The book titled “Never Unprepared” is no longer unprepared to accept orders. The final copy, with cover art, has been sent off to be printed! It’s tough to say which outweighs the other between my excitement and sense of relief. Finally, my writing is complete and now we await the first batch of paperbacks. Phew!

 

Order The Book Here!

 

Cover art, formatting, distribution, the website, PayPal, the Canadian Mental Health Association… Everything has finally been pulled together. Sorry to everyone who’s been on their toes for the past ten months – that can’t be healthy for the calves! I do appreciate the patience, as it’s been a lengthy battle against my own procrastination, perfectionism, and already busy life.

The price is set at $37, which includes $11 for printing, $1 for PayPal fee, and a $25 donation to the Canadian Mental Health Association, with the option of shipping within Canada for an extra $6. After receiving your order via PayPal, I will either mail it to you or coordinate to meet you in person. Once orders start coming in, I’ll be keeping a tally of books sold and dollars raised for the CMHA’s depression and anxiety initiatives on the home page of cameronjohnston.org.

The first batch of copies are currently in the printing process, and may not reach my hands until August 10th. If you’re eager to get your hands on yours, come find me at the Official Unofficial Book Launch! August 10th between 5:30-7:30pm on the Vancouver seawall, behind Tapshack in Coal Harbour, pick up your book while enjoying backdrops of the North Shore Mountains.

 

As I’ve done before, of course I must offer a section from the book! Here’s a section of the Prologue outlining how the seed was planted in my adventure-seeking mind…

 

It was a cloudy winter afternoon early in 2016. I had recently pasted a white board on my fridge and dubbed it the “idea board”. Silly, outrageous, and serious ideas alike were beginning to form – my rainbow of markers was open for anyone to contribute. Chilling (literally) with a friend in my East Vancouver basement suite, we exchanged travelling ideas.

 

She promptly stood up, grabbed the red marker, and declared “I want to drive across Canada one day. It’s going on the idea board.”

 

I was intrigued. “Seeing all of Canada would be incredible! You’d miss a lot though, driving so fast. And the trip would be centered on a series of destinations. It would be so predictable if you had everything planned out.”

 

I was imaginative. “I’ve heard of people hitch-hiking across Canada. That would be wicked, you’d meet so many cool people and have so many stories… I wonder if people ever cycle across Canada?” Cycling had been my favourite method to get around for a few years, and was on the cusp of becoming a hobby.

 

I was impulsive. I etched “Cycle Across Canada” on the idea board, in green ink since cycling would be a green way to travel. I’d decided it was the best way to travel short distances, so why wouldn’t it be a good way to travel long distances too?

 

She was disgusted. “I would never do that, it sounds dreadful!”

 

“Yeah, I probably won’t either.”