Safe at home, on your own.
The house, the phone and the door. Then the blackout, the storm and the week nobody comes. Everything a woman living alone is never told, checked against its source and written down in the order you'd use it. A price on every fix, a source for every claim.
Instant download · Illustrated PDFs · 30-day guarantee
Two Complete Editions. Cheaper together.
The first is about people: the stranger, the caller, the knock at the door. The second is about the house when the power, the heat or the road gives out. They don't repeat each other.
Book one · Living alone
What Nobody Tells You About Living Alone
The door, the phone and the money. 438 illustrated pages, 319 checks.
$96 $32
Both Complete Editions
903 illustrated pages and 619 checks, in one checkout.
$192 $49
Launch price until December 22. One payment, both PDFs.
Book two · Blackouts and storms
When the Lights Go Out
Blackouts, winter storms, and the week nobody comes. 465 illustrated pages, 300 checks.
$96 $32
What Nobody Tells You About Living Alone
The house, the phone, the door, and the feeling you talked yourself out of.
- 438Illustrated pages
- 54Chapters
- 319Checks
- 15Worksheets
- 30Day refund
Five things a stranger notices before you do.
When researchers asked 422 convicted burglars how they chose a house, 41% said it was usually a spur-of-the-moment decision. A decision made in seconds is one you can change.
The name on your mailbox
One name, one car, the same light on at the same time every night. From the street, your house says how many people live there.
The short screws in your door
The strike plate is the metal plate your bolt slides into. Seattle Police say it's almost always the weakest point of the door. The fix is about $5 and 15 minutes.
The sliding door at the back
It's the door you never think about, facing the yard nobody can see. Most burglars go in through a door or window, not a lock.
The call from "your grandson"
He's in trouble, he's embarrassed, please don't tell Mom. The FTC says impersonators are behind some of the biggest losses older adults report. The guide shows you how to check before a cent leaves your account.
The knock you feel you have to answer
A delivery, a survey, a man from the gas company. You don't have to open the door, and there's a sentence for exactly that.
By this weekend, you'll know how to:
- Make your front door holdwith 3-inch screws, for about $5 in 15 minutes
- Stop the sliding door from slidingwith a bar that costs less than dinner out
- Talk through a closed doorwithout opening it, and without apologizing
- Spot the "grandson" calland check before you pay anyone a cent
- Text 911 when you can't speakand know when it works where you live
- Record a voicemail greetingthat tells a stranger nothing about you
- Set up a daily check-inwith one neighbor, so someone notices if you don't
- Go away for a weekwithout your house announcing it
- Know exactly who to call, in order,after a break-in, a scam payment or a stolen identity
- Secure a rentalwithout drilling a single hole
- Spot a romance scriptbefore it costs you a cent
- Plan for a fallso someone knows, even when nobody's home
Nine parts. Fifty-four chapters.
From the street, inward. Then the phone and the money, the world outside your door, your own body and instincts, and what to do if something happens anyway.
Being Read as Alone
What a stranger sees in four seconds · One car in the driveway · The mail and the porch · Your voicemail greeting · What to leave out of an obituary · The photos you post · Your name on things
The House
The 3-inch screw · Peepholes and chains · The sliding door · Windows · The garage · Porch lights · The bedroom at night · Cameras without a subscription · If you rent · Free things tonight
Who's at the Door
The knock at four in the afternoon · Talking through a closed door · Deliveries · "The gas company" · Surveys and strangers
The Person Already Let In
Contractors · Cleaners and home aides · The helpful neighbor · A relative's new partner · Keys and codes · The one who keeps coming back
The Phone, the Mail and the Money
The grandson call · Bank, government and Medicare impersonators · Tech support · Romance scripts · The church acquaintance · Family managing your money · Checks and identity · The first hour after you've paid
Out in the World
The distance rule · Parking lots · Elevators and stairwells · What to carry · Hotels and the hospital stay · Finding a real class
The Body You Actually Have
Advice that assumes you're 35 · Night with the hearing aids out · A fall with nobody home · Stairs and the one-floor plan
Trusting It, and Being Believed
The feeling you talk yourself out of · Calling 911 · Texting 911 · Writing it down · When nobody believes you
If It Happens Anyway
After a break-in · After identity theft · Getting whole again
The Workbook
The Master Checklist of all 319 checks, sorted into tonight, this weekend and this month. 15 printable worksheets. 4 cut-out cards for the phone, the door, the wallet and the dispatcher. Every permission line on one page. Every source, chapter by chapter.
