LOOKOUT

Silhouette of a fire lookout tower against a colorful mountain landscape with aurora borealis in the night sky.

Remembering only fragments—a ruined forest, a static-filled radio, a haunting corpse he can no longer name. Strange messages from a neighboring lookout which always seem to call in at just the right time.

Then the Storm. The fire. The crash. The blackout.

Now living in a fractured Seattle, still recovering from geomagnetic and existential catastrophe, Riley Averesch still hasn’t finished the novel he set out to write as a fire lookout years ago.

With the help of a field researcher chasing strange frequencies, he sorts through missing pages of past to weave together threads of mystery—memory, truth, loss, connection. A seemingly impossible tale of a seemingly impossible man—Riley will soon discover what it truly means to be a Lookout.

A haunting literary debut that blends wilderness survival with metaphysical mystery and cosmic grief, LOOKOUT explores the uncharted terrain and resounding steadfastness of human connection in our most isolated and desolate moments.

Genre: Speculative fiction, wilderness adventure
For fans of: The Overstory, Firewatch, Station Eleven, Piranesi, Project Hail Mary, Cloud Atlas
~99,000 words

Updates & Excerpts

An abstract painting with a large gold circle in the background surrounded by a multicolored ring with pointed patterns, and a pathway leading to a triangle at the bottom center.
A dark kitchen with a large window fogged up from condensation, showing an outdoor scene of snow and trees at sunset. The kitchen counter has various items including pots, bottles, and boxes.
A tall wooden observation tower with multiple platforms and stairs, set against a clear blue sky and surrounded by trees.
Nighttime city skyline with illuminated skyscrapers and the northern lights visible in the sky overhead.
A white mountain cabin with broken windows, supported by metal braces, on a dirt lot with rocks and trees, with a snowy mountain in the background.
Collage with multiple copies of a magazine cover titled 'Center Your Mind' featuring mountain scenery and a cloudy sky, and a yellow highlighted text block with tips on spiritual wellness and meditation.
Close-up of a wooden sign with handwritten text that reads 'BE PRESENT, STAY GROUNDED,' in a forest with trees in the background.
A bear wearing a hat labeled 'Smokey', pointing forward, holding a shovel, with the text 'Only You' at the bottom.
A forest of tall, dead, leafless trees against a blue sky with some clouds.
Diagram showing 13 different harmonic waveforms, labeled 1 through 13, under the title 'Composition of Harmonic Curves.'
Green and purple aurora borealis in the night sky with stars visible.
Black and white photo of a wooden observation deck with railings, overlooking foggy mountains and trees in the distance.
A scenic landscape featuring tall evergreen trees, a bridge over a river, mountains in the background, and a sky illuminated by a warm, orange glow.
Mountains covered with dense forest under a clear blue sky.
Two chairs on rocky terrain with evergreen trees in the background under foggy, overcast sky.
Mountain range with steep rocky peaks and forested slopes, with some trees in the foreground.
A dirt road winding through a forested mountainous area, viewed from inside a vehicle.
A man with long dark hair and glasses sitting on a foldable chair outside a white house with large windows. He is wearing a colorful striped sweater, gray pants, and brown shoes. There is a small table with a coffee cup next to him. The house has a r
View of mountains and trees through a window with multiple panes, with a building's ceiling and part of the wall visible in the foreground.
Mountain landscape with clouds and a sunbeam shining through the clouds over a forested mountain range.
An anti-logging protest poster showing dark tree silhouettes and a smoky, cloudy sky in orange, gray, and blue tones. The word "FIRE" is in large, textured red letters, with the slogan "WRECKS A FOREST" below in white. The poster is made by WPA Feder
A small, weathered house on a rocky trail in a forested area, with a cloudy sky overhead.
A utility pole with power lines against a dusky sky, with the moon visible in the upper right portion of the image.
Black and white photograph of a vintage scientific wave pattern chart with multiple waveforms, labeled 'WAVE SHAPES'. The chart is stored in a cardboard box with handwritten notes on the bottom label including 'G80', 'Outline of Science', 'Hallam', a
Fire crews in trucks monitor a mountain wildfire with smoke rising from the forested hillside.
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Forest fire with trees and smoke rising
Looking up at a wooden staircase with a wire railing, leading to an outdoor platform, with trees and sky visible in the background.
Silhouetted buildings against a dark, cloudy sky at sunset with a few birds flying.
Forest on a mountain with smoke and steam rising from a wildfire
Hilly landscape with scattered trees and power lines, with a large transmission tower in the center, under a hazy sky.
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Group of people resting and taking photos near a mountain ridge during sunset, with a wooden structure on the left and misty mountains in the background.
Comparison of different mathematical representations of qubits, including bit, linear, exponential, and qubit states, with diagrams illustrating each type.
Broken and shattered windows on an old brick building, with some windows boarded up, debris on the ground, and graffiti on the wall.
A hiker walking on a mountain trail during sunset, with pine trees and mountain ranges in the background.
A mountainous landscape with a lake in a forested valley, surrounded by steep, rocky slopes and distant snow-capped peaks under cloudy skies.
Image of the sun with solar flare activity, showing bright, textured surface and glowing edges against a black background.
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View from an enclosed porch overlooking a forested mountainous landscape with a wooden railing, a table with various tools and supplies, a tennis racket hanging on the window, and a blue water container.
An abandoned industrial building with broken windows, debris on the floor, and graffiti on the walls. Natural light filters through the broken roof.
Technical diagram of The Osborne Fire Finder, showing labeled parts and components, including sight, base map, sight ring, graduated ring, plane with graduations, screws, and various adjustments.
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A helicopter flying near a mountain with smoke and clouds in the background.
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A dirt hiking trail surrounded by green trees leading to a wooden house on a hill, with clear blue sky above.
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Mountain landscape with a winding road, forested slopes, and snow-capped peaks in the distance.
A wall displaying various vintage photographs, newspaper clippings, drawings, and informational signs related to Mount Baker and Winchester Lookout, along with a small wooden box labeled 'CLUB' on the top left.
Digital abstract artwork featuring a glowing blue circle at the center surrounded by intertwined light lines on a dark background.
An old rusted car overgrown with moss and surrounded by green bushes and trees.
Black and white photo of a tall metal fire lookout tower with stairs, trees are visible in the foreground.
Close-up of a weathered, white wooden airplane propeller mounted on a building, with a blurred background of trees and mountains during sunset.
A person sitting on the ground near a small, weathered house with broken windows and open shutters, under a cloudy sky.
A cozy house with large windows illuminated from inside, seen at dusk with a dark blue sky and surrounding trees.
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A rustic enclosed porch with weathered wooden flooring and window panes. A white wooden door with multiple glass panels and signs about the season and door usage. A golf club and shoes are seen in the corner, and foggy outdoor scenery is visible thro
A wooden framed barometric weather station with an analog dial indicating pressure and a black comfort zone thermometer below it.
Night sky filled with stars and lens flare from bright light source behind trees, with silhouettes of trees and a house in the foreground.

Coming soon.