Thank you, Gail, for this guest post, and teaching us a few things about quartz! Congrats on your latest release!

What a surprise to learn the crystals in quartz vibrate at a precise frequency when an electric field is applied. One might find the mineral in watches, clocks, computers, radios, televisions and GPS devices. It’s also durable, so it’s ideal for bathroom and kitchen countertops and backsplashes. The list goes on, including jewelry.

Years ago, my grandmother bought me a pair of earrings when we visited a craft shop in Western North Carolina. Because they are handmade from local quartz, and I think of my wonderful grandmother every time I wear them, I cherish them. When planning Dangerous Shadows, Discipleship Series Book 3, I wore them quite a bit because they matched buttons on a blouse I have. The earrings are brown with tiny gold flecks. I considered mentioning them in my WIP (work in progress) at the time.  

After I found out Spruce Pine, North Carolina, has the purist quartz in the world, I took a closer look at the mineral and how it was mined. I decided quartz would play an important part in my book, which is set in Western North Carolina. I’d save the earrings for another story.

I’d always considered quartz quite common, and it is, especially in the North Carolina Mountains, where there’s plenty of it. At the same time, quartz stones can bring thousands of dollars, depending on the color, shape and size. To obtain quartz, in a procedure called pit mining, a driver operates a bulldozer to peel back layers of soil until the mineral appears. I kept digging (no pun intended) deeper, so Nick and Emily, the hero and heroine, in Dangerous Shadows, could discover more about quartz. And mining. A mine also has a big part in the book.  Learning about the mineral fascinated me and kept Nick and Emily busy in Dangerous Shadows.

Blurb:  Shaken from an assault in the library parking lot at Hilltop College in Western North Carolina, crime reporter Emily Hanover contacts her ex-fiancé, private investigator Nick Lancaster. When the college hires Nick to recover quartz and ancient maps stolen from the library, Nick insists there’s a connection between the theft and Emily’s attack. As Nick and Emily face danger from an elusive stalker, their romance rekindles. Nick’s sidekick, Hucklesford, spots two suspects, so he and Nick go undercover. While Nick’s surveillance points to illegal gambling and murder, Hucklesford’s investigation leads him to the college cross-country team. Can Nick and Hucklesford, along with Emily, connect the stalker, theft, college student, and gambler’s murder to solve this baffling mystery? Will Nick and Emily find true love?

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FV919PCK/

Brief bio: Award-winning author Gail Pallotta’s a wife, Mom, swimmer, and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets, and getting together with friends and family. She’s a former Grace Awards finalist, Reader’s Favorite Book Award winner, TopShelf Book Awards Finalist, and a Top Author pick. She’s published nine books, poems, short stories, and several hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. She enjoys connecting with readers. Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.gailpallotta.com/mainphp.... and visit her website at gailpallotta.com