AUTHOR SHERYL C.D. ICKES ON WRITING A LETTERBOXING MYSTERY

Letterboxing in the Woods

Sheryl C.D. Ickes was born and raised in south-central Pennsylvania where she currently lives with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She writes what she knows and uses her past experiences in cake decorating and truck driving to create her two different cozy mystery series. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

The Woods Have Secrets

Like nature? Do you go for walks anywhere outside your house? Have any bored children? Like treasure hunts or books about them? Try letterboxing! It is relatively inexpensive, and you doesn’t need to learn a bunch of new skills. The “treasure” you find will not bring you financial wealth but can make you a happier, and perhaps more relaxed, person. There are two free websites, www.letterboxing.org and www.atlasquest.com , that you can access to guide you through this activity and answer most, if not all, questions you may have.

 

Letterboxes exist in every American state and in some other countries, like Scotland and England. I enjoy checking out the websites and finding out how many boxes are located in my area or the areas that I will be traveling to. I always print out or take screenshots of the clues, because cell reception may be nonexistent. New boxes may be added at any time, old ones retired, damaged or stolen. I found one box that had not been located for twelve years! 

 

And this is the part of the blog, where I give you a warning, maybe not about dragons, but about things that can bite or sting. I suggest carrying a walking stick for poking gently into holes before you reach your hand into a dark spot. Safety is something to keep in mind. I usually have a friend or family member along. Also, if clues trip me up, another set of eyes is always helpful. If I misread my compass, which has occurred in the past, someone can point out the error of my ways.

 

You can also learn from letterboxing clues, whether it’s random fun facts or something historical, like where a famous person lived or was buried. You may learn to look at objects with a different perspective and find fantastic things in nature: like three “golden” rings that naturally grew high up on a tree’s trunk, or that the top of one tree in the winter timeframe could look like a human fist thrust into the air. 

 

Anyone can hide a box. Some box planters choose clues from popular tv shows or movies.

 

If you choose to accept these fun missions, you’ll need your own personal letterboxing kit. My kit consists of a rubber stamp, a black ink stamp pad, a pen, and individual cardstock cards (instead of a tablet or journal). Once you assemble a kit and get your clues, you follow the clues to find the hidden letterbox. 

 

Letterboxes are hidden, not buried. Finders need to keep open minds as they follow clues to find a “box” that may not be a box, but a container of various shapes. An important part of letterboxing is to keep an eye out for others. You want to keep the location of the boxes a secret. 

 

Once you find your “treasure,” move slightly away and have fun. One tip I try to keep in mind when I first open the box is to study it and try to remember how it is packed, so I can repack it later. You stamp your stamp in the provided tablet or journal. I add my letterbox name, the town where I’m from, and the date. I always take a few minutes to flip through the box’s journal to see who else has found the box and where they hail from. 

 

I live in Pennsylvania and have seen some from as far west as California and Hawaii, others as far south as Florida, and many from my local area and in-between. Then, I stamp the box’s stamp on one of my cardstock cards and add the date and the stamp’s letterbox number (it will be listed by the box’s name at the top of the clues.) I repack the box and return it to where I had found it, again without others seeing. Being stealthy is part of the fun!

 

In the second book of my Slice of Life cozy mystery series, Murder in the Woods, the main character Alexandra letterboxes at a campground. She introduces some young friends to letterboxing and it plays a big part in the story. 

 

I hope you not only enjoy reading my book, but give letterboxing a try, and have a lot of fun!

 

Murder in the Woods

A Slice of Life Mystery, Book 2 

Alexandra and Caitlin go to a campground to participate in a friend's wedding and to make the cake. They are looking forward to visiting their old friend and her family. After the caterer is found dead, Alex and Cat are accused of the deed. As more friends and guests arrive, they work to clear their names and to make sure their friend's wedding goes off without a problem. But after more attacks and an attempted murder, they realize that not only their goal, but their very lives are in peril.

 

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