An artist's life

Most of the books that I have written are about people who are living. When you are writing a biography, it is obviously a great advantage to be able to quiz the subject on the details of his or her life.

When I was approached by Derrick Rowe to write the story of his late grandfather's life, I knew that this would require different skills. Writing about somebody who died many years ago would require a lot of research and interpretation of the material. I would not be able to phone up the subject and ask, "What do you mean by that?"

I was also concerned that there may not be enough information to base a full-length biography on. When we met, Derrick put my mind at rest explaining that he had a wealth of information on his grandfather's life. He had discovered a great deal about Ernest Arthur Rowe from government records, personal letters and other documents. Ernest, Derrick explained, was a renowned English watercolour artist in the Victorian period who specialised in painting the grand gardens of the gentry.

Derrick's research proved to be truly spectacular: he and his wife Pat had read and catalogued hundreds of the artist's personal letters and artefacts. They had government documents galore and photographs of the artist, his family and associates, not to mention dozens of Ernest's original artworks. These sun-filled scenes adorn the walls of Derrick and Pat's house, a proud reminder of the talent in the family.

The only thing that Derrick did not have was the knowledge of how to put his findings together into a book, and he was looking for somebody to take on this task. I was delighted to agree to write the story for him and transform the raw material into a full-length book. After we discussed in detail what shape Derrick wanted the book to take, he passed on the information that he had gathered. I was then able to begin to convert this into a comprehensive biography of the artist. Once Derrick was happy with the text, I arranged for the book to be beautifully laid out, printed and bound.

The result is an attractive glossy book, which tells the story of Ernest's life, from his days as a penniless student to his successful career as an artist whose work was coveted by royalty. The book also includes a selection of reproductions of Rowe's sumptuous paintings. You can read a chapter from this book and others that I have written on my website. If you would like to know more about Ernest Arthur Rowe, Derrick has also set up a website dedicated to his grandfather, and you can also purchase the book from there.

Derrick wrote to tell me that he was delighted with the finished biography. "My family are thrilled," he penned, "I am sure it will become a family heirloom!"

If you have researched your family's history why not get in touch with The Book of My Life like Derrick did? Instead of a jumble of files and papers you too could have a beautiful family heirloom—your own family history in a book.