Orlando, FL — Dead Serious: How Death Made Me Laugh at Life, a new memoir by author Sarah Marie Shoulak, will be released in April, with early ordering available to bookstores beginning in March.
Blending dark humor with deep humanity, Dead Serious chronicles Shoulak’s life through a series of close calls with death, profound personal losses, and the multigenerational grief that shaped her identity. Rather than dwelling in despair, the memoir offers a refreshingly lighthearted perspective on surviving life’s hardest moments — and choosing joy anyway.
In candid, often relatable chapters, Shoulak reflects on nearly dying more than once, navigating substance abuse and sobriety, and losing influential friends and family members whose deaths permanently altered her worldview. Throughout the book, she invites readers to laugh, reflect, and reconnect with gratitude for the small, often overlooked moments that make life meaningful.
At its core, Dead Serious centers on themes of:
A recurring message throughout the book — and a personal mantra for Shoulak — is her hope that readers “get better, not bitter.”
Despite its heavy subject matter, Dead Serious maintains an accessible, conversational tone that reassures readers they can still consider themselves happy people, even when life has dealt them an undeniably difficult hand.
Shoulak is based in Central Florida, though her roots span the Midwest and beyond. Born in Ohio and raised in the Midwest, she later attended college in Denver, Colorado with graduate school in Miami, Florida after studying abroad in Beijing, China for a semester. These varied regions and life chapters influence the memoir’s multi-geographic perspective, displaying broad appeal for readers nationwide.
Dead Serious: How Death Made Me Laugh at Life will resonate with readers who enjoy memoirs that balance vulnerability with optimism, particularly those interested in stories of resilience, recovery, grief, and personal growth. The book is well-suited for book clubs and community discussions, offering ample conversation around healing, identity, and choosing whimsy without denying reality.
Early ordering opens in March, with an official release scheduled for April.
Sarah Marie Shoulak is available for in-store events, author talks, book club discussions, and virtual appearances.
For ordering information, event inquiries, or to request additional materials, please contact:
Sarah Marie Shoulak
sarahmarieshoulak@gmail.com
Date Posted: January 15, 2026
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