Hey, y’all! Nice to meet you. I’m Whitney Whitaker, a Nashville native and part-time property manager for a mom-and-pop real estate business here in my beautiful hometown. I’m happily single, though I live with the love of my life—a fluffy male cat with fur the color of pine shavings who is aptly named Sawdust.
Unfortunately, my property management duties don’t earn me much. As a side hustle, I perform carpentry work alongside my cousins and uncle in their family woodworking biz. Most days, my outfit consists of steel-toed work boots, coveralls, and a bright yellow hardhat adorned with daisy stickers.
My mother thinks dealing with delinquent tenants and working with tools is not appropriate work for her daughter, and she’s been pressuring me to take the real estate agent’s exam. She’d love for me to trade my work boots and coveralls for a pair of pumps and a suit with a pencil skirt. While it would be nice to earn bigger bucks, my heart isn’t in showings and paperwork. I prefer working on the houses themselves, transforming ugly, outdated eyesores into well-designed dream homes.
I recently found a way to put my skills and dreams to good use. House flipping! What could be more fun? Of course going it alone would be a risky venture. Luckily for me, my cousin Buck is on board. He has funds and know-how that make him the prefect business partner, even if he does give me a good-natured razzing now and then.
A typical day for me involves making minor repairs to rental properties, coordinating contractors for bigger construction projects, and matching prospective tenants to a perfect property. In between those tasks, I squeeze in some time for Whitaker Woodworking, building bookcases, cabinets, gazebos and more. As I go about my day, I’m constantly scouting for a promising fixer-upper that’s for sale—a ramshackle ranch, a neglected Greek revival, a dilapidated Tudor. Maybe I’m fooling myself that I can flip houses for fun and profit, but what’s wrong with dreaming big?
Alas, while curiosity hasn’t killed my cat, it has led him to discover a steady stream of corpses on the properties. Do I know how to pick ‘em, or what? As a result, my daily routine often includes visits from the medical examiner and Detective Collin Flynn, a handsome homicide investigator with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Given that my own curiosity rivals my cat’s, I perform my own sleuthing, too. When it comes to a carpentry project or a cold-blooded killer, I like to bring the hammer down.
Come join me in my first house flipping adventure in Dead as a Door Knocker!
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Dead as a Door Knocker. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends January 31, 2019. Good luck everyone!
You can read more about Whitney in Dead as a Door Knocker, the first book in the NEW “House-Flipper” mystery series, released January 29, 2019.
WILL THIS KILLER DEAL LEAD TO A DEAD END?
Meet Whitney Whitaker. A hopeless romantic when it comes to real estate, she knows what it takes to find―and flip―the home of one’s dreams. A fixer-upper is like catnip to Whitney: she can’t resist the challenge of turning an eyesore into a priceless work of art. So when one of her clients decides to liquidate a crumbling property, Whitney seizes the opportunity to purchase it for a song. But soon a curious incident of the cat in the night-time leads to a change in tune. . .
Sawdust is the name of Whitney’s cat―of course. Whitney’s passion for gut-renovation may be a mystery to him but one thing Sawdust knows for sure is this: Dead bodies don’t belong in flower beds. So why is there one in this new, albeit old, house? Now it’s up to Whitney, along with the help of hot-and-cold Nashville Police Detective Collin Flynn, to find the truth about what happened before the mortgage company forecloses and Whitney loses her investment. . .and maybe her own life.
Purchase Link
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About the author
A former state attorney and tax advisor, Diane Kelly inadvertently worked with white-collar criminals on multiple occasions. Lest she end up in jail, Diane decided self-employment was a good idea. She also realized her experiences made great fodder for books. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her award-winning Death & Taxes series. A graduate of the Citizen Police Academy, Diane also writes the K-9 cop Paw Enforcement series. She will launch her new House Flipper series on January 29, 2019. Sign up for Diane’s newsletter at dianekelly.com. “Like” Diane on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
All comments are welcomed.
sounds interesting
This is going to be a great series! I don’t remember reading a series that has house-flipping. I love the cover of this. That door knocker is almost scary!
This sounds like a fun new series!
How exciting and thrilling this new book sounds! And more exciting and awesome that it is a brand new series! I love 💕 the cover too! I love 💕 Diane Kelly’s books 📚 and can’t wait to read this one! Thanks so much Dru Ann and Diane for the chance to win! 😻😊💜
I really enjoy your blog and to be able to learn on new cozy series. The first thing that draws my attention to a new book/series is the covers of course. Cats or any animal on a book cover always sells my interest. It’s great to know about a new series and it would be nice to add this to my library.
Hi, Robin! I can resist a furry face, either! An animal always adds something special to the characters’ lives (and ours!), don’t they?
I am excited to start this new series. It sounds great!
I had a lot of fun writing it, Christi. Hope you’ll have just as much fun reading it!
I love the cover! I always like a cat in a mystery book. Thank you for this chance.
Good luck, Carolyn! The artists did such a great job with this cover. So cute!
It is fun to read of heroines working in a male dominated field. Your books sounds like it will be a fun read.
I like putting women in non-traditional roles and showing how well they can succeed. Glad you enjoy reading them! Thanks, GB!
