. Each day, we will share a post to promote the new book with readers and fans. Throughout the 31 days, we will have guest posts, excerpts, giveaways, contests, videos, blog tours, and other surprises. You can currently purchase the book from Amazon as a Kindle or a physical copy. In the near future, it will be available in large print and as an audiobook. To learn more, sign up for the author’s quarterly newsletter or follow him on this site and any of his social media profiles from the About the Author page.