Happy Thanksgiving 2026 to Canada from Timothy S. Johnston |

Happy Thanksgiving 2026 to Canada from Timothy S. Johnston

It’s that time of year, and I wanted to express my gratitude and thanks to Canada and to … Buffalo???

Each year, we take a much-needed break to spend time with friends, family, and express what we’re thankful for. We often eat a turkey dinner with all the traditional fixings — mashed potatoes, cranberries, stuffing/dressing, gravy, and salads/veggies. (Some families might have prime rib or a ham.) It’s a wonderful weekend, takes place in the Fall in Canada, and there’s something very special about it. The temperature is growing cooler, the leaves are turning red/orange, Halloween is just around the corner, and the new school year has started up and people are finally in a routine following the lazy days of Summer. Obviously, on that last point, I’m speaking about families with children, and I’m sure many of you can relate.

Here’s a turkey dinner I made a few weeks ago, just to give you an idea of what I’m referring to. It’s an important time for family in Canada and for sharing a special meal:

Above: The “Buffet” … note the horseradish (add to potatoes) and the chimichurri, gravy, cranberries, sourdough bread, two salads, two types of potatoes, mushrooms/onions … and more!

I have a lot to be thankful for, especially my friends and family. My girls are healthy and prospering. I derive great pleasure from my writing and my creative outlets at Life After Gateway. My most recent thriller made the Kindle Book Awards. We’ve added a new cat to the family — a rescue — named Nebula, and she’s slowly fitting into the routine here at TechoThriller Central. She’s kind and loving and purrs a lot.

Above: Nebula

My shoulder injury, which occurred in July 2025, is getting much better. It was a nerve injury that required time to heal … about twelve months, which is just crazy.

Among other things, this also made me happy, a few weeks back at the new Buffalo Bills stadium:

Above: Photo credit AP Photo by Sue Ogrocki

Recently, we finally had the dedication for the Byron Springbank Veterans Monument. I have been on that committee for nearly eighteen months now, and it was great seeing our hard work come to fruition. Here are some pictures:

Above: The finished Monument.

Above: This is the donor recognition sign at the Monument Wall. I wrote the text on the left, describing the monument. This is Flora and I at the dedication.

Above: With my friend, Brigadier General Joe Robinson

Wrapping Up …

Our country has been through a lot this year. It’s been … unique, to say the least. And unexpected, to be sure.

These are tumultuous times, but all will soon be better. If you’re struggling with stress, mental health, or depression, I promise you that it won’t be like this forever. Things will improve. AND, as I always say, a good story can heal the world. Escapist entertainment is more important now more than ever before, so make use of it. Watch a good move. Read a book. Play a video game. Listen to an audiobook while walking through those autumn leaves. If you need some ideas, follow my blog:

My best to everyone reading this, to my family, my friends, and to every Canadian this weekend, no matter where in the world you happen to be. Happy Thanksgiving!

— Timothy S. Johnston, 9 October 2026, Thanksgiving 2026

BONUS: One of the things I’m most thankful for this year, was the transformative experience I had in the United Kingdom this past July, and especially in Ripley, Surrey, pictured below. Find out what I mean, HERE. Happy Thanksgiving to Becci and Tim of The Ship!

———

Follow TSJ on Facebook.
Follow TSJ on X.
Follow TSJ on Instagram.
Follow TSJ’s Blog Life After Gateway, featuring one carefully curated news item from the world of Science Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, and Suspense each day. Enter your email in the “Subscribe to Blog via Email” widget on the right.

———

A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.

— Timothy S. Johnston, 9 October 2026

———

Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel

“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop

“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite

“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories

“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest

“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels

———

A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

———

A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.

But the assassin could be anyone …

Watch your back, Mac.

A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007