BEST selling author Joanne Harris will be in Blackburn next week to talk about her latest novel.

Peaches for Monsieur le Cure is a third chapter in the Chocolat story and one which addresses contemporary immigration issues.

Joanne believes the parallels within East Lancashire will make for a lively discussion at Blackburn Cathedral, where she will be in conversation with the Dean, the Rt Rev Christopher Armstrong, and Anjum Anwar, dialogue development officer.

Not that she deliberately set out to confront the topic — it’s something that other people and readers have seen on her pages.

Said Joanne: “As a writer I don’t set out to bring issues to the fore. I am not interested in issues. I am interested in people and their personalities and how they intertwine to create a story for the readers to enjoy. Some writers do want to lecture, others want to tell a story and develop their characters in a particular setting.

She added: “Everyone reads a book in a different way and each reader puts their own interpretations on the story and characters before them.

“It does happen that someone sees their own particular message or perspective in one of my novels that has not occurred to me and I think that is wonderful, them having a different standpoint and opinion.”

Peaches for Monsieur le Cure, now out in paperback, is a return to the characters and setting Joanne made famous in Chocolat, a modern folk tale weaved around food and set in France.

It reached number one in the Sunday Times bestseller list and was developed into a successful film, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.

It brought Joanne worldwide recognition and last year she became one of only four female members of the Millionnaires' Club, the elite group of authors who have achieved a million sales of one book here in the UK.

After writing a second book, The Lollipop Shoes, Joanne realised that she wasn’t finished with Vianne, just as the character was not finished with her and thus she was inspired, when new ideas came, to sit down and write Peaches for Monsieur le Cure.

It tells how Vianne Rocher and her two daughters return to Lansquenet where, eight years before she opened up a chocolate shop.

Now it is now owned by an incomer, Ines Bencharki, whose face is hidden by a niqab, while on the riverbank, opposite the church, a minaret has now been built.

Joanne is not convinced, however, that Vianne has entirely finished with her, even now.

“I’m connected to all my characters, but somehow Vianne Rocher is the one who keeps dropping in unexpectedly, embroiling me in her affairs and demanding my time and attention.

“We know a lot more about her now after three books.

“We have followed her through a lot of trials and I don’t think it will end here.

“I don’t think the story has finished, but I will wait until it finds me again, though it may not be for a while.”

Anjum has a last word: “In this latest novel, Joanne Harris highlights issues that we in Blackburn understand and have often talked of.

“She talks about the impact of the immigrant community on the small village in her novel, the changing face of the skyline, and myths about the ‘other.’ “These are all the subjects of the conversations that we in the cathedral have been having for the past six years and we are delighted that Joanne will be joining us to talk about her book.”

She added: “Joanne Harris is a formidable lady and she is quoted as saying that in Chocolat it is love, and not faith, which ultimately holds the key to salvation.

“I believe faith driven by love, for all, is the key to salvation, and I look forward to speaking to Joanne about it next Wednesday.”

  • Hear Joanne Harris in conversation on Wednesday, May 1, at Blackburn Cathedral, 6.30pm. Doors open at 6pm.