I have been writing biographies for over a decade now, and it’s an extraordinary privilege. I am a fleeting presence in my client’s lives, and yet I often come to know more about their lives than some of their loved ones do. For the duration of the project, we’re on a journey together. They take me through the intricacies of their lives – reliving the hopes and dreams, the peaks and the achievements, the losses and the sadness. And they will often touch on things that they have barely talked about before.

In 2013, I began working as a biographer. I had been due to begin a PhD, but, in 2011, had found out that I was pregnant. In 2013, I had come across an advert looking for biographers; I swiftly applied, and was quickly accepted. The company soon closed down (I think the founder had been overwhelmed by the sheer level of interest!), but I was left with a lovely client…

My first client is technically still my client today. We have worked together for many years, and I have continued to chart his life story as he lives it. It’s been several years now since we worked together, but I often think about him. How much does it affect the way that you live your life if you know that someone will be chronicling it?

Soon after that first company closed, I applied to work with StoryTerrace, who, at that time, were another newly-formed biography company. And it is through StoryTerrace that I have done the majority of my projects…

A few highlights over the years…

A Politician and an Author:

My first project with StoryTerrace was to write the life story of a former politician and his wife, a retired children’s author. I travelled to their house in London on several occasions, where we discussed their careers and their family history. As we pored over old newspaper clippings, I learned a huge amount about the intricacies of the political system, and the extraordinary contributions made by my politician client. Over the next weeks, I also read two of the books written by the children’s author – and found it slightly daunting that I would be ghostwriting for such a brilliant writer!

My clients had lived such full lives, and the book quickly grew from its intended 20,000 words to nearly 50,000 words!

It's nearly a decade later and I still often think about these clients – about their humility, and their impact on the world, which is still felt today.

A few years ago, the politician sadly passed away. I received an email from his son, who told me how much the book meant to them – and what a huge comfort it had been to the family. He also sent a long list of newspaper articles and obituaries, and explained how various publications had used information from the book. Their son also gave me this lovely feedback:

“You did a truly amazing job capturing my parents’ lives and their personalities!! It is something that we will always treasure in our family.”

— Gideon

A Freedom Fighter:

In 2022, I worked with Goitom, an Eritrean freedom fighter. I was immediately struck by Goitom’s warmth and humility. His extraordinary story charted his early life in Eritrea, and how he came to join the struggle – spending years in the jungle as part of the armed resistance. Goitom’s story was one of hope, resistance, and giving back. He described the difficult end to his military career (he had been badly injured, forcing him to leave the struggle), and he recounted his journey as he travelled through Sudan and Saudi Arabia before seeking asylum in the UK. I enjoyed hearing about Goitom’s many contributions as a family man and community member – including his work with asylum seekers and children in care in the UK, his role as a foster carer (in addition to being a father and grandfather), and his continued engagement with Eritrean/Ethiopian politics. Goitom had lived such a full and extraordinary life.

A Poet, A Journalist, and the Sugihara Visas:

I worked with Barbara on two historical biographies. Both books charted the lives of Jewish refugees – a poet and a journalist – who had fled Eastern Europe during WWII and ended up in Japan and China. Barbara had a huge amount of original source material, including the poems of the poet Stefan Golab, and the only surviving copies (as far as we know!) of the WWII publication Wiadomosci (‘The Tidings’), a Jewish wartime publication, written in Polish, that was produced in Shanghai.

I conducted a series of interviews/discussions with Barbara and reviewed a huge amount of source material – including the original source material provided by Barbara, old video footage, and a wide range of secondary source material. The final book contained over 150 footnotes and included a sizeable bibliography. I particularly enjoyed the historical research involved in these projects, and the more academic nature of this work (which also took me back to my history degree!). I also loved collaborating with Barbara, and really appreciated her knowledge, passion and sense of humour!

A Skilled Poker Player:

In 2023, I worked with Shaun – a successful Chief People Officer by day, and a promising poker player by night. As befitted his career, Shaun was a real people person: warm, friendly, and very open. His character made him very easy to interview, and he spoke very fluently and honestly. Shaun was one of my younger clients (50 at that point), but he’d led such a full and colourful life – working in senior positions from a very young age, and travelling the world. He’d worked hard and played hard – frequenting glitzy casinos and partaking in high-profile poker tournaments. Shaun’s story was one of ambition, graft and risk, but it was also a story of personal challenge and self-growth. His drive and energy were balanced by his thoughtfulness and reflectiveness. I particularly enjoyed hearing Shaun talk about the most recent years of his life, and his growing fulfilment; he’d made big career changes, relocated, and – most importantly – met his partner and started a family of his own. Shaun lit up every time he talked about his wife and daughter.

Shaun was such a pleasure to work with. He would like us to work together again one day, writing the next instalment. I look forward to that time – and to seeing where Shaun’s next adventures take him!

“From the first conversation, Rosia made me feel relaxed, listened to, and genuinely understood. She has this rare mix of empathy and curiosity that makes you open up without even realising it. It never felt like an interview – more like talking to a friend who’s both interested and insightful. It’s become something incredibly special: a book that I’ll share with my daughter as she grows up, and with generations I may never meet.”

— Shaun

Memorial Book Clients:

I worked with families to document the lives of people who had died in their thirties, leaving young families. For these books, I worked with a wide range of people – parents, partners, siblings, grandparents and friends – and also drew on material from various written and recorded sources. The books celebrated the lives of such incredible people, and will be treasured by their families and children for many years to come. In light of my own experience of bereavement (see Our Story), this work is particularly meaningful to me.

A War Veteran:

In 2025, I worked with Dale, an Iraq War veteran. Dale had survived a bomb explosion in Iraq, and had lived with PTSD ever since. Dale’s story was one of courage, resilience, self-growth, and recovery. After conventional treatment proved ineffective, he had discovered the power of psychedelics to help manage his PTSD. He had realised the importance of telling his story as a way of helping others who were facing similar challenges, and had commissioned the book for this reason. Dale had lived through a huge amount of adversity. I was aware of the potential for re-traumatisation as he relived his experiences; this was something that we acknowledged from the outset, and we conducted the sessions with this in mind. It was a real honour to work with Dale, and I was particularly struck by his journey of self-growth; he was exceptionally self-reflective and wise. Dale intends to share his story more widely so that he can help other people, and I look forward to seeing where his journey takes him!

Journeying Through Time and Place: A Decade of Biography Writing