Chapters of Life

Preserving the Past ~ One Family's Story at a Time

Go Forward with Courage and Confidence Volume 2

Written By: Chapters of Life - Jul• 20•22

A Decade of Knitting Together Family and Friends

By Henry Port Kirk III

“Hank and I were so glad to see you today and to share our excitement about volume 2 of HPK’s memoirs. We both were enriched by our relationship with you as we went through the process from early notes to publication. Without your patience, guidance, and expertise, the journey over the past two years would not have been as productive and fun. Thank you again for your encouragement, interest, and enthusiasm. Yes, we’ve birthed a second “baby.” Without our midwife, Julie, we could not have crossed the finish line.

“Blessings and gratitude abundant,

“Jenny and Hank”

Innocent Lives

Written By: Chapters of Life - Nov• 20•21

“Julie is a master! My book was formatted for paperback with the utmost of care. She is fast and cares about the quality of work. Although it’s hard to imagine the final product in a book, I was thrilled to open the paperback version after she worked so hard. Julie is more than worth it!”

Julie Bonn Blank, author of Innocent Lives, November 13, 2021

Go Forward with Courage & Confidence

Written By: Chapters of Life - Sep• 08•21

The World of Henry Port Kirk III

“Writing my life story has been a productive and challenging project. My wife, Jenny, was the scribe. Julie McDonald Zander, our gifted editor, has been tremendous. She exudes enthusiasm and was always professional while sharing her expertise and willingness to make things right.
Julie provided encouragement throughout the process, and we are delighted with the result!
With sincere gratitude, we thank you, Julie.”

Hank and Jenny Kirk

Footprints of Our Lives

Written By: Chapters of Life - Aug• 27•21

What a treat to work with Robert and Sally Schaefer of Vancouver, Washington, to create and publish a memoir of their remarkable lives.

Here’s what Bob and Sally said about our work together.

“We are grateful to have found Julie McDonald Zander as our editor. She was very professional and helpful. We thoroughly enjoyed working with her. We highly recommend her as an editor.”

Robert and Sally Schaefer

August 18, 2021

Crafting a Basic Family Life While Enjoying Nature

Written By: Chapters of Life - Aug• 27•21

I enjoyed working with Travis Hoppe to help edit, design, and publish the memoir of his uncle, Albert Erickson II, called “Crafting a Basic Family Life While Enjoying Nature.”

Here’s what Travis said about our experience.

“It’s been very satisfying and eye-opening working on this project with you. You saw Uncle Bert’s comments—he was delighted by your edits! I appreciate your experience, thoughtfulness, and insights and saw the very tangible improvements of the raw memoir to its final published version.”

Travis Hoppe

April 27, 2021

Three Keepsake Books for the Kearneys

Written By: Chapters of Life - May• 28•20

“My wife and I contracted with Julie Zander to help us write our memoirs. As we worked with Julie our project grew. Julie brought not only her ability to organize and document our story but gave us ideas and recommendations beyond our initial thinking. Julie also has patience. We did not realize how much photos and other documents would add to our story until we worked with Julie. We also didn’t realize how many proofreads are necessary.

“Julie kept both our text and photos on her computer, which made updates and changes easy to accomplish. Our end product of three books—our memoirs, my wife’s family story, and mine—turned out great. We couldn’t have accomplished such a project without Julie’s guidance and expertise.”

Lee Kearney, January 17, 2020

Now and Forever: The Love Between a Warrior and a Widow

Written By: Chapters of Life - May• 28•20

I enjoyed working with Lyle and Alice Leach to create their book. Their beautiful love story also was featured in The Columbian May 24, 2020:

Here’s what Lyle and Alice Leach had to say April 1, 2020, about creating their book:

“This has been one of the experiences of our life. You have added something that we didn’t know that we would ever realize; you know how it goes. Just meeting and knowing you helps us see people differently. Just knowing you makes our lives more complete. Thanks again for adding something we didn’t have before. It has been great working with you.”

Toledo Community Histories

Written By: Chapters of Life - Feb• 20•20

Don Brenner of the Toledo Historical Society is selling the updated The Toledo Community Story and The Big Cheeses of Toledo. Here’s what he had to say about my help with the two books:

““I have known Julie for several years as a friend, member of our Toledo Historical Society, and author of our treasured publications. Many people I know follow her column in The Chronicle. Julie is a valued historian to Lewis County and especially Toledo. It has been a pleasure working with her on the revision of The Toledo Community Story and the creation of The Big Cheeses of Toledo 1985-2019. Julie is a town treasure and a friend to this community.”

Donald C. Brenner, August 2, 2019

Matilda Jackson Legacy Day Oct. 26 at Jackson Courthouse

Written By: Chapters of Life - Oct• 04•19

At long last, the nonfiction story of an 1847 pioneer mother of four young sons who lost her husband at the Snake River on the Oregon Trail. She later married the first American to settle north of the Columbia River and hosted such well-known people as Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens and Ulysses S. Grant, Phil Sheridan, George McClellan, who later became US generals. Kickoff of Matilda Jackson Legacy Day is Saturday, Oct. 26, at the first courthouse in Washington state, where she lived.

Following God’s Lead

Written By: Chapters of Life - Jul• 26•19
Norma Clark with her book and daughter Heather A. Neafie

What prompts a couple with two grown children to give up a lucrative job and leave for the jungles of Cameroon? Only the Lord who spoke clearly to Norma (Booth) Clark and told her the time to go was “Now!” She and her husband, Gilbert, stepped out in faith, joined Wycliffe Bible Translators, and raised financial support to train and work in the field. They sold their house, their furnishings, and even their beautiful lakeside summer home. But God pointed out they’d see many other beautiful places, and they did. After training in Oklahoma, they spent a year in France preparing for missionary work in Africa. In this book, Norma Clark recounts their experiences in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon; Mexico; and other places where they served with Wycliffe Bible Translators, a missionary field that spanned three decades.

“I want to thank Julie Zander for all the work she did to get Norma Clark’s story into print. Julie was wonderful to work with and very encouraging. At 95 years young we knew it was time to get Mother’s story published. Finding Julie was an answer to prayer.  I have also given Julie’s name to a friend.”

Heather Anderson Neafie

“Thank you for your help in getting my book ready for publishing. Following God’s Lead has been received well. Most comments are ‘encouraging’ and ‘easy to read.’ My book is now in England, Canada, Colorado, California, and Washington. It was a privilege to have met you.”

Norma Clark