Jo-Anne Berthelsen

Author Bio:

Jo-Anne Berthelsen grew up in Brisbane, Australia, and holds an Arts degree from the University of Queensland. She later studied Education and Theology and has worked as a teacher and editor, as well as in local church ministry. She is the author of six published novels - ‘Heléna’, ‘All the Days of My Life’,‘Laura’,'Jenna','Heléna's Legacy' and 'The Inheritance' and also a memoir, 'Soul Friend: The story of a shared spiritual journey'. Jo-Anne enjoys speaking to church and community groups, music and reading. She and her husband live in Sydney and have three grown-up children and four grandchildren.

Down by the Water

In 1909, Meg Porter heads to Brisbane to study art, but a family tragedy changes everything. Heartbroken, she decides to give up her art classes and accept a marriage proposal. After a miscarriage, Meg embarks on a journey of dealing with the past and of receiving God’s love and grace. Yet she struggles…

The Inheritance

He struggles with bitterness and betrayal. She wants to follow God's way. To be together seems impossible. Michael Trevelyan is determined to claim his inheritance at all costs. Bitterness consumes him and he refuses to forgive those who have betrayed him. Yet, when he meets Alexandra Hope, things begin…

Heléna’s Legacy

Doctor Susan Curtis faces the birth of her first child alone, bitter at being rejected by her fiancé and family. She begins her own reluctant journey towards God, but it is not until she comes to know Heléna Hajek and to trust her that she is able even to consider forgiving those who let her down.…

Jenna

Jenna Ramsey believes God is calling her to fulltime ministry training, so steps out in faith, determined to overcome her self-doubt and to grow in her gifts of leadership, teaching and encouragement. But some disapprove – are theological studies and ministry truly something women should undertake?…

Laura

Can you imagine growing up totally blind, yet longing to attend a normal school and be treated the same as anyone else? Despite encountering rejection, discouragement and injustice, Laura Harding is determined to prove that those with perceived disabilities can achieve whatever they want to in life.…

All the Days of My Life

Heléna arrives in Australia after a long sea voyage, and is sent to a migrant camp at Bathurst, where she is told there is no chance of pursuing her music career in her new country. She begins work in a factory in Brisbane, but eventually moves to Sydney, where new friends help her to pursue her dreams.…

Helena

Twenty-year-old Czech music student, Heléna, meets and marries Stefan only months before the outbreak of World War Two, while preparing for a career as a concert pianist. Stefan is heavily involved in the underground movement in their homeland, as is Heléna’s father. In the ensuing years, Heléna’s…