Buying a Fixer-Upper
By Judi Lynn, Author of THE BODY IN THE ATTIC
Many, many moons ago, when my husband and I first got married, we bought an old, outdated bungalow that was close to the elementary school where I taught. I don’t like to drive, and I liked the idea of being at work in five minutes even in terrible weather. Our plan was to live in the house, give it a facelift, and then move to something bigger.
The house had great bones—a cement block foundation built to last longer than we would, solid walls, and a dry basement. But everything was dated. The living room walls were painted charcoal gray with gray carpet with big gray fans swirling in a pattern. The kitchen’s linoleum was oil-based and when you stood in one place too long to stir something, your feet stuck to it. The kitchen was so small that when you sat at the kitchen table, you had to stand up and push the table to the side to open the refrigerator door.
One time, my husband turned on the bathroom sink to shave at the same time I turned on the kitchen sink to cook, and the water in the pipes just stopped because there wasn’t enough pressure and it couldn’t decide which way to flow. Needless to say, the house needed a lot of work. We had to redo plumbing and wiring. We did a lot of tearing up old floors to install new ones and we painted…and painted. Inside and out.
We should have moved at that point, but my husband was hooked by then. We stayed and knocked out the kitchen wall to add on to the house. We refinished the upstairs and added a dormer window so that we could have two bedrooms up there. We finished the basement, making it into a playroom.
Some of the work, we hired. Some, we did ourselves. We were younger and had more energy. Every improvement made our house better. We reworked and redid—and we’re still in the house. That’s how Jazzi was born for my cozy mysteries. She’s a fixer-upper who buys and sells houses with her cousin, Jerod. She takes old houses and makes them love-worthy again. Just like we restored our house into a home.
About the Book
The Body in the Attic
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Lyrical Underground (November 27, 2018)
Paperback: 218 pages
ISBN-10: 1516108396
ISBN-13: 978-1516108398
Digital Print Length: 280 pages
ASIN: B07B741L6N
Welcome to River Bluffs, Indiana, a cozy small town populated with charming homes, close-knit families, and the occasional deadly secret . . .
House-flipper Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod have found their latest project. The property, formerly owned by the late Cal Juniper, is filled with debris that must be cleared before the real renovation begins. But a trip to the attic reveals something more disturbing than forgotten garbage—a skeleton wearing a locket and rings that Jazzi recognizes . . .
Tests confirm that the bones belong to Jazzi’s aunt Lynda, who everyone assumed moved to New York years ago after breaking up with Cal. Soon enough, the whole family is involved, sifting through memories and rumors as they try to piece together what really happened to Lynda—and the baby she gave up for adoption. In between investigating and remodeling, Jazzi is falling for the old house’s charms—and for her gorgeous contractor, Ansel. But with surprises lurking in every nook and cranny, a killer might be waiting to demolish her dreams for good . . .
About the Author
Judi Lynn received a Master’s Degree from Indiana University as an elementary school teacher after attending the IPFW campus. She taught 1st, 2nd, and 4th grades for six years before having her two daughters. She loves gardening, cooking and trying new recipes.
Readers can visit her website at www.judithpostswritingmusings.com and her blog writingmusings.com.
Purchase Links
Review of A Body in the Attic
Review (4.5 Stars): I’m a huge fan of fixer upper mysteries and A Body in the Attic was a fun, quirky mystery that I couldn’t get enough of. Jazzi and her cousin, Jerod, fix up houses and when they bought the rundown house of an old friend, they get a little bit more than they bargained for when they find a body in the attic.
I loved meeting Jazzi and she is a great character that you will instantly adore. The mystery was delightful and I had a hard time figuring out all the clues as to what happened to Jazzi’s aunt all those years ago. A Body in the Attic is the perfect start to a brand new series and I loved learning all the tips that Jazzi had for fixing up the houses that they bought. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this mystery and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
November 26 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 26 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
November 27 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
November 27 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
November 27 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW
November 28 – My Devotional Thoughts – REVIEW
November 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
November 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
November 29 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
November 30 – Varietats – REVIEW, GUEST POST
November 30 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW
December 1 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST*
December 1 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 2 – Laura’s Interests – SPOTLIGHT
December 2 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
December 3 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW, GUEST POST
December 3 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
December 4 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
December 4 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 5 – The Avid Reader REVIEW
December 5 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
Gloria Browning
Tbis looks very interesting. Ww are doing some remodeling on our 1950 ranch.
Judith Post
Thank you so much for sharing my book and interview on your blog. And thanks for such a kind review. Much appreciated.
Faith Creech
This book looks really good! Would love to read it!
Anne
Intriguing and unique story which I would enjoy. Thanks.