Just Me

Book excerpt: Joan started writing in 1973 at a time when she was desperate, alone and faced with life-changing decisions. She started scribbling down her feelings on scraps of paper, and never stopped writing for the next 40 years. Her scribbling turned into her autobiography. An ordinary woman from London's East end, Joan lived an extraordinary life, becoming the youngest Mayoress ever. The first person to set up a computer dating service, she became a successful business-woman and a psychic counsellor, all whilst battling with the then-unknown problem of dyslexia. "I wrote my life-story from my gut, not my brain. I've never read a book in my life, and go to pieces when I have to write a letter." Joan did not have an easy life, but after painful loss and much sorrow and illness, she finds peace and fulfilment in dance. An inspiring life told with humour and a forgiving spirit.