Buck Whitaker sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about him. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Buck.

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What is your full name?
Buck Whitaker.

How old are you?
32

What is your profession?
Carpenter and house flipper

Do you have a significant other?
Can’t claim her as mine just yet, but I’m working on it.

What is their name and profession?
Colette Chevalier. She’s my cousin Whitney’s best friend and roommate, and she’s a professional chef at the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville. She’s got these cute, dark curls and boy, can she ever cook. But you won’t let on, will you?

Do you have any children?
No, but I hope to become a dad one day. Looks as good as mine deserve to be passed down. Heh-heh.

Do you have any siblings?
I’ve got one younger brother named Owen. My parents named the two of us after one of their favorite singers, Buck Owens. I got his first name and my brother got his last name.

Are your parents nearby?
They are. They live in a rustic place on some acreage up near the Kentucky border north of Nashville. My father runs a sawmill out of the barn. He’s the one who taught woodworking to me, my brother, and my cousin.

Who is your best friend?
I’d have to say it’s my cousin Whitney. She can be a pain in the neck sometimes, but she’s always there for me and vice versa. We’re running a house-flipping business together, so it helps that we get along well.

Do you have any pets?
I have a tomcat named Biscuit. He’s fixed, of course. Can’t have him trying to get out of our place to go meet the ladies. He’s brother to Whitney’s cat Sawdust. Their mama gave birth to three kittens in my parents’ barn. I took Biscuit, Owen took Fuzzy Britches, and Whitney took Sawdust, who was the runt. My parents kept the mama cat. Guess she could tell we were suckers when she happened upon the place, and that’s why she decided to give birth there.

What town do you live in?
Nashville, Tennessee.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
Nashville is a big city with a small-town feel. Folks are polite and the pace is slow. But there’s lots of fun stuff to do here, too. You can listen to music at the honky-tonks on South Broadway or the Ryman Auditorium, visit the Parthenon replica in Centennial Park, enjoy southern cooking at the Loveless Café, or ride the General Jackson showboat along the Cumberland River.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I live in a trailer that I own on a couple of wooded acres just outside of the city. It’s the perfect bachelor pad. Peaceful and quiet, but not too far from the fun.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
In my recliner in front of my TV with my feet up.

Favorite meal and dessert?
Colette’s jambalaya followed by her blueberry cobbler. It don’t get any better than that!

Do you have any hobbies?
Does singing along to the radio count? If not, I’d have to say that my work is also my hobby. I make a living doing carpentry, but construction work is also fun for me, an art of sorts. My cousin and I have been fixing up houses to resell, and it’s been interesting to turn eyesores into nice homes.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Gatlinburg. It’s up in the Smoky Mountains in east Tennessee. It’s a popular hangout for country music songwriters and nature lovers.

What music do you listen to?
Country-western. There’s nothing better, in my opinion.

Do you have a favorite book?
Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Floating in an inner tube down the Duck River followed by a cookout on the riverbank.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
What Wood I Do: Memoirs of a Cocky Carpenter

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur. Mostly, if a see a clue, it’s because I got lucky. I work with my cousin Whitney. She’s the one with the smarts to figure things out.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
It’s basically a constant trading of tools in my hand. I start with a fork to eat my grits and biscuits and gravy. Trade that for a toothbrush and comb to get ready for work. Spend the day with saws, screwdrivers, and hammers. End the day with a bottle of beer in my hand. Guess that last one doesn’t really qualify as a tool as much as a reward but, after a hard day of rehabbing houses, I figure I’ve earned a cold one.

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Murder With a View by Diane Kelly, House-Flipper Mystery #3
Genre: Cozy
Release: February 2021
Purchase Link

A DREAM PROPERTY
Carpenter Whitney Whitaker, her cousin Buck, and guard-cat Sawdust just scored a hot property near downtown Nashville in a tax sale. While the Music City Motor Court might not be much to look at now, the two plan to transform the motel’s twelve units into six one-bedroom condominiums with popular mid-century styling. But surprises await when Whitney discovers a squatter living in Room 9 and her cat Sawdust uncovers a body in the bed next door.

A LIVING NIGHTMARE
The murder victim is none other than Beckett Morgan, an up-and-coming country-western singing sensation who’s taken Nashville by storm with his number-one hit “Party in the Pasture.” Beckett’s left a long trail of broken promises and broken hearts, and the list of suspects seems endless. So does the line of female fans intent on halting the flip and turning the construction site into a shrine for the deceased star. If Whitney and Buck don’t help Detective Collin Flynn nail the killer, they’ll never be able to clear out the star-obsessed groupies, complete the remodel, and recoup their investment. But just who silenced the singer and why?

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About the Author
Diane Kelly writes stories that feature feisty female lead characters and their furry, four-footed friends. Diane is the author of over 30 novels and novellas, including the Death & Taxes, Paw Enforcement, and House Flipper mystery series. Look for Diane’s new Southern Homebrew moonshine series and new mountain lodge series in 2021! Find Diane online at DianeKelly.com, on Twitter and Instagram at @DianeKellyBooks, and on her Author Diane Kelly page on Facebook.

All comments are welcomed.