Holiday Special

Christmas Gift Certificates now Available!

The holidays are right around the corner. If you are looking for a special gift this year, purchase a life storytelling gift certificate for your loved one.

Contact Maureen to create a personalized gift certificate ready to be wrapped and placed under the tree.

Mention the promo code CHRISTMAS STORY for a $50 discount. Gift certificates are available for purchase through December 23rd or when capacity is reached. Reach out today to give the gift of memories this holiday season!

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Life Storyteller Maureen Klues captures the moments of your life, or the life of a loved one, to create a keepsake to be treasured for generations.

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Highlights & Happenstance

October Newsletter

What's new? My newsletter! Keep up to date with all things storytelling with my monthly newsletter, Highlights & Happenstance.

Click below to read the October edition.

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Chuck has a way with words as he shares his experience in creating his life storybook with his grandchildren in mind. Thank you to Chuck for sharing his story to inspire others to do the same. 💙

If you are interested in telling your life story or gifting it to a loved one this holiday season, reach out today to get started.

Come see me at the Folklife Festival at @thequincymuseum until 5pm today!

🎄Would you like to capture the life story of someone you love? Consider gifting life storytelling this Christmas. There are two options:

1) Get the process going now so you can gift your loved one their completed book on Christmas.🎁 This is a great way to go as everyone will be together and can enjoy reading the book over the holidays.

2) Present a life storytelling gift certificate as the Christmas gift. This is an equally good option as it will create family conversations, memories will be revisited and old family albums will be dusted off. This also gives the person a fun winter activity once the excitement of the holiday season has ended.

To have the book completed by Christmas, please reach out by OCTOBER 20. If purchasing a gift certificate, contact me by December 23 (preferably sooner!). 🎄

Life storytelling is a process that works! I have put the steps in place to walk you through the process step-by-step. Your main job? Show up for the interview ready to share your memories in a relaxed conversation and send me photos to include. And then, like magic, a designed storybook draft appears in your email inbox to review. ✨

🎄 Interested in gifting life storytelling to a loved one this holiday season? Christmas gift certificate are now available!🎄

What a great event and turnout at @quincylibrary celebrating our right to read. And special shout out to my daughter Madeline, QPL’s marketing guru, who did a great job promoting the event and who also has a birthday today!

Shared in a recent article from @npr and backed by scientific research, yes, revisiting memories is good for your mental health.

Life storytelling DOES show you the meaning in your life and gives you hope for your future. It’s just good stuff all the way around. 😁

Rocky and Rhonda Murry were gifted life storytelling to tell their story and the history of The Quincy Neighborhood Federation, which has been impacting Quincy kids for over seven generations (yes, seven!).

Rocky and Rhonda are not ones to seek the spotlight or recognition, instead they have quietly and consistently worked to make a difference in the neighborhood they both grew up in.

It is hard for me to express the magnitude of their impact in a social media post. It is best told in their story, in their words. If you know them, maybe they will share it with you. 💙

I learned so much about the history of the coal mining communities telling the life story of Billy. This book tells the story of Billy’s life as well as a rich family history dating back to the Civil War. Billy’s grandfather remembered Grant’s Army crossing the Ohio River.

Billy said about his grandfather, “Someone that I know personally was born in 1860. He was 80 years old when I was born. Now I am 85, that is 165 years.”

Pictured: Mike Happel & Stephen Gramke celebrating 70 years of Happel Realtors.

This book was gifted to Mike and tells the story of his life, how his father, Gus, started the business and everything that led to where the business is today with Stephen at the helm. What a story! ❤️

I’m excited to announce MEMORY TO MEMOIR will be available this fall! 🍁

This book is for anyone that wants to create meaningful connection with a loved one, learn more about their life, and capture their memories. It’s a step-by-step guide that walks you through the process of life storytelling.

My hope is that this book motivates you to strengthen relationships with those you love, discover new things about them, and ultimately, yourself.

Am I still providing life storytelling services? Yes. This book is a great companion to my services, but also allows me to reach more people than I could ever serve in my little one woman band operation.

✨ I say this all the time, but life storytelling is magical. It just is. If I can bottle that magic and share it, this is the book’s purpose in a nutshell. ✨

Stay tuned: magic making in process!

Book Cover Design: Thank you to Jenny Willingham with Infiniti for creating a beautiful book cover that sets a high bar for the content of the book to match. Challenge accepted!

