In this conversation at LifeBook Memoirs’ headquarters, ghostwriter Kelly talks openly about how she found her way into this work and why it has come to mean so much to her. A former English teacher, Kelly came across LifeBook Memoirs and immediately understood its value as a way to help families preserve the kind of stories she wished she’d captured from her own grandparents.
Three years and more than a dozen LifeBooks later, Kelly reflects on what she’s learned – not just about writing but about life itself. She shares how clients in their eighties and nineties have taught her to seize opportunities, prioritise relationships and live with intention. She talks about the moments that have moved her to laughter and tears and explains how impossible it is not to become personally attached to the people who entrust you with the responsibility of telling their life stories on the page.
Kelly also explains the collaborative process behind each LifeBook: how interviewers, ghostwriters, editors and authors work together to fill in gaps, add detail and shape a manuscript into something that future generations will treasure.
