FRIENDS ARE FOREVER Book tour

Book Excerpt

Sergeant Winston Windflower couldn’t be happier for his friend and colleague Eddie Tizzard. On Windflower’s recommendation and with the approval of the big boss, Superintendent Ron Quigley, Tizzard was being promoted to sergeant in the Mounties, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But in terms of being proud, Windflower might have to stand in line because in the crowd that was gathered at RCMP Headquarters in Marystown, Newfoundland, were Tizzard’s partner, Carrie Evanchuk, and his dad, Richard Tizzard. Both were beaming from ear to ear as they juggled Eddie and Carrie’s two children in their arms.

Carrie had the easier task as little Sophie had been fed and was now snoozing in milk heaven. Hughie, on the other hand, would try and make a break for it every now and then, so Richard had to hang on tightly. He finally gave in and handed the little boy over to his Aunt Brenda, who was sitting farther back in the audience with the rest of Tizzard’s extended family.

Eddie looked down over the assembled RCMP officers and his family and smiled when he saw Hughie trying to get up closer towards him. He could also hear Hughie yelling “Daddy, Daddy” whenever the little boy got pulled back into the crowd. He smiled again as his superintendent called him to the podium and asked him to take off his corporal’s uniform jacket. Ron Quigley then handed him his new jacket with three chevrons pointing down and a crown on top on the right sleeve of his dress uniform, the RCMP’s famous red serge.

There were no speeches. That wasn’t the RCMP’s style. So, the two men shook hands, and Tizzard walked back to his place to thunderous applause from his fellow officers and family. Next on the agenda was the promotion of Windflower’s assistant in Grand Bank, Constable Samira Gupta, to corporal. This time Windflower did the honours, and Gupta exchanged her old uniform for one with two chevrons pointing down that indicated her new rank. She didn’t have any family in the crowd but was very popular with the troops, given the nice round of applause that she also received.

Some of those were special cheers from Windflower’s wife, Sheila Hillier, and his daughters, Stella and Amelia Louise, who had come over from Grand Bank for the occasion. All three loved Sam Gupta. They loved Eddie Tizzard, too. But they all had also made a strong connection with Windflower’s new sidekick and now brand new corporal.

There was a small reception afterwards with coffee and a large cake with the RCMP insignia on it. Both girls had a large piece of cake while Windflower and Sheila visited with Richard Tizzard and Carrie. It was a great celebration day for the Force, as the members called it, and there was plenty of good cheer all around.

But while the Mounties and their families were celebrating, something far more sinister was happening a short distance from the hotel where they were eating their cake.

A group of men had ambushed an armoured truck, and two of them had managed to somehow get inside and now had both armed guards hostage. They ordered the guards to undress, took them to another vehicle, a large panel van, and shoved them inside. As someone else drove them off, the first two men stripped and put on the security guards’ uniforms.

As the reception continued at the hotel, the fake security guards resumed the route that the real guards had been on and made stops at a number of local businesses before making one last visit to the bank in the shopping mall. They looked like the real deal as they walked into the branch. But instead of making their usual stop at one of the tellers, they asked to speak to the manager. A few minutes later the manager was left tied and muffled in the safe, and the false security officers walked out through the bank’s main doors with bags of loot from their efforts.

By the time the alarms were sounded and the bank manager released from the safe, the robbers were long gone. Gone from the bank and gone from Marystown. The real security guards were found out on the highway where they had walked to after being dumped in a deserted area. The day after, when the police started looking for suspects, they were not only off the Burin Peninsula, but they were waiting for a flight at the airport in Gander to take them completely out of the province. Of course, none of that would be known for days as the investigation into the boldest crime in Marystown history began.

– Excerpted from Friends Are Forever by Mike Martin, Ottawa Press and Publishing, 2025. Reprinted with permission. 

What do you do when a new idea jumps out at you while you’re still working on a book? Do you chase the squirrel (aka “UP syndrome”) or do you finish your current project first?

I try and finish one book before I allow myself to think about the next. But I sometimes make notes if I see something interesting. It may not turn out to be a book, but it allows me to park the idea and focus on the task at hand.

Describe your writing process. Do you outline, plot and plan, or is your writing more organic?

I am a pure pantser. I write from what I call the creative flow or current. That’s where all stories lie and my job is to connect to the flow so that I can write. Mostly, the characters come to me and tell me the story and I just write it down. The best part about being a pantser is that I don’t know how the story will end. I find out just like the reader.

What are some books or authors that you would recommend to our readers?

I highly recommend reading what you like. That will likely give you the most enjoyment, which is the whole purpose of reading. My favourite books are The Lord of the Rings and almost anything by Charles Dickens. I love his unique characters and story telling style.

Do you identify with your main character or did you create a character that is your opposite?

I sometimes say that Windflower is who I would like to be when I grow up. Kind, gentle, compassionate. Strong and yet vulnerable. And tall, dark and handsome. I am none of the above, by the way. Except I am trying to be kind and gentle and working on that vulnerable thing.

Describe the book/series in 10 words or less for people who are just learning about it.

A light almost cozy mystery series.

 Is there anything you would like people to take away from your book?I would love to have people say that the three or four or six hours they spent reading the book was worthwhile. That they feel good after reading the story and that they want to read more about Sgt. Windflower.

Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?

Read. A lot. Find writers that you like and try and emulate them. Write. Often and regularly. Our writing skills improve with practice. Then, find someone you trust and share your writing with them. Ask for their honest feedback. Take that feedback and keep going.

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? How did you deal with it?

I believe that writing is about dedication and discipline. If I am writing a book I treat it like my job. I show up and write. Usually about 1,000 words a day. I start in the morning and if I don’t finish my word count, I come back to it later until I do. If I get stuck in a particular chapter or story line I take a break, go for a walk and come back to. Bottom line is that I don’t believe in writer’s block. Unless I am sick or have other responsibilities I go to my desk and write.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing? 

I love to read and get outdoors. Especially in the spring and fall when the temperatures are most moderate and the world feels alive.