Samantha Gentry's Blog: Guest Blog Lynda Rees and her new release The Attic, A Flip or Flop Mystery

Sunday, July 13, 2025

Guest Blog Lynda Rees and her new release The Attic, A Flip or Flop Mystery

This week, I'm turning my blog over to a guest author--Lynda Rees. Lynda will be telling us about her writing and introducing us to her new release, The Attic, the latest addition to her Flip or Flop Mystery series. Release date for The Attic is scheduled for Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

Thanks so much, Samantha, for having me as a guest and allowing me to share the news about my newest release, The Attic, A Flip or Flop Mystery. I started writing the Flip or Flop Series with Flip or Flop, Murder House because my husband was a builder. He and I remodeled several houses together for resale. I write about strong women in dire circumstances and small-town heroines and heroes. So, Charli Owens was born. Charli is a professional female contractor who swore off good looking men until she butted heads with competitor Eli Lange. Charli is business and family focused, taking care of her younger brother since she was sixteen and trying to wrangle her unorthodox, retired, rock-n-roll singer grandmother. Eli is family focused, having sold his successful construction company to move to small town rural Sweetwater, KY to help his sister with her four-year-old daughter while her husband served in a war zone. He has never had time for romance, only work. Now he gets to focus on his craft instead of spreadsheets.

Book 1: Flip or Flop, Murder House – Charli remodels the scene of a murder-suicide and finds more danger and intrigue than the law allows.

Book 2: Rock Starr Baby Daddy, A Flip or Flop Mystery – Gran’s baby daddy shows up on their doorstep to make amends for a bad breakup, unaware he’s Charli’s grandfather, or that he’s soon to be accused of two murders.

Book 3: The Attic, A Flip or Flop Mystery - 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.

Coming Next: Cold Case, A Flip or Flop Mystery

THE ATTIC INSPIRATION

As a child I played with a friend whose family had inherited an old mansion that had been in their family for many generations. The pre-Civil War home sat high above town about three miles uphill from the Ohio River. The owner of a huge plantation surrounding it built it as his family home. The house was unique for this tiny riverside town, and I found its notorious history and many hidden secrets within its walls fascinating.

Behind the house, the steep hill was a perfect location for our toboggan and sled riding, as long as we hit the right spot at the bottom and not the small creek. Beyond that lay another hill of heavy woodlands. As a mountain-born child, I was intrigued by the woods instead of fearful. I led many hikes through them to the lake on the other side. It had once, along with all of the property around it, been part of the plantation. It had been sold off and converted to a pay-by-the-day fishing lake.

The mansion had been converted into three apartments occupied by my friend’s family and her relatives. Windows were floor to ceiling leaded glass. The woodworking throughout was elaborate and hand carved, and at the fireplaces were a marvel to my young eyes.

The only parts of the house not inhabited, by the living at least, were the basement and the incredible foyer.

The three-story-high ceiling sported a carved round cornice that displayed the enormous crystal chandelier. The room was as large as my home’s living room, dining room, and kitchen combined. The floor was white marble, as were the steps on the swirling staircase that led to the second and third-floor landings. We dressed our Barbie dolls in evening attire and pretended they were strolling down them to meet their dates for the prom or some other elegant event.

A rock and mortar walled basement occupied the space beneath the whole house, but the rooms’ concrete floors were bone dry. Its hilltop location helped with this, I’m sure. Tunnels had been built with the intention of making it simple for workers to bring goods, water and ice into the house and refuse without disturbing the residents. My innate curiosity would have coaxed me to explore these caverns; had they not been long since sealed for safety. A gigantic, solid steel door attached to surrounding rock walls with bolts broader than my hand.

These tunnels are part of the fabric of our United States history. Escaping slaves from the south were slipped into the house where they were hidden away in secret rooms using concealed staircases until they could be ushered through the other tunnel that led the long distance to the banks of the Ohio River. From there, they loaded onboard boats and were taken across the water to freedom in Ohio.

My fascination with this house and its history has stayed with me throughout my life. It is the inspiration for my newest and thirtieth novel, a mystery called The Attic, A Flip or Flop Mystery.

In The Attic, rehabber Charli Owens, and her retired rock-and-roll singer grandmother delve into an eerie historic mansion’s notorious history and put their lives in danger.

Lynda Rees is available to speak to your reader or other group and can provide writing workshops on various subjects. If you need a speaker, reach out to her at lyndareesauthor@gmail.com . Join Lynda Rees's fan club to stay on top of the many works she has in the hopper for you. You will receive a free eBook at https://preview.mailerlite.com/t1a6j6