Please help me welcome today’s guest, Lynda Rees, The Murder Guru, with…
1. In our tiny coal mining town near Hazard, Kentucky, every man I knew was either a coal miner or a retired miner. My first memories are of moving into a bigger house than the two-room cottage we lived in. I recall vividly asking my dad about a conversation he and my uncle had as they moved our furniture inside. He explained what a president was and that Eisenhour had been elected the new one. This sparked my interest in the world outside of our home.
2. Mommy disappeared for a few days and thrilled me when she returned with my new infant brother. In my mind Ernie was my baby, though I was only four-years old at the time. We are forever connected in our souls, though he is no longer on this earth.
3. As a child, I was free to roam the hills and holler where we lived. The neighbors were family and friends. I knew to beware of rattlesnakes and copperheads but had no fear of anything or anyone. My days consisted of visits to the homes of friends and family, finally ending at my grandparents’ farm, where I followed and learned from them as we did whatever chores made up their schedule.
4. At the age of four, I learned to read with my grandpa, Daddy Lida, sitting on the porch, each of us deep into our Bibles. He was infinitely patient when I asked him to explain confusing words.
5. We moved to Indiana for a summer when I was five. I had my first experience riding a bus instead of walking the mile to school in my Kentucky home. Indianapolis was my first big city. Suddenly confined to a tiny yard and not allowed to venture on my own, I learned I should be wary of strangers. It was a shock to me.
6. We moved to Cincinnati when I was in the third grade. Talk about culture shock! I became ‘the new kid’ with a funny accent. I learned if you laugh at yourself, others stop bullying you and give you a chance to become friends.
7. I fell in love with the boy across the street. He was a few years older and didn’t notice me until my pigtails were gone and I developed a girlish figure. He nearly scared me to death when after our first date, he told his mother he was going to marry me someday. He wasn’t wrong. Hunky Hubby and I have been happily married for fifty-two years.
8. I’d given up on being a mother when I became pregnant. The births of my miracle son and sixteen months later my beautiful daughter were the most wonderful days of my life. I’ve achieved many notable things in my lifetime, but raising my family has been the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. They are my heart.
9. I am so fortunate. My children are the best people I know. They also graced me with the greatest gift ever—three grandchildren, each bringing their own special gifts.
10. Writing is my second career. After thirty-six years in the corporate world as a marketing and global transportation manager in a Fortune 500 company, I turned my focus to publishing my stories. My biggest thrills:
1) A fan told me she was on a waiting list at the library to read my newest publication.
2) A fan told me she reads every book I write, and that I have changed her life for the better. Wow! What a compliment. It humbles me.
GIVEAWAY!!! I would love to provide a reader who comments and joins my VIP group (link below) the giveaway of an eBook copy of my latest book.
Join my VIP group at: https://preview.mailerlite.com/t1a6j6
Love is a dangerous mystery. Enjoy the ride!
Rehabbers Charli Owens and fiancé, Eli Lange, remodel an historic mansion suspected of being haunted.
Secret tunnels, hidden chambers, unexplained happenings, and a killer on the loose ignite Charli’s curiosity. Enlisting her ex-rock-and-roll singer grandmother’s help, she delves into clues police ignore.
Unravelling the property’s notorious history, they become embroiled in a murder case and a major criminal operation that puts Charli’s life in danger.
Rehabbers Charli Owens and fiancé, Eli Lange, remodel an historic mansion suspected of being haunted.
Secret tunnels, hidden chambers, unexplained happenings, and a killer on the loose ignite Charli’s curiosity. Enlisting her ex-rock-and-roll singer grandmother’s help, she delves into clues police ignore.
Unravelling the property’s notorious history, they become embroiled in a murder case and a major criminal operation that puts Charli’s life in danger.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
She showered in the mansion’s crude, plastic, one piece bathroom stall, trying her best to wash guilt and terror from her pale skin. Red goo on her flesh mingled with water flow, her tears, and then drizzled in streaks down her legs into the rusty drain. The warmth eased her sore muscles. She closed her eyes, trying to block out memories straining to take possession of her spirit. Someone stole part of her soul. She desperately wanted it back.
