The Black Bird of Chernobyl: A Romantic Comedy (Signed!) [B2021]

2024 signed PB in nice clean condition. Two-time Lambda Literary Award-winning author Ann McMan takes readers inside the inner workings of the funeral home business as only she can in this remarkable and wholly unforgettable romantic comedy that proves Life is for the Living. Everything about Lilah Stohler is dark: her clothes, her mood, and her outlook on life and death. That last part is important because Lilah's father has just retired and left her in charge of Stohler's Funeral Home. But Abel Stohler knows his daughter's comfort level rests "downstairs," so he hires one Sparkle Lee Sink, to help Lilah manage the living part of the business of death. Sparkle is everything that Lilah isn't--an empathetic marketing whiz who is a true people person. Lilah isn't happy about this new arrangement, but when business starts booming because of Sparkle's bright personality, delicious baked goods, and knack for funereal commerce, Lilah starts to think things might just work out. But joy is fleeting in the funeral home business, and Lilah's world is turned upside down when an unwitting Instagram post featuring one of her moods goes viral--and now, sightings of "The Black Bird of Chernobyl" have become an obsession across the Instaverse. Lilah knows that Sparkle needs to go, but before she can give her the send-off she deserves, Lilah must first find a way to deal with the inconvenient attraction she's developed for the nemesis whose unconventional methods are single-handedly transforming the death trade--and possibly the Black Bird, herself.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This book! I laughed and cried and celebrated and fell in love with every single character. Kudos to the author for a quirky, inspirational story that embraces life and death and everything in between. More importantly, kudos for a wonderful story about love in all its forms."; "Go Lesbian fiction!"; "Ann McMan, as usual, writes beautifully. Romance based in a funeral home. Only she can write a story like this. Absolutely enjoyed it."; "You know you are reading a good one when the protagonist goes through all your emotions. Ann McMan challenges us about death and dying but leaves us with Love Well written"; "The Black Bird of Chernobyl is a dark, playful romance novel that vivifies those who tend to the dead as their life's work. I've read a few of these sapphic romances now and often find myself gagging from the lameness but this one was right up my alley. Several chapters began with an obituary and the unrelenting humor never failed to please me or make me laugh out loud. There are one liners, situational humor, puns, and many references to sometimes obscure historical figures that had me gladly looking them up so I could get the joke."