A CHAT WITH A CAT FROM MYSTERY AUTHOR M.E. BAKOS'S HOME RENOVATION MYSTERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with a cat. Yes, you read that correctly. We’re chatting with Boots, Katelyn’s rescue cat from the Home Renovator Mysteries by author M. E. Bakos.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

I was a feral street cat. My human, Katelyn, offered me tuna on a rainy night, and I was done running the streets.

 

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself? 

I’m a survivor. I found a cushy warm sofa to sleep on, plenty of treats, and a human I can manage.

 

What do you like least about yourself? 

Not a thing. I’m a Tuxedo cat with a white chest and paws. I look good and I’m pretty cool.

 

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you? She wanted me to hunt mice in the basement of a renovation in Deadly Flip, (Book 2) that had weird vibes. The house was creepy with bad electrical and flooding, not to mention a dead body mystery. She rescued me. The deal is I’m a house cat. Even in my feral days, I wouldn’t have touched the place.

 

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about? 

The closest we came to arguing was the mousing adventure in Deadly Flip. I wouldn’t budge from the carrier. I won out, and she brought me home.

 

What is your greatest fear? 

That Katelyn will renovate another house with a dead body mystery, and I could get taken by an owl, like in Lethal Flip, Book 3, or I’ll have to come to her rescue and attack the bad guy, like in Deadly Flip. I really like just chilling and getting good treats. 

 

What makes you happy? 

I am a male, so I like hanging with the guys. Katelyn’s Ex, Eddy, and her new fiancé, hunky Sheriff Don, pet me and slip me treats.

 

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why? 

I would have found my human earlier and left the streets. What cat doesn’t like a nice warm bed with good chow? Mice are overrated. 

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

My author is wrapped around my white paws. She wouldn’t bring in characters that aren’t Boots approved. Any bad guy, I can handle.  

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why? 

Sheriff Don and Ex-hubby, Eddy, have more history with my human. I’d like to get inside their heads.

 

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog? 

My author has a varied background, writing a home improvement newsletter and a real estate and insurance sales licenses back in the day. She started by writing romance short stories. Now, she’s plotting cozy mysteries and planning her next home improvement. Check out her website where you can also find links for her social media.

 

What's next for you? 

In Killer Flip (Book 4), the romance with Katelyn and Sheriff Don heated up. They are engaged now and I’ll be along for the next wild ride. 

 

Killer Flip

A Home Renovator Mystery, Book 4

 

Flipping houses can be a KILLER! Before the festive holiday season begins, Katelyn jumps at the chance to renovate a Tudor style home in fictional Crocus Heights, Minnesota. All the home furnishings, fine china, and crystal are part of the sale.

 

The catch? Nearly twenty years earlier, in the aftermath of a famous Halloween blizzard, a woman who lived in the quaint home was found dead in her towed car.

 

Katelyn discovers a cache of cold, hard cash and jewelry in the renovation. Is it finders-keepers or losers-weepers? Who killed the beautiful, young, ambitious resident? 

 

Did hunky Sheriff Don really propose? What is up with Olivia, his old flame’s offspring? Does Eddy really want to marry Katelyn again? Does Katelyn want to marry again?

 

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#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA—M. E. BAKOS WRITES ABOUT CRAFTS, MURDER & OBSESSION

M. E. Bakos writes the Home Renovator Mysteries. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and a spoiled Morkie. If she isn’t plotting new mysteries, she’s planning home projects. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

Once upon a time, I craved learning to crochet and the needle arts. With new project enthusiasm, my undertakings were lengthy afghans, which may or may not have been completed. Eventually, I put unfinished items aside, and donated the unused yarn, or gave to friends with nimbler fingers and whose crocheting or knitting looked awesome. Mine, not so much.

But there are times you yearn for small craft projects. The pandemic is one of those times. Earlier, I had discovered round and flat knitting looms, which made my stitches look more professional. I made scarves, caps, etc. but again, stashed the items away in closets or drawers. Now craving a simple soothing diversion from the stresses of life, I dug out the round looms. Thus, the cozy knitted cowl emerged. With our cold Minnesota climate and possessing few turtlenecks, it was a perfect solution to enhance crew sweaters and keep my neck warm. 

 

Even the craft-challenged, such as myself, can complete them. I casted on and used a single knit stitch. I followed directions courtesy of YouTube videos and knitted away. The cowls took a few hours as opposed to the large afghans attempted earlier. It became a sort of obsession.

 

Note: Not all were knitted on round looms. The burgundy cowl started out as a scarf on a flat loom and put aside. I stitched the ends together, and it became another cowl. 

 

Along with the simple knitting, I indulged two other obsessions, watching murder investigations, and home renovation shows. From rehabbing houses, to tiny dwellings, to staging homes for sale, I’m fascinated with what people accomplish with a ‘can do’ spirit. This is where Katelyn, my main character, enters. She does what I choose not to. But, like plans in real life, her projects have pitfalls, contractors don’t perform, mirrors break, and quirky characters abound. Add in a murder that the feisty home flipper is determined to solve, and buckle up for a fun ride.

