Joanne Parker

Writing is my passion. I do it for a living and for pleasure.

I am delighted to have finally published the sequel to my first novel, "A Slice of Bakewell Tart." In 'A Taste of Happiness' we continue the story of the Beresford family.

In book one, the focus was on the older protagonists. We met Tom, the father and followed his story as he navigated the loss of his wife to dementia and the impact of that on him and the family.

This time, the emphasis changes to his daughter, Julie, and we go on her journey.

With both books, my intention has been to look at all the different aspects of love that we encounter, from the unrequited to the unconditional, romantic to forbidden.

After years of writing non-fiction, it has been fun to make the leap into writing a full-length story. I now have the bug and will continue to add to my fiction repertoire.

Most writers draw on their own experience and in the novel, one character is suffering from dementia. This is something we went through with my father, and I empathise with any family doing the same. It is a cruel disease and makes life hard for all involved.

As for the cryptic title, that comes from my love of baking and eating! My mum made Bakewell Tart, and it was a dominant part of my childhood. Mum always offered food as a way of showing her love for family and friends.

Sadly, neither of my parents are here to see my books make it into print, but I have the support of a great circle of friends (real and virtual) to whom I am grateful for all their help and encouragement.

I hope you like the books and I look forward to receiving your feedback.

Joanne