1--What is the title of your latest release?
BATTEN DOWN THE BELFRY
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When carpenter Whitney Whitaker finds a man dead in the belfry of the country church she’s remodeling into a playhouse, she determines to find out who rang the man’s bell and why.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I lived in Nashville a few years ago and loved it there. It’s a booming city and there’s lots of home rehabbing going on. It was the perfect authentic setting for a house flipper series.
4--Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Heck, yeah! She’s smart, brave, and creative. I’d love to talk to her about her design ideas.
5--What are three words that describe your hero?
Discerning. Determined. Dashing – both figuratively and literally. Detective Collin Flynn is handsome and he’s a runner.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I never knew that such a thing as a “fish bat” existed until I was looking for a small, hard weapon. The bats are used to hit fish over the head after they’re caught. Yikes!
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Answer: I edit as I go along. I’ll generally start each day by editing what I wrote the day before, then moving forward.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Hot Tamales candy.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
Even though I have a desk in our bonus room upstairs and do my Zooms from there, I find that sitting at a desk makes writing feel like work and stifles my creativity. I usually write in a chaise lounge on the deck if the weather allows. I love to be outside and it’s relaxing to sit with my feet up. If I’m inside, I might be in the recliner, my indoor chaise, or even sitting in bed.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Erma Bombeck. She found the funny and poignant in the mundane.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Is it okay to say my own first published book? It was Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure that launched my career and marked the achievement of a long-fought-for goal. But so many other books have taught me things. If I had to pick one, I’d say 1984 by George Orwell. The world the characters lived in was terrifying. Without trust, we’d all feel so alone. I wrote my high school thesis on that book.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
I was at work at my then day job in July of 2000 and got a call from an unrecognizable phone number from New York. I assumed it was a spam call and I was in a lunch meeting so I couldn’t take it anyway. When I returned to my office after the meeting, the editor called a second time, so I answered. I felt like I was going to float right out of my desk chair!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Funny mysteries. I like books that make me laugh and that feature tenacious characters.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Stranger than Fiction. Will Ferrell is a great dramatic actor, and I love the concept of a writer’s character actually being real. It was a creative story.
15--What is your favorite season?
Autumn. I love the sense of things slowing down, and the cool air. It’s great hiking weather.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With a quiet, low-key dinner out with my husband. I don’t like big bashes where I’m the center of attention. Too much pressure to be “on.”
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The Whole Sleuth podcasts are fun. I was the first guest and was so honored to be asked.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Thai. I love curry, fried rice, and fried tofu with chili peanut sauce. Yum!
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I like to ice skate and ski, though I’m not very good at either one. I also like hiking. There are so many great places to hike near my home in North Carolina. It’s a great state for outdoorsy people. I enjoy visiting a casino on occasion, too.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
My next release will be book #2 in my Southern Homebrew moonshine series. It’s called THE PROOF IS IN THE POISON and it releases on June 7th.
A House-Flipper Mystery #4
Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have successfully flipped houses, but this is the first time they’ve attempted to renovate a house of worship. Still, the colorful stained glass in the country church has caught Whitney’s eye, and she’d love to breathe new life into the abandoned building. What’s more, the place has perfect acoustics. Could the worship hall be reborn as an entertainment venue with its parsonage repurposed as a pre-show bistro?
Open the doors, and see all the trouble.
The owner of the horse farm next door has asserted a legal claim to the church property, rendering their title uncertain. If that’s not bad enough, while rehabbing the church, Whitney’s cat Sawdust discovers a bombshell in the bell tower—the body of the man who’d delivered their beautiful new replacement windows. What transpired in the spire? Who rang the man’s bell and why?
The steeple is keeping its secrets and, when a second body turns up, things become even less clear. Can Whitney help Detective Collin Flynn solve the crimes before someone else is sent to meet their maker?
Mystery Cozy | Mystery Amateur Sleuth [St. Martin's Press, On Sale: February 22, 2022, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250816030 / eISBN: 9781250816030]
A former tax advisor, Diane Kelly inadvertently worked with white-collar criminals on multiple occasions. Not surprisingly, Diane decided self-employment would be a good idea. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her Death and Taxes romantic mystery series. A graduate of her hometown's Citizen Police Academy, Diane Kelly also writes the hilarious K-9 cop Paw Enforcement series and the new House Flipper cozy mystery series.
Diane's books have been awarded the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award and a Reviewers Choice Award.
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