In Lethal Flip, the third book in the Home Renovator Mysteries, Katelyn continues renovating houses and solves a murder to boot. Could her neighbor across from her easy breezy rehab really have killed his wife? While everyone is absent from Katelyn’s life, his soulful eyes and attentiveness mesmerize her as she rehabs the house. In a nod to current social conditions, loneliness and obsession can strike at any time. So, relax, read a cozy, laugh, and see how characters deal with their challenges.

 

To celebrate the release of her third cozy novel, the first two e-books in the series, Fatal Flip and Deadly Flip, are now on sale. 

 

Lethal Flip 

A Home Renovator Mystery, Book 3

 

Flipping houses can be LETHAL!

 

Katelyn takes on an easy breezy house renovation in Crocus Heights, Minnesota, in the third volume of The Home Renovator cozy mystery series. It’s a breath of fresh air after flipping a house in the crowded Hiptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. No drama or bad juju.

 

But wait, who killed the woman across the street from her newest rehab?

What else can a Home Rehab Specialist do, except play detective? 

 

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#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--DIY RENOVATING WITH COZY MYSTERY AUTHOR M.E. BAKOS

M. E. Bakos writes light, humorous fiction and is the author of the Home Renovator Mystery Series. When she isn't plotting home improvements, she's plotting cozy murder mysteries. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

Thank for inviting me to blog here today! I appreciate the opportunity to tell you about my Home Renovator Series and to introduce my main character, Katelyn Baxter, of Crocus Heights, Minnesota.

Katelyn has always had a passion for renewing spaces, along with a fascination with mystery and murder. Who knew she would find a dead body in her first home renovation in Fatal Flip, the first Home Renovator Mystery, or that spirits were trapped in her renovation in Deadly Flip, the second novel in the series?

Her two main design precepts are: be true to the home’s style and keep it simple. In Deadly Flip, the craftsman’s era used earth tone colors and wood. By using lighter shades of paint colors and removing a wall between the kitchen and living room, she brings the home built during the Great Recession into the 21^st century. Now, if she could only rid the home of restless spirits.

She’s more likely to pitch a bucket of paint at an intruder, or hoist a hammer to fend off a villain than bake cookies. Between finding a diary from a dead girl, bailing out a basement flood, finding a mysterious photo, and doors that slam and things that go bump, she pursues renovating the project from hell with determination and grit. Removing the bad karma is her first priority.

She performs a sage burning and séance. Her BFF, Myra, hires paranormal investigators. Along with ridding the house of bad karma, there is a whole lot of cleaning, painting, and renovating. Katelyn offers a few home improvement tips at the end of her books with a dash of humor.

Curb appeal is what makes a potential buyer stop at your home for sale. A seasonal wreath, fresh numbers on the house and mail box, and outdoor flower pots all help sell your home. Crime scene tape, not so much.

A few simple ideas to stage the inside of a home are: a fresh bouquet of flowers, new sofa accent pillows, and the smell of baking cookies or bread.

Katelyn is fortunate to have Wayne, a retired handyman and neighbor, to help with renovating her houses. While he is away, she bravely takes on framing a plate glass mirror to add character and to hide a bit of missing silver at the bottom edge. You can view it above and judge for yourself if it’s a DIY project you’ll want to try. She’ll tell you all about it in the next Home Renovator Mystery. An overview of framing a mirror involves wood, a power saw, paint, glass glue, and chisel if your mirror has clips.

Read about Katelyn’s challenges in renovating a home and dispelling bad juju from a murder in Deadly Flip. The ebook is currently on sale.

Deadly Flip

A Home Renovator’s Mystery, Book 2

Flipping houses can be deadly!

Katelyn takes on a home renovation in Hiptown, Minnesota, that “has history . . . a murder” at BFF Myra’s urging. What was she thinking? A young woman had been killed by the former homeowner, and the girl didn’t get the justice she deserved. The killer got away with murder! 

Katelyn finds a hidden diary, foils an intruder, and discovers more secrets while delays and expenses escalate as she renovates the house. Could the victim’s restless spirit be haunting the house, making it the rehab from hell? Can she find peace and justice for the dead woman? To get the renovation back on track, Katelyn, Myra, ex-hubby Eddy (it’s complicated), and handyman Wayne hold a séance and bring in paranormal investigators. Will this finally rid the house of bad karma?

To top it off, Eddy is acting just plain weird, and hunky Sheriff Don Williams is a puzzle. Nosy neighbor, Mrs. Gilman, and Boots, the rescue cat, add to the fun in the second Home Renovator Mystery.

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ebook  (on sale for $1.99 through July 3^rd)