Stuffy funeral parlors and dreary cemeteries are so last century. With her book Exit Strategy: Thinking Outside the Box, Michelle Cromer examines the new, upbeat and outrageous ways Americans are taking leave when they die. She traveled the country to discover families and entrepreneurs who are breaking the mold. “We’re planning funerals like we plan parties,” she says. Not only is the book entertaining, it is a great resource that includes costs and companies who help achieve these unusual send-offs. We caught up with the author to ask her a few questions about her fascinating book.

Amen Wardy Magazine So how have the times changed?

Michelle Cromer It occurred to me that baby boomers, and I’m one, are doing everything our own way. We’ve changed everything about the way we live. And also how we die. Most of us are living such an incredibly creative life that we want our exit to reflect that—like being shot into space. We’re also thinking about the global village that we want to share and what we want to leave behind. We don’t want to waste the earths’ space and our natural resources. We’re planning ahead so our loved ones don’t have to.

AWM How does your book speak to the Amen Wardy philosophy, “the art of living well?”

MC It speaks to it directly because something we’re all going to do in our lives is die. We have the opportunity to think about exactly what we want and write it down. In planning our exit strategy, we have a chance to see how creative we can be. This is a very difficult subject to talk about. But what I’ve found through my book tour and talking to people, is that my book is helping to open up the lines of communication. For example, I got an email from a woman in Britain who put the book on the dining room table and said, “Hey Mom and Dad, there’s a story in here about someone who wants to be mummified… What do you think about that?” For her family, that was an easier way to open up the conversation about what her parents’ wishes were. Usually our families are left trying to guess what we would want.

AWM Tell us about some memorable experiences you had while researching the book.

MC I watched Scotty [James Doohan] from Star Trek get shot up into space from the New Mexico desert. Some of his cremains [created remains] were packed into a chrome container that looks like a lipstick tube. He really went into the final frontier. It was invigorating to witness because his family was there and they were laughing and happy. It was celebratory.

AWM What is your exit strategy?

MC My husband Barry and I, who are both 47 and healthy, sat down and talked about this. I want to make him into a 1-carat diamond link bracelet. You can get 52 diamonds out of one person. Barry says, “So, you’ll lose me when I die. Then you’ll lose me again like you lose all of your jewelry.” [Michelle gives a hardy laugh here.] When I die, I’m going to be packed into his driver. That way he can still play golf with me on Saturdays and then blame me if he shanks it!

AWM What is the most spectacular exit you came across while researching the book?

MC The Most interesting, by far, is a man in Salt Lake City who will mummify you for $65,000. And it’s not just the mummification that he’ll perform; he sits with you through the 49 days of the Tibetan bardo known as the “transference.” Talk about going the extra mile.

I met another man out in California who has a fireworks company. He adds cremated remains to fireworks and orchestrates an entire display, including the music of your choice. It started because his mother told him she wanted to go up in fireworks. So when she died he created a whole show and took his family out on a boat to watch it. It appeals to people because fireworks are one of those things that just make you happy.

AWM A few years ago, Aspen was in the headlines for a famous exit when Hunter S. Thompson’s remains were shot out of a cannon with the help of his friend Johnny Depp.

MC That’s right! Hunter Thompson was the icon of my generation. So when he was shot out of a cannon [perched on top of a 153-foot tower], he set the stage for an entire generation’s exit strategy. What is so great about Hunter’s case is that his exit strategy totally reflected his lifestyle. It was crazy and out of the box, just like he lived his life.

AWM What advice do you give people who want to plan their exit strategy?

MC It’s really, really important to put everything in writing. Give a copy to a dear friend and discuss your wishes in advance. Don’t put it in a will because wills aren’t usually read until a while after the funeral. It’s so considerate to the people you’re leaving behind if they know in advance what you want and there are no surprises.

AWM But aren’t people uncomfortable talking about this subject?

MC I had a “planning your exit strategy” party. In fact, Amen sold me the most beautiful place settings for serving sushi. They were these wonderful sushi sets that included everything: the chopsticks, soup bowls and sushi platters, and a beautiful tablecloth to go with everything. At dinner we all came up with the most outrageous exit strategies we could think of. We talked about how we don’t have to do it the way our parents and grandparents did. It was an upbeat, fun, and festive party.

Michelle Cromer, who lives in El Paso with her husband and two sons, is currently working on a series of books. The first two installments due out next year are Being the Buddha: Finding Your Center in Chaos, Cycles and Crisis about the seven distinct stages people go through in life and Being the Buddha Boss: The Challenges of Spiritual Capitalism. Her children's book, It Snows in Heaven, helps parents discuss the difficult subject of death with their kids, and will be available December 4. Purchase copies of Exit Strategy: Thinking Outside the Box from our library.