This home improvement tips post was contributed by author M.E. Bakos. Her cozy mystery, Fatal Flip is currently on tour with Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book.
Katelyn’s Fatal Flip’s Home Improvement Tips
Enjoy the home improvement tips. If you have tips you would like to share, leave a post, or contact me at mebakos@yahoo.com.
*The home improvement stores make do-it-yourself look so easy. Plumbing is one area where they can convince you to fix your own toilet or replace existing faucets. Both are fraught with peril. I once spent hours trying to fix a leaky toilet with the wrong part sold me by a home improvement store employee. I finally gave in and called a plumber.
I did successfully replace a faucet set—it took three days, and multiple trips to the store where a plumber apprentice who walked me through the process. My final tip, find out the expertise level of the employee before you buy something to do it yourself.
*Dollar for dollar, insulating a home can save bunches on heating and cooling bills, not to mention cut unwanted sound travel.
*The factory codes you get with your new garage door opener should always be changed. Otherwise, it is possible someone could have the same code to open your garage—and your house, if the garage connects to the house.
*There are items designed to slip under a doorknob, and prop from the floor for security. If you need something in a hurry, shove a chair under the doorknob to prevent an intruder. Simple security measures, like locking your doors even while at home are a good idea.
*One way to silence a squeaky hinge is to tap out the pin, clean the pin and coat with petroleum jelly
*Any stain is tough. If you have a wine spill, the best time to get it out is before it dries. Blot the stain first, then depending on the area, try white wine or club soda, and cover with salt and let sit, and vacuum. Best thing to do is drink all the wine, thereby avoiding any unfortunate spills.
*It is my humble opinion; the best home is a mortgage free home. After your monthly mortgage payment, make a separate payment each month towards the principal portion of your mortgage. It saves a bundle on interest and cuts the length of your loan, and you won’t even miss the money in your budget.
*My final home improvement tip is a saying from Pliny, a Roman philosopher, “Home is where the Heart is.” I would add “Home is Nice.” Make your home as nice as you can. It’s where you live.
Fatal Flip: A Home Renovator Mystery
by M. E. Bakos
About the Book
Fatal Flip: A Home Renovator Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Cozy Cat Press (October 27, 2017)
Paperback: 220 pages
ISBN-10: 194606341X
ISBN-13: 978-1946063410
Digital ASIN: B077WRRMH6
Flipping houses can be fatal! When Katelyn finds a dead body in her first home renovation project, she seriously doubts her decision to “follow her bliss.” After getting fired from her steady job, her plan to flip houses takes a hit when she becomes a suspect. After all, possession is nine points of the law, isn’t it? Especially, when it’s a dead body.
To keep herself in pizza, peanut butter, good coffee, and her stray cat, Boots, in kitty chow she takes survival jobs as a wine sample hostess and market researcher. Meanwhile, Sheriff Don is kind of hunky, and her ex-husband, Eddy (it’s complicated) is back in her life sleeping on her sofa. How’s a girl supposed to solve dead body mysteries, make a living, and find love?
About the Author
M.E. Bakos has published several short stories in national women’s magazines. Her love of mysteries has led to writing cozies. Her first mystery short story, “Carpe Diem or Murder at the Carp Fest” appeared in the Festival of Crime, a SINC Anthology. Her second, “Perfect Storm . . . Perfect Murder” will be in Dark Side of the Loon, May 2018 also a SINC Anthology.
Her first cozy, FATAL FLIP
Mary is a member of Twin Cities Sisters in Crime, the SINC Guppies Group, and an alumna of the University of Minnesota. She is a lifelong resident of Minnesota and resides in Minneapolis with her husband, Joe Sebesta, and their spoiled Morkie.
Website – Mystery | M. E. Bakos, Author
Purchase Links
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 12 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW
September 12 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
September 12 – Babs Book Bistro – HOME IMPROVEMENT TIP POST, GIVEAWAY
September 12 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
September 13 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
September 13 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST
September 13 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
September 14 – Book Babble – REVIEW
September 14 – The Montana Bookaholic – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 14 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 14 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
September 15 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
September 15 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, EXCERPT POST
September 16 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW
September 16 – Ruff Drafts – HOME IMPROVEMENT TIP POST
September 16 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
September 16 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW
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