Bestselling Scot stops in Antigonish

Angus Macdonald’s book launch this week

An accomplished Scottish writer will be visiting Antigonish for a special reading of his latest novel.

As part of a tour along the East Coast, author Angus Macdonald will drop by the Antigonish Town and Country Library on June 30 for a special launch of the fourth edition of his popular Ardnish book series.

“Four years ago, I was in Judique in Cape Breton (when) I launched my second book,” notes Macdonald about returning to the province. “I think there’s a very strong connection between the Highlands and the Maritimes and I think they share a lot of the same character traits.”

Speaking from his home in the Scottish highlands overlooking the Ardnish peninsula where, “it’s four hours to get to Edinburgh or Glasgow, but it’s a great place to live,” Macdonald is excited to launch The Secret of Ardnish in Nova Scotia.

“The warmth of the welcome is second to none in the world,” says Macdonald about what he loves about visiting Nova Scotia, a region that plays a significant role in the Ardnish book series.

“As any reader of my books will know, there can’t be many people who are as interested in the history or shared heritage as I am, and so every time I have come across (to Nova Scotia), people have brought tales of their family, which I adore to hear and I like to tell them about the stories over here so it’s a good two-way thing.”

The Secret of Ardnish certainly doesn’t shy away from exploring that shared heritage either.

A historical fiction set in 2016, the story picks up with protagonist Peter Angus Gillies receiving a letter and inheritance that initiates a journey that takes him from Nova Scotia to Ardnish, the land of his forebears. Once there, Gillies learns about a long lost treasure and sets out to uncover the hidden fortune with a local girl.

“All four of (my books) have Nova Scotia in them,” says Macdonald who further highlights the connection in the book’s press release. “Many of those who emigrated from the Arisaig area of Lochaber went to settle in Arisaig, Nova Scotia (and) the folk from Brae Roy went to Inverness County, Cape Breton, taking their courteous ways, music and Gaelic language with them.”

Macdonald is fascinated with the ancestral connections between Nova Scotia and Scotland and has found exploring those connections and tradition through historical fiction has been a key to preserving that shared history.

“Basically, as computers and

TV have taken over, these stories are in danger of getting lost,” says Macdonald, who was a soldier before becoming a successful entrepreneur and bestselling author.

“It became clear that the best way of preserving these stories and getting them out there was through a novel and coming up with fictional characters and the stories come out there.”

As for the upcoming appearance in Antigonish, Macdonald is looking as forward to meeting Nova Scotians as much as he is talking about his new novel.

“All of them are very different,” notes Macdonald about his book tours. “I do read a section or two of the book, but it’s mainly to give (people) a good time and letting them have a bit of a laugh and giving them a bit of colour about the area which I’m from.”

For more information on Angus Macdonald, visit: www.ardnishbooks.com.