#lifestorytelling #memorytomemoir #yourstory #familyhistory

Still looking for a unique and memorable Father’s Day gift?

Life storytelling gift certificates are available for purchase through this Saturday at noon. Perfect for a group gift or something just from you. Reach out to Maureen for more information.

1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣ 4️⃣🎉 FOUR years of life storytelling! How can it be??

Every 12 months when I hit another year it is that feeling of reaching the top of the mountain and looking down at how far you climbed. You might be sweating and your legs and lungs are burning, but you did it.

These big moments are what keep me going. Every story seems daunting at first and I sometimes wonder if I can get it done and produce a product that makes the client proud to present their book to their family and friends. And most importantly, gives them a sense of acccomplishment. Somehow, they have all worked out.

To date, I have now reached 7️⃣5️⃣ stories told! What’s exciting to me about this, is knowing that these stories will impact 1000’s of lives for years to come.

When you add in all the extra copies printed for family and friends and the electronic copies circulating - that feels like an amazing impact.

🥂Here’s to year five and all the stories that have yet to be told. Maybe I’ll tell YOUR story this year!

Celebrate the mom in your life this Mother’s Day by gifting her a life storytelling gift certificate. Give her the gift of telling and sharing the story of her life. It’s the best gift you can give her - and the entire family. 🎁

Congratulations to Heather and Josh!

It is always fun to put together something for a friend. I tried something new for Heather’s wedding and made little tiny mini accordion style books for her reception and as a keepsake.

I think they are fun for events or as just a little surprise for someone you love. ❤️

Thank you Heather for trying it out!

The storytelling process is a journey for the entire family and just as much a gift as the finished product. That being said, I don’t think I share often enough how special and unique the printed books truly are. Here are some pictures I snapped after a recent book delivery. 📚 📸

Printing high quality coffee table style books in low quantities is not an easy task. Luckily, I located a vendor partner four years ago that has not let me down yet and has printed hundreds of books for me.

Life stories are a beautiful treasure of memories and should look just as beautiful when you present these memories to family and friends. 💝

Another book delivery day! 📕 June loved her book. When she looked at the cover she said, “It is like this was yesterday.” ♥️

There is nothing better than a surprise delivery of the finished life storybook. Don has lived an amazing life full of adventures and we worked so hard to get every detail just right. After multiple drafts we reached the finish line and sent it off to the printer.

I delivered the books earlier today to Don’s wife Ann while he was out. Ann captured this photo when she gave it to Don and he saw his printed book for the first time. Magical!

The photo I posted yesterday features Chuck Scholz, with his mother at church, in the 1950’s. This image was captured and published in the Herald-Whig.

This photo is just one of the gems highlighting and complimenting the life story of Chuck Scholz. Chuck documented his life as a keepsake for his grandchildren. 💙

*these photos are shared with Chuck’s permission

📸 For those who grew up/live in the Quincy area, any guesses who is featured in this beautifully captured Herald-Whig photo from the 1950’s?

I’ll reveal the answer tomorrow night and share the cover of the life storytelling book this photo is featured in.

*this photo was shared with permission of the person featured.

This is the one question I always like to ask when telling a love story, “What did you like about them when you first started dating?”

Many times the answer has been, “Everything.”

It hits my heart every time because it is said without hesitation, no thought needed, it is just the answer from their heart. 💕

#lovestory #valentinesday #lifestorytelling

✈️ Life storytelling was gifted to Aaron by his granddaughter a few months after his wife passed away. This gave him the opportunity to reflect on his life: his relationship with his parents, his childhood, years in the military, career, parenthood, meeting and marrying his wife, and the big picture of his life.

✈️ The book was completed and gifted to Aaron by Christmas.

✈️ Sometimes life storytelling is gifted right when someone really needs it, even if they don’t know they do.

If you could go back to the start of your life and do it all again, would you?

New blog post: memoirsbymaureen.com/post/back-to-the-start

Here is a visual preview of my new blog post entitled, Back to the Start, asking, “If you go back to the start of your life and do it all again, would you? (share your answer in the poll)

As we start a new year, taking some time to contemplate our past can give us the clarity we need to enjoy our present and future.

Are you ready to take the journey back in 2025?

📖 Read more at memoirsbymaureen.com/blog 📖

Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Life storytelling gift certificates are available until noon on Christmas Eve.

