You want your parents’ stories preserved for generations.
I’m here to make sure you’re left with no questions unasked.
Have one of your parents’ ever made a casual reference to something uniquely interesting about your family’s heritage but never gone into detail?
Maybe it wasn’t the right time for them to talk about it, or perhaps they brushed it off by saying something like, “Your grandpa’s really the one to ask”. Whatever the reason, you were offered a tidbit-sized glance into your family’s life when what you really wanted was the double-double and the entire box of doughnuts (Sorry - Canadian here, through and through).
You might imagine that one day you’ll be able to have a good sit down with grandpa, or grandma, or whoever the storykeeper of the family is in order to learn “what really went down” back then, but somehow that perfect time to ask all your questions never seems to emerge. Not to mention, even if the “perfect time” did emerge, you wouldn’t know what to ask or how to capture and preserve those stories to last for generations.
The reality is that the longer you wait, the less likely your loved ones’ stories will stand the test of time. Your time with your family members is limited, especially if they’ve got a “grand” in front of their family title. So, what can you do about it?
Let me help.
I know which questions to ask, how to ask them, and how to preserve the answers in a readable and entertaining keepsake book.
After your loved ones’ important stories are preserved forever in your keepsake book, you’ll feel…
Relief that you didn’t leave any of your burning questions unasked before it was “too late” (No judgment if your burning questions all have to do with your Great Aunt Sherry’s famous casserole)
Joy at the new details you discovered regarding your family history (Wait, Nana produced and starred in her own soap opera??!!!)
Satisfaction that you know more about everything you’ve always been curious about (So that’s why Opa swore he’d never wear shorts again…)
Peace of mind that these stories won’t be lost, and can be passed down to your children, and children’s children, and so on (As it turns out, your family’s always been a bit weird)
Are you ready to hold your loved one’s story in your hand? Here’s how it happens.
Your book. Your stories.
First, we uncover what makes your loved one so dang special.
We start with a questionnaire where you can lay out exactly what makes grandma (or grandpa or dad or mom or fill-in-the-blank) so amazing. You’ll dish on whichever stories you absolutely want to hear more about but can’t quite figure out how to ask or preserve.
Next, your loved one gets the star Oprah Winfrey interviewee treatment.
They’ll sit cozy with a cup of coffee (or maybe a bottle of gin - no judgement!) and recount all the most interesting bits of their life to an active and excited listener.
a.k.a. me, your personal storyteller
Finally, you get a keepsake book with your loved ones’ epic stories preserved forever.
When the kids ask what grandpa or grandma really did back in the day, you’ll be able to pull out an exact copy of their story. (If only you had something this concrete when your spouse misremembers who was supposed to take care of the dishes.)
Mike S.
“I learned that my father-in-law has nearly died four separate times! Those are experiences no one else can speak to. My daughter is too young to appreciate those stories from her Opa now, so I’m glad that she will still have his voice and words to learn from when she’s older.”
I’m currently offering one way we can work together…
THE “DONE FOR YOU” KEEPSAKE BOOK
Imagine this: All the important stories of your chosen loved one preserved forever
THE PACKAGE INCLUDES:
A personal questionnaire (a.k.a. all the essential life questions) to help us make sure all the important stories you want recorded forever about your loved one aren’t missed
Six two-hour interview sessions with your loved one – the foundation for your keepsake book
A top-to-bottom first draft of your book, along with a section-by-section walkthrough so you understand how your personal narrative was constructed and why
Incorporation of up to 10 personal photos within your book for added illumination of all those special moments or particular life stages
Two rounds of revisions, giving you the chance to follow up with feedback to make sure all the details are correct
Your final keepsake book in digital form – perfect for emailing to all the relatives or printing as many beautiful coffee table books as you would like at your local print shop
Your printed keepsake book in a beautiful, coffee-table book
All audio recordings of my interviews with your loved one
All video recordings of my interviews with your loved one (if Zoom is chosen as the interview medium)
(And email access to me throughout the process for your ideas and my questions.)
I’m Victoria Veldhoen, and I created Questions Unasked to help as many people as possible get their loved ones’ stories preserved while they’re still around to ask.
I’m an author published in the Pitkin Review, The Gauntlet, and xoJane. I spent two years completing an MFA in Creative Nonfiction, which was hyper-focused on how to take real-world stories and turn them into compelling narratives. I’ve also taught and helped dozens of students how to write about their own lives, and which details they should include that future generations will want to know more about. My time working with grief-stricken young women has also intensified my understanding of what people regret not knowing about after their loved ones have passed away.
Keepsake Book FAQ
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You’ll receive a welcome email detailing the timeline and process for your project, as well as a link to my personal calendar where you’ll schedule your first call.
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Obviously if your loved one has strong objections to the entire process, we cannot move forward with the project. However, if the issue is simply that your loved one is nervous or anxious, I’d recommend you talk to them about how important it is to you that their stories aren’t forgotten, and how what they know would be an amazing keepsake to pass down to their children, grandchildren, and family. This is usually enough to ease any nerves anyone might have about talking about their life to a stranger.
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Interviews will be carried out over the phone, or on Zoom.
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We can break up the usual three 75 minute interviews into smaller sessions, depending on what would be easiest for your loved one.
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In this case, I would probably recommend that the book be done with other family members who talk about your loved one, rather than your loved one directly.
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Yes, absolutely! I would ask though that unless you’re acting as an aid to your loved one that you be a silent (but excited!) bystander and let me lead the interview.
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I do not currently offer in-person interviews.
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Yes, I can do a memorial book. However, since these tend to involve more than one interviewee, we’ll need to discuss what you require and I’ll develop a custom package for you.
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Yes, absolutely! This is a service to immortalize whoever’s stories you want to immortalize.
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Yes, absolutely! If you’re looking to make sure your important stories are passed down to your children and grandchildren, this is your service.
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Most books take between 3-6 months to complete.
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Although the audience of my legacy books is intended to be the recipient’s family and not the general public, you own the rights to your book. The choice to publish the content for a wider audience is completely up to you.
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I know that sometimes things happen, and the first missed interview will be rescheduled at no additional cost. However, in order to respect both your time and mine, a $100 fee will be charged if a second interview is missed.
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Generally speaking, people’s lives are so rich with detail on an individual basis that I don’t recommend writing more than one life story within a single book. That said, if two people’s lives are significantly entwined (eg. married couples) AND you think both subjects are going to focus on the same area of life (eg. their travels), let me know and I may be able to make it work.
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Unfortunately, I am currently unable to offer refunds. When you buy one of my packages, you are reserving a spot that would otherwise go to another person. However, if you or your loved one has gotten busy and you need to reschedule the time for your interviews or book to be written, that is absolutely possible.
Ready to get started?
I can’t wait to hear from you. Take the first step towards creating your keepsake book by submitting the form below.