Bios Not the Last Word in Personalized Stories

If you’re looking for something with a personal touch but with a little more pizazz than a straight biography, Legacy Publishing of Newport Beach also offers a series of pre-written original novels that “star” members of the family or other loved ones.

Unlike other publishers who simply insert the book buyer’s name into a fictional story, Legacy weaves family members’ life experiences into the 100- to 200-page texts, says owner Penny Pence Smith.

The three books in Legacy’s family fantasy series are:

- “Lost Under the Bermuda Triangle,” about a family (yours) whose boat capsizes on vacation off the Florida coast and then rescued by residents of the lost world of Atlantis.

- “The Champion,” a coming-of-age tale of a young boy who joins the “other side” to conquer villains and dragons--and his own fears--in the process.

- “Cat Comes Home,” a whimsical story featuring your own pet cat and family.

The family fantasies range from $1,500 for the cat book to $5,000 for the Bermuda Triangle tale.

Legacy also offers an “heirloom romance,” a 50- to 70-page novelette, which recounts the subject’s romance with his or her spouse or partner ($7,500).

If that’s not spicy enough, there’s also a steamy Victorian romance, “Tropical Dreams, Southern Passions,” in which details of a couple’s own romance are woven into the story ($2,250).