What better gift is there than our memories? 🎁

Favorite scene from my favorite Christmas movie. ❤️ Memories are the best gifts. #thefamilystone

Give the gift of life storytelling this Christmas! It will be one of the most special gifts under your tree.🎄 Gift certificates are available. 🎁

I am sharing this story as a tribute to Jim Hobbins, who passed away in early December. The amazing story of The Virgine Project is also the story of Jim and Sue Hobbins.

Here are a few highlights from Jim’s story. **Read the full story by clicking on the link in IG story.

If you could go back to any age, what age would it be? And would you go back?

In a recent interview to tell the story of a woman who is 94, I felt like her answer to this question was what we should all hope to feel someday.

It wasn’t a question she had to think on very long and it wasn’t a question as to if she would go back or not. It was a simple answer- all of them.

She would go back to every age- all of it. Knowing everything she knows as she nears a century- she would do it all again.

That gives me hope and I hope it does for you too. If I am lucky enough to live a long life I hope to have the ability to look back at my life and to say with confidence that I would do it all again and I wouldn’t change a thing.

What about you, would you do it all again?

#lifestory #yourstory #preservinghistory #noregrets

Life storytelling has a special feeling- from reliving long forgotten memories, to sorting through photo albums with your family, to reading YOUR story for the first time.

A physical book is the end product, but it is so much more. You can gift this feeling for Christmas.

Reach out to for more information on a life storytelling gift certificate: message me or visit memoirsbymaureen.com.
#holidaymemories #familyhistory #yourstory #lifestorytelling #lifestory

When you are with family on Thanksgiving and the discussion of what to get mom, or what to get dad, or the person who has everything - consider a group gift of life storytelling.

This is one of the best ways to utilize life storytelling as it is a really thoughtful anf unique gift for the person recieving it, but also a gift for everyone in their life - to be gifted with memories they can treasure and share for generations.

AND what better time would there be to work on this project? Once the holiday hubub has died down and the long winter months begin in January it us a perfect way to kick off the new year.

Reach out to me on Friday to lock in your discount! #holidaymemories #familyhistory #yourstory #blackfriday

Can a life storytelling project take place remotely?

Absolutely!

The only thing done differently is the interview, which is conducted on a video call or by simply picking up the phone for an old fashioned phone call. ☎️

Tonight, I interviewed someone from Denver. And it was just as relaxed and effective as an in person interview.

The majority of my interviews tend to be within an hour radius of my hometown, but that is just word of mouth at work, they don’t have to be.

Life storytelling travels well. Reach out for more details.

Missing the phone can sometimes give me the best testimonials. Here is another voicemail from a client, this time after getting the email with their story draft.

Why is life storytelling such a great gift? 🎁

Everyone is always so surprised how a conversation about their life and a pile of pictures turns into such a wonderful keepsake.

Christmas gift certificates are now available! Send me a message and we can chat about it. 💚 ❤️ 💚

This is part of a voicemail a client left me last year around this time.

It reminds me that there is nothing better than hearing the surprise at how much someone enjoys opening their book and seeing the finished product for the first time.

Life storytelling is a journey and at times it can be difficult to picture the end result, but when we get there..it is magical. ✨

Christmas life storytelling gift certificates are now available. 🎁

Congratulations to @bella_ease for celebrating 10 years! It was amazing to see all of the 12 completed ‘Bella Ease Voices’ books featured on the screen.

At an event for Bella Ease last year at this time, Dick Thompson was a featured guest speaker. He talked about his life and telling his story.

He passed away a few months later. In the last year of his life he was able to step back and take a look at the big picture of his life and then share his life story with family, friends, and church community.

Why? Because Bella Ease made it a priority. To remember. To capture and honor his memories.

Being involved with an organization that is creating such lasting impact, and telling the story of those who have impacted our community over the last 80+ years - I can’t really think of anything better than that.

This is the cover of Jim & Ann’s book, in partnership with @photographyrachelb. Rachel took some new photos of Jim, Ann, and their adorable dog Millie to include in their story.

This was such a fun project. It is always so rewarding to tell two individual stories and then reach that moment in time where those two stories collide and blend into one story.

Some interesting things I learned along the way: There was a time that you could order a monkey from a magazine and it would be delivered in a box with your mail.

Second, the band that played at Jim and Ann’s wedding reception was my father-in-law’s band. I enjoyed telling him how they said the older crowd in attendance thought they were too loud.

