Or perhaps you are a child or grandchild trying to encourage your parents or grandparents to get their personal life story written down, and it is just not happening.
Maybe there is a special occasion coming up in the next year for you or a member of your family, such as an engagement, a graduation, an anniversary, or reunion and you would like to do something special to commemorate the occasion.
The Memory Catchers would like to help you get those completely one-of-a-kind life stories and special occasions into memories you and your family and friends can cherish for more than a lifetime.
Life Stories or Mini-Biographies
With five hours of taped interview and several pictures, we can put together a book of around 50 pages (approximately 10,000 words). The interview time can be divided into two or three blocks of time, or five one-hour visits. During that time we hope you would share with us your reflections, regrets, hopes, observations, and hard-earned wisdom you have accumulated along with your life story.
Following our visits, we'll transcribe your stories, organize them in chronological order, insert pictures, edit, and then show them to you to make sure you approve. Next, we'll have them bound for you into a book. You can choose a title, perhaps a cover photo, and paperback, spiral, or hardbound binding for the cover of the book.
Biographies
Maybe you want to do a full-sized biography. Any Given Day: The Life and Times of Jessie Foveaux, for example, has 287 pages, and about 85,000 words.
Most biographies seem to record the lives of men, but women, too, have stories to tell. Like a writer to the Dear Abby column said lately, "Women's lives are reported far too often through the eyes of the men around them."
Now, man or woman, you can have it your way. Tell your own story.
Special Occasion Books
These books are smaller spiral-bound books with a clear-matte finish cover. They tend to be mostly pictures (20 - 40) and have a definite theme. They are a $350.00 to $500.00 value. We can do some restoration to your photos if needed.
This spiral-bound book is printed on acid-free paper and focuses on chronicling the lives of the bride and groom from babyhood to engagement. This "mini-biography in pictures" follows the important moments in the couple's lives before they met and during their courtship up until the wedding. You supply 10 or more pictures of each and some captions or short stories. We will put the pictures on facing pages throughout the book and add the captions. A family genealogy page can be included if desired. See our sample.
Very similar to an engagement book, this chronicles the married life of the couple from engagement and marriage, to children, jobs, and other highlights of their life together. It is tailored to fit the couple and can be a creative expression of their marriage.
Graduations are special. They mark a milestone in the life of the graduate and his or her family. A book to recognize his or her life and achievements is a special gift for a lifetime. You supply the pictures, captions, and stories. We supply a spiral-bound memory book, originally yours.
Call or email us when you are ready to begin, so we can give you a free consultation and pre-interview. Then we can provide you with a quote of estimated costs. Don't wait until it is too late to leave your legacy of memories.
Our little book 365 Tantalizing Story Starters, has questions that will get you thinking about stories you might want to include.
