Race for a Treasure Paperback - 2008

J. Robert Whittle was born in Yorkshire, England; the eldest son of 10 children. An entrepreneur from an early age, he wasn't to know that this was merely preparing him for a much later writing career. He played professional cricket while attending Leeds University and became a mining engineer leading a first-response-to-disaster team for 12 years for the British Coal Board. By 1963, following several serious mine accidents in Europe, Whittle moved to Australia and finally to Canada where he would meet his second wife, Joyce Sandilands. While recuperating from a knee surgery and infection (1994-98), he discovered he enjoyed writing. Joyce encouraged him, and he completed his first three novels during those four years. Robert's name is now well known to countless thousands of readers worldwide and particularly in BC and across the USA who meet him at his market stand in Victoria BC. Many claim that his family friendly novels are the best they've ever read. By 2011, Whittle and Sandilands had produced ten novels, 2 of which are bestsellers. Joyce Sandilands is a seventh generation Canadian, third generation from Victoria, BC. A war baby born posthumously after her Australian father made the ultimate sacrifice in WWII, she feels her entire life has been shaped in a unique way. Moving to Australia at the age of one, she and her mother spent 18 months with her father's family before returning to Canada. At the age of seven, her mother remarried and, by 12, Joyce had discovered reading, singing, and girl's groups such as Job's Daughters and CGIT where she often utilized her newfound abilities. She married, moved to Duncan and had two children, fitting in singing lessons from a German coach who taught her opera, her new love. By 1990, her interest in her family history caused her to begin writing about her fascinating Scottish roots. Now encouraged by Robert, the new man in her life, she was soon to find another use for her writing. Deciding to publish one of his first novels in 1998, she now added the business and secretarial skills she had gained, becoming editor, publisher, webmaster and marketer for their new enterprise. That December, she produced Robert's first book, Lizzie: Lethal Innocence and it became his first of three bestselling novels. Another new adventure had begun. Fortunately, both they, and their fans, were hooked. By 2011, she had produced 12 of their novels and numerous audio products, co-writing three single titles with her husband.