Article in the Bucks County Herald [May 28, 2015, p. D3 (35)]

H.R. Jakes signed copies of his book, The Curious Autobiography of Elaine Jakes, a fictionalized account of the life of Elaine Jakes, his mom, a local school teacher, on May 25 and, in New Hope.

He was at Farley’s Bookshop and at the Inn at Phillips Mill, where he gave a reading.

In his book, H.R. Jakes tells sometimes-embellished stories from his mother’s life. Elaine Jakes was a real schoolteacher searching for her way home, a journey that required effort, creativity and faith.

“She was more than a teacher, more than a wife, more than a mother,” H.R. Jakes said. “And luckily, she had an amazing sense of humor.”

Elaine Jakes lived in New Hope and in the 1970s and 1980s set out to discover her Welsh heritage, herself and her God.

“My mother’s heritage, her Welshness, symbolizes something greater than itself, in this case the Church,” H.R. Jakes said. “She finds not only her way home, but also the redemptive nature of God.”

The stories H.R. Jakes shares from his mother’s life inclue quite a few “curious elements.”

For information, visit Curiousautobiography online. The book is available in softcover, hardcover and e-book.

H.R. Jakes plans several more installments in the series.

He lives in Texas with his wife Diana; they have seven children and one grandchild.