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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

How Clearing out Junk Helped Me Find Treasure

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

The Lost Dutchman's Secret is more than a great mystery--it's a dangerous secret that people will hunt you down for. Trust me! via @chautonahavig

the lost dutchman's secret

When you spend a weekend with a professional organizer who is trying to help authors declutter their spaces, their schedules, and their minds, it gets under your skin, okay? I am already prone to bouts of decluttering frenzies as it is.  I mean, I wrote a whole book on one woman’s quest to eradicate the excess from her life. It’s a thing for me.

So when I got home from the retreat, I didn’t even want to unpack my suitcase.  I mean, come on! I came home with stuff that I didn’t leave with!  A candle, a couple of books… or five or ten… um… yeah. Stuffness, okay?

But I couldn’t resist for long. See, I’d picked up Angie Hyche’s Unholy Mess and started reading, and the bug hit.  Laundry first.  Once that was done, I had to put the stuff away, and that’s when everything went south–right into trash bags. I filled one with clothes I hadn’t worn all summer.  Look, I don’t have many clothes to begin with.  I have a closet rod just barely over three-feet long.  Single rod, not double. Know what that means?  Yeah. limited clothing options.  I also do not have a dresser, bureau, or chest of drawers (covering my clothing storage bases). Three tiny squares in my closet hold underwear, t-shirts, and leggings. That’s it, folks.

And I chucked a bag.  A full bag.  I also found a couple of things I wanted to make changes to. A too-big jacket that I love too much to chuck.  Needs to be cut apart and redesigned.

You’d think with all that, I’d be DONE.  Not hardly.

the lost dutchman's secret

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

How Clearing out Junk Helped Me Find Treasure

Phase two began with hanging some prints I’d bought.  See?  Isn’t it lovely?

not the lost dutchman's secret

Doing that forced me to deal with papers.  And when you deal with papers…

Wait. This isn’t If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  This is more like, “if you find a treasure map, watch out!”

Look, I don’t remember where I got the thing.  It’s not mine.  Maybe it’s leftover from my father’s forays into the Superstition mountains when I was a kid.  No joke. Dad used to haul me up to the mountains on Saturdays to look for the Lost Dutchman Mine.   And that’s what the map is to. Supposedly.  I don’t buy it, frankly.

So there I was, trying to figure out if I should just chuck it or if maybe I should send it as a souvenir to Rebekah Jones. After all, she just wrote a mystery surrounding the Lost Dutchman Mine. What a great release present, right?

That’s when the call came in, and I punched the speakerphone in time to hear Rebekah say, “Liz says she sent my map to you to keep it from the clutches of treasure hunters.”

Had it come in while I was gone? Maybe that’s why I didn’t remember it.  Everything began to make sense. Before I could tell her I had it, I heard voices outside my room.

“I heard her say map.”  It was probably supposed to be a whisper, but um… not hardly. Maybe in a sawmill, as Audie Murphy would say.

I punched the speakerphone to regular, sneaked over to lock my door, and squeezed myself out my bedroom window. Let’s just say it wasn’t a pretty sight, and no one ever wants to see that again. From there, I raced off to the post office, stuck it in an overnight envelope, and mailed it to Marji Laine.  After all, she’s in Texas where everyone and their florist has a gun–except Quakers, apparently (name that movie).

So, I had the map (although, I didn’t know it), and now that I’ve decluttered my house of it, of the fellows trying to snag it, and of a bag of clothes, I think I’ll go work on the rest of my desk area.  Adios, compadres!

the lost dutchman's secretThe Lost Dutchman’s Secret by Rebekah Jones

There’s a deadly secret in them thar hills—and gold, or so they say.

Deeply in debt to a wealthy local, Charles Sinclair, Dorothy Hodges’ father finally promises she’ll pay and in gold, no less. If only Dorothy could take to take the promises he spins out of thin air and turn them into that gold, all would be well.

With the help of a strange, rumpled man, Dorothy does manage to bring payment to one of Sinclair’s sons only to discover it won’t pay off the debt. Will the next payment be enough?  The next?

When Charles Sinclair ends up dead, Dorothy is the obvious prime suspect, but Sinclair’s son isn’t so certain. Together they work to clear her name and find the real murderer of the Superstitions, but will they find the answers buried in those hills?

Find out in this next book in the Ever After Mysteries, combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries. The Lost Dutchman’s Secret offers a retelling of “Rumplestilskin” that requires more digging than a miner searching for The Lost Dutchman Mine.

Oh, and don’t forget to get in on the other authors’ giveaways and find out where that map has been!

Sandy Barela – November 2
Cathe Swanson – November 3
April Hayman – November 4
Liz Tolsma – November 5
Chautona Havig – November 6
Marji Laine Clubine – November 7
Denise Lauren Barela – November 8
Rebekah Jones – November 9

And get your entries in here!

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
byChautona Havig

 I fell in love with Nancy’s writing with The Shell Collector. Imagine my joy when I discovered she has a SEQUEL! Eeep! Listen in and discover which characters you’ll find in To Light the Way Forward and what’s coming next for one of America’s favorite authors!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

It’s been three years since Nancy and I had a chance to talk, and in that time, she’s been BUSY.  So in addition to falling in love with her character, Tug, and wanting to give him his own story, she’s written a small-town duet (and maybe we talked her into a third?) as well as a romcom duo!  Think we can talk her into a third of that series as well?  Because… SPOILER ALERT… we’re getting a third Shell Collector Series book, too! EEEP!

To Light the Way Forward by Nancy Naigle

A novel of overcoming deep loss, taking risks, and learning that life—and love—often surprises you when you least expect it, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Shell Collector. “Bringing to life characters you can’t help but fall in love with, Nancy Naigle goes straight to the heart with this story of tragedy turned to triumph. A poignant reminder to never give up hope.”—Sheila Roberts, author of The Best Life Book Club Feeling adrift after the loss of her husband, Rosemary sets out to visit an old friend on Whelk’s Island, undeterred by the threat of a hurricane. Before the storm hits, she finds herself at Tug’s Diner where she quickly connects with the owner, Tug. But the storm destroys the diner, compounding Tug’s grief from losing his love the previous year. The longer Rosemary stays, the more she sees Tug’s deep sadness and resolves to help him. Together with Tug and friends Amanda and Paul, they all pitch in to help the close-knit community recover and rebuild. As Amanda and Paul reconnect after losing touch during the storm, their plans to take things slow seem increasingly impractical. While Rosemary and Tug help the young couple navigate their relationship, they also find themselves building a friendship that begins to restore them both. But can that friendship convince them that love is possible for anyone who’s willing to take a risk—even those who never hoped they’d find it again?

Learn more about Nancy on her WEBSITEand follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
July 19, 2025
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Episode 447: A Chat with Cate Touryan
July 14, 2025
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Episode 446: A Chat with Rachel Chamberlayne
July 12, 2025
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Episode 445: A Chat with Michelle Griep
July 7, 2025
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Episode 444: A Chat with Rosey Lee
July 5, 2025
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Episode 443: A Chat with Yvonne M. Morgan
June 30, 2025
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Episode 442: A Chat with Liz Johnson
June 28, 2025
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Episode 441: A Chat with Shannon Sue Dunlap
June 23, 2025
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Episode 440: A Chat with Jordan Millsaps
June 21, 2025
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Episode 439: A Chat with Laura Thomas
June 16, 2025
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