The Curious Autobiography of Elaine Jakes

From the jacket-flap:
E l a i n e J a k e s was a schoolteacher in suburban Philadelphia. Living in the vivacious
and eccentric community of New Hope, Pa, in the 1970s and 1980s, she very
much reflected that town's character. Yet another place, Wales, the land of her forefathers,
ever kept a spiritual hold on her, beckoning her homeward through the most
unexpected of mechanisms (e.g. scents, strolls along a canal, animals, family and
friends) until she discovers who she really is and the redemptive power of the cross.
Her son, H. R. Jakes, a writer who lives in Texas, compiled her story. He has been
writing all his life, and she thus felt confident to entrust him with that task. Through
him, further books in this series will be forthcoming, first among them Curious
Recipes: the Mostly Welsh Cookbook of Elaine Jakes, a charming (and tasty) combination
of Elaine's tales with detailed recipes, featuring as an aspect of every vignette the
story behind each culinary delight. H. R. Jakes is married to Diana, whom he met in
Italy in 1979. They have 7 children and one grandchild, in whose eyes it is evident to
one and all that Elaine's legacy lives on.