Storyteller
A life well lived is a story worth telling. Let's write it together.
Telling Your Story
Every person, couple, and family has stories - stories of failure and triumph, stories of love and loss, stories that bring laughter and tears and sometimes both at the same time. Those stories are core to our identity, but without preservation, all too often, that essential piece of our who we are is lost. Memories fade, the keepers of family history reach the end of their lives, and the record is gone forever. That is where Storyteller comes in. Through a guided series of interviews, your professional writer elicits the memories you and your loved ones most one to keep safe. The conversations generated are then crafted into a personal memoir, written for you in your own voice and highlighted with your own photos, encapsulating your life story in a beautiful hardbound book created just for you. Whether given as a gift to a family member or friend or purchased as an investment in your own legacy, a Storyteller book will be something to be treasured for generations.
About Me
Storyteller at Heart
My name is Jessica Redmond. I am a published author who is passionate about listening to and writing people's stories. In 2005, I published the award winning A Year of Absence: Six Women's Stories of Courage, Hope and Love, documenting the lives of American Army wives during the first year of the war in Iraq. In 2020, I started Storyteller with the mission of capturing the stories that make each life unique. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, cooking, reading, and spending time with my two children and dog. I have lived all over the United States as well as Mexico, Slovakia, Germany and Australia. I currently live outside Minneapolis, MN.
"I am deeply touched by how Jessica captured my life story. I shared with her like never in my life and she cherished what I told her with great love and respect. She heard me like no other person ever has. What a gift."
Phil, Storyteller Client
Complete Book Packages
Share a Love Story with a Togetherness Package, Capture the Highlights of a Life Well Lived with a Premium Package, or Tell the Full Story with a Deluxe Package
The Togetherness Package
The Perfect Gift for an Engagement, Wedding or Anniversary
Whether the beginning of a romance or celebration of a lifetime of shared memories, this package is the ideal way to honor and share a cherished love story.
$1350
3 interview sessions conducted in person or via Zoom
hardcover book created for you, available for purchase at cost
free PDF version sent to your inbox
up to 45 pages of text
up to 10 photos
The Premium Package
Ideal for Telling the Highlights of Your Life Story
Make sure those treasured stories are never lost by capturing them in this premium package.
$2600
6 interview sessions conducted in person or via Zoom (additional interview sessions can be purchased as needed)
2 hardcover books included (additional copies available)
free PDF version sent to your inbox
up to 75 pages of text
up to 25 photos
The Deluxe Package
Ideal to Go In Depth
For the person who always wanted to write a memoir but never found the time and energy to commit to it...
For the person whose family and friends always wanted them to document their extraordinary life, but it never quite came together...
$3800
10 - 12 interview sessions conducted in person or via Zoom
6 hardcover books included (additional copies can be purchased)
free PDF version sent to your inbox
up to 150 pages of text
up to 40 photos
Examples of My Work
Margaret's Story
The Sea
I have always found both solace and joy by the sea. That is something you should know about me. I was, in fact, born by the sea in a small hospital in Atlantic City - this was well before the name Atlantic City brought to mind seedy bars and tacky trinket shops and urban blight, you know - in a hospital by the Boardwalk, in a room that faced the sea. Damp, salty air wafted in on the early spring sea breezes, and the gentle lapping of the tide soothed my infant cries almost as much as my mother’s gentle touch, or so I have always been told.
The sea soothes and brings me joy still. It soothed me as a teenager when I was restless or grappling with self-doubt. I would stroll along the Boardwalk or float in the waves on hot summer days, and I could feel my cares simply drift away, replaced with a feeling of fullness and light. It soothed me when my husband passed and the grief felt like an unbearable weight pressing down on me. My children, hoping to relieve some small part of my anguish, brought me back to the sea and something about it helped me start to heal.
Yes, I have always found both solace and joy in the sea.
