A carer from St Albans has published her first book inspired by her house being flooded.

'Butterflies and Baked Beans' is a fictional story based on Suzi Clark's own life experiences.

Suzi has lived and worked in St Albans for 13 years. She gave up a high-powered job at a local charity to look after her father.

The 67-year-old describes her adventures as "funny and poignant as she adapts to being a carer, having a lodger, and finding out that being sixty-something is not the end of the world after all".

She said her book is about "floods, hurricanes and a dad who won't come out from under the bed". Adding: "It raises issues about being at retirement age but unable to afford to retire. It's a book for anyone who wonders how they are going to cope with the fast pace of technological change that leaves not just individuals but entire generations behind."

Suzi hopes that others will be inspired to write and publish the book they always dreamed of writing.

She said: "I hope that my books will entertain as well as being thought-provoking. Like Robert Frost, I aim to begin in delight and end in wisdom."

The cover is illustrated by local cartoonist and animator Phil Littler. Suzi said: "I described the main character, Sookie, in Butterflies and Baked Beans to Phil and he came back with a cover drawing who looked like Les Dawson in drag! I said to him he needed to make her look a lot sexier because she has lots of adventures with men she has met on the internet!"

She has already started on the sequel, Honeybees and Heartburn, at the urging of her partner, who died of oesophageal cancer in July this year while she was writing the final chapter of Butterflies and Baked Beans.

"Sadly, I lost my dear partner, Jani, in July. It has made me more determined to publish my second book, which I've just started writing.

"It's going to broach the sensitive subject of oesophageal or heartburn cancer, but in a humorous way (if that's possible).

"It's the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the UK, affecting mainly white males in mid-life.

"But to make that possible, I need the first book to attract a hefty audience."

'Butterflies and Baked Beans' is out on November 30 and available through Amazon.