Date: Mon, 31 May 2010 09:40:45 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: grand Reopening - Book 7, Background

                        CHGR BACKGROUND INFORMATION -- Book 7

Seeing Castaway Hotel is a complex, multi-book series, I thought I should
add this to help you keep track of the characters.  I will list the boys in
the order they came into the story, give some vital statistics about them
(as of the beginning of this book), and a brief summary about how they came
to live there.  I have also decided to include the Book and chapter number
when that character was introduced as well.  I will also list other
characters, with reoccurring roles in the story, at the end.  I hope this
helps you follow the story better.


Josh Currie -- A 52 year old widower (47 at the beginning of book 1) with
four grown children (2 boys, 2 girls), who decides to take in foster boys,
to help make their lives better.

Ricky (Richard Allen Glover Currie) -- 17 yo (July 7) -- college freshman
-- just got back as an exchange student in Australia) -- 5' 9" tall,
longish blond hair and gray eyes, cut, and currently dating a girl --
although he doesn't mind a little fun with his brothers.  Ricky came to
Josh as a 7th grade hyperactive, behavioral problem, whose drug addicted
mother had died, his father was unknown, and he had no other family.  (Book
1, chapter 1)

Danny (Daniel Edward Roma Currie) - 19 yo (May 6) -- college sophomore --
6' 1" tall, brown hair and brown eyes and an athletic build, and is
currently dating his best friend, Brandon.  Danny was Josh's second foster
son.  He was 13 at the time and kicked out of his home by his parents
(mainly his father) when they discovered he was gay.  Danny has since
started a renewed relationship with his biological mother.  (Book 1,
chapter 4)

Brandon (Brandon Patrick O'Hara) -- 19 yo (March 4) -- college sophomore --
He's Danny's best friend and boyfriend, is 6' 2" tall, blond hair, brown
eyes and slender, but not thin.  He came to live with the Curries so he
could finish school in Pennsylvania, when his father took a new job in
Texas.  (Book 1, chapter 10)

Jay (Jay Aubrey Curtis) -- Ricky's best friend -- 18 yo (June 10) --
college freshman -- Jay is 6' 1" tall, has red hair and green eyes and was
lanky (ungraceful and thin) when younger, but is filling out and his
coordination is catching up to him as he has gotten older.  Jay is also
dating a girl, and like Brandon, Jay is also 'one of the family.'  (Book 1,
chapter 14)

Dustin (Dustin Mathew Kowalski Currie) - 20 yo (April 27) -- just received
his 2- year degree in Business Administration -- but wants to go into HVAC
and eventually open his own company -- 6' 0" tall, black hair, green eyes
and a solid build, but not fat.  Dustin was thrown out of the previous
foster home because he was caught in a homosexual act with the foster
parents' son.  He is bisexual and was once involved with Kevin, but he's
now dating girls.  (Book 1, chapter 29)

Kevin (Kevin Michael Baxter Currie) -- 18 yo (August 8) -- college
sophomore -- 5' 11 1/2" tall, longish brown hair, blue eyes and is slender,
with a swimmer's build.  Kevin was the son of the foster parents Dustin was
caught fooling around with.  His father beat him pretty badly after he
threw Dustin out, so Kevin ran away.  Kevin was heartbroken when Dustin
decided to date girls. Nick stepped in and got serious with Kevin, which
helped to ease his pain.  However, when Nick couldn't stay faithful, Kevin
connected with Brent, who later died in a vehicular accident.  He is
currently attached to Vinnie, who moved in after 9/11.  (Book 1, chapter
31)

Cole (Cole David Van Cott Currie) -- 17 yo (October) -- twelfth grade
(senior) -- 5' 9 1/2" tall, blond hair and brown eyes.  Cole and his
brother, Graham, were found abandoned and malnourished.  They were taken
from their home and placed with Josh.  Cole and Graham both suffer from
learning disabilities, although Cole has it the worst of the two.  His
mother showed up again, seeking her boys back, but they went to court to
stay with the Curries, although their mother now has visitation rights.
Cole has just switched into a technical program, because of his learning
problems.  (Book 1, chapter 34)

Graham (Graham Thomas Van Cott Currie) -- 16 yo (March 10) -- eleventh
grade (junior) -- 5' 6" tall, brown hair, brown eyes and still slender.
Cole's brother and was also malnourished when he came to live at the Currie
household.  Both Graham and Cole suffer from learning disabilities,
although Graham's problem is less severe.  His mother showed up again,
seeking her boys back, but they stayed a Currie, although their mother now
has visitation rights.  (Book 1, chapter 34)

Pat (Patrick Alan Murray Currie) -- 18 yo (May 28) -- college freshman --
5' 10" tall, dirty blond hair, blue eyes and a solid build.  Pat never had
a stable home life, being raised by several different relatives and moved
around frequently.  This caused him to have problems in school.  He got
into a minor scrape with the law, and Judge Shay asked Josh to take him in.
He also showed some bigoted attitudes at various points, which he now seems
to have under control.  Pat was attached to Carlos for a while, but now
he's dating a girl. He is bi.  A lab accident left him blind, but he
regained sight in his left eye after undergoing an operation.  (Book 2,
chapter 4)

