SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: CHRISTMAS IN NEWFOUNDLAND BY MIKE MARTIN

 

From the author of the Award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mysteries including Christmas in Newfoundland: Memories and Mysteries Book 1, comes another welcome addition to the Sgt. Windflower family of books…

By Mike Martin

Book Blurb

From the author of the Award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mysteries including Christmas in Newfoundland: Memories and Mysteries Book 1, comes another welcome addition to the Sgt. Windflower family of books.

Come sit by the fire of the woodstove in the kitchen and listen to stories of Christmas long ago in Grand Bank and Ramea and tales of great adventure and Christmas magic in St. John’s in the 1960s and onward. Have Christmas dinner with Sgt. Windflower and Sheila and their two little girls. Then wait and see if any special visitors show up to entertain them.

Sing along with the choir or have a drink with old friends to celebrate Tibb’s Eve. Follow along as Eddie Tizzard has a special mission in the middle of a snowstorm and Herb Stoodley becomes an unlikely Christmas hero.

Christmas in Newfoundland is always a time for good food, good friends, and good cheer. And there’s always another chair at the table.

Release Date: September 26, 2022

Publisher: Ottawa Press and Publishing

Soft Cover: 978-1990896033; 141 pages; $16.95; eBook $4.99

Amazon: https://amzon.to/3fSJoL

 

Book Excerpt

  

Christmas Memories

It was their very first Christmas together and while it was so exciting to be in love and together during this magical season, it was also a little bit awkward as they tried to develop their own holiday traditions.

Their memories and celebrations of Christmas had been very different growing up. Windflower’s holidays in Pink Lake, his northern Alberta birthplace had been full of love but also tinged with sadness and a healthy dash of chaos. His parents had given him everything they had, which meant he got all the most favourite toys that they could order from the Sears catalogue.

His parents were no longer with him and that made him sad sometimes this time of year. He missed his mother especially. She had been so kind to him and everyone around him. He missed his dad, too, but not in the same way. His dad had worked as a logger most of his life and that meant he was away a lot, clearing brush and hauling raw lumber down to Edmonton.

Christmas Eve was his favourite time when he was little. Maybe the same even today. He loved the feeling of expectation. That something really good was going to happen. He always got new pajamas and slippers on the night before Christmas and there was a special meal of venison stew and bannock with dark fruitcake for dessert. Santa didn’t play a big role in a Pink Lake Christmas, everyone knew their parents were bringing the gifts. But that did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm. Certainly not Windflower’s.

He liked Christmas Eve, too, because that was the one night before the parties began. Before the drinking began. Everything really was calm and bright and full of hope. The next day some of his relatives would arrive with their Christmas stash and over the following days his father’s friends would also pop by. It was great fun at the beginning but as the night and the drinks wore on, it became louder and a little frightening for a little boy. Sometimes his mother would take him to be with Auntie Marie and Uncle Frank. He liked that and loved his aunt who would make him special treats and tell him stories of the old days and their Christmas around a large community fire. 

Sometimes his father would go away with his friends and he and his mom would be left waiting for his return. It could be later that evening or a few days but eventually he would come home, most often drunk, and spend the next day recovering. Windflower knew to be very quiet around those times. His mother had warned him not to wake the sleeping bear.

Those were all but passing memories for Windflower now and he was looking forward to spending time and celebrating Christmas with Sheila, the light and love of his life.

Sheila loved, loved, loved Christmas. Everything about Christmas. She had taken out all the old ornaments weeks before Christmas so she could look at them and pressured Windflower to go out early in December to get their tree. The first Sunday in the month they drove to the woods on the outskirts of town and walked in to get their tree. They didn’t have far to go. About five minutes in, Sheila found the tall balsam fir she was looking for. 

“Perfect,” she announced.

“Okay,” said Windflower and he sawed the tree near the bottom and tied it to the top of her car. They drove home and while he made them hot chocolate, Sheila laid out all the decorations that she wanted to use.

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About the Author

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.

He is the author of the award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mystery series set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 12 books in this light mystery series with the publication of Dangerous Waters. A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award. Mike has also published Christmas in Newfoundland: Memories and Mysteries, a Sgt. Windflower Book of Christmas past and present. And now Christmas in Newfoundland: Memories and Mysteries 2.

Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Ottawa Independent Writers and Capital Crime Writers.

You can follow the Sgt. Windflower Mysteries on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore/

Website: www.sgtwindflowermysteries.com

Twitter: @mike54martin

Sponsored By:

 

 REVIEW

 

PERHAPS YOUR NEW CHRISTMAS TRADITION

CHRISTMAS IN NEWFOUNDLAND — MEMORIES AND MYSTERIES by Mike Martin is a charming book filled with a succession of vignettes about the approach of the blessed holiday of Christmas. Culminating with a tale concerning the exchanging of gifts, we learn the difference between the cost of a present and what makes one priceless. The stories are related in an easy, relaxed, humble, and conversational way. The subjects range from blessings offered to ceremonial giving within families to problem solving as the past mingles with the present and creates our future. The book makes clear that our future is shaped by our thoughts, deeds, and actions, and that we alone are responsible for passing the torch of goodness and mercy to the next generation in keeping tradition alive.

