Jessie Meets Patricia Williams

Patricia is a retired nurse and has published her first novel – The Search for Happiness. The Search for Happiness is a World War Two saga set in North Wales. Patricia is a member of my local Romantic Novelists’ Association writing group in Cardiff, and it is a pleasure to support her.

Jessie: When did you first realise you wanted to write novels?

Patricia: My love of reading and story writing has been part of my life since childhood, and when I retired from my career as a lecturer in nursing, I wanted to fulfil my dream to become a writer. The Search for Happiness is part of a trilogy.

Jessie: What is The Search for Happiness about and what inspired you to write it?

Patricia: The Search for Happiness is set during the first six months of World War Two, and it follows the trials of a girl torn between the man she loves and a man her mother has chosen for her. Beth is forced to leave her job in the bank to become a member of the Women’s Land Army. My research into the role of women during wartime inspired The Search for Happiness. Frequent visits to my close friend in Conwy inspired the setting, and my father’s time in the RAF also shaped the novel.

Jessie: Who is the main protagonist? Tell us something about them.

Patricia: The story is about Beth Daly, a determined young woman, who lives with a possessive mother. Beth does not want to marry the man her mother has chosen for her because she is in love with her friend’s brother. Despite psychological abuse from her mother, Beth will have freedom of choice at twenty-one. But will there be a happy ending?

Jessie: Where is your novel set?

Patricia: The Search for Happiness is set in Conwy in North Wales. Mynydd Gwyn is the fictional farm where Beth lives. Conwy has a special place in my heart as I often visit a close friend who lives there.

Jessie: Are there any social, historical or cultural references that shaped your novel.

Patricia: The story is set in North Wales during ‘The Phony War’ when rationing and conscription were only just beginning. Families had an influence on marriages at that time, and I wanted to explore the impact it had on relationships through my protagonist. I made reference to the airfield of Borras and Wrexham. Borras was not actually formed until 1940. Today RAF Wrexham is now part of the Borras Park Housing Estate.

Jessie: Tell me more about your life.

Patricia: I live in Cardiff with my husband. I have spent my working life as a nurse and then a nurse lecturer at Cardiff University. I had intended to write a reference book on Reflective Practice, following my Thesis in that subject. However, my creative juices took me on a different path towards fiction and romance particularly during the Second World War. After retirement, I became a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme. I also joined the local Cariad Chapter and members were kind enough to beta read my manuscript. I have written several books that have yet to be published.

More about The Search for Happiness:

It’s December 1938 when Beth Daly rejects a sexual attack at a dance by the man her mother wants her to marry. Little does she know that as a result he will take his revenge in the bank in Conwy North Wales where they both work. Beth has no choice but to leave the bank to become a part of the Women’s Land Army

She has loved her brother’s friend Simon Rees, since childhood. As the years pass this love has developed into something more, loving him even more. She has to hide this love from her mother who insists that she have nothing to do with Simon. Her mother vows that Beth will marry the man she has chosen for her daughter.
With the Second World War erupting in 1939, Simon enlists in the RAF and asks her to be his wife. He must wait until she turns twenty one in December and does not need her mother’s permission.
Feeling safe on the farm she does not realise that there is someone watching her.
When at a Christmas dance with the Land Army, Beth is attacked and abducted away from the village hall.
Will Simon rescue her in time and will she have to choose between Simon and her mother?

You can purchase The Search for Happiness at:

Buy now for £1.99

I look forward to reading Pat’s debut novel to discover if Beth finds the happiness she is searching for.