Where the Journey Stands
Several parts of the project are taking shape at once, while much of the journey still waits beyond the window.
A progress report from behind the books
For a long time, Journeys Of The Crew existed mostly in my head.
I knew there was a group of boys. I knew there was a dog. I knew they would discover a place close enough to home to be overlooked, yet large enough to feel like a world of its own.
I also knew there was an old field guide filled with the observations of a man named Rusty Pickett.
What I did not know was how all those pieces fit together.
That has changed.
There is still a great deal of trail ahead, but Journeys Of The Crew is no longer simply an idea I hope to write someday. The world, the characters, and the books are taking shape.
Since this website invites readers to “Join the Journey,” I thought it was time to share where that journey currently stands.
Book 1: The Adventure Begins
The first book in the series, The Adventure Begins, is complete.
That does not mean I will never change another word. Books have a habit of revealing small problems whenever a writer becomes confident enough to believe the work is finished.
Still, the complete story is there.
The Crew has its beginning. Tommy, Nate, Adam, and Murphy step into their first real adventure together. They make mistakes, solve problems, and begin to understand that the woods near home hold more than they realized.
Much of my recent work on the manuscript has involved strengthening what was already there. I have revised conversations, clarified character decisions, checked outdoor details, and made sure the lessons emerge naturally from the adventure.
The goal has never been to stop the story so someone can deliver a wilderness lecture.
The Crew should learn because something happens that gives them a reason to pay attention.
Book 2: Beyond the Map
The second book, Beyond the Map, is substantially developed and has gone through several significant revisions.
This story asks the Crew to look more carefully at a place they are beginning to think they understand.
That distinction matters.
Familiarity can create confidence, but it can also make us stop noticing what is directly in front of us. The second adventure begins pushing the boys beyond simply moving through the woods. They have to observe, question, and recognize that knowing where you are is not the same as understanding what surrounds you.
The manuscript has a complete identity, a central lesson, and a clear place within the larger series. I am continuing to refine the pacing, character development, and balance between adventure and practical knowledge.
It is farther along than a rough draft, but I am not rushing it simply to call it finished.
Book 3
The Crew’s third adventure is underway.
I am keeping most of its details quiet for now, partly because I do not want to reveal too much and partly because stories often change while they are being built.
Sometimes a scene that appears essential disappears.
Sometimes a small moment becomes the reason the entire story works.
What I can say is that the third book continues the Crew’s growth. The boys will not suddenly become experts simply because they have completed two adventures. What they learned before will help them, but new circumstances will expose new gaps in their knowledge.
That gradual development is important to the series.
Competence should be earned.
Field Journal no. 1
Rusty Pickett’s first field journal is also taking shape.
This part of the project changed considerably as I worked on it.
The original idea was to write A Wild Guide as one book containing Rusty’s outdoor observations and practical knowledge. Eventually, I realized that no single journey could realistically teach everything the guide needed to contain.
A mountain trip might teach Rusty about cold, elevation, creek crossings, and changing weather. It would not naturally give him a reason to explain how to find water in the desert.
Rusty needed more than one journey.
That realization led to the field journals.
Field Journal no. 1 will contain the complete record of one of Rusty’s adventures. Future journals will follow other journeys through different landscapes and conditions. A Wild Guide can eventually draw selected entries from those journals into a broader collection of the knowledge Rusty gathered over time.
The structure is larger than the original plan, but it also feels more honest.
Rusty does not know everything before he leaves home.
He learns because he goes.
The publishing trail
My intention is to pursue traditional publishing for Journeys Of The Crew.
That means I cannot provide a publication date yet.
Writing the books is only one part of the process. Manuscripts must be prepared, submitted, considered, and hopefully matched with the right people to help bring the series into the world.
Traditional publishing can be a long and uncertain trail. I understand that there are no guarantees.
For now, my responsibility is to keep improving the books, protect what makes the series distinctive, and prepare the project as carefully as I can.
What comes next
The current work includes:
Continuing to refine The Adventure Begins
Advancing Beyond the Map through its next revisions
Developing the third adventure
Building Field Journal no. 1
Strengthening the maps, characters, and continuity behind the series
Preparing the project for the traditional publishing process
Sharing selected parts of that work here in Field Notes
Progress does not always look dramatic from one day to the next.
Sometimes it is a completed chapter.
Sometimes it is a map that finally makes sense.
Sometimes it is removing a paragraph that took an hour to write because the story is better without it.
But the journey is moving.
There is still a great deal of trail ahead, and I do not know exactly where every bend will lead.
For the first time, though, I can look back and see how far the project has already come.
If you would like to follow as the books, journals, and world of Journeys Of The Crew continue to take shape, I invite you to join the Join the Journey email list.
I will share another progress report when there is something meaningful to add.
Continue the Journey
For the story behind the evolving field-journal structure, read The Book That Became Many Journals.
For a more personal look at who I hope will eventually join this journey, read Who I Hope Finds These Books.
