TALLAHASSEE — Panama City native Leslie MacDill has woven an engrossing family tale in his new book, “Lies We Were Told.”
When American Aidan MacEwan begins searching for his heritage, he uncovers dark mysteries starting with his deceased father and stretching back more than 200 years. Aidan’s search leads him from the South to Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where he must confront his own demons — in this world and beyond — with the help of an old Caribbean healer and others he encounters.
The author, who now resides in Tallahassee, draws on his own Scots-Irish heritage in telling the story of Aidan, a writer and devoted music lover who begins his quest by meeting his half-brother, Gordon, in a British pub. A health scare introduces him to Jasmine, a nurse who recognizes that Aidan is more than he appears, and that his very soul is in danger. She and her grandmother, a priestess, have been waiting to help him.
Gordon, concerned about Aidan’s project, has him investigated and turns up some troubling things. Relationships become complicated, as does the search when Aidan learns that his ancestral village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, was destroyed by supernatural forces and people around him start dying. Will Aidan be able to complete his quest and achieve happiness or will disaster strike?
MacDill began life as a self-proclaimed U.S. Air Force brat, moving to Okinawa, Japan, from the South for the first three years of his life when his father was deployed. His career choices have ranged from judicial assistant to long-haul trucker, professional musician and on-air radio announcer. An accomplished cook, he has a degree in political science from Florida State University and has practiced Tibetan healing medicine, Zen Buddhism, shamanism and advanced energy medicine.
“Lies We Were Told” ($15.99, Dog Ear Publishing) is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores. For more information, visit MacDillBooks.com