#SaturdaySpotlight is on Gail Pallotta & Dangerous Shadows!

Good Morning and Welcome to the final edition of Saturday Spotlight for January 2026!

Can you believe this month is over already? I, for one am GLAD - it hasn't been one of the better months for me and I'm ready to move out of this crazy, chaotic energy. Enough about me. I'm gonna let Gail take over and share her latest book with us. Take it away, Gail...

Thanks, Pam!

Dangerous Shadows, Discipleship Series Book 3, brings together the characters from Hidden Danger and Dangerous Detour, Books one and two. They’re all stand-alone books, but it’s three times the fun to read all of them. 

I wanted to weave the importance of Jesus’ messages of discipleship and forgiveness into these stories. He waits with open arms to forgive everyone who reaches out to Him, barring none. We know it’s important to spread the Good Word, because the Bible tells us in several places. For one, in Mark 16: 15, Jesus tells the apostles to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” 

In addition to a faith element, all three of the books contain mystery and suspense, two of my favorite genres. 

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? 

Excerpt: Emily Hanover walked to her sporty car in the parking lot at Hilltop College. Trees with bare limbs and evergreens in the forest beside the school spoke of winter still hanging on.

Heel clicks resounded behind her.

She peeked over her shoulder—no one, just a view of the large brick library.

Footsteps snapped in sync with hers.

She picked up her pace.

Silence fell.

She glanced back. A shadow. Checking her watch, she breathed easier. Was it the shadow of the bear? Even though she’d never seen it, she’d heard a bear’s shadow appeared in the North Carolina Mountains between five-thirty and six-fifteen in the afternoon in February and March.

The shadow of the bear didn’t follow people, but seemed to spring forward going from one hill to another. Silly her. Shadows didn’t make noise.

A man ducked behind an evergreen.

She pressed her key fob, her heart pounding as she charged toward her car. Panting, she scooted in the driver’s seat. Her finger shook as she punched the starter button. She mashed the pedal to the floor, and the engine roared. Letting up on the gas, she drove the speed limit while checking the rearview mirror. Cars, trucks, and SUVs followed her.

Dangerous Shadows can be found at Amazon for Kindle (FREE in KU!), in Paperback and Audio (FREE with your Audible Trial Membership)!

Check out the entire series HERE. 

Gail Pallotta’s a wife, Mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A 2013 Grace Awards finalist, she’s a Reader’s Favorite 2017 Book Award winner and a TopShelf 2020 Book Awards Finalist. She’s published nine books, short stories and several hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. She loves to connect with readers. 

Sign up for Gail’s Newsletter and connect with her through her Website, on Facebook, LinkedIn, BookBub, Goodreads and Pinterest.

Check out Gail's previous visits to our blog HERE and HERE.

THANKS Gail!

Hope you enjoyed our spotlight today and that you'll check back weekly for more great authors and their books.

Until next time, read happy!

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Gail Pallotta & Dangerous Detour

Good Morning and Welcome to another edition of Saturday Spotlight!

Today's guest, Gail Pallotta, has visited many times in the past and now she's here with one of her latest books, Dangerous Detour.

Welcome back, Gail. Please give us a peek into Dangerous Detour.

THANKS, for having me back, Pam. Here you go...

Blurb: Four people face a winter storm in the wilderness. Two have lost their way. One has lost his purpose and one has lost his soul.  

Headed home for Christmas vacation, Ruthie, a quiet professor, crosses paths with Moose, a football coach, on an icy blocked road in Western North Carolina. Amid a winter storm, they unknowingly take shelter in a killer’s hideout. Escaping under fire, they flee into a frozen, snow-covered forest. Trying to find their way out and shake the murderer, they dodge bullets each day until the temperature drops and the world turns quiet. Then, they set up camps to survive in the wilderness. Even though they grow attracted to each other, neither admits it until each of them suffers a frightening injury. Finally, they head to a house Ruthie sees in the distance. Will they meet a new friend, or a foe?

Excerpt: Twilight fell.

The fog grew thicker, and ice pellets hit the windshield.

Ruthie O’Donnell wished she’d waited to leave for home tomorrow, but the weatherman had forecast snow, not ice. 

Her car skidded.  

A drop-off on the right. An embankment on the left. 

Holding the steering wheel so tight her knuckles hurt, Ruthie turned the wheel with the slide. Thud. The airbag deployed. Her horn honked.

The motor ground into the quiet night. After the airbag deflated, with her hand shaking, she turned off the engine, opened the door, and stepped out. The beams from the car’s headlights shone on the hood. 

