Writing about a boutique funeral planner has brought
me nose to nose with death issues. What
a surprise! I’m a pantser, you see, so
the first book ‘happened,’ then pretty soon a second book ‘developed;’ now a
third book in the series ‘will occur.’ Sigh. I never thought I'd be tweeting with funeral homes, morticians and
thanatologists!
Here’s how it happened. Since I made up the term ‘boutique funeral
planner,’ I had to research ALL the rituals of the major religions. In other words for my funeral planner to be
quirky and different, I had to discover what was ‘normal’ in the world of
memorials. Let me tell you, what I
learned was an eye-opener…there’s nothing tame in traditional! (I’ll report my
learnings in another blog.)
I found out about thanatology (the realm of palliative
care; it’s a Greek word meaning ‘the personification of death’), which broadens into the sociological
aspects of planning for death. That
research led me to ‘DEATH CAFES,’ a loosely organized group of people who meet
occasionally to talk about death and dying issues. See:
http://www.deathcafe.com/
and http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2012/jul/09/westerville-home-first-death-cafe-us-ar-1097143/
What’s more, even more impressive, I learned about the ‘aging to
saging’ movement, a truly fascinating organization that helps people live their
last 20-30 years with verve! Check
out ‘aging to saging’ on your browser as well as the term ‘eldering.’
Morbid?
Absolutely not. I’ve learned so
much in this journey. More important, I’ve
got grist for my next novel. For now,
here’s the Funeral Planner Series:
FADEOUT and SWOON.
“Don't miss SWOON
by Rolynn Anderson! If you like an interesting cast of characters, a heavy dose
of mystery and a lot of fabulous surprises, you'll be happily turning pages
late into the night.ˮ
~ Brenda Novak, NYT and USA
Bestselling Author of WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES
****
Her dead clients won’t
rest in peace.
When
the dead tell tales, Jan Solvang’s first reaction is to RUN! But then she gets caught up in their
mysteries.
Jan’s
a boutique funeral planner, new to risk, hired to bury a missing woman and memorialize
an infamous man. Yet when she digs for clues
to write their eulogies, she disturbs family secrets and unmasks killers.
Roman
Keller, hard-driving documentary writer, is in complete control of his life and
his stories, until he falls for Jan, a woman who trusts her dog, her
faint-dreams, and her instincts more than she trusts him.
Can
they make the sacrifices necessary to cement their relationship or will the
mayhem caused by the dead ruin their second chance at love?
Buy
page: http://www.rolynnanderson.com