Illustrated, large print, and built to be used.
What to look at, why it matters, the fix, the price, the time. Here are three of the 319. Tick them off as you do them.
Three of the 319, from the book
316 more in the book.
Who it's for
Women living on their own, often for the first time in a long time. Widowed, divorced, or just the last one left in the house. And daughters who'd sleep better if their mother had it.
Get the book for $32 →One download. Everything in it.
Read it on any phone, tablet or computer, and print the chapters and worksheets you're working on.
- The Complete Edition438 illustrated, large-print pages. 54 chapters in nine parts, 319 checks, and 55 diagrams drawn to be read at a glance.
- The Master ChecklistAll 319 checks sorted into tonight, this weekend and this month, fastest first, with a price on each.
- 15 printable worksheetsEmergency numbers for the fridge, the family code word, a home inventory, the nightly lock-up, a key and code log, a contractor checklist, a check-in agreement, going-away and one-floor plans, your accounts, a call log, an incident log, what to do after a break-in or a scam, and a 30-day plan.
- 4 cut-out cardsThe phone card, the door card, the wallet card and the dispatcher card, sized for a cupboard door, a hook, a wallet and the side of the phone.
- The sentences you're allowed to sayAll 54 permission lines, on one page you can tear out.
- Every sourceThe FBI, FTC, CFPB, CDC, SEC, Medicare and police departments, listed chapter by chapter so you can check anything yourself.
Launch price until December 22, then $96. One-time payment, nothing to renew.
Get the book now →Or get both books for $49. You save $143!
What one mistake actually costs you.
Each of these starts small: one phone call, one door, one week away. These are the real numbers, from the people who count them.
reported lost to online and phone crime by Americans over 60 in 2025, across 201,266 complaints. More than any other age group.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime ReportReported fraud losses among adults 60+ quadrupled in four years, from about $600 million in 2020 to $2.4 billion in 2024.
FTC, Protecting Older Consumers 2024–2025In impersonation scams, losses reported by older adults who each lost more than $100,000 grew eight-fold, from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2024.
FTC data release, August 2025| What it takes from you | Because now you… |
|---|---|
| Your savings, to one convincing phone callThe "grandson" in trouble, the bank's fraud department, the government agent. | Know how the call worksand check before you pay anyone a cent. Free. |
| A front door that givesThe repair, whatever was taken, and the nights you don't sleep afterwards. | Put 3-inch screws in the strike plateAbout $5 and 15 minutes. |
| A back door nobody can seeMost burglars go in through a door or window that's open or forced, not by picking a lock.UNC Charlotte, 2012 | Put a bar in the sliding door trackOne trip to the hardware store. |
| A fall, and nobody knowsUntil someone happens to come by. | Have a daily check-in with one neighborWritten down on the worksheet. Free. |
| The part nobody pricesLying awake listening to the house. | Have checked it, room by roomand know what to say, and who to call. |
The book is $32, once. The phone will ring whether you've read it or not.
Get the book — $32 →The second book covers the house when the power, the heat or the road gives out. Both books are $49.
When the Lights Go Out
Blackouts, winter storms, and the week nobody comes.
- 465Illustrated pages
- 48Chapters
- 300Checks
- 12Worksheets
- 4Cut-out cards
Five things nobody tells you until the power's out.
Most outages are short and ordinary. The trouble starts in the long ones, in the cold, in a house where nobody else is awake to notice.
The carbon monoxide alarm in the wall socket
A plug-in alarm with no battery goes quiet when the power does, which is exactly when heaters and generators come out. The CPSC says to use battery-operated alarms, or alarms with a battery backup.
The fridge has a clock on it
FoodSafety.gov says a closed fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours, and a full freezer about 48. The book shows you what to keep, what to throw out, and how to tell.
The space heater on a power strip
Fire departments repeat the same rules every winter: three feet of space around it, plugged straight into the wall, and off when you go to bed.
The generator in the garage
Even with the door open. The CPSC says outside only, at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust pointed away.
The door the crew can't open
If you fall in a dark house, the fire department may have to force your door. There's a cheaper way to let them in, and the book tells you who to ask first.