She’d smashed into a tall oak growing on the side of a cliff. Only the tree kept her from tumbling over the steep precipice. When her knees went weak, she braced herself on the doorframe, slid into the driver’s seat, and collapsed on the airless airbag.

Metal grinding against metal blasted, then the world fell silent. Ruthie stared at the soft snow. She could almost hear the mist. 

Tapping. From far away? Someone coming to help? Or hurt her? Every muscle in her body tightened.

“Ma’am, Ma’am, are you alright?”

A large man holding a flashlight stood by the car. 

She started closing the door, but he pulled it open. She scrunched her shoulders and recoiled.

Placing a muscular arm around her waist, the man gently pulled her out as though she weighed no more than a light grocery bag. After he stood her up on the highway, she stiffened at his size. Towering over her five-feet-four inches, he had broad shoulders, dark hair, and…wait. Did kindness glint in his big brown eyes, or did she imagine it? 

“Ma’am, we need to get your belongings out in case your vehicle goes over. 

Ruthie looked at her car and placed her hand over her mouth. 

“Ma’am, I didn’t mean to upset you more than this disaster already has.” He sighed. “Before I left, I listened to a weather forecast for the Western North Carolina Mountains for snow, possibly heavy at times.”

“I heard snow too.”

“We’re lucky. I skidded into the guardrail sideways and stopped ten feet behind you. We came so close…” The man motioned toward the bluff. “But here we are.” He peeked in the backseat window. “We need to take only the most important things—suitcase, water, food. Any of that buried under all of those books?”

Trying to assess her situation, Ruthie pondered the words before she answered. “I have luggage in the trunk and one to-go box of food.”

“I’ll grab your bag if you’ll bring the leftovers.”

“What about my car?”

“The tree holding it appears pretty sturdy. Strong winds, ice and hail could damage it though. Considering the conditions and the one-hundred-foot drop, I wouldn’t try to move it. If it slides sideways, it could plummet over the edge.” He glanced at her backseat again. “Could you choose a few of those books and leave the rest?”

She held the duffle bag in one hand and the food in the other. “That’s all right. I don’t have to take them.” She valued her books like gold nuggets, but she could only carry so much. When the man had said one-hundred-foot drop, she had put her desire to read in perspective.

“I know how bookworms are about their pastime. Take a few. I’ll add your items to mine and carry them all.”  

Wait a minute. Twilight had turned to night, and here she was, standing on the side of the highway in a storm talking to a strange man as big as Paul Bunyon? “Who are you?” 

# # #

Oh, Boy... Makes me wonder what happens next. But that's the point, right? LOL! Tell us, what made you write Dangerous Detour and how we can find more about you and your books.

I certainly hope so! Here's the story behind the story, my "official" bio and where I can be found ...

People often refer to modern times as the post-Christian era. We’re blessed with wonderful ministers, missionaries and other Christian leaders. Unfortunately, many people never attend a church or any Christian gathering. Yet church goers see others on a daily basis—in a long line in the grocery, at a restaurant, a company or organizational meeting. How can we, Christians who have no formal ministerial training, help spread the Gospel? 

Some clergy say unchurched neighbors who watch Christians get up and go to church every Sunday grow curious about Christianity. A man (I’ll call him Joe) recently wandered in a store looking at the merchandise and humming a hymn. A stranger asked Joe about the song. Joe ended up talking to the man about his faith and his church. Another person was asked how he and his wife had stayed married for so many years. He said, “We go to church together.” 

That’s a loaded statement with so many churches going in different directions. However, the conversation led to a discussion of a Jesus-centered church. The teaching and sermons there apply what Jesus taught about living a godly life rather than re-shaping his Gospel to suit our advantage in worldly situations. It’s often the little opportunities we take advantage of that speaks to a person. All of the above stayed on my mind for a long time. Usually, when something nags me, I write about it. Thus, a Discipleship Series began. Dangerous Detour is book two. Book one is Hidden Danger featured in Pam's sidebar. Both are available at Amazon. 

Award-winning author Gail Pallotta is a wife, mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A former Grace Awards Finalist  and a Reader’s Favorite 2017 Book Award winner, she’s published eight books, poems, short stories and two-hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. She loves to connect with readers so please visit her website and sign up to receive her newsletter. You can also find/follow her on Facebook, FBAuthor Page, LinkedIn, BookBub, and Pinterest.

THANK You, Gail. We certainly enjoyed your visit and wish you the best of luck and God's blessings in all things.

Hope you enjoyed today's guest, Friends. Please support her by leaving a comment and sharing the post.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT