What did you get in trouble for as a kid?
Ask a parent or grandparent. Press record. Let them talk.
Their story. Your family’s book.
The Life Story is one service, one price. We interview your parent or grandparent and turn their memories into a printed family book, in their own words.
- Four recorded interviews. Relaxed conversations about the stories they actually tell.
- A hardcover book, five copies. Written in their voice, with every documented fact cited.
- Their voice, kept. A private family website with the recordings and transcripts, so grandkids can hear them, not just read them.
- Three family stories checked. The ones you’ve always wondered about, looked up in real records. We tell you what we found and what we couldn’t.
- A family tree. Three generations, with every person marked by how sure we are.
How it works
Story Call
Free, 15 minutes. Who you want to capture, which stories matter most, and what you already have.
Plan
We agree on the people, the stories to check, and real dates, in writing.
Interviews
Four recorded conversations. We do the research between them.
Your book
You review the draft. Then the printed book, the family site, and every recording.
Why I started
I’m Sean Ivins. I studied history, and I started this with my own parents: a recorder, a lot of questions, and the old records to check the details.
Some of our family legends held up. Some needed a correction, and the story says which. Now I do the same for other families.
Sean
Questions people ask
Who is this for?
Usually a grown son or daughter who wants a parent’s or grandparent’s stories kept. Sometimes it’s the storyteller themselves.
How long does it take?
We set real dates together in writing before we start, based on your family’s schedule.
Can I give it as a gift?
Yes. The first payment holds a start date, and we send a printed certificate you can give.
Who sees the book and recordings?
Only your family. Living relatives stay private unless they agree otherwise, and you decide who gets access to the family site.
Not ready to commit?
Start with the free guide. Twenty questions, three tips, and a phone is enough to get the first story down tonight.