Lastly, what is the secret to Jim and Ann’s success? They always put the other person first. It sounds simple, but how often do we forget to do that?

There are so many things we learn from life storytelling. I take away life lessons every time, even though it isn’t my family I am learning about. It is 10X more impactful when you learn about a loved one in your life. I have said a million times, and I will continue to say it, life storytelling is one of the coolest gifts you can give or recieve.

If you have thought about gifting life storytelling to someone you love, I would suggest a gift certificate for the holidays. Why?

No one ever suspects a gift like this. It is unexpected and all of a sudden it starts lots of conversations about family history, funny memories, questions about where that box of old photos went, and the list goes on.

The finished product of a book is just part of the gift. The gift begins the minute you start talking about it. 🎁

As Bella Ease prepares to celebrate their 10 year anniversary, here is a sneak peek at the ELEVENTH Bella Ease Voices story. 🎉 And it won’t be the last. Stay tuned!

🍁 On this first day of fall it is the perfect time to start thinking about gifting life storytelling for the holidays.

About 75% of my life storytelling clients are those that are gifted life storytelling sometime over the holiday season.

It’s a perfect gift to go under the tree because:

1) It is a wonderful surprise. No one ever expects to have a book written about them.

2) It is a gift that keeps on giving through the winter months and into the spring, as the family all works together through the storytelling process.

What better time to go through family photos and edit the story than on a cold winter evening? I find that January - April tends to be when most people have more time to work on it.

3) The finished product of the book will be completed before Mother’s or Father’s Day or anniversaries in the spring, summer, or fall.

🎄 I will be able to gift 10 gift certificates this holiday season. 🎄

If you are interested in gifting life storytelling reach out soon for more information.🎁

PS All of this being said, I do life storytelling year round and whenever I am asked when the best time in LIFE is to do life storytelling my answer always is, “Right now!”

📖 Storytelling can be a magical experience. 💫

Putting a story together is even more special when it is for a friend or family member and I am able to see the words come to life when it is shared with loved ones, as it was this last weekend at DeAnna and Jeff’s wedding.

Life storytelling never has a clear beginning or end because sometimes the story is at the start, often times it is looking back at a long lived life, or it can be right in the middle of it all.

And ALL of these phases of life are equally worthy of being captured on the pages of a book.

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” -Semisonic, Closing Time

🥂 Cheers to the beginning of DeAnna and Jeff’s story together.

Book delivery to the Fross family today!

I have always thought they were such a fun family and after telling Denny & Diana’s story I see how hard they worked to build a family unit that values hard work, family, their faith, and always having an open door to friends and neighbors.

Denny & Diana have an amazing story and I hope their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and beyond, treasure their story for years to come.

My biggest hope is that fifty years from now someone opens a dusty box in an attic and stumbles upon one of these life storybooks and realizes they found a forgotten treasure. That they turn the pages and think, “Wow, that person looks like my mom/dad/sister/brother/ME!”

Or they read some advice or words of wisdom and they realize someone else has given them that very advice or told them a different version of the story they are reading.

Getting the stories into a book is capturing those moments in time we forget; memories our loved ones have long forgotten. These books are a gift for you and your family now, in this moment, but they are also a gift for people in your family that you may never meet, but they will get to know a little about you and where they came from. How cool is that?

Three years ago I did my first “practice” storybook for my wedding. Three years later, here is another love story for a friend that has played a big part in my story.

Congratulations DeAnna and Jeff - your story is just beginning!

*photo credit 📸: Katie Pellman

Earlier this summer I posted about books I planned to read. A few library renewals later I am picking up book number two.

Book number one traveled in the car with me on our family vacation to Pennsylvania, sat by the pool, rested on the bedside table in the cabin, but was not actually read until we returned.

Lazy Saturday mornings seem far and few between lately, but how nice when they make an appearance.

Reading two books over the course of a summer is not stellar, BUT finishing up four life stories - not too shabby.

Where did my life storytelling take me? Holland, Brooklyn, Germany, Colorado, rural Illinois, and home sweet home Quincy.

What are you reading this summer? 📚

When I don’t feel like writing it is usually because I haven’t been reading. A trip to the library is how I reconnect to myself and recommit to making reading a priority.

Why is it important?

Roxanne Gay says it best, “Salvation is certainly
among the reasons I read. Reading and writing have always pulled me out of the darkest experiences in my life. Stories have given me a place in which to lose myself. They have allowed me to remember. They have allowed me to forget. They have allowed me to imagine different endings and better
possible worlds.”

