Retired social worker releases debut epilepsy novel
Author John Alex Taylor has published his first book in a three-part series that draws heavily on his own battle with epilepsy.
Titled Apples in the Dark, Taylor’s book is set in Cardiff and features three main leads who are known as Alice, her mother Beth and their unexpected friend Rachael. Although their team-up seems unlikely they quickly unite as a result of their struggles with epilepsy. Throughout the novel we experience characters grappling with societal norms, the crux of which is friendship and mutual support.
Image: Front cover of Taylor’s book.
First published on 28th June 2024, Apples in the Dark is the first book in a proposed series that aims to shift focus from disabilities to abilities and arguably there was no-one better suited to writing the story.
As well as having experience within the health and care sector, Taylor has also been diagnosed with epilepsy and a lot of the tale draws on his own experiences.
‘I developed epilepsy when I was 12 or 13 and it wasn’t fully controlled until my late twenties,’ Taylor explained. ‘Both the condition itself and the effects of my medication constrained my life when my peers were taking flight. I’ve seen no novels which portray the impact on a person’s social confidence of having epilepsy. Although the characters are fictional, the experience is mine, when younger, and so it is truly ‘own voice’ fiction about a hidden disability.’
On the subject of previously working in social care, Taylor added that his storytelling abilities in this role sparked his passion for writing in his fifties.
Taylor said: ‘Apples in the Dark has a sequel where Emmy, who has a learning disability becomes the central character…This story emphasises her humanity and unique skills, not her disability, her voice is authentic, and she is drawn from over 30 years of professional experience.’
Although Taylor has announced he will be writing three books which all draw upon his own personal experiences with social care, he has also remarked he will continue to raise awareness for the conditions that don’t often make it into literature, one character at a time.
Images: John Alex Taylor
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