FIONA MCKAY: INSIDE STORY
Fiona McKay herself is the joint-creation of New York Times bestselling author, Andrea Kane, and master goldsmith, Nancy Troske.
Fiona made her debut in Andrea’s suspense thriller, No Stone Unturned and returned with a cameo appearance in Andrea Kane's latest Forensic Instincts suspense thriller, At Any Cost. She’s a new fan favorite, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled, because you’ll definitely be seeing more of her!
You can read all about Andrea’s novels on her website, listed above.
But let’s start with No Stone Unturned, where you can meet Fiona and read about the life-threatening situation she’s facing—one in which only Forensic Instincts can save her:
WHAT IF YOU FOUND YOUR FRIEND DEAD AND FEARED YOU’D BE NEXT?
Jewelry designer Fiona McKay is working on her latest collection of Celtic-inspired jewelry. She’s excited by the possibilities uncovered by Rose Flaherty, the antiquities dealer helping her research the heirloom tapestries inspiring her new collection. So when Rose calls to tell her she has answers, Fiona hurries to meet her. But her artistic world is shattered when she finds the lifeless body of the elderly woman.
Why would anyone kill such a harmless person? And what if Fiona had arrived just a few minutes earlier? Would she have been killed as well? Unnerved, she heads for her brother’s Brooklyn apartment seeking advice and comfort.
Ryan McKay, Forensic Instincts’ technology wiz is not amused by his little sister interrupting his evening with his girlfriend and co-worker, Claire Hedgleigh. But when Ryan and Claire hear the details of Rose’s murder, they fear that Fiona could be next, and quickly assume the role of her protectors. What they’re unaware of is how many people are desperately seeking the information now buried along with Rose.
A former IRA sniper. A traitorous killer who worked for the British. Two vicious adversaries taking their epic battle to America. A secret Irish hoard as the grand prize in a winner takes all fight to the death.
As the story woven into the tapestries passed down from McKay mother to daughter unravels, Forensic Instincts realizes that Fiona and her family are in grave danger. Together, the team must stay one step ahead of two rival assassins or risk Fiona’s life and the McKay family tree.
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Now let’s take a “behind-the-scenes” look into the creative process of making fine jewelry that Nancy breathes into Fiona.
Being a jewelry maker and goldsmith is part artist, part metallurgist.
Check out this video of alloying 22K gold so that it can be crafted into a piece of jewelry.
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Melting Gold
Look at how the gold shimmers during the melting process as it transforms from solid to liquid form.
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Making Chains
And when it’s time to marry a hand-crafted pendant with just the right combination of chain and beading, it’s truly a labor of love performed by a pair of highly skilled hands guided by the heart of a true artist.
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Granulation
Granulation takes years of practice using the purest of metals. Each tiny granule is made by hand and making enough for one piece of jewelry can take weeks.