In my current series
Golden State Treasure
next up is
Legends of Gold
Here’s the thing about writing books…sometimes the research for them is JUST SO INTERESTING!
I started the series thinking of lost treasure, or a lost mine, in the Rocky Mountains, similar to The Lost Dutchmen’s Mine.
The Lost Dutchman’s mine…the story goes a man comes stumbling out of the mountains in Arizona with gold in his saddlebags. He was dying (I can’t remember exactly the story and rather than look it up I’ll just do my best to repeat it…which is how all wild tales of lost gold go, so why not continue that tradition?)
He ranted and raved about his gold mine, then died.
Thus began a wild search for this gold mine, using the man’s location, the nearby mountains and the man’s ravings as clues. No gold mine was ever found. But there was the gold in his saddlebags so it HAD to be true, right?
It’s said the west was full of such stories so I thought why not write my own?
A garbled journal with dubious clues. An obsessed man who ruined his family by abandoning them to search. Two of his three children are caught by thrill of this treasure hunt.
And my first book, Whispers of Fortune, begins with that third child, an older brother, bitter about his father’s abandonment, and determined to save his brothers from the same obsession, catches up with his treasure mad little brothers. In the course of book #1, we find out that there is SOMETHING out there. The journal, vague and hard to decipher, is definitely a guide to something. Now, finally, mainly because he can’t control his brothers, the older brother agrees to join in the hunt.
The thing about the research is, it starts to turn up very cool true historical facts that can weave their way into my book and there was some really interesting things going on historically at this time and in this place. Or before…which explains the gold.
This is Josh and Tilda’s story. Tilda, who came west searching for the same boys the older brother was, because they lied their way onto an orphan train SHE was in charge of, (they weren’t orphans for heaven’s sake) then ran away from the train, leaving her in a bad position with the people who sent her with the orphans…we can’t just LOSE children, Tilda.
So here she is and she rediscovers knowledge she has about old California and the history of Conquistadors that explored the California coast, and why is it so fascinating to her? And did Captain Cabrilla really come inland? And why is her old boss at the orphanage in New York City so insistent she comes back, when she’d been on the verge of firing her? And did–
Well you get it. So much stuff to read about and research and LOVE that it’s a wonder I can get a book written. And unexpected discoveries about times and places are their own kind of treasure!
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Legends of Gold
Book #2 of Gold State Tr
easure
After years of solitude, Tilda Muirhead’s life takes an unexpected twist when she takes a position teaching at the orphanage on Two Harts Ranch following her cross-country pursuit of two brothers obsessed with a treasure map left by their adventurous grandfather. Tilda is now tasked with educating the mischievous brothers, who are bent on remaining out west until they find the hoped-for treasure. Then a man named Ben arrives, claiming to be her own long-lost brother. Raised as an orphan with no memory of her family, Tilda is both fascinated and wary of Ben’s sudden interest in finding her.
When Ben’s motives grow increasingly suspect, rancher Josh Hart suggests Tilda and the brothers set off on a quest with him that aims to protect Tilda while unearthing the map’s secrets. As they navigate the rugged wilderness, Tilda becomes captivated by the history behind the map, though she doubts it leads to anything more than old artifacts. Yet danger looms ever closer, and Tilda and Josh must rely on faith and their blossoming love to navigate the treacherous path ahead.
An action-packed Western of family, faith, and the quest to belong.
http://www.maryconnealy.com
One of the best things about writing a book is finding out interesting things about the place and time you’re using and waving it into the book.