Before the first storm, you'll know how to:
- Light the house without a flamewith a headlamp and battery night lights from your bed to the bathroom
- Keep one room warmand know when it's time to go somewhere warmer
- Get on your utility's priority listif you use oxygen, a CPAP or medicine that needs the fridge
- Decide what to keep in the fridgeand what to throw out, without guessing
- Stop your pipes freezingand find the water shut-off before you need it
- Spot carbon monoxide earlyand know the one thing to do first
- Keep your phone charged for daysand reachable by the people who'd check on you
- Get alerts even while you sleepwith a weather radio that wakes you
- Make your house easy to findfor an ambulance in the dark and the snow
- Pack a go-bagyou can carry, and leave in ten minutes
- Buy the whole kit in one tripwith a price on every item
- Turn away the storm-chaserwho knocks the day after with a roofing offer
Nine parts. Forty-eight chapters.
From the plan you make on a quiet afternoon, through the blackout and the cold, to the storm outside, the help that has to find you, the kit, the people on your street, and the days after.
Before Anything Happens
The week nobody comes · Your two people · Getting on the lists · Alerts that reach you · Paper, cash and the one-page plan · Medicines and the things that need power
The Blackout
The first ten minutes · Light without a flame · Your phone and the power bank · The fridge and the freezer · Water when the taps stop · Cooking safely · The toilet and the sump pump
Staying Warm
One warm room · Dressing for a cold house · Space heaters · Fireplaces and wood stoves · Frozen and burst pipes · When it's time to go somewhere warm
Carbon Monoxide and Fire
The CO alarm and the signs · Generators: twenty feet · The car is not a heater · Smoke alarms and the way out in the dark · The kitchen extinguisher
The Storm Outside
The 48 hours before · Ice on the steps · Shoveling and your heart · Downed lines and flooded roads · The car in winter · The summer outage
When Help Has to Find You
A house the ambulance can find · Letting the crew in · A fall in a dark house · Calling 911 in an outage · The go-bag · Shelters and warming centers
The Kit, Priced
The $50 starter kit · One trip to the hardware store · Water and food for a small kitchen · Checking the kit twice a year · Apartments and renting
The People Around You
Knowing your street · When family is far away · The scams that follow a storm · Pets in an outage
After It's Over
When the power comes back · Water damage, mold and the insurance claim · Getting ready for next time
The Workbook
The Master Checklist of all 300 checks, sorted into tonight, this weekend and this month. 12 printable worksheets, from the one-page outage plan to the claim log. 4 cut-out cards for the cupboard, the CO alarm, your wallet and the crew at the door. Every source, chapter by chapter.
The rules fit on a fridge door.
None of this needs a bunker or a basement full of cans. It needs a few numbers, a few cheap things, and knowing them before the lights go.
How long a closed refrigerator keeps food safe without power. A full freezer holds about 48 hours, half-full about 24.
FoodSafety.gov / USDAThe least distance between a portable generator and your house, outside only, never in a garage, with the exhaust pointed away.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety CommissionThe space to keep clear around a space heater: no blankets, chairs or curtains inside it.
National Fire Protection AssociationThe book is $32, once. The next storm is already on a map somewhere.
Get When the Lights Go Out — $32 →One download. Ready before the storm.
Read it on any phone, tablet or computer, and print the plan, the worksheets and the cards. Keep a printed copy in the kitchen, because in an outage the screen is the first thing to go dark.
- When the Lights Go Out: The Complete Edition465 illustrated, large-print pages. 48 chapters in nine parts, 300 checks, and 48 diagrams and cards drawn to be read at a glance.
- The Master ChecklistAll 300 checks sorted into tonight, this weekend and this month, with a price on each.
- 12 printable worksheetsYour one-page outage plan, your two people, medicines and power needs, who to call, the fridge log, the warm-room plan, the 48-hour storm list, the kit inventory, the go-bag list, the twice-a-year check, a damage and claim log, and a 30-day plan.
- 4 cut-out cardsThe outage card for the cupboard, the CO card beside the alarm, the wallet card, and the card for the crew at your door.
- Every sourceThe Red Cross, FEMA and Ready.gov, the CDC, the National Weather Service, the CPSC, the NFPA, the USDA and fire departments, listed chapter by chapter.
Launch price until December 22, then $96. One-time payment, nothing to renew.
Get book two now →Or get both books for $49. You save $143!
The first book covers the door, the phone and the money. Both books are $49.
I started living alone at fifty-eight. Nobody hands you a checklist that day. So I made one.
