Our individual memories define us. Our tribal memories unite us. If these are missing, parts of us are missing too.

The Emotional Inheritance division of Exisle Publishing works with a global team of psychologists, writers and historians to provide a premium interview and life story production service, to capture the life stories of elderly family members. This approach is in line with emerging social trends to once again honour and value our ancestors, and is intended to help these generations capture their stories so that they can leave a lasting, meaningful legacy.

Finding True Connections clearly and simply sets out the steps necessary for you to undertake this process yourself, without an external interviewer. Designed as a series of double-page spreads, on the left-hand page is a prompt question while, on the facing page, notes provide context to the question and tips and guidance for how to gain the most meaningful answers. Questions are grouped into categories such as ‘Early Childhood’, ‘Adulthood’, ‘Marriage and Parenthood’, ‘The Future’ and ‘Leaving Advice’ so that a structured narrative and lasting legacy can be created from the interviewee’s answers.

Gareth St John Thomas has been immersed in the world of books since he started working in his father’s publishing company at the age of 6, packing books. His publishing career has taken him around the world, and since founding Exisle Publishing 29 years ago, he has seen the company grow to distribute its titles in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Now, his mission with Exisle is to bring books into the world from voices that otherwise wouldn’t have been heard, and to give readers something with heart. Gareth's love of seeing the world through the eyes of a child influenced the development of Exisle's children’s picture book imprint, EK Books, while his education as a historian has guided his approach to publishing social history books throughout his career. Gareth has written other adult and children’s books including Finding True Connections and Cats Work Like This.