Ever been geocaching? My husband and I first heard about this real-world treasure hunt in 2008. Back then, you needed a dedicated GPS (global positioning system) handheld to find the coordinates listed on a website (usually geocaching.com). (Now most smart phones have this capability.) Then, when you zeroed in on the coordinates, you’d find a small, weatherproof container with a log book where you could sign in to prove you’d found the cache.
In the header image, Jim is hunting a geocache with the help of our puppy, Brody, who is now an old, sluggish, thirteen-year-old! But he was an eager helper back then. In the one below, Past Valerie is getting a good look at some ancient pictographs. Can you see the red marks on the rocks? And yes, there’s a geocache nearby!
We did a lot of geocaching for several years. It got us doing something fun together outside, something with a purpose. We discovered several new-to-us landmarks in the area, such as these pictographs.
In late 2010, Barbour Publishing put out a call for four-author anthologies in their Romancing America line. I chatted with a friend about how fun it would be to put together a geocaching romance collection. Before I knew it, she’d pulled two others in. We created a proposal, submitted it, and sold it. (You can read all the hyperbole here!)
In the summer of 2011, I wrote what would become Topaz Treasure, and it released in Rainbow’s End on May 1, 2012. I was on cloud nine! I had an agent! I had a contract! I was going places! As you can imagine, there’s an entire life story that took place between then and my unregretted decision to publish independently two years later, but that’s not the topic of today’s post.
Rainbow’s End sold reasonably well and got some great reviews but, as is the way with traditional publishing, it went out-of-print five years later. The other authors and I briefly discussed working together to republish and turn it into a series, but that didn’t happen.
I just couldn’t see republishing one little novella out into the world by its lonesome, but then I had a heart attack and then got sidetracked writing cowboys, and poor Topaz Treasure sat languishing on my hard drive… until I was invited to Love’s Treasure, a multi-author box set due to release on June 15th.
And now, like magic (haha!!!!) Topaz Treasure is the first in a four-book series, releasing from May through August in a brand-new Pot of Gold Geocaching Romance series. Topaz Treasure has been lengthened from 20,000 words to about 27,000 words. It’s been moved from Osage Beach, Missouri, to Jewel Lake, Montana, now taking place in the same “world” as the Cavanagh Cowboys Romance series.
Topaz Treasure can be yours in two different ways. You can pre-order it on its own for 99¢ with a release date of May 18, OR you can pre-order Love’s Treasure for 99¢ and get Topaz Treasure (and other stories by participating authors) as bonus material in advance AND get Pot of Gold 2 (Ruby Radiance) INSIDE Love’s Treasure. Whew. It’s a great deal, either way! Topaz Treasure will not be available in Kindle Unlimited until later in June.
I’m delighted that Topaz Treasure will be back out on Kindles everywhere in only ten days. Although I wrote the first draft of Raspberries and Vinegar before writing this one (to say nothing of half a dozen practice manuscripts)Topaz Treasure was the first to see the light of day, and so it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Closet believer Lyssa Quinn steps out of her comfort zone to help coordinate the Pot of Gold Treasure Hunt her church is using as an outreach event. She’s not expecting her former humanities prof — young, handsome, anti-Christian Kirk Kennedy — to be in Jewel Lake at all, let alone in a position to provide sponsorship to the geocaching event, but how can she trust someone who once shredded her best friend’s faith?
Kirk’s treasure hunt takes him down a path he hadn’t intended as he searches for opportunities to connect with Lyssa and her intriguing sparkle. How can he convince her there is more than one kind of treasure? And how can she introduce him to the greatest prize of all?
All Pot of Gold Geocaching Romance titles are now available for pre-order on Amazon.
Tell me! What’s the best treasure you’ve ever searched for… and found?
Congrats on the new series I Loved Rainbows end, I remember interviewing you not long after the book came out.
I have never been geocaching but learnt a lot about it due to the books and found out there are caches around the area (Although one is lost due to the railway building in the nearby town (of about 100) has been dismantled. A friend even said where her son works for a vineyard there is one hidden.
Right now many of the young families and others who walk are looking for rocks. They are painted and have the fb group and postcode on it. My friend has foster children and they love painting and hiding the rocks.
My daughter and I have been geocaching. It’s loads of fun.
Beach-combing is my favorite kind of treasure hunting.
We did quite bit of geocaching a about five years ago but haven’t been for a while. It’s so much fun, although I’m terrible at finding the caches. And your book sounds fascinating. I look forward to checking it out!
