Keeping In Touch

The final words of our story come from my editor, Cally Worden, in emails she sent after she had first read my memoir:

On a genuine and very personal note – we moved into our new home here just under four months ago. We have a single smoke alarm downstairs that works, but is frankly inadequate for the size and layout of the property. There are two others (one upstairs, one down) that are linked and much better sited, but which were disabled for works that took place before we moved in. Re-enabling them has been on the to-do list for too long. Today (literally) I insisted my husband attend to this, and my family and I will sleep more soundly tonight as a result. Your story made that happen. Thank you xx 4th Nov 17

With regards to the house alarms, this is something we should have done ages ago but, like so many others, had neglected it... always something else more pressing to do. But, as your story illustrates, this approach can have devastating consequences; reading it was the nudge we needed. I’m quite sure that once the book is published it will touch many others in the same way. Who knows how many lives will be saved as a result. The nature of prevention means you’ll never know. But I’m certain others will act, as we have. In fact, my husband has this week gone to visit my mum and has strict instructions from me to ensure she, too, has a functioning alarm installed before he leaves. Two households within which Heather, Felix and Oscar have already made their presence felt, in the best possible way. 6th Nov 2017 These responses have been included as an illustration of one of the ways in which I hope our story will have a positive impact on the lives of those who read it.

The following email address is for readers who would like to share whether reading this memoir has resulted in their own installation of a smoke alarm or testing of a current one.

jillbarnesauthor@gmail.com