Whoa! This
story sounds fascinating and gripping. Thank you, Sally Jo, for sharing with us
today.
A PRIVATE
INVESTIGATOR TURNED AUTHOR CONTINUES TO INVESTIGATE
I am a
retired PI who worked for 30 years in my husband’s investigations agency before
he passed away. Now I write, drawing on past experiences, and I continue to
investigate data for my stories.
While
compiling research for my latest novel, Sweet Double-Cross, I discovered
there is a National Invasive Species Awareness Week that occurs each
February to inform the public about the threat of plants or animals introduced
to an area where they are not native and cause harm. Kudzu—the green vine with
broad leaves, growing in clusters of three—is a notorious invader and can be
seen along southeastern United States roadsides, covering fences, telephone
poles, trees, tractors, barns and other buildings.
·
Known
as the plant that ate the South, this invasive species can grow more than a
foot a day in the summer. Some even claim they can see it growing!
·
Kudzu
smothers native plants, alters ecosystems, damages infrastructure and is
difficult to control.
·
The
vine was introduced to the U.S. in 1876 from Japan and marketed as a way for farmers
to stop soil erosion. During the Great Depression of the 1930’s, the government
provided jobs for people to plant kudzu all over the southeast. (Today the
government provides jobs to get rid of kudzu.)
This
plant became a key player in my novel since my heroine is a biologist
conducting research on the vine. My hero has a kudzu infestation on property he
wants to develop and is seeking assistance. But someone is interested in the
research results bad enough to kill for them.
Sweet Double-Cross is book 2 in my Sweet County Secrets series located in a
fictional county in northwest Florida.
Here is
the back cover blurb:
A scientific mission turns into a harrowing day of death
and destruction.
Dedicated biologist Trudy Fields is passionate about her invasive plant
species research in northwest Florida. When real estate developer Kirt Mayfair
arrives in Sweet County to learn how to eradicate a kudzu infestation on
property he plans to purchase, Trudy is assigned to assist him. Their instant
connection surprises them both—especially when Kirt impulsively proposes
marriage.
But research and romantic interest takes a deadly turn when a colleague
of Trudy’s is shot and killed on the way to the isolated kudzu experimental
island. On the run from a ruthless killer with precision sniper training, Trudy
and Kirt must navigate treacherous terrain, dangerous wildlife, and a shocking
conspiracy.
As bullets fly and bodies pile up,
Trudy discovers Kirt is hiding his own secret. Amidst unexpected attraction and
lethal betrayal, can the two survive this double-cross?
Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Double-Cross-County-Secrets/dp/B0F6V9WF58
Author
Bio:
Sally
Jo Pitts is an award-winning author who brings experience as a private investigator, licensed lie
detection examiner, high school guidance counselor and home economics teacher
to the fiction page. Having worked thirty years alongside
her late law enforcement husband in his private investigations agency, she
learned to teach by day and snoop by night. Currently, she draws on real-life
experiences to pen faith-based stories of romance and mystery. Her works
include the Hamilton Harbor Legacy romance series, the Seasons of Mystery
detective series, and Sweet County Secrets series.
Connect
with her at https://sallyjopitts.com/author
