Apocrypha: A Treasure Hunt challenges you to become the next guardian of THE CORE! An exciting new armchair treasure hunt was released in June 2023 by Nick Spera and Lisa Finch. It’s a hefty book that includes clues to discover the virtual location of the CORE. It is a fully armchair treasure hunt, in that there is NO NEED to travel to any location – you merely submit the correct answer to claim the prizes – valued at $4000 dollars.
What does it take to get involved in this fun adventure? Let’s find out in the following Six Questions with the creators!
Six Questions with Nick and Lisa:
- 1Q) Congrats on releasing Apocrypha! Nicely done! Please share how someone can get involved in the armchair treasure hunt and how you both came together to work on creating such a hunt.
Nick: Thank you for taking the time to interview us and learn more about Apocrypha. We are excited to bring the community something special that really delves deep into the human psyche through the story, yet also provides a true armchair experience. Apocrypha blurs the lines between fiction and nonfiction. Although a fiction graphic novel, Apocrypha does contain some non-fiction events that really did happen. This gives the story a very suggestive feel. It’s named Apocrypha for that reason. The term is a biblical term that is given for books in the Bible, in which man (not a deity) decided what should or should not be one’s belief system. Apocrypha challenges the reader to think for themselves and never be afraid to question the meaning and purpose of their small, short existence in this very big, very old Universe. After all, “Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here”.
A person can get involved by purchasing the book on Amazon, or by following the link on our site, Apocryphahunt.com. From there they should subscribe to the mailing list on the site, as that will always be a primary source of updates involved in the hunt. We also have an official Facebook page that is linked through our site where hunters can share ideas if they wish. Of course (and thank you so much, Jenny), there is also a forum set up on Mysterious Writings for more discussion if the hunters so choose. The discussion always gives us a pulse on how things are going as we watch from afar, so discussion helps us understand any possible sticking points.
I officially met Lisa after my team successfully won her Letters of St Germain Hunt. Being that she lived near my work, I had the privilege of meeting her in person to receive the prize. After that, we worked together with a team to successfully take down The Bossall Treasure after it went unsolved for about a decade. After that, I felt a bit “overfed”, and felt like the hobby was more than generous to me and it was time to give back. I got together with Lisa and after some back and forth, Apocrypha was born. I can say it feels great to give back from the author’s side of things. I strongly suggest to anyone who has won quite a few hunts already, to take a break and jump to the author’s side. Get creative, and let some new blood enjoy those “a-ha” moments.
Lisa: Anyone can participate in the Apocrypha hunt and the book is on sale on Amazon. We hope that the story goes further than just providing a wrapper for a set of clues, however. The essence of Apocrypha means something deeper to both of us – the message behind Otto’s journey prompts the reader to hopefully ask deeper questions about the world in which we live. We hope that all readers – treasure seekers or otherwise – can all gain something from the narrative. Working with Nick has been an absolute pleasure. As far as treasure hunting is concerned, we’re like yin and yang – two sides of a coin. I met Nick when his team won The Letters of St Germain (a hunt I created a couple of years ago). He embodies everything I’d want to find in a hunt team-member or author. Nick is relentless and simply doesn’t give up. He’s also very creative and easy to work with. We ended up working together on a few more treasure hunts before discussing the notion of a book-based hunt. Nick had always wanted to create his own hunt, and I love to write, so it seemed like a good combination. The seed of an idea had lived in Nick’s head for quite a while, but our partnership allowed it to grow. Apocrypha was born.
- 2Q) What is the CORE prize and value of the treasure to claim?
Nick: The Core is an Orgone Energy Healing Pyramid. Its value at purchase was $1000. Researching the concept of Orgone Energy really fits the concept of the book well because like The Core in the book (which is an alien artifact), the properties of the prize are said to ground a person and ward off negative feelings, encouraging positivity and unity. We chose the particular pyramid because its stones and crystals best represented the message we were trying to portray in the book. The winner will also receive a cash prize of $3000, bringing the prize package to $4000 total value.
Lisa: We wanted seekers to have the opportunity to win something physical, and for it to be an object that means something with regards to the storyline. The helps bring the book to life. A cash prize is also a great incentive to participate.
- 3Q) What considerations have you made while creating the armchair treasure hunt? Do you feel someone brand new to the hobby has a chance to claim the treasure?
Nick: Great Question!! I guess I would say that an author today needs to view the community as a sort of spectrum. On one end of the spectrum is a new person to the hobby. They probably don’t know much about ciphers or strategies, work solo, and treat it like a hobby. On the other end of the spectrum are large teams who have already won several treasure hunts, yet still crave more. They know all the cipher-breaking decoders. Some even can write computer scripts to give them the ability to crunch data at a faster rate. They also have eyes on the puzzle at all hours of the day due to their team size.
We 100% wanted to make the hunt a level playing field and understood the difficulty and risk in trying to make something that didn’t cater to a specific skill set. We knew the story was deep and knew we wanted the book to have replay value via the mantra long after the puzzle was over. We both know from participating in cipher-heavy hunts, how quickly one gets separated from the story and spends the majority of their time on decoders and software in an attempt to crunch data quickly. But what happens is the experience becomes less of a treasure hunt, and more like a data processing drill. We didn’t want that experience for our book. We know from watching hunts like Forrest Fenn and The Secret, how they both give that turnkey feel. That turnkey experience is why to this day, both those hunts have thousands of followers. More importantly, the amount of knowledge of places, history, etc.. picked up along the way is what I consider to be the beating heart of armchair treasure hunting. You become a more knowledgeable, more interesting person.
