Sign up for "The Diamond Digest," Lynn Franklin's occasional newsletter, to receive free stories, enter contests and just, well, have some fun: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor... When Lynn Franklin was a child, she often accompanied her jeweler grandfather on his local buying trips. As they traipsed the grungy streets of Pittsburgh, Grandpa carried a battered briefcase filled with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. These trips provided fertile ground for Lynn's imagination, allowing her to search the shadows for thugs, thieves and spies. So it came as no surprise when at the age of eight, she demanded a deerstalker hat and wrote her first mystery novel. To hone her sleuthing skills, she studied the case files of Nancy Drew, Frank and Joe Hardy and Trixie Belden. In time, Lynn became a professional writer and an Accredited Jewelry Professional. But she never lost her fascination with gemstone history and lore. And so the Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Series was born. Lynn and her Pulitzer Prize winning husband Jon Franklin live in the Chesapeake Bay area with their standard poodle Dash. Dash and his best buddy, long-haired dachshund Bogie, conspire to create comic relief that Lynn can include in her books. Don't forget to check out Lynn's web site for more details about her books: LynnFranklin.com Lynn loves to hear from her readers. Please feel free to email her at: Lynn@LynnFranklin.com