The Will series of books begins with the first in the series, "Will of the Pirates". The first book is a fictional novel based on fact and discoveries of an actual pirate ship by world-famous explorer, Scott Mitchen who together with his business partner Tony Kopp, discovered the La Trompeuse off the coast of St. Thomas in the Caribbean.

The ship sank in 1683 and 307 years later Mitchen/Kopp made the discovery. The day of the discovery was an amazing moment in Mitchen's life. Feeling like a kid with the discovery of his life, he sat on his exploring vessel on the waves far above the pirate wreckage and immediately began jotting down notes for a pirate story, "the moment catalyzed within me an overwhelming need to share this experience with kids across the world," says Mitchen. "I just knew that my own fascination with pirates and sunken treasure had lead me to read, investigate my local library, and dig into cartography and exploration. Finding a way to share the exploration experience with kids would likely center around a book series based on actual pirate treasure, discovery, and, of course, 'the map'".

Mitchen got right to work on the book but postponed the production to explore the depths of Lake Superior for a number of years. After returning to the book project in 2005 Mitchen again drew upon his fascination with pirates, treasure, and the many fables of the pirate Captain Hamlyn that had punctuated his life through the 1980's. Drawing on resolve of his boyhood curiosity he commenced the writing of the book "Will of the Pirates".

A prologue of the story can be seen on the home page of this site. It is this story that Mitchen builds on in book two, "Will of the Islands".

Will of the Islands, picks up where Will of the Pirates left off. Will, now in possession of the stone and the map, intends to return home to his mother only to be drawn into the mystere of the Caribbean islands that beckon him with the promise of heightened adventure. As he eludes the ominous characters of the first book and further forging friendships with those allies he has come to trust, Will sets out to seek his calling amidst the islands.

Will of the Islands

Will of the Islands will be available here in 2009, with another episode to follow annually until the completion of the series. In the meantime, you can read Will of the Pirates by purchasing the beautiful hardbound copy sure to become a collector's edition by clicking here.