The countdown to the magic day is used as a backdrop to all that unfolds as each chapter covers a different aspect of what transpires to individuals and communities during the month of December. It’s this approach that gives us to insight in understanding how traditions were formed, and how they’re influenced by each generation. Because of the scope, and because of the wisdom shared, I can readily see this book being used as an advent calendar. A parent or grandparent could gather the family around the Christmas tree and read passages from this book to children and other members of their family. It would be interesting to hear the thoughts as each individual shares what message they received from the story told. I can only think in getting to know the responses inside each heart that a closer bond would be formed because of the lessons inherent within this book’s pages.

What lessons? Lessons that extend from the importance of blessing all that surrounds and sustains us to the handling of tragedies in a meaning-of-Christmas type of way. One story in particular stands out as concerns problem-solving with an emphasis on compassion. The story centers on a little girl who is heartbroken over losing a stuffed puffin. The bird was a Christmas present that she adored. While it would have been tempting for the parents to dismiss the child’s grief as unimportant, the sorrow was honored by taking a larger view. The four-year-old had lost enough in her short lifetime, and even if she hadn’t, those were her feelings … feelings as seen through a child’s eyes. So instead of taking a “she’ll get over it” response, a plan was put in place for her to get her puffin back … one that’s filled with the Christmas spirit. 

I’m giving the book five stars and would recommend it to those who steep themselves in the miracle of Christmas … to those that cloak themselves in the generosity the holiday affords … and to those that celebrate every second of joy that the birth in the manger brought to those who believe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOOK BLAST: THE TIMBER STONE BY DAVE ABARE

 

Former rock star and world-class drinker Joshua Traxon leaves LA for small town VT, escaping tragedy, finding love…

By Dave Abare

Book Blurb

Josh Traxon, a former rock/reality TV star, moves from L.A. to Vermont, after a failed reality TV show and the death of his lover Sasha, for which he blames himself. He and his spunky pug Pickle soon meet their beautiful neighbor, Laurel, her young boy, Ethan, and her mother, who Josh often spars with. Laurel’s ex-boyfriend Barry tries to stir up trouble, but with his wit, humor, and a little bravado, Josh dispatches him—and wins Laurel’s affections. Narrating directly to the reader at times, Josh humorously and candidly describes his fondness for chess, his dog, and his embarrassment and guilt in being a womanizer for much of his life. His love of tequila and whiskey, however, is a problem, and much of that is tied to his shame in lying about the auto accident in California that killed his girlfriend.

As Laurel and Josh grow closer, he notices her getting sick often, but his focus remains on himself and dealing with his past. As his drinking intensifies, Laurel expresses concerns, and he admits the details of the accident to her. He decides he owes Sasha’s father the truth—that Josh had been behind the wheel, not Sasha—and plans a trip to Connecticut to confess. Laurel accompanies him, and despite her hesitations, she falls in love with him as he recounts poignant and hysterical details of his youth. But soon after arriving, Laurel gets sick again. Josh thinks she’s pregnant with Barry’s baby, but she tells him she has cancer. They share a tender moment before she sends him away to visit Sasha’s father, though he doesn’t want to leave. During the tense visit, Josh realizes (through words Sasha had spoken to him years earlier and the father’s current actions) that he’d sexually abused her, and Josh attacks the man physically.

When Josh returns to Laurel, they talk more about her illness, cry, and make love. The next morning, as Josh recounts memories of living there, he mentions his dog Timber and that there was a heart-shaped stone his mother found and placed on his gravesite. Laurel says they must go get it, and Josh agrees. They meet the man who owns his childhood home, and he shows Josh the stone, which he’d dug up years earlier. The two of them end up playing a chess match that Josh loses, which is a rare event for him. The man tells him he can take the Timber Stone, which Josh does.

Back in Vermont, all Josh wants is to get drunk but an unexpected visit from a boy in town keeps him sober, A battle with Laurel’s ex, Barry, gets Josh briefly thrown in jail. After, he visits Barry at his home to agree to disagree, but to care for Laurel like grown-ups. Josh discovers Barry likes chess and they end up playing, though Josh beats him handily. When Josh arrives home, he discovers Laurel is in the hospital and goes to see her. She looks frail and ill, though he tries to lighten the mood with humor and levity. But Laurel’s cancer has progressed rapidly.