A few years ago I grabbed a box of date night cards as a Christmas stocking stuffer for my husband. Every time we have a date night we take a handful of questions with us to dinner or drinks and then we write the date and location on the back of the card. We are still working our way through.

Sometimes the questions seem silly or written to generate an argument, and other times they create great conversation. It’s literally luck of the draw.

Tonight, we had two questions about childhood and I very much like this question. So much so, I think I’ll add it to my life storytelling interview question list.

I never stick to a script during interviews but let the conversation lead the way. Some questions are great jumping off points to digging a little deeper, past the facts of your life.

QUESTION: What have you lost from childhood that you would like to regain?

For me, it is feeling like there are endless possibilities, that truly anything is possible. As we get older we often create our own barriers and walls and think “it’s too late.”

After 60+ interviews I should know better. It is never too late to: try something new, mend a relationship, find love, forgive yourself, forgive others, find purpose, appreciate life, experience something magical, and the list goes on.

✨So, think about what the childhood version of you would want you to remember…take that thought…and make some magical memories this summer. ✨

Marianne arrived in New York City almost 70 years ago, July 29, 1954. She traveled from Holland with her parents, her ten brothers and sisters, and Felix, the family cat. And this was really just the beginning of her story.

Marianne chose a photo for the cover of her book that was originally published in Look Magazine. The magazine sent two journalists to capture the image and story of the family beginning their new life in Minneapolis.

This story was such a wonderful experience that gave me the opportunity to be transported to a different time and place through Marianne’s memories. How cool is that?

I hope Marianne’s family finds her story just as magical and inspiring as I did.

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What could your story look like? See the cover of recent stories below for some inspiration.

What is the story you want to tell?

You might want to get your own life story down on paper, capture a loved one's memories, commemorate an anniversary, reflect on childhood, or pay tribute to someone you have loved and lost. Every story is unique and just waiting to be told.

Why tell your story?

Your story matters. Preserving your memories is a rewarding experience for you, and a wonderful gift to those you love. Pulling out old photos, accessing long ago stories in the recesses of your mind, and revisiting pivotal points in your life helps you see the big picture of life. Your purpose. The meaning of your life.

Meet Maureen

Life Storyteller

My passion for a good story began as a child when I would escape into a pile of library books. This continued into my adulthood where I have always gravitated towards telling people's stories throughout my career, from testimonials from those on hospice, to college alumni success stories, to chronicles of faith and perseverance.

Now, I have the honor to craft and complete life storybooks to be shared with families for generations. I can't wait to tell your story!

Contact Maureen

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Why Choose Memoirs by Maureen?

It is possible to write your own story, but it can feel overwhelming to know where to start. If you want to capture your memories or a loved one's story, purchasing this service will ensure that this happens. Maureen has developed a life storytelling system that is an easy step-by-step process to tell the story you want to tell. She asks you the right questions in your interview and then SHE crafts your story for you, utilizing your exact words. Maureen will put all of the pieces of your story together and you will have a professionally written and designed book in a matter of weeks.

Contact Maureen

Storytelling Process

Determine Story Focus

What is the story you want to tell? Maureen will walk you through the process of determining what it is you most want to tell.

Conduct Interview

Maureen creates questions based on your story needs and finds a time to meet with you in person or remotely. You will share your story in a relaxed conversation.

Design Storybook

After the interview has taken place, Maureen will write your story and start designing your book. What do you do during this phase of the project? Gather photos!

Review Story

Once Maureen has written the story and you have provided the photos, Maureen will send you a draft of the book to review and submit any requested changes.

Order Book!

After you have approved the final design of your book, Maureen will order your book(s). In addition, you will receive an electronic copy to share and print however you like.

"I feel so deeply that ALL OF OUR STORIES MATTER. Being a human is wild. Life is hard and hilarious, and stories help us make sense of the chaos and contradictions built into life. There are as many stories to be told as there are humans here – each slant is a part of the whole."

-excerpt from Maureen's interview with Rebekah Taussig, author of Sitting Pretty, for the Quincy Public Library

Rebecca Taussig

Exceptional work! 5-STARS for sure! Maureen Klues did a beautiful job with my Dad's storybook for Cancer Crush! Thank You sooooo much for this forever treasured keepsake, Maureen!