A FORMER Machynlleth and Llanidloes curate has launched her latest book.

Rev Naomi Starkey launched The Recovery of Joy: finding the path from rootlessness to returning home as a follow-up to her earlier books, The Recovery of Love (2012) and The Recovery of Hope (2015).

The Recovery of Joy takes the reader on a journey through five chapters.

Each chapter has a story element as well as a reflection on a Psalm.

Each chapter takes the imaginary character - an anonymous wanderer on a journey - to an new island, where they have the opportunity to realise things about their life and grow through them.

“I wanted to tell this story with occasional flashes of humour, finding a ‘voice’ that wasn’t too solemn as I feel that sometimes ‘spiritual writing’ can end up sounding a bit pretentious, a bit po-faced… and there’s no reason why that has to be the case!” Rev Starkey explained.

The book was partly written on Bardsey Island where the 52-year-old stayed for a week as a chaplain, and where she wrote with pen and paper, rather than using a computer.

Explaining the idea behind the book, Rev Starkey said: “In our lives we can end up carrying quite a load - an emotional burden - that needs sorting out. This happens, in part, through forgiveness.

"Not just forgiving others for what they’ve done to us but forgiving ourselves for what we’ve done to others. And as I thought about this, I began to see the importance of recognising the burden we are carrying around with us, acknowledging it and then finding a way of setting the burdens down. And leaving them put down!

"I’m looking forward very much to hearing what readers make of this book and whether they like it or not!”

The Bishop of Bangor Andy John, helped proofread the book.

He said: “It was a privilege for me to be one of Naomi’s proofreaders for this excellent book. As Christians we are called to be people who radiate God’s joy, yet very often we may not feel particularly joyful at times in our own lives. Naomi’s story and reflections on the Psalms map a journey which shows how joy can be recovered and restored in our lives, even when we’re starting from rock bottom. I commend this book and hope that many people will draw strength from it.”

As well as writing, Rev Starkey is a full-time ordained minister in the Church in Wales, but prior to her ordination, she was a commissioning editor for the Bible Reading Fellowship. With her work in the church and her writing she has managed to combine the two.

Read the rest of the feature in this week’s south editions, in shops and online now