I've been fortunate in that the results and reader reaction have been kind. The only thing that concerns me is that a lot of emails and comments begin with, "I was hesitant to pick this up, but . . ."
I really hope people will get past the ick factor inherent in a funeral home and trust me. I think most of my regular readers do trust me not to get too graphic or be gratuitously gross, but it's the irregular readers I'm concerned about. I can only hope that reviews and word of mouth will assure people that the book is safe to pick up . . . . even if there is a casket on the cover. :-)
Tomorrow: Your questions and answers, so if you haven't already, please leave them in the comments box!
~~Angie
Well, I think the cover has a chick lit feel to it. It is so colorful and cheery. I can't see why people would think it's icky. But then, not much is icky to me, so what do I know.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Kay--I think the designers did a wonderful job with the cover, and boy, was it a challenge. In the beginning they were asking me for ideas, and I kept sending pictures of houses (Fairlawn) or lilies! So hard to get across the humor, the women, and the funeral aspects! So I think the cover did a great job of handling a difficult challenge.
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of fact, I can't wait to see what they do for the second book . . .
Angie
No "ick" factor in the subject for me! It was the "chick lit" cover that put me off, and your name that overcame it. If you're after chick-lit readers, I think it's fine!
ReplyDeleteyour reputation of being a great novelist will assure readers that it will be another wonderful book from angela hunt! i can promise you that i always give you rave reviews when recommending books. and, "word of mouth" is one of the best advertisements!
ReplyDeletei agree, too, that you may even pick up new readers from the "chick lit" genre.
My concern with the book is that I may not enjoy it because of my age/life experience. It's probably the first Angie book in a long time that I've considered not buying (wow, I'm being blunt!). I've never thought this with any Angie book before (!) but I've been thinking this since I first heard about this one. I think I'd like it no matter what, and could still glean something from it, but I guess I'm just wondering what age range you think would most enjoy this book.
ReplyDeleteKristine--since I never write with an age range in mind (or even a gender, to tell the truth), I think people of all ages would like the book. The cast of characters certainly spans all ages--from a five year old to a 100-year-old. (What's the word for that? Centenarian!)
ReplyDeleteBut, ultimately, each reader has to decide for himself/herself.
And I think I should have saved your question for question/answer day! Now I'll have nothing to talk about . . .
Angie
Angela, I loved DSLN, and I actually had no qualms about it being set in a funeral home. Although I wouldn't want to do that, I'm glad there are people who do...and who do it so well.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to the next book!
I laughed as soon as I saw the title. I thought it sounded funny and interesting and when I first saw it, I put it on my hot list before I even knew it was an Angela Hunt. So I guess it depends.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of your new blog readers, so this is my first post. But I have to tell you--I think this new book sounds fascinating. I'm game to read almost anything in nearly every genre--except perhaps SciFi or Speculative fiction. But I've read some of them, too. And though I'm way past the "chick-lit" age group, I still enjoy reading them. I'm going to get this book first chance I get.
ReplyDelete