Character Bios
David
David Stevenson, a freelance web developer from Llanfairpwll, Ynys Môn, is the main character in Tŷ Newydd Mysteries: The Disappearing Trick. The story is told from his perspective. Assertive and loyal, he is best friends with Siôn Watkins and often clashes with Siôn’s half-brother, Gwyn, over the disrespectful way Gwyn treats Siôn. When the book begins, David is thirty-four and living with his friend Hannah in Deganwy.
David is on his first black belt in kick-boxing, enjoys weight-lifting, hiking and playing the piano, and is a native Welsh speaker. He has lived with OCD for most of his adult life, and sometimes struggles to keep the condition under control.
Siôn
Siôn Watkins is David’s childhood best friend and a dentist. He took over his dental practice in Bangor four years ago. Like David, he is thirty-four, from Llanfairpwll, and a native Welsh speaker. He is gay, having come out at the age of fourteen. He co-owns the house in Deganwy with David, although he now lives in Tŷ Newydd.
Whilst Siôn is confident, he isn’t as adept at defending himself as David is. An amiable and empathetic person, he always strives to put himself in the shoes of others. He enjoys hiking, weight-lifting and yoga. Like David, he is not completely sceptical of the paranormal, but is wary of unscrupulous people taking advantage of others for monetary gain.
Siôn is pronounced the same way as Shaun, Shawn, or Sean.
Gwyn
Gwyn Watkins is Siôn’s half-brother. At forty-eight, Gwyn is a world-famous psychic. He began his career at just eighteen, with a small tarot-reading business, before expanding into a global brand, with weekly live shows, online productions and regular client visits. He is married to Penny and has a daughter named Mel.
Whilst he’s charming and charismatic in public, beneath the surface lies something far more disingenuous — and dangerous. He is a fan of all things paranormal and has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Sam
Sam Cartwright is Gwyn’s sharp-witted assistant and co-presenter. Once a solicitor in family and employment law, he left the courts behind five years ago to join Gwyn — a decision he sometimes questions, but rarely regrets. At thirty-three, he lives in Menai Bridge and enjoys hiking in Eryri, gaming and yoga.
Though fiercely loyal to Gwyn, Sam’s friendship with David and Siôn — David in particular — is starting to take its toll.
Hannah
Hannah Rowlands is Siôn and David’s best friend. A thirty-two-year-old marketing advisor, she lives in Deganwy with David and her boyfriend, plumber Craig Wilkinson. She has practised Wicca for many years and meditates every day to keep herself grounded, alongside attending Penny’s empowerment workshops. Though close to Siôn and David, Hannah idolises Gwyn, which often causes disagreements.
Penny
Penny Watkins is Gwyn’s wife. The two of them met whilst she was in her first year at Bangor University, though she soon dropped out. Together they emigrated to Australia, where they married and later welcomed their daughter, Mel. Penny was instrumental in the early growth of Gwyn’s business, but is no longer involved. Today, she devotes her energy to teaching yoga, running holistic classes, and leading female-empowerment workshops.
Craig
Craig Wilkinson is Hannah’s boyfriend — a thirty-one-year-old plumber from Bangor. He and Hannah have been together for two years, though he’s been part of her wider social circle since their teenage days. Now living with Hannah and David in Deganwy, Craig chips in with DIY around the house in exchange for rent. A Jack-the-lad type, he rarely shows emotion in front of his friends and often teases David and Siôn. In his spare time, he plays rugby, lifts weights, and never misses a chance to watch sport.
Mel
Mel Watkins is Gwyn and Penny’s daughter, who was born and raised in Melbourne. She dropped out of university twice — first in Melbourne, and then in Manchester, after realising she had no interest in business studies. Now twenty-five, she was recently working as a junior web designer in Manchester, but moved to Tŷ Newydd after the murder to support her mother. Like her parents, she’s a fan of all things spooky — though she has no desire to follow in her father’s footsteps. As a result, the two do not get along.
In her spare time, she likes to read paranormal-themed novels, go shopping with Hannah and Siôn, and practise Pilates.
Cai
Recently divorced from his husband, Cai is the Detective Inspector tasked with uncovering the truth behind the disappearance. Grounded and rational by nature, he is unprepared for a mystery that refuses to behave like anything he’s known before.
Away from the job, Cai is an avid reader with a passion for World War I and II history, often found curled up with a book and his cat, Pepper, for company.
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