Kevin Quirk: Memoirs for Life

I began writing people's stories about 30 years ago. As a newspaper reporter and magazine freelancer, I enjoyed the challenge of interviewing some interesting person for a day, or even an hour, and providing an engaging profile. One subject told me, "It was like you knew me as well as my closest friends."

After I left journalism in 1987, I found an even more challenging subject: me. I used journals to explore my dreams, recapture childhood memories, and make sense of a turning-30 life passage. As I sifted through my own story, I also studied psychology and spirituality. I began to see the true benefits of writing about our lives.

Author, Ghostwriter & Teacher
Flash forward to 1998. My book NOT NOW, HONEY, I'M WATCHING THE GAME (Simon & Schuster) was featured on 20/20, CBS This Morning, National Public Radio, Sports Illustrated, Redbook, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. This self-help guide for the spouses of "sportsaholics" included parts of my story, and the exposure led me to others who wanted help with their own books.

I became the ghostwriter of CAUGHT IN THE NET by Kimberly S. Young (Wiley & Sons), a groundbreaking book on how people get hooked on the Internet that has been translated into four languages and featured in Time, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. I also ghostwrote STRATEGIES OF AN ORDINARY MULTIMILLIONAIRE by Paul Hanlon. Through my service A Writer's Eye (www.awriterseye.com), I have helped many authors with books designed to bring positive changes in our lives and in our world.

I teach writing classes at the University of Virginia School of Continuing Education and Professional Studies and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Through my writing service and my classes, I found more and more people contacting me because they felt strongly drawn to write their memoirs. That's when I decided to launch Memoirs for Life and join the Association of Personal Historians.

The Power of Memoirs
Almost every day, I am reminded how there is nothing more powerful than telling our story. I rediscovered this in writing my own book, HELLO, AIBEK! A JOURNEY OF INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION. I witnessed the major life change of Pearl Collis Kochan as I helped her write TO JOHNIE WITH LOVE, a tribute to her late husband. So when I work with you on your memoir, I aim to do more than record history. I want to help you shape a beautiful story. As one client told me, "You are like the weaver of a lovely quilt." In offering fresh eyes and ears on your story, I will become an ally who encourages you to really "go for it."

In addition to a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in Writing, I also have a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology and for eight years ran a part-time counseling practice, specializing in life transitions, career renewal, and relationships. So I bring to Memoirs for Life an added appreciation for the full dimension of our life's journey.

What's New in '08
Much has been happening so far in 2008. In addition to the recent publication of my own book, Your Sacred Adoption, I’m excited to announce the recent publication of the memoir by a client I have assisted: Luisa’s Nature by Mark J. Stevens (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing). Mark is an American-born journalist living in Germany who wrote a chronicle of his daughter Luisa’s first year of life, communicated through “her” voice. Also, two life-story books that I am collaborating on have recently landed literary agents: Beyond the Mirror by Donna Sperry with Kevin Quirk is represented by Rachelle Gardner of WordServe Literary, and A Ring for All Seasons by Gene Conley with Kevin Quirk is represented by Steve Harris of CSG Literary Partners. Stay tuned for further updates!