She lives only weeks longer, and at the very end, they share a heartfelt moment where they talk and listen to music together, and she gives him a letter. It details her love for him, her joy in meeting him, and hopes that he will continue having a relationship with her son, as Ethan also loves Josh. Shortly after her funeral, Josh is talking with Ethan in his backyard and Ethan mentions a special spot he and his mother had for picnics. Josh gets the Timber Stone and asks if he can leave it in that spot. Ethan agrees, they cry, and then Josh mentions how he now has a family, a purpose.

A few weeks later, a newly sober Josh drives down the coast to spread Laurel’s ashes, as she’d have wanted. He realizes his relationship with fame has evolved, how he’s discovered what’s truly important to him now—sobriety and being there for young Ethan—and how he wishes he’d learned that lesson, and met Laurel, sooner. Still, he’s grateful for the brief time they had together, and how because of her, he’s found out who he really is, and can now thrive in his awakening.

Book Information

Release Date: October 26, 2022

Publisher: Hear Our Voice LLC

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1957913179; 306 pages; $14.05; eBook $.99; FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Efzf3R

 

Book Excerpt

  

The daylight had stretched itself over the landscape of my front yard, bending off the bright white corners of the outside trim and spilling into pockets that had been dark an hour earlier. A lone beam ricocheted off one of the white gutters that hung from the piece of roofing that covered my front porch, illuminating a patch of grass that was withered and amber in color. In L.A. ninety percent of the grass looked that way, and if you were lucky, you'd get a patch of hunter green, shaggy growth here and there on your lawn, which in total was no bigger than a card table. This particular patch, however, wasn't the result of poor soil or climate, but instead, the ball of wrinkles and eyeballs I was carrying.

When I lived out west, one of the roadies and guitar techs for my band, Jeremiah Stoven—what a name on that guy—showed up at my place with this nine-week-old puppy. It was wiggling and whining to get out of his arms, dead staring me, so he let it go and the dog was about to stroke out trying to climb up my leg. I sat down on the floor, and his wrinkled, smushed-in face released this maniacal tongue that wiped across every inch of my cheeks and chin as Jeremiah told me their dog had four puppies and this was the last one. He knew I was a dog nut and said he wanted me to have it. Ballsy move, just showing up with it, aware that I'd always been enamored with the critters. I hadn't had a dog in ages, so Jeremiah said, “It's time, dude,” and just left the two-pound hairball with me, almost four years ago now. Have to say, it was a near genius move on Jeremiah's part, arriving pup in hand, never letting me get a word in, and then vanishing as the canine was pissing on my Fender jazz bass. The little bugger had some accidents early on, but he was a quick study to housebreaking.

Pickle had decided, for reasons that only his tiny, deranged mind could know, that when he peed in the front yard of his new place, it would only happen on this one, now brownish spot of turf. He’d storm out of the house, perform his ritualistic dance of what I'd always called “devil circles,” where he’d speed in figure eights confined to a small stretch of earth, then explode into random darts and weaves with his tongue dangling and flopping like an uncooked slice of bacon out of the side of his mouth. Then, without warning, he’d make a beeline to ‘the spot’ and take a leak. I guess this lunatic expulsion of energy was formally called “the zoomies,” according to whatever experts study dogs going batshit nuts, and it was completely normal, but a sight to behold. He'd always done the frantic running, zoomy whatever it is, but the peeing on that specific patch was new behavior. Of course, I had just taken a small animal that had known the same home for his entire life across the country and plopped him in a place that looked entirely different than anything he'd experienced. There was one dainty tree in our backyard in L.A. that wasn't any taller than the fence that bordered our property, and now he's surrounded by hundreds that dwarf most of the houses we had on our old block. Go ahead and take a leak wherever you want, buddy.

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About the Author

Dave Abare was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and has spent most of his life in and around the Connecticut area. He became enamored with writing at a very young age, writing his first book, “Troll Island” at eleven years old. This work was never published, thankfully, but it was the beginning of a passion that has only intensified over his adult years.

His love of music led him to begin a part-time gig as a music writer, interviewing bands for his own “Fanzine” in the mid-eighties, including such Metal icons as Slayer, Metallica, and Anthrax, as well as bands such as Van Halen, Blues Traveler, Motorhead and Big Head Todd and the Monsters for other publications. In the last several years, Dave has spent his time working on short stories, poems, and his debut novel, “The Swing Over the Ocean,” which was, in his words, “a bit of a mess” in terms of editing, etc., but an invaluable self-publishing learning experience. Most recently, he’s completed work on his second novel, “The Timber Stone,” which is available for pre-order now.

In addition to writing and music, Dave enjoys reading, travel, cars, and Pugs (and all critters), as well as frequenting local New England wineries and breweries, with Tree House Brewing Co in Charlton, MA being his favorite. You can follow him @AbareDavey on Twitter or look for his Facebook Author Page.

