Want to star in the story of your life? Now's your chance.

Mark Twain once said there's no such thing as an uninteresting life. Author Hawley Roddick agrees.

Roddick, a new Napan, recently started her own business called WriteAssets Literary Memoirs.

For a fee, Roddick will write your personal memoir or business history.

"I am interested in family stories. Not enough people have been able to tell the story their way," said Roddick, a New York native, who moved from Santa Barbara to Napa last October.

Our aging population contributes to the memoir craze. Baby boomers are realizing that if they don't record their wisdom and experiences, it will be lost when they are gone, she said.

"Family stories are a rich way to pass on values, connections and traditions, life lessons -- even recipes," said Roddick.

Roddick's no stranger to fiction, either. She's written several books for top publishing companies and one of her novels is in development to become a film.

This professional writer begins the memoir process with a multi-page questionnaire designed to get the subject thinking.

Topics include: "What do I cherish most about my family? Which of my accomplishments gives me the greatest satisfaction? What traditions do I keep alive? If I could pick six things for my family to learn from my life, what would they be?"

Although some people are excited to tell their story, others are self-conscious, the author said.

"Some people think it takes a big ego to tell your life history," she said. But Roddick differs. "It takes a big heart to tell your life history. We owe our family their history. It's a legacy that's our responsibility to pass on."

Businesses can also benefit from a recorded history, said Roddick.

Employees these days don't often devote years of service to organizations as in previous generations.

As a result, businesses' histories and traditions can be lost. Working with a business owner, Roddick can preserve that information.

She begins with questions such as:

"What is my firm's public image and how was it created? What was our early organizational culture? Has it changed? How did we handle any significant challenges or setbacks? What is our finest accomplishment so far?"

Roddick then transcribes, edits and writes the memoir. She works with the client to choose publishing format -- hard or soft cover -- and the number of books to print.

A memoir can differentiate business, said Roddick.

"People remember (your business) and feel closer to you because you have a family story. When you buy something from a business you know the history of, you feel more connected to the business. It's run by people who are real to you."

And reality makes the most interesting story, said the seasoned author. Don't try to appear too perfect, she advises.

"If you share your experiences, you become more fully dimensional and also more believable."

This one-time business communications consultant and former Cosmopolitan magazine columnist said her interest in memoirs is more than just work.

"I have a natural curiosity about people's stories. It's like watching a good movie or reading a good novel -- people's life stories are every bit as interesting. Every time someone tells me his or her life story, it expands my life," she said.

While some families choose to preserve memories on DVD or videotape, Roddick recommends the printed word.

"If you have an heirloom quality book, it can last hundreds of years," she said. "It's unlikely that video will last that long."

Now living in the heart of wine country, Roddick is particularly interested in the personal stories of Napa Valley residents and businesses.

"I want to capture the personal history of the daily lives of the people making the history of the valley at this time from their point of view."

Otherwise, she fears, such a legacy will be lost.

Roddick offers different levels of writing services.

For $800 the professional biographer can create a "mini memoir" -- usually 15 to 25 pages -- based on a short biographical interview. For another $300 she can turn that interview into a first-person narrative.

But Roddick's main emphasis is the professional literary memoir -- a complete in-depth biography.

For this project, she spends many hours interviewing, writing and editing. The client previews the book, offering input. Photographs, news clippings and other artifacts can also be added.

These heirloom quality memoirs run from $30,000 to $50,000, depending on length, quality of binding and number of books printed.

"It's very time-intensive," said Roddick. "For one hour of interview, I spend an average of 20 hours writing, editing and talking to the client."

She admits that at first, a client may have sticker shock over the price. "But people realize it's a priceless investment."

This writer practices what she preaches -- Roddick has started her own memoir.

"It has 40,000 words, and I'm only up to 10-years-old," she said with a laugh.

"Someone once said, 'Life is very complicated and telling your life story helps people to make sense of their lives.' I think that's very true. ... You acquire many treasures in a lifetime, but none is more valuable than your experience," said Roddick.

For more information about WriteAssets Literary Memoirs, contact Hawley Roddick at 255-3114.