So yes, a new person should have the same chance as an experienced one, because your greatest skill will need to be your ability to research, and anyone can do that. As far as decoders, we did our best to try and nullify the effectiveness of decoders or code-breaking software to solve anything. We also made the claim instructions pretty clear that the conditions to win are going to require the hunter to solve the entirety of the book (to the best of our knowledge). This means that no condition carries more weight than another and all must be submitted exactly the way we intended them to be to be granted the prize.
Lisa: We have purposefully created Apocrypha so that anyone can read the story and unwrap the clues. Of course, they will probably be a problem-solver and creative thinker – but they don’t need any experience at working on other treasure hunts. It helps if they like puzzles, however! Nick and I both enjoy learning about history, places and people – that’s what we love to do when taking part in other treasure hunts. I love losing myself in The Secret and The Tribute treasure hunts – both of which, like Apocrypha, use verses and images as containers for clues. To succeed in our hunt, it’s important to remember that research is paramount. Teamwork can also be key, but Apocrypha should allow the seeker to participate on their own or as part of a group. They will require the ability to conduct online research, link verses to places and delve deeper than skimming across a top layer of clues. It’s an armchair treasure hunt because we wanted anyone, anywhere to be able to embrace it. You could find the solution to Apocrypha and be based in England or Egypt, Turkey or Texas. If a searcher has access to the Internet and thinks curiously, Apocrypha’s secrets can be revealed to them.
- 4Q) You both have been part of the treasure hunting community for a while now. What do you like most about it? How do you feel it can become better?
Nick: Another great question… What I like the most about the hobby is how much you learn about history, places, etc… No other hobby has given me that level of knowledge like treasure hunting. That being said, it’s a very time-consuming endeavor to constantly be in a “puzzle competition” all the time, and I enjoy having balance in my life with my family. So lately, I enjoy solo stuff like Journal 29, Master Theorem, etc. books that you can work on at night and don’t feel the obsessive pressure of having to win a contest (thanks for the top 10 solo game videos, Jenny ). If you get stuck, hints are there and so is a forum that is 100% working together. It’s amazing what happens when people aren’t fighting over a prize or bragging rights.
How do I feel the hobby can become better?? Simple… Moderation. There are only so many treasure hunts out there, so if you’ve had success on a bunch of hunts already, do your part to give back and create one instead of always trying to win contests. It makes for a healthier hobby. And lastly, moderation in terms of understanding the hobby is just a hobby, not your life or something that defines your intelligence.
Lisa: The treasure hunting community is immensely important to me. After I left teaching, I really needed something to occupy my brain, especially during the pandemic. It is a hobby that can bring the world, and people, closer together. Personally, I love being able to exchange ideas with people that I’ve never met and sometimes be able to contribute to other people’s solutions. Occasionally, you’ll come across a bad egg, but most hunters are supportive of each other. Being accepting of different ideas – even if they challenge your own – is very important to me. As is humility.
- 5Q) What advice do you have for those new getting involved in the hobby of armchair treasure hunting– and in wanting to take up your challenge to solve the puzzles within Apocrypha?
Nick: The best advice I can give a new person is to have an open mind. Research, and understand that when a theory doesn’t pan out, it’s not a failure, it’s just a result. Keep plugging away and don’t burn yourself out. Life comes first, and we are more concerned with you picking up the positive message of the book than we are crowning you the hunt winner. And most importantly, have fun. If it isn’t fun, it’s not a hobby, it’s a job.
Lisa: My advice for anyone would be to approach each hunt with an open mind. Don’t box yourself in just because you love ciphers or verses. Try to think differently and don’t give up. Stay curious. The same goes for Apocrypha. Also, keep research records. Know what you have researched and why, so you don’t duplicate your efforts in the future. If you’re working on a big hunt like The Secret, read previous postings. See what other searchers have found and perhaps use that information in a slightly different way. Be kind and considerate to others in the community. Ask for help or advice if you need it.
- 6Q) What do you feel the timeframe for the book will be? Do you feel it will be solved within the first few months? How do you plan to interact with searchers if the puzzle remains unsolved for years?
Nick: It’s so hard to say when something will be solved when you are the author. I look at the book and I can see everything, so it’s difficult to gauge whether it’s weeks, months, or years. We are fine with any, we want the puzzle solved and are not looking to create some legacy by creating some decades-old unsolved hunt. We will get you there if we feel it’s dragging on. In regards to clues, we can’t say when they will come. But what I can say is you will never have to pay a dime for them or wait until we sell X amount of books before one comes out. And rest assured, a clue will be a clue, not another puzzle. All you have to do is buy the book and subscribe to the mailing list. When a clue comes out, everyone gets it at once.
Lisa: I can’t really say if Apocrypha will be solved in a week or a year. It just takes one person to unlock the puzzle in the right way, and to see things clearly. Hopefully, it will be like unwrapping a Christmas gift – by unravelling each layer, something else will be revealed underneath. A treasure hunt is there to be solved – we really want searchers to find the location of The Core. Apocrypha has been designed so that a person or team can triumph and win – there’s no better feeling than knowing you have the correct solve, and recognizing the hard work that went into creating your solution.