Website: daveabare.com

Twitter: @abaredavey

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordaveabare

Instagram: @authodavect

Sponsored By:

Review: CLOSED CAMPUS by GAYLE KATZ

 

Published: February 18, 2018
Science Fiction/Horror/Zombies/
Post-Apocalyptic

 

MOST FUN ZOMBIE INVASION EVER! 

 

Like zombies with your Christmas? Well, you’re in luck! Here’s some Holiday Horror served up just for you. And that clock ticking in the background? It’s counting down the minutes before the invasion begins!

Jane is about to hit the airwaves. In just a few hours, the struggling pre-med student will be taking over the late-night DJ spot at the student-run local radio station and she can’t wait to get started. She’s already had a run-through and now comes her solo which entails going live all on her lonesome. Yes, tonight she’ll be all alone, locked up nice and safe straight through til morning. Her only mission? To keep the music playing. She’s sure she can handle that responsibility. Because the worst that could happen is having a spate of “dead” air mar her debut. But, unfortunately, it’s not the worst situation that could occur … not even close. Her critical thinking came up short on disasters and never considered that there are lots of different concepts and scenarios connected with the word “dead.” It’s why Jane is about to experience the worst option of all because many years ago, a pair of indulgent parents bought their son Benjamin a chemistry set for Christmas … and good ole Ben grew up to be a professor at Jane’s university. In fact, he’s the self-same professor that she, and an entire classroom of antsy students, are anxiously waiting to start this morning’s chemistry class. But Ben is AWOL. In the throes of a panic over a problem encountered with a new strain of virus he created, he has no idea how his experiment went so horribly wrong. But he’s a smart guy … and an egotistical one. It’s the “playing God” side of him that leads him to believe he can correct the mutation before any further collateral damage occurs, but he’s going to fail. Uber and catastrophically. And it’s this ineptitude that puts Jane directly in the path of an oncoming “undead” invasion that is set to derail her inaugural appearance as DJ and turn her into somebody’s dinner if those hungry zombies have their way.

 

That sets the stage for the wild doings in CLOSED CAMPUS: A FIRST-PERSON ZOMBIE EXPERIENCE. It’s quite an adventure, but where better for a zombie to find a Smörgåsbord than on a college campus? Gotta say I LOVED THIS BOOK! It rides the edge of horror counterpunched with humor. It’s a difficult combination to pull off, but author Gayle Katz does a superb job in avoiding all the pitfalls associated with the undertaking which leaves us with this little polished gem to chew on … and chew I did! I mean I bit hard! This book is sheer rollicking fun with some mighty grisly bloodbaths thrown in for entertainment! Think of a human-parts Thanksgiving dinner laid out with all the fixin’s and you’ll get the idea!

The story unravels at the speed of light. And it’s the fast-paced action that gets us from thrill-to-thrill. Sudden twists keep a’coming and had me guessing about what came next. The excellent writing helped a lot. If I had to describe it, I’d say it was combination of “just enough description to set the scene” and “let’s put Jane in even more danger and see how she gets outta this one.” It’s this all-out assault on the very likeable Jane that provides the momentum to power us through the action and have us pulling for our feisty heroine to prevail. And did I mention that it isn’t just Jane fighting for her freakin’ inalienable right to remain human? No? Well, I am now because there’s an entire team of stragglers not yet exhibiting cannibalistic tendencies who band together and form a team whose major objective is to keep from being bitten at all costs! They know better than to fall for the puppy dog eyes helpless act because the number one motto is: Never Trust a Zombie Not to Bite. So, the tight-knit band helps Jane and themselves avoid a very ugly transmogrification while trying to figure out what the heck is going on besides the mayhem. After all, zombies don’t just grow on trees … but there just might be some growing in that crazy college professor’s secret lab.

 

But it’s Jane our headlights are trained on. I mean, how in the midst of all the chaos does she manage to find a hunkadoodle named Jack to commiserate with her? And pull various body parts of hers out of the fire and away from sets of pretty sharp severe choppers. Who knew devastatingly gorgeous and concerned men were such clutch players?  But her good fortune in finding him begs the question of why some girls have all the luck. And, truthfully, we could tell pretty quickly she was going to need all that luck to outmaneuver what was going on. Who knew zombies were so crafty? And resourceful? And hungry?  

 

Definitely download this baby! This first entry in the series is priced FREE, and nothing beats FREE! So it’s a win-win with no downside. That’s especially true if you’ve been searching for a little Christmas horror to tide you through the drinking of eggnog! So put down the reindeer sugar cookie and kick Santa to the curb for a minute to give you time to click and get your copy. It surely is a great read from beginning to end, but are zombies ever really finished? Doubtful. Can’t wait until I find out what else they have up their nasty little sleeves because it’s five stars from me.

 

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