Background:
• Born Suzette Brightwell
• Never goes by Suzie, only tolerates ‘Suze’ from Dad
• Born and raised in the Eastern Townships of Québec
• Both parents killed in a car crash when she was seven, leaving her an orphan
• Taken in by her uncle and aunt, Stanley and Dianne Brightwell (her only living family)
• Raised by Stanley and Dianne as sister to their new son, Daniel, in Ontario
• Interned at Stanley’s financial advisor firm in Toronto until she was eighteen, when she married Dad (her childhood sweetheart from Québec)
• Had me (her only child) shortly after the wedding, settled in Ashwood, Ontario
• Worked around town as a bookkeeper, as well as at the local daycare
• Currently retired, but still does taxes for many of the locals
Personality/Quirks:
• Obsessed with red (to the point where she seems oblivious to the existence of any other colour choice)
• Proper and particular, never uses nicknames (sigh), doesn’t tolerate cursing in any language
• Strong personality, sharp, somehow seems to know everyone everywhere she goes
• Knows the financial situation of most of the population of Ashwood, thanks to all her bookkeeping days and ongoing tax accounting jobs (which might come in handy)
• Named me (her only child!) after her favourite childhood dog, but names her pets after beloved family members for some reason
• Fan of the Marie Clifford mystery novels
Dad (Gregory/Greg Quinn)
Background:
• Born and raised in the Eastern Townships of Québec, where he met Mom as a child and grew up with her until her parents died
• Moved to Toronto to find Mom when he grew up, got a job at the Brightwell financial firm to earn enough money to get married
• Not a big fan of the city, moved family to Ashwood after Mom got pregnant
• Worked around town as local handyman, still takes odd jobs even though he’s pretty much retired
Personality/Quirks:
• Obsessed with fixing up every house our family has lived in (Nothing left to fix? Must be time to move!)
• Fascinated by history and the past; mostly reads non-fiction but also the Marie Clifford mystery novels
• Friendly but quiet, has a death glare that can wither you from a mile away (Not that I would know or anything…)
Cousin Jess (Jessica/Jess Wilson)
Background:
• Born Jessica Quinn (daughter of Dad’s sister)
• Married to Curt Wilson (brother of Clive Wilson, who owns the local bar and diner Clive’s), mother of two young daughters, Zoe and Sasha
• She and Curt were Ashwood’s first interracial couple (which initially created some controversy), but they eventually managed to win everyone over (all the decent people, anyway)
• Parents and husband killed by a drunk driver, Jess was the only survivor, paralyzed from the waist down (Thankfully, her two girls were safe at home when the accident happened.)
• Runs Ashwood Real Estate, a business that has been in the family for years (on Jess’s mother’s side)
Personality/Quirks:
• Practical, helpful, independent
• Close to her husband’s family, especially since the accident
