A Thousand Miles ’til Christmas: A Local Story Becomes a Book

A remarkable family journey that began with a race against the clock — and two major winter storms — has now become a book written by local author Martin Thuss.

For Martin, becoming a published author was never something he had planned. The story began simply as an attempt to document what had happened.

A Thousand Miles ’til Christmas tells the true story of Martin and his family’s desperate attempt to get their son home for Christmas in December 2022. After a brutal Arctic storm left left their son stranded in British Columbia, the race to get him home became increasingly complicated as another major storm, Winter Storm Elliott, was closing in.

In January 2023, shortly after the events unfolded, Martin put together a five-page, bulleted timeline called Martin’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure, sharing it with a few friends, family members and ­co-workers. It then sat largely untouched for the next two-and-a-half years.

That changed in July 2025, when Martin began experimenting with turning the timeline into a short piece of nonfiction. A three-page “flash nonfiction” version became a 15-page creative nonfiction essay, and it quickly became apparent that there was a much bigger story to tell.

Fifteen months and what Martin estimates to be more than 2,000 hours of late nights and long ­weekends later, A Thousand Miles ’til Christmas was ready to become his first published book.

While he doesn’t consider himself a professional writer, Martin describes himself as a storyteller who simply felt there was a good story here — one that people beyond those who already knew the family might want to hear.

Martin grew up in Arkona and has lived in the area for most of his life, aside from his university and early working years. He and his wife, Amber, have called Strathroy home since 2006.

For Martin, the hope is simply that readers will find the story interesting — particularly those who don’t already know the family or what happened — and perhaps recognize something of their own ­experiences in it. He hopes the story connects with anyone who has experienced a situation where someone has gone that “thousand miles,” whether literally or figuratively, for someone they love.

Finding the Book

A Thousand Miles ’til Christmas is now available in e-book, paperback, hardcover and large-print­ ­editions.

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The e-book can be found through Kindle, Apple Books and Kobo, while the printed editions are ­available through Amazon.

Martin is also looking to connect with local businesses that may be willing to display a flyer about the book. Businesses interested in receiving one can email publishing@thussweb.com to arrange a drop-off.

A local story, born from an unforgettable Christmas journey, has now made its way onto the page — giving readers the opportunity to experience the race home for themselves.

photos supplied by Martin Thuss

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