She puffed an exhale and inhaled fresh oxygen to cleanse her insides. Her heart ached in her chest, trying to burst free. She held her breath for a count of four, then breathed in for a count of eight. She held it, counted slowly to four, and then breathed out to the count of six, repeating the process four times. With each repetition, her heartbeat slowed more. She’d learned the technique eased anxiety when it struck.
She scrubbed her hair for the third time with lilac scented shampoo, still pulling bits of dried leaves and twigs from the long, blonde tresses. She’d finally gotten used to the shade, which looked oddly natural on her. The lilac scent helped remove the crude odor of his heavy cologne—clearly an attempt to postpone bathing—combined with foul-smelling breath tinted with alcohol, onions, and tobacco.
She still sensed his rough, calloused grip on her bruised arms. Her hips burned from scrubbing where welts had developed from the friction of her jeans being ripped down.
She forced visions away to still her pulse and avoid another panic attack. The flow of water cooled, reminding her she’d showered long enough. She’d exhausted the supply of heated liquid from the inadequate, ancient, hot water tank.
After stepping out of the rickety stall onto a towel, she buffed her flesh with soft terry, continuing to rid herself of memories she certainly would dream about later.
She mustn’t catch a cold. The Lord knew she had enough problems. Besides, she couldn’t afford the cost of a doctor or the attention such a visit might bring to her.
A noise from the street signaled the slam of a vehicle door in front of the building. She gazed through grime undoubtedly accumulated over at least a decade of neglect on the thick pane. Voices drifted upward to her high observatory.
“Oh, crap, I’ve got to get this mess cleaned up…quickly.” She scrambled to finish drying, slid her slightly damp body into sweats and donned a tee shirt she’d brought to the bathroom. She’d been diligent about returning personal care items after they were used to the tote she’d carried them in so she could make quick work of it. Nasty clothing was crammed inside. Her tattered hoodie missed a zipper pull.
“Well, it’s trash.” Should she keep it? “Nope. You’re gone, baby.” She might like the jacket, but not the recollections that came with it.
She snatched her things and rushed to the safety of her private sanctuary.
Buy link(s):
Pre-Sale 5/8/25 Launch 7/16/25
Sale Links:
AMZ
Amazon.com: The Attic (A Flip or Flop Mystery Book 1) eBook : Rees, Lynda : Books
B&N (ebook) The Attic by Lynda Rees | eBook | Barnes & Noble®
(paperback) The Attic by Lynda Rees, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
UNIVERSAL LINK: https://books2read.com/u/4E1DEE
Also available in audiobook at:
DIRECT https://payhip.com/b/VN1Tl
NOOK https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-attic-lynda-rees/1146582031
Libro.FM https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781960763013
STORYTEL https://www.storytel.com/se/sv/books/the-attic-a-flip-or-flop-mystery-9835875
GooglePlay https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Lynda_Rees_The_Attic?id=AQAAAEDyWCIYwM
KOBO/WM https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/attic-the-1
HOOPLA https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/17553736
BIO: LYNDA REES, THE MURDER GURU
Lynda Rees is a multi-award-winning storyteller, horse farmer, born in Eastern Kentucky. This coal miner’s daughter, part-Cherokee Indian author’s writing is influenced by growing up in the area when Newport prospered as a mecca for gambling and sin. Her fascination with history’s effect on today’s lives works its way into her written pages.
Having traveled the world working with heads of industries, foreign governments, and business leaders during a marketing and global transportation corporate career, this free-spirited adventurer turned her workaholic tendencies to following her passion for writing.
Lynda received accolades from KILLER NASHVILLE, SILVER FALCION READER’S CHOICE TOP PICK AWARD for both Fresh Starts, Dirty Money and Flip or Flop, Murder House; from PFTH; RITA for debut novels in two genres, Gold Lust Conspiracy and romantic suspense, Parsley, Sage, Rose, Mary & Wine, Book 1 of The Bloodline Series, set in Kentucky horse country and from and Imaginarium for her 2022 launched Operation Second Chance. She’s also published in MG, children’s picture books and non-fiction.
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Author Alicia Dean 