Patricia Harrelson

My dear friend, Agatha Hoff, recently published her book Burning Horses, the story of her mother’s life during WWII in Hungary. Aggie wrote the story from her mother’s point of view, based on the stories her mother had told her over the years. It’s a compelling story, full of despair and triumph, one that not only records a significant part of Aggie’s personal history but also offers others a view of a small, less well known segment of WWII history.

In a similar vein my book Between Two Women contains Carol Cracknell’s story of young woman growing up as lesbian in the 1940s and 1950s in San Francisco. When I met Carol, she was attempting to record her stories on audiotape. Friends had encouraged her to make these recordings, emphasizing their fascination. When I stepped up and offered to interview Carol, collect the stories on audiotape, and transcribe them, she was delighted and relieved. She found it much easier to tell her story to another human being than to record them alone in a room into a tape recorder.

I know there many amazing stories out there, and I’d like to help people collect those stories for posterity. I’m now offering a service to folks who want to preserve their stories. Here is the deal:

• I will record a series of interviews with you in a location of your choosing.
• You can tell me the stories you want recorded and/or I can ask you questions to help you get to the heart of your story.
• Each recording session will be 2 hours for a total of 6 hours.
• I will transcribe the taped interviews and edit them to ensure a smooth narrative flow (e.g. remove the ums and ahs).
• I will give you a printed draft to review for corrections and changes.
• After making your changes, I will provide a final, laser-printed copy of your manuscript, along with a CD of your original interview.
• Longer interviews and/or bound books are possible if you like for additional cost. Or I can assist you in getting the manuscript printed.

If you are interested in preserving your story, leave a comment with your contact info and I’ll get in touch.

(This service is available to clients within a 100 mile radius of Jamestown, CA.)