Happy Mother’s Day Valerie and all our wonderful Inspy Romance authors and readers! My oldest son and family enjoyed geocaching in our SW Michigan community. Now as Ausjenny stated it is finding painted beach rocks. My 7 year old granddaughter wants to paint rocks and hide them. We have been collecting suitable flat rocks to paint. Last summer due to Covid and stores being closed, I did not have the suitable paint and sealer needed to paint rocks. Our area also has a site to follow. Interesting question: What’s the best treasure you’ve ever searched for… and found? Hubby and I love taking back road trips and finding unusual small town museums. An intriguing one was the Mid-America Windmill Museum in Kendallville, Indiana. Enjoy your Mother’s Day weekend. In SW Michigan a cool 39 degrees this morning. Due to drier conditions, farmers planted early, so glad we did not receive frost. Best wishes.
Valerie! Books are all preordered! Looking forward to reading this new delightful series. Will post reviews. Always enjoy unique premises. Happy Writing.
The best thing I searched for and found was Jesus Christ when I was a child. After that, it’s finding new ways to learn more about Him, mainly by using different Bible translations and Bible studies.
Aw, I’d forgotten about that interview! Nine years ago now, crazy! Thank you!
Painted rocks are a thing here now, too, but I’m not sure if it’s organized or not.
We enjoy geocaching, too. In the past few years, we rarely think about it. Maybe now that I’ve been working on these stories over the winter, it will come to the top of our minds again when we’re looking for a mini-adventure!
As for beach-combing, YES!
Geocaching was more popular a few years ago, at least here. I think the fervor has died down a lot, but those who became addicted, still do it. :)
Painting rocks together sounds like great bonding time! Also a windmill museum sounds fun.
Thanks for the pre-orders :)
Happy Mother’s Day to you, too!
I’ve been using different translations for my annual Bible-read-through the past few years. It’s been really interesting and, at times, enlightening! And yes, I’ve found some treasures I’d missed before.
I’ve never done actual geocaching. I had a project at work that involved using GPS to figure out the location of our antennas for tracking the satellites. Very interesting and fun. In more recent years, GPS has become the common way for the satellites to report their own positions. (It used to involved things on the ground like radar and telescopes.) The joke goes something like this:
GPS for satellites?! (switches to that voice from your car) At the next ocean, turn left and proceed for 12,000 miles…Solar storm, recalculating…
Nice one, Lincoln! LOL
My husband and I love to go beach combing! Finding agates, shells, or whole sand dollars always makes me happy. Also colorful bits of sea glass….glass that’s been smoothed by the ever changing tides. We’ve even seen old crab shells & the occasional jelly fish washed up on shore.
My uncles & grandpa used to go arrowhead hunting years ago. My grandpa has quite the collection, which my uncle inherited after my grandma passed away a few years back. She also used to collect agates and thunder eggs (plain looking rocks that have colored crystals in the middle when you break them open). I don’t know what you call them, but that’s what I’ve heard them called.
Geocaching sounds like a lot of fun! It would get you outdoors, exercising and treasure hunting. I think may be a group here where I live that does this, I’d have to look it up.
P.S. The best treasure that I didn’t go looking for but God found for me….is my husband!! He’s truly a gem in my life :-)
Yes and amen to beach-combing! I’ve sure missed the ocean since remaining landlocked with travel bans from covid! My husband found quite a large horse conch last time we were in Florida (June 2019). It has pride of place in our living room.
congratulations! Have a Great Mothers Day !
Happy Mother’s Day to you, too :)
Happy Mother’s Day Valerie, and blog writers and readers!!
Greatest treasure I ever found, apart from Jesus, was my rescue dog Reba. She was a joy for many years!
There are groups on FB for location (state/province) international, town etc. People will post a photo of the rocks and location where hidden. People finding rocks also post a pic of finding the rock and will often say rehidden in the same area.
Congratulations on your new book. I have never been geocashing. Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you for sharing your time and your talent. God bless you.
Our pets can be a great treasure, can’t they!
Thank you, Debra!
Interesting!
I’ve already finished one version of the Bible this year, and now I’ve started The Complete Jewish Study Bible, which I found out that Messianic Jews use. Oh, my goodness!! This has already opened my eyes to a few things! I’m “only” in Genesis, and finding out some of ways they look at some of the verses has really enhanced things for me! I mentioned it on FB and quite a few of my friends have now decided they’d like to get their own copy!
Oh interesting! I’ll have to look that up. Thanks for letting me know.
I “think” we’re friends on FB. I posted a link there because my friends wanted one!
I don’t know if you’d call it a treasure hunt, but I had to do a dig into our garbage can before the garbage men picked up–my husband’s wedding ring had slipped off when scooping out the pumpkin guts when carving with the kids. Got it in the nick of time.
That was better than the dumpster dive for the oldest’s retainer at church. Found it, too.
WOW, look at the covers! Beautiful!!!
Congratulations <3
Treasures – I don't know – nothing earthly :) heavenly treasure!
Sounds like great fun!
Mine too!
LOL those sound like excellent treasure hunts, and thankfully successful ones, too!
Thank you! And yes, heavenly treasure is the only kind that lasts. :)
It is!