Luis's Story
In The Middle
I am a person in the middle. Mexican, for sure. It's right there for anyone to see, in my olive skin and in my thick, dark hair. It’s in the memories I carry with me of trips to the market with my grandma; long, bumpy road trips to the humble village she came from in rural southern Mexico; games played with cousins in our dirt-packed yard, turning sandals into toy cars because that was all we had. It's in the Spanish I speak, although as soon as I open my mouth any native speaker will know that “Mexican” cannot be the only word that defines me. Like me, my Spanish has been influenced by the people I have known and the places I have been. A little bit of Spain has crept in, a souvenir from the time I spent studying in Madrid in college. Puerto Rican friends’ accents have sneaked into mine too, not to mention the English I use most of every day, all of which has created a language and a set of not quite definable mannerisms that leave the Mexican cleaning ladies at my job wondering just where in the world I am actually from. Venezuela, maybe? they ask. Couldn’t be Mexico, they tell me.
Of course, my Spanish isn’t the only part of me that has those ladies stumped. It's also in the way I dress; the way I carry myself. It's just different. I’ve learned to always stay aware of the boundaries required of being an American. In Mexico, if I was going up to a group of buddies to say hi, I’d just naturally touch them on the arm or give them a hug. It didn’t take me long after coming here to figure out that the back slaps and casual embraces that were so much a part of my Mexican culture were not going to be well received in my new white, Minnesotan world. There is a certain distance you have to keep in my adopted home. I’ve learned that now; I know how to be in both cultures. But that doesn’t mean it's always easy. And it doesn’t mean I always know where I belong. I feel myself assimilating a little more all the time, but I still have that connection to my roots, and that is something I will never - and would never want - to forget.
Personal Profile: Lori
In March of 2020, just as the world was beginning to reckon with the Covid-19 outbreak, Lori Frisher realized something was very wrong. She had chills, fatigue, muscle aches...all symptoms of the frightening new illness that was bringing life as we knew it to a grinding halt. Repeated test results for the virus came back negative, but Lori had her doubts. What else could be making her feel so debilitated? As the weeks of unexplained illness dragged on, Lori lost her voice, making it even harder to get clear answers from the doctors whose muffled words and concealed lips, hidden behind the opaque masks that had become ubiquitous, made communication all but impossible. For a person with hearing loss who had nevertheless built a career based on interpersonal connections, this was an especially crushing blow.
Already Started Your Story?
Hourly Writing Coaching and Editing Services Available
Get as much or as little help completing your story as you need. From learning where and how to begin to those final tweaks, Storyteller can give you the help you need to tell your story your way.
Fast, Effective, Affordable
Your Story, Your Way
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I hire someone to tell my story or the story of my loved one?
Whether your goal is to preserve a certain time of life for posterity, pass down cherished memories to future generations, impart wisdom gained through years of life experience, or merely reflect on times gone by, sitting down alone to put those thoughts to paper is, for many aspiring story tellers, often where the journey ends. It can feel overwhelming and just, frankly, not very fun. Working with an experienced interview/writer turns what can feel like a daunting, solitary process into one that is easy, enjoyable, and social. We can guide you down the path of your memories in a way that makes them feel fresh and new again, ultimately creating a document you will be proud to share.
How does the process get started?
The first step is a free over the phone consultation to discuss the scope of your project. From there, you will be sent a short list of questions to help lay the groundwork and start get some memories flowing. We will agree on a time and place to meet (currently all meetings are taking place via Zoom). In preparation, it is helpful for you to talk to friends and family about the parts of your story you would most like told and to revisit photo albums to help bring hazy memories back into focus.
What if I can't remember a lot of details?
The interview process is specifically designed to help connect you with long forgotten parts of your past. If the details of a certain part of your story remain too vague to craft a compelling narrative, we may choose to shift our focus elsewhere. However, you will be surprised how much more you will remember as we go through the process!
Do I get to approve the writing before it is turned into a book?
Absolutely! When a first draft has been completed, you will be sent an editable version for review. Any changes, omissions or additions you want will be incorporated at that point. You will be given the opportunity to review and approve the final draft before it goes to editing and then on to our bookmaker..
Working with Jessica at Storyteller helped me remember stories I hadn't thought about in years. She made the process easy and enjoyable and the book we created together is something my family will always treasure.
Luis
Telling my story to Jessica at Storyteller has been a meaningful journey down memory lane into more self-awareness. Jessica is an astute questioner and an attentive, sympathetic listener who has made this a worthwhile experience.
Margaret
What happens if we need more interview time?
Additional interview hours can be purchased on an as needed basis. Generally, most stories can be completed within the allotted hours of interviews; however, should you feel that your story needs more time, we will discuss that and add time as necessary.