For thirty years I was an insurance investigator. I worked break-ins, fires and scams side by side with police detectives, fire investigators and fraud teams. I read every report they wrote, and I sat at a lot of kitchen tables the morning after. Then I started living alone myself, and I read it all again as the woman it happens to.
Most of the advice out there was written to frighten you into buying something: a camera subscription, a monitoring contract, a gadget that ends up in a drawer. Almost none of it was written for a woman in her own house, on her own. So I went to the people whose job it is. Police crime-prevention bulletins. The FTC and the FBI on the calls and scams aimed at women our age. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on money and family. The CDC on falls. A university study where researchers asked 422 convicted burglars how they choose a house.
What I found was practical, and most of it was cheap. Three-inch screws. A bar in the sliding door. A voicemail greeting that says nothing about you. A sentence you're allowed to say through a closed door. That became the first book.
The second one started long before. I grew up up north, a lineman's daughter. When ice took the lines down, my father went out into it, and we kept one room warm until he came home. Later, on weekends, I led a Girl Scout troop for twelve years, and "Be prepared" came first. Some of what we taught back then turned out to be wrong, so I checked all of it against what fire departments, the Red Cross, the CDC and the weather service publish today. A headlamp instead of a candle. One warm room. A carbon monoxide alarm with a battery in it. A way for the crew to get in without breaking your door.
Marcy
Check any of this yourself.
- A source for every claimThe FBI, the FTC, the CDC, police and fire departments, the Red Cross, FEMA, the CPSC and the weather service. Every source is named in its chapter and listed at the back of each book.
- No sponsors, no affiliate linksNo alarm companies, no brands paying to be mentioned. Nothing to subscribe to.
- 30 days to decideIf it isn't useful, email me and I'll refund every cent. No questions, no forms.
- What they deliberately leave outNo weapons, no confrontation, no candles, no doomsday stockpiles. Being the house a stranger walks past, and being ready for an ordinary storm, calmly.
Marcy Hollis is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of the organizations named on this page.
Before you buy
Which book should I start with?
Whichever one worries you more tonight. What Nobody Tells You About Living Alone is about people: the door, the phone, the money. When the Lights Go Out is about the house in a blackout, a winter storm or a heat wave. They don't repeat each other, and each one stands on its own. Or take both for $49.
Can I buy both?
Yes, and together they cost less: both books for $49 at the launch price until December 22, instead of $192. You save $143! It's one checkout, and both PDFs arrive together. Each book is also $32 on its own.
Isn't all of this free online?
Pieces of it are, scattered across police and fire department websites, FTC and FEMA pages, and a lot of articles trying to sell you a camera or a generator. Each book puts its checks in one place, in the order you'd actually use them, with a price and a time on every fix and the source for each one.
Is this a printed book?
No. Each is a large-print PDF you download right after buying: Living Alone is 438 illustrated pages, When the Lights Go Out is 465 illustrated pages. Read them on any screen, and print the chapters, worksheets and cards you're working on. For the outage book, keep the printed plan in the kitchen.
Is the outage book about prepping for the end of the world?
No. It's about the ordinary ones: a winter storm, a three-day outage, a cold snap, a summer blackout. No bunkers, no months of cans, no fear. A headlamp, one warm room, the fridge rules, and a way for help to reach you.
How fast do I get it?
Right after checkout. The PDF downloads on the next page, and a copy arrives in your email within a minute or two.
I rent. Is it still useful?
Yes. There's a chapter on security that doesn't need a drill, and most of the phone, mail and front-door checks apply anywhere.
Is it scary to read?
The numbers on this page are real, and they're here so you know why it matters. The guide itself is calm: what to check, what it costs, and where the advice comes from. No crime stories, and nothing political.
Do they cover guns or weapons?
No, on purpose, in either book. They're about making your house tell a stranger nothing, being ready for the weather, and what to do instead of confronting anyone: lock the door and call.
Are they written for the US?
The sources are American (police and fire departments, the FBI, the FTC, FEMA, the CDC, the National Weather Service), and some details like 911 and utility programs are US-specific. Most of the checks apply wherever you live.
What if it isn't for me?
Email me within 30 days and I'll refund every cent.
You are allowed to be ready on your own. You don't have to wait for someone to do it for you.
$192 $49 for both books, launch price until December 22. You save $143!
Or one at a time, $32 each:
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