Yes! Stay with the overalls and hardhat!!!
Whitney feels much more comfortable in the hard hat and overalls than high heels, that’s for sure! Thanks for stopping by, Libby.
A new series which sounds unique and special.
I enjoyed reading about A Day In The Life of Whitney Whitaker and her knack for house flipping and finding dead bodies! Dead as a Door Knocker sounds like a book I would really enjoy reading ~
Wonderful! If you’d like to hear an audio excerpt, you can find one here: https://www.brillianceaudio.com/search?c=15&p=1&ts=0&q=c3J2czd2ZDd2N3N4eGU3fHl4dHxyZQ%3D%3D&m=cXUgIiZ2dnEhIC4ucy8jdnMhdCMlciF2J3NzLiBxJiU%3D
Diane you are going to have another hit series on your hands! I can’t wait to read it! Now maybe Whitney can flip a house and sell it to Tara.😉😆
That would be a hoot!
Barbara, I loved your comment about flipping a house for Tara. I love all of Diane Kelly’s books. I can’t wait to start this series, and hope to read many more!!
Hi Dru, I think I’m going to love this new series. Growing up I worked in our family’s real estate business. As a teen I did paperwork and answered phones. I also did the photography when my grandmother had appraisals to do for either the F.H.A.or V.A.. Later I collected rents.
I’m hoping to be your lucky winner.
Whitney could probably learn a few things from you, Nora-Adrienne!
House Flipping sounds like a great theme for a new series. The write up sounds wonderful and I’d love to read it. Thank you for the chance to be chosen and congratulations to Ms. KELLY on this release.
C
Thanks, Cynthia! Good luck!
I’ve had this on my wish list for a while
Yay! Enjoy the read, Sandy!
Never read her books. I like the idea of the series and it sounds interesting.
Hi, Lois – if you like funny books, you might also like my Paw Enforcement and Death & Taxes books. So glad Dru “introduced” us!
I too am glad Dru put this book in the Blog. I have read all of Diane Kelly’s Paw Enforcement series, and I have recently started her Death & Taxes series. I did get Diane’s final book of Death and taxes, but I will read that after I read all of the full series. I look forward to her new series of house flipping, and hope their is many more.
I am really looking forward to trying this series! I live within an hour of Nashville so I am very excited
I lived in Nashville for three much-too-short years (2014-2106). I miss it so much! Such a lovely city full of friendly people. Thanks for visiting the blog, Johnna!
Love the cover! Sounds like a great read.
What an interesting way to introduce a book. Whitney sounds like a wonderful woman. And who can resist a cat that cute (on the book cover)? Not me. Hope I win the book!
Sawdust is a sweetie pie! They really captured him well on the cover.
This series can go in a lot of different directions in its stories. A woman in a nontraditional job. A woman who works for her parents managing properties. A woman who does carpentry work with her uncle and cousins. And partners with one cousin to fix up and sell houses. So much potential!
Hi, Pat! You nailed it. Whitney has a lot of potential! It’ll be fun to take these stories in some interesting directions.
Cute title and cover
Thanks for sharing this book with us 😍❤😍
I like that it’s book #1 in the series because it sounds really great 👍
Shared on Twitter 😍❤😍
https://twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/1090316286964523009
Thanks for tweeting, Linda! Good luck!
This sounds like a fun read! Can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for the chance to win!
Good luck, Lori! It’s the perfect book to curl up with in these cold winter months.
Sounds like a great read.
Thanks, Doward! Good luck to you!
Sounds like a fun read. I enjoy reading about women working in nontraditional fields.
Me, too, Mary C! These kinds of women are fun to write as characters. Breaking barriers and glass ceilings and stereotypes. Woo hoo!
Sounds like a great start to a new series. Looking forward to reading the book.
Great name, Dianne! ; ) Good luck in the giveaway!
Sounds like a great series. Love the K9 ones.
Thx for the chance! Love the cover and can’t wait to read the book!
Have to get this one. Living in Nashville, I have got to see how you handle our accents, lol. Being born and raised here is a rarity these days. Cannot wait to read this one. Thanks for the chance to win!!
Sawdust is such a cute name for a kitty.
I don’t know this series but I do know that Diane Kelly is a very good writer.
I have been seeing promos for this book and I would love to win it!! Thanks for offering this chance!!!
Hi! I’m a slow reader, but I LOVE the Tara Holloway Series. It’s the only series of books I own. I’m only on Death, Taxes, and Silver Spurs. I love the series so much, that I bought the rest to read as I get to them. I’m sure this new series with Whitney and Sawdust is going to be great! House flipping is always interesting! I’m a big fan! Thanks for this opportunity to win!
This sounds so good and I love the cover!
Yes! A new series!!!!
Thank you for the giveaway…..
I love Ms. Kelly’s writing so I know I will love this new series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Dead as a Door Knocker–great title!
Sounds like a fun book to read!
Sounds like a nice series.Love the cover. Chance to discover a new author for me. Thanks for a chance to win.
sounds like a great new series. I can’t wait to read it.
**** WINNERS ****
Dead as a Door Knocker is SandyG, Sandra Herron, Linda MH
Congratulations!