As The Texan Biographer I’ve been able to work with some amazing families over the years.  I’m immensely proud of the stories we’ve captured along the way and the people we have helped.  But with all good things, they must change and evolve…

With that, I am pleased to announce that we will be changing our name… (can I get a drum roll?)  Come August, The Texan Biographer will be relaunched as Epic Bound!  Epic Bound will continue to publish amazing coffee-table Personal Biographies, but we’re also excited to begin publishing Corporate Histories as well.

Our new web address is EpicBoundBooks.com, and we’re targeting an August 15th launch date.

Stay tuned for additional details!

We’re happy to report that the Austin American Statesman decided to feature the Texan Biographer in the Sunday edition this past November 23rd.

In a special article titled, “Capturing a family member’s life for posterity - It might be one of the best gifts you can give,” Helen Anders describes how one local family gave their loved ones the gift of a lifetime.

Don’t miss the great advice I give to other families who are wanting to find a way to start saving their loved one’s best stories too!

This coming, Tuesday, November 11th, I will be attending a very special fund raiser in Houston, Texas.

Amy and Kris Brown are hosting a holiday market at their home to benefit Texan Children’s Hospital from their foundation KickClub. Amy has invited unique companies from across the country to come and show their products and services at her home as a special kick-off to the holiday shopping season (Which actually works well since her husband Kris is the kicker for Texans).

Tuesday, November 11th
9am – 3pm
4712 Holly Street - Bellaire, TX 7740
RSVP: 832.824.2124

Come and see me in Houston! I’ll be showing off some of my favorite biography projects and talking to local families about how they can start saving the stories of their loved ones! It should be a wonderful event and a great start to the holiday season.

As promised, here is the link to watch my appearance on yesterday’s San Antonio Living Show. It was a great opportunity to meet with Shelly Miles and tell some local families about how they can start saving stories today. If you missed the show, be sure to go watch it at this link.

Also, here’s a little of what I discussed on the show. Tips from Family Biographer, Rory Siefer, on how your family can celebrate Family History Month:

• Save the Stories: Record your family’s stories orally or in written form. Sit down and interview your parent or grandparent – and get the kids involved. Or as an extra special gift to a loved one, hire a family biographer to come in and capture the stories for them!
• Trace Your Family Roots: Start a family tree together and call your parents and grandparents to uncover the exact dates. Who knows how far back you can go!
• Preserve the Photos: Create a photo book with some of your best old family pictures. Record the details about each snapshot so that those stories are never lost.
• Create a Family blog: Keep your family and friends up to date on what your family is up to on a regular basis. his can be an easy weekly activity and then by the end of the year you have a great collection of memories.
• Make Sentimental Gifts: Integrate family mementos and history into a one of a kind gift for your loved one. Frame a family artifact, or create greeting cards from your favorite old photos.

To learn more about how to save your families priceless stories check out Rory’s website or call today:
Rory Siefer - The Texan Biographer
(210) 694-4743
http://www.TexanBiographer.com or rory@texanbiographer.com

I will be appearing on the San Antonio Living Show, this Tuesday, October 7th at 10:00am, to talk about Family History Month. As a family history expert I’ll be sharing with the viewers fun and creative ways that they can celebrate this month, and most importantly save their loved ones best stories.

As soon as the show has been uploaded to the NBC site, I’ll add a link here so that all of those outside of San Antonio can watch too!

Check back to learn more about the tips I’m sharing with San Antonio families.

If I have learned one thing over the years as a biographer it is this: We all have a story to tell! No matter what our age, our life experiences, or even our storytelling abilities, each of us have special stories worth sharing and saving.

I just came across a wonderful quote the other day and I wanted to share it with each of you:

“Do not tell people how to live their lives. Just tell them stories. And they will figure out how those stories apply to them.” – Randy Pausch

If you haven’t heard the inspiring life story of Professor Randy Pausch, then I highly recommend you watch his “Last Lecture” on YouTube. It has been viewed by over ten million people across the world. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Randy had a limited amount of time left with his family, and this last lecture was his way of teaching others, through stories, how to take advantage of each precious day.

Think about this quote one more time, “Do not tell people how to live their lives. Just tell them stories. And they will figure out how those stories apply to them.”

Think about how you can begin to create a collection of your life stories to inspire others, in particular your close friends and family.

Find the time to pass on the special events from your life, how you succeeded, how you failed, and most importantly how your character was shaped along the way. It is my hope that your children, grandchildren, and even future generations will read your special collection of stories, and can interpret them into their own lives, much like Randy Pausch’s children will someday.

To find out more about how to create your own custom biography, contact me, Rory Siefer, today. Turn your life story into an inspiration for others. Find a way to help your parents or grandparents begin to save those priceless life stories, while they still can!

Bulverde, TX

In a typical year, as retired grandparents, Bulverde residents Joe and Jean O’Connell would be sitting on their back porch, taking in the beautiful countryside. But for the past six months they’ve been working on a once-in-a-lifetime project — creating their own memoirs!

Joe, a former FBI Agent and WWII veteran has always loved to tell stories. Whether they included recollections of bugging the mafia, taking control of a hijacked plane, or solving bank robberies, his kids and grandkids have always loved to hear his tales. So this year, one of his daughters and son-in-law decided to give Joe and Jean the gift of a lifetime… their very own personal biographer. Rory Siefer, The Texan Biographer, travels the country helping people just like the O’Connells, properly capture their best life stories in the form of their own biography! As Rory says, “You don’t need to be famous to leave behind a legacy about your life –you just need some professional help to make sure your stories are saved in a very special way.”

Not knowing exactly what they were getting into, Joe and Jean began interviews with Rory back in November. They were immediately amazed at how quickly the stories came to mind, especially a few that they hadn’t thought about in a long time. Jean talked all about growing up during the Depression and becoming a majorette in high school. Joe talked about meeting the love of his life, joining the FBI, and raising three daughters. Rory was able to take those hours of stories, along with over 150 of their best photographs, and transform them into their very own leather-bound biography.

Just three weeks ago Joe and Jean invited all of their children and grandchildren over for the unveiling of the long-anticipated biography. As Joe unwrapped paper away from the edges he quickly saw the gold etched title, “Down Memory Lane, with Joe and Jean,” and tears filled his eyes while emotion overtook him. In his hands he was holding his life story. Now he knew that those memories could be enjoyed forever!

Since Joe received his completed biography he hasn’t let it out of his sight, except to show it to friends, family and neighbors. He proudly talks about how his granddaughter is reading a chapter a night and how other friends were amazed at some of his amazing WII experiences which he had never revealed before.

All in all, this has been a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment and one that Joe hopes inspires others:“I just can’t believe how amazing my biography turned out. It is absolutely priceless. I hope that other people get a chance to see it and maybe even decide to write their own life story, too! It was worth the effort to have something as priceless as this finally complete.”

So this summer, while Joe and Jean won’t be working hard on their memoirs, they will be sitting on their back porch, taking in the countryside, and re-reading their completed biography!