Family
Tree
A
Novel Spanning 17 Centuries
The
story is fiction. But the history is real!
If
your idea of history is 2+2=4...
think again. In Family Tree
a white woman born in Saxony but living in Britain becomes a
black man born in Toronto but living in San Francisco. It
only takes 17 centuries for the transformation to happen as you get to follow
one family line from 400 AD to the present,
through seven countries -- Saxony, Britain, Scotland, America,
Canada,
Germany and... Valhalla.
Family Tree chapters alternate
between past and present, starting with Arlyss and
Sigeburg and their
daughter Megan
in 400 AD Saxony
and jumping to the Alden
family, having just moved from Toronto, Canada to San Francisco,
California in 2015. As we progress through the book, the past catches
up with the present.
In
this dual time-line tale, modern technology unravels an
intriguing history -- major
events in the
history of western civilization --
the
family line is involved in. From fighting in
Britain for the
Romans, to fighting in Britain against the Romans. From fighting for
various kingdoms in Britain against the Danes and Vikings to fighting
for the kingdom of Britain against the Scots and French. From fleeing
to the New World to escape religious persecution in Britain to
fleeing to Canada from America during the American Revolution. From
trying to enlist to fight in WWI to fighting in WWII. From working in a
grocery store in Toronto to working for a leading DNA
company...
Corey
Alden has taken a job as the IT
Director with Ancestry Discovery, a DNA testing company in San
Francisco. He plants an
Oak tree in his front yard that he has moved from Toronto.
The Oak tree was started from acorns passed down through his family
line for over 17 centuries. As part of his job, Corey, an
only child of parents who were only children,
gets his DNA tested--with shockingly unexpected
results. His daughter Ashley gets her DNA tested and discovers
connections that
can only mean her mother, Indira, who thought she was an adopted only
child,
was... Well, I don't want to spoil
it for you!
Through
it all, the
Saxon
gods, Jörð and
Odin, have a running bet about how long the family tree will
continue to be passed forward and how long the family line will last.
Beta Readers
React
"Family
Tree is historical, mystical, dramatic, humorous and moving. And
it's all combined, from start to finish, in a manner
most engaging." - Bethany Bower
"With
mythical beginnings, Family Tree
follows the stories of a family line that stretches back centuries
touching on themes of family connection, bigotry, sexual preferences,
health challenges, and love. It motivated me to ask myself the
question, 'Does my connection to mankind and the earth encompasses more
than DNA?'" - Laima
Stem
"With DNA testing, we have been given a new tool to make
connections to those with
whom we share a past. Sometimes it seems like magic. Take some of
that magic, mix it with some serious genealogy, and you have a
novel of history, mystery,
fantasy and fun. Lima has a firm grip on the present, and has
done the
research to bring the past to life. His present day characters are
people you will get to know, and like; you will cheer for them as they
discover who they are in the grand scheme of life."
- Gabriele
Pulpan
"Family Tree is a
completely fresh idea about something as old as time. I hope
somebody makes it a movie!" - G. Froehlich
- "I
love historical fiction, and Family Tree is now on my 'I love' list!"
-
"You might think a book that spans over a seventeen hundred years would
lose its
thread. But the structure of Family Tree keeps the book focused in the
present, while the past builds up to that present!"
-
"Solid story. Great characters, including the goddess,
and the god."
|

Prologue:
Saxony: 300 AD
Chapter 1: Saxony: 400 AD
Chapter 2: San Francisco & Toronto: 2015
Chapter 3: Saxony: 400 AD
Chapter 4: Toronto & San Francisco: 2015
Chapter 5: Britain: 400 AD
Chapter 6: San Francisco: 2015
Chapter 7: Britain: 420 AD
Chapter 8: San Francisco: 2015
Chapter 9: Britain & Scotland: 600 AD
Chapter 10: San Francisco: 2015
Chapter 11: Britain: 1100
Chapter 12: San Francisco: 2015
Chapter 13: Britain & Plymouth: 1215
Chapter 14: San Francisco: 2015
Chapter 15: Plymouth: 1620
Chapter 16: San Francisco: 2015
Chapter 17: Plymouth, Boston & Halifax: 1674
Chapter 18: San Francisco: 2015
Chapter 19: Halifax & York: 1797
Chapter 20: San Francisco: 2015
Chapter 21: York/Toronto: 1831
Chapter 22: San Francisco: 2015 - 2016
Chapter 23: Toronto: 1890
Chapter 24: San Francisco & New York: 2016
Chapter 25: Toronto & Dresden: 1936
Chapter 26: Dresden: 2016
Chapter 27: Toronto: 1967
Chapter 28: San Francisco: 2016
Chapter 29: Dresden: 2023
Chapter 30: Valhalla
Chapter 31: Dresden: 2025
Epilogue: Valhalla
Appendix 1: Emancipation Day recognizes end of slavery in Canada
Appendix 2: Prime Minister apologizes for anti-Black racism experienced
by No. 2 Construction Battalion
End Note
About the Author
If
you want to be notified when the
book is available (Nov 2022), email paullima.com@gmail.com
and
ask to have your email address added to the email list! You will
receive NO spam. Promise!
Other
books
by Paul Lima
|