GOOD MOURNING! A GUIDE TO BITING THE BIG ONE…AND DYING, TOO

Posted November 7, 2023 by Julie S. in Blog Tours / 0 Comments

Good Mourning! A Guide to Biting the Big One… and Dying, Too: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Death (But Were Too Alive to Ask)

by Mark Hofmann (Author), Linda Harkcom (Editor)

Paperback – October 12, 2023

Blurb:

When people learn of a loved-one’s death, they may feel sadness, loneliness, fear, anxiety, resentment or anger. When award-winning humor columnist Mark Hofmann was faced with the sudden passing of his father, he decided to react with a savagely satirical look at death and everything that surrounds it. With “Good Mourning! A Guide to Biting the Big One…and Dying, Too”, Hofmann presents critical, yet immature, essays on such subjects as the science of death, ghosts, funeral rituals, the cost of dying, psychics, giving a eulogy, discovering what a dead body feels like, funeral-home etiquette and much more!

His in-depth research (Wikipedia), his relentless dedication to get to the truth (boredom at work) and his strict writing routine (in free-clinic waiting rooms on his cell phone) makes this book stand out in the world of books about death as well as making Hofmann the foremost authority on the things you never knew about death, the things you never wanted to know about death and the things that death doesn’t want you to know!

Now available on Amazon or type “Mark Hofmann, Good Mourning” under “Books” in the search bar for other online retailers.

Author Interview

At what point did you decide to be an author and what was your path to publication?

It was in high school. I started writing stories to make people believe I was smart. It was a last resort after I started wearing glasses and pretending to read books but didn’t fool anyone. As for publishing, I foolishly self published two books with no hint of success, but I kept on writing because I’m a glutton for punishment and pie. Anyway, when I saw that my friend, Linda Harkcom, was starting a publishing company, I asked her if she would want to take a chance on me being one of her authors, and she agreed and the rest is history.

What do you do when a new idea jumps out at you while you’re still working on a book? Do you chase the squirrel (aka “UP syndrome”) or do you finish your current project first?

I’ve learned not to chase the squirrel, but rather to be the squirrel, meaning I write down any and all notes that pop into my head and store it away for later. Be the squirrel. Just don’t stuff the notes in your mouth like a squirrel would. Paper cuts on your gums hurt. Learned that the hard way.

What are some books or authors that you would recommend to our readers?

I’ve been really digging Grady Hendrix and his take on the horror genre, especially in his two previous novels, “How to Sell a Haunted House” and “The Final Girls Support Group”. They’re fresh and fun reads.

Describe the book in 10 words or less for people who are just learning about it.

Critical essays making fun of everything about and surrounding death.

Is there anything you would like people to take away from your book?

A receipt would be nice so I know they purchased it and not opted for the five-finger discount. Actually, I’d like for the readers to see you can pretty much find humor in anything eventually, even a depressing subject as death. I know my book doesn’t explore the plight of the human condition or is by any means a self-help book, but all I can hope for readers to take away are some laughs.

Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?

Never stop writing, learn from failures and always be ready to walk through a door when it opens because you never know when that opportunity will come or if it would come again. And I’d also pass along any and all winning lottery numbers to my younger self.

What is your favorite line from your book?

I cant think of a favorite, the first one that comes to mind is my explanation of an afterlife when people ask where we’re going once we’re not here.
“The only logical solution is…there. If you can’t be here, you must be there. Why do I believe there is a there out there? Because I’m here, not there and if I were there, I wouldn’t be here. I don’t know where or what there is out there, but there could be a there out there somewhere because there’s a lot of theres we haven’t discovered to make those theres into one of our heres.”

To date, what is your favorite (or most difficult) chapter you have ever written?

You’d think it would be the chapter about everything that happened the day my dad died, but that was relatively easy to write because, when someone suddenly dies, everyone asks you what happened, and you tell the same story over and over and over again. But the hardest chapter to write was about different religions and their view on the afterlife because there are so many! It’s hands-down the longest chapter in the book.

Author Bio

Mark Hofmann has been a newspaper reporter for over 20 years and is also an award-winning humor columnist, playwright and contributor to countless “For A Good Time Call…” writings on restroom stalls. Despite the pleadings from his handlers in the witness protection program, Mark currently resides in Southwestern Pennsylvania with his wife, stepdaughter and their two dogs. He has received newspaper awards and honorable mentions from the Professional Keystone Media Awards, the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors Award and the Keystone Press Award for his writings.

For this book and other titles, visit www.starlitwaters.com

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