As a personal historian, I work with clients to preserve their stories, values and voice. I specialize in helping clients to craft an ethical will/legacy letter or to record and capture their life stories. Through in-depth interviewing and polished narrative writing, I create the content for distinctive, professionally designed, heirloom-quality books that can be passed on to future generations.

Ethical Will/Legacy Letter

Writing an ethical will/legacy letter enables you to define and pass on your personal values, beliefs and life lessons as well as to share your feelings and communicate important information to your loved ones.

Although legacy letters can take many different forms, there are common themes that appear within them. These themes can include:

Not all legacy letters touch on all these themes, and some themes may be covered in more depth than others. The content and length of your letter will be based in part on your intended audience and when and why you plan to share the document with them.

Life Stories

By documenting your life stories you can ensure that future generations will have a record of what your life was like, thereby preserving your legacy. I can work with you to create a complete personal history or to highlight particularly meaningful memories and experiences.

The Process

During a digitally recorded interview, I ask questions designed to draw out your best stories, thoughts and ideas. Interview sessions last up to two hours, and we schedule as few or as many sessions as needed to create the content for your book. Later sessions include photo and image selection and review of the book design and layout.

Interview sessions are transcribed, and then a draft manuscript is created. It is returned to you for feedback and then edited as needed to create a final document written in your own voice.

Presentation Options

For an ethical will, depending on its length, you have the choice of creating a book or having your letter professionally designed, printed on archival-quality paper and presented in an elegant keepsake album. Life stories are presented as a beautifully designed, heirloom-quality book.

For all book projects, you have input on design elements such as colors and cover material.

Archival-quality CDs of the taped interviews are also available and are presented in an attractive, personalized package.