Trey (Alexander Michael Daniels III Currie) -- 17 yo (February 16) --
twelfth grade (senior) -- 5' 10" tall, brown hair, brown eyes.  Trey is
slender, shy, a bit effeminate and an avid reader, with hopes of someday
becoming a writer.  Trey was an orphan, as his parents and sister were
killed in an explosion at his house while he was away.  Trey and Dion are
now boyfriends.  Trey wrote a play as a project for two of his classes and
then made it into a video later.  It was so well received that his teacher
submitted the work in two competitions, one for writing and the other for
amateur video production.  Trey also won awards at the state and regional
level of the Scholastic Writing and Art Competition.  (Book 2, chapter 8)

Frankie (Franklin Albert Hopkins) -- 19 yo (July 20) -- just received his
two-year degree in criminal justice -- 5' 11" tall, black hair, brown eyes,
broad shoulders and a solid build.  Frankie came as a result of getting
into trouble and at the request of Judge Shay.  Josh later had to send him
away, after he tried to rape Trey.  After getting his act together, he came
by to apologize for his earlier actions. Trey was so moved by this that he
asked Josh to see if he could arrange for Frankie to move back in.  Frankie
is straight.  (Book 2, chapter 17)

Sammy (Tsukimo Yamada Currie) -- 15 yo (June 1) -- tenth grade
(sophomore)-- 5' 3" tall, black hair, black eyes, and small for his age.
Sammy and his brother, Andrew, were taken in after the Curries read where
his Japanese father had shot his American wife and then killed himself.
The boys only had their Japanese grandparents, who decided they were better
off with the Curries.  Sammy qualified the previous year for a special
history camp, based on an essay he wrote to enter it.  (Book 2, chapter 25)

Andrew (Furuhata Yamada Currie) -- 12 yo (September 12) -- eighth grade- 4'
8" tall, black hair, black eyes, and also small for his age.  Sammy's
brother, he came to the Curries after the murder/suicide of their parents.
Andrew was nearly molested on their trip to Texas, but Josh and the boys
arrived just in time to rescue him.  Andrew won awards for his art work.
(Book 2, chapter 25)

Dion (Dion Jamal Jackson Currie) -- 15 yo (November 27) -- eleventh grade
(junior) -- 5' 11", black hair and brown eyes.  Dion has toffee colored
skin, is a loner and non-athlete.  Dion was born to teenage parents and
raised by his grandmother.  His mother took off and his father, a fireman,
was killed in a fire.  When his grandmother died, Sally became his guardian
but thought he'd do better with the Curries.  Dion and Trey are boyfriends,
but Dion is bi and just chooses to be with Trey.  Dion has a fantastic
tenor voice and won a scholarship for private lessons, at the University of
Pittsburgh, and was selected for the All-State Chorus.  (Book 2, chapter
28)

Carlos (Carlos Miguel Garcia) -- 17 yo (January 15) -- twelfth grade
(senior) -- 5' 8" tall, black hair and brown eyes.  Carlos is stocky, but
not obese.  Carlos and his mother (an illegal Mexican immigrant) moved from
California to Philadelphia with her boyfriend.  The boyfriend physically
abused Carlos and Carlos ran away.  Josh was able to keep Carlos and his
mother together, by helping to arrange for her to be in the country legally
and by helping her to find a job and place to live.  (Book 2, chapter 36)

Nick (Nicholas Mark Lawrence) -- 17 yo (February 28) -- twelfth grade
(senior) -- 5' 10" blond hair, blue eyes and a swimmer's build.  Nick
thought his father hated him because he was gay and ran away from home.
The Curries found him in Arizona, while on vacation.  They managed to
reunite the family, but Nick also got to stay with the Curries and go to
school there.  Nick has just qualified as an exchange student and will be
going to Brazil.  (Book 3, chapter 7)

Brent (Brent Alexander Currie) -- (March 17) -- Brent was picked up
hitchhiking, as the Curries returned from Baltimore.  His parents had
thrown him out because he was gay and they couldn't change him.  Later he
was killed in a vehicular accident, when he went on vacation with a friend
and his family.  (Book 4, chapter 4)

Shannon McCarthy -- 18 yo (December 16) -- college freshman -- 5' 10 ½"
blond hair, brown eyes, cut.  Shannon is gay and was being bullied by some
Boy Scouts, who had found out about his orientation, and the Currie boys
came to his defense.  He and his father came to live with the Curries after
Josh suffered a heart attack, at Brent's funeral.  (Book 4, chapter 20)

Jake McCarty -- 36 yo and Shannon's father (January 21).  He had married
and tried to be straight, but it didn't work.  He and his wife divorced
after she found out, and later she asked him to take Shannon, after she
learned he was gay too.  He and Shannon moved into the Currie house after
Josh suffered a heart attack, but the Currie boys had been trying to fix
them up before that.  (Book 4, chapter 20)

