profile

Sibylline Press

45 pink flamingos and a dash of rebellion 🦩

Published about 7 hours ago • 1 min read

The Obit Habit: A Novel

by Romalyn Tilghman

Viva is obsessed with obituaries

She lives to see who died. After her own life-threatening experience, she turns her obsession into a course at Lakeview City College. Fresh obituaries provide insights into profound world changes, while death appears at Viva’s own front door.

As Viva hits bottom, her students hijack the course and commit to building their own legacies. Raucous car washes and poetry marathons become fundraisers for a new library. Inspired by their example—and the forty-five plastic pink flamingos that mysteriously appear on her birthday—Viva finally finds her voice. By exposing her vulnerability, she risks her job and her romance, sparking both inspiring protests and calls for censorship.

Through it all, Viva commits to living every single minute to the fullest, making the most of the time represented by that single dash separating birth and death dates on a tombstone. Viva Viva! becomes her mantra.

A story about mortality, meaning, and the courage to live fully in the brief space we’re given.

About the Author

Romalyn Tilghman's award-winning debut novel, To the Stars Through Difficulties, became a book club and library favorite and a best-seller in Germany. Romalyn enjoyed a career in arts management, working with the National Endowment for the Arts, private foundations, and nonprofit organizations. She served on the board of Americans for the Arts and other national boards and review panels. She received BA and MS degrees from the University of Kansas and studied writing at UCLA.

Publishing the Brilliant Work of Women Authors over 50

​Unsubscribe | Preferences ​

Sibylline Press

Publishing the Brilliant Work of Women Authors Over 50

Receive weekly Pub Date Friday emails and monthly online reflections about the book Industry for readers & authors! Compiled by wise women of a certain age. SIGN UP AND RECEIVE 10% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER FROM OUR BOOKSTORE!

Read more from Sibylline Press
Route 66 Detective

The Route 66 Detective in Missouri by Micki Pierce One man. Two wheels. A thousand miles of trouble. Mac McCarty has spent his life dodging death. First in the dogfights over Europe, then on the lethal wooden planks of the motorcycle racing circuit. Now, he’s a private investigator with a simple beat: the 2,400 miles of asphalt known as Route 66. In 1937, the highway is a lifeline for some and a graveyard for others. In the first book of the Route 66 Mystery Series, Mac’s search for the son...

7 days ago • 1 min read
Spring titles

Spring is bringing a powerful new lineup from Sibylline Press Our Spring 2026 list features six unforgettable books across mystery, literary fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and memoir. These stories transport readers from wildfire-swept Sierra landscapes and Japanese literary history to immigrant worlds, complicated families, and deeply personal reckonings with identity and belonging. Bold, surprising, and emotionally resonant, these books highlight the voices and storytelling we’re...

10 days ago • 1 min read
The Badass Widows

Mystery | Print ISBN: 9798897409624 • $20 | Ebook ISBN: 9798897409617 • $5.99 The Badass Widows: A Mystery by Valerie Saul They’ve buried their husbands. Now they’re burying secrets.Former FBI agent Beth Winstead is no stranger to danger—but nothing prepared her for the slow, isolating loss of her husband. Adrift in grief, she joins a rowing club on the choppy waters of the San Francisco Bay, determined to rebuild her life.When Beth rescues Elena—a fellow widow and assault survivor—from a...

14 days ago • 1 min read