Local author Alison Murdoch’s new book Bed 12 will be launched next month at Hunting Raven Books in Frome with a book signing on Sunday 4th June from 11am; and with readings and a glass of wine from 6.30pm on Tuesday 6th June. Everyone is welcome.
Bed 12 is a memoir, written in the style of a thriller, of the summer when Alison’s husband Simon suddenly fell into a mysterious coma for five weeks. It is a true story with cliffhangers that are all too real, a survival guide to the world of acute medicine, and a poignant and darkly comic account of what it’s like to fight for someone’s life.
“I hope that Bed 12 will be helpful to anyone experiencing the serious illness of a friend or family member, or who cares about the survival of the NHS,” says Alison. “I deliberately kept it fast-moving, with short chapters, because that’s the kind of book I like to read myself.”
In the foreword, doctor and comedian Phil Hammond describes Bed 12 as “a beautifully written reflection on the joy and fragility of life…above all, it is a love letter to the NHS, and the everyday acts of kindness that keep it afloat.” 50% of the royalties from Bed 12 will be donated to the Encephalitis Society.
Alison has also just launched a free app called 16 Guidelines for a Happy Life, based on the book and programme of the same name that she wrote with Canadian author Dekyi-Lee Oldershaw. The 16 Guidelines consist of a set of universal values such as kindness, humility, forgiveness and gratitude, and the aim of the app is to help people bring these values into daily life in fresh and interesting ways.