Alvin (Vinnie) Mitchell Rydell -- 17 yo (December 17) eleventh (junior) 5'
7 1/2" dyed blond hair, Brown eyes, uncut.  Vinnie's parents were killed on
one of the flights originating out of Boston on 9/11.  Vinnie was born with
hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy, and uses crutches to get around.  (Book
5, chapter 4)

Cody Reynolds -- (January 5) short, slender, dirty blond hair and blue eyes
-- he was twelve when he arrived to live with Josh and turned thirteen
shortly afterward.  Cody was diagnosed with A.L.L. (Acute Lymphocytic
Leukemia) and fought it bravely, but eventually was beaten by the disease.
(Book 6, chapter 11.)

Other recurring characters:

Sally Swarthout -- works for Dept. of Social Services, and Josh's friend.
Sally helped convince Josh to become a foster parent and brought him many
of the boys.  The boys call her Aunt Sally.  (Book 1, chapter 1)

Patrick & Brenda O'Hara -- Brandon's parents.  They have become Uncle Pat
and Aunt Brenda to Josh's boys.  (Brenda in Book 1, chapter 12 and Patrick
in Book 1, chapter 35)

Howard & Audrey Curtis -- Jay's parents.  Have become Uncle Howie and Aunt
Audrey to Josh's boys.  (Book 1, chapter 35)

Steve & Mary Shay -- Steve was the judge who presided over the first group
adoption and arranged for Pat and Frankie to come to live with the Curries.
He and his wife have since become good friends of the family and the boys
call them Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary.  (Steve in Book 1, chapter 40 and Mary
in Book 2 chapter 23)

Josh's older children, listed from oldest to youngest -- with spouse listed
in parenthesis, if there is one: Michael (Andrea), Marie (Adrian), Robert,
and Elizabeth (Timothy).  (Book 1, chapter 38)

Jordan -- Josh's 9 yo grandson (March 7) (Michael/Andrea) -- he's in fourth
grade and comes and spends a great deal of time with his grandfather and
uncles.  (Book 1, chapter 38)

Nicky -- Josh's 8 yo grandson (April 10) (Marie/Adrian) (he and Jordan are
cousins) -- he is in third grade and also spends a great deal of time with
his grandfather and uncles.  (Book 1, chapter 38)

Megan -- Josh's 2 yo granddaughter (September 27) (Michael/Andrea) Jordan's
sister and Nicky's cousin.  (Book 5, chapter 8)

Mark Williams -- 22 yo (April 2) -- just received his B.S. in Finance -- 6'
1" tall, black hair, gray eyes, and straight, with a trim and fit build.
Has a girlfriend named Amy.  He's working at a bank and handling Josh's
personal accounts and the Castaway Foundation accounts.  Waited on the
Curries when they ate at a restaurant near the Grand Canyon, in Arizona.
He was illegitimate and lived with his mother in Oregon.  (Book 3 --
chapter 3)

Mike and Julie Lawrence -- Nick's parents, from Oklahoma.  They have become
very close to the Curries since Josh helped reunite them with Nick.  (Book
3 -- chapter 31)

The Yamadas -- Sammy and Andrew's Japanese grandparents.  (Book 2 --
chapter 32)

The Spences (John and Margaret) - Older couple the boys met on the plane on
their Arizona vacation.  The Spences have started to become surrogate
grandparents to the boys since then.  (Book 3 -- chapter 1)

The Beckers (Little Ricky's adoptive parents) -- an older farm couple who
were childless and decided to adopt Little Ricky (when he was 13) with the
Currie's assistance.  (Book 4, chapter 17)

Little Ricky (Richard) -- 15 -- (June 17) a boy who had lived in a group
foster home until the Beckers adopted him.  (Book 4, chapter 11)

Peter Dennis -- 15 -- (October 3) Ricky's host brother in Australia and
Josh just brought him over as an exchange student with them.  (Book 5,
chapter 36)

The English Visitors: (Book 3, chapters 28 & 29)

Nigel Barstow- 49 yo -- 5' 6" - the father of the English family similar to
the Currie family.

Padraic -- 19 yo -- from Ireland -- parents killed in a bombing -- brother
of Sean

Sean -- 18 yo -- from Ireland -- parents killed in bombing -- brother
Padraic

Ivan -- 17 yo -- from Croatia -- cousin of Andre -- war orphan

Andre -- 16 yo -- from Croatia -- cousin of Ivan -- war orphan

Joseph- 19 yo -- from Russia -- ran away when his parents turned on him
because he was gay - his family were Orthodox Jews and couldn't accept
their son being a homosexual.

Kjetil (pronounced Schet Til) 18 yo -- a Norwegian boy living in London --
parents died from a food borne illness, possibly mad-cow disease.

Baz 17 yo -- A Palestinian boy whose parents were killed in a riot.

Will (short for William) 15 yo -- son of a distant cousin of Nigel's, from
Leeds.  He lived with his mother, who died of a viral infection.