Question: Why are we here and what do we leave behind?

"Come on, just one kiss..." 1880s romances were just as urgent as today's. This vintage drawing from long-gone Auckland newspaper The Observer says it all.

Drinking, sex, divorces, scandals! Flaming rumours, gory murders and scurrilous gossip! Auckland's a humming place. And it was no different in the 1880s.

Want to hear some stories? I've got lots of real-life dramas to share from long ago.

In A HOT TIME IN THE OLD TOWN, I pick telling moments out of Auckland's past to talk, with pictures, about the pioneer history that few of us know.

I'm happy to share it with you in an entertaining, lively talk for your group or company event. You'll be surprised at the mischief your ancestors got up to!

We often have the wrong idea about them. In their stiff Victorian portraits they look grim and uptight, but newspaper archives reveal they had a high old time back in Auckland's early days. When our bustling town was just four decades old it was home to 33,000 citizens. Falling over itself in the rush to succeed, it was full of ambition and bursting with huge egos. Just like now.

It was also a time when gossip ran hot about anything and everything, including the flirting, fighting and cheating ways of people from Ponsonby to Parnell. Just like now.

And when our ancestors had dreams for the future. Just like now.

NEXT EVENT: NZ Society of Genealogists, Panmure, March 17, 2012, to celebrate Book Month.

For info: library@genealogy.org.nz.

TO BOOK ME FOR YOUR EVENT: Call or text 021 159 9309 or emall me at lindseyoutloud@xtra.co.nz

Here's a way to learn about how to do that thing you've been meaning to get to - writing down the story of your life. Do it now. For you're like an egg - bland on the outside but bursting with richness inside the shell. I've written this book, CRACK YOUR LIFE, about how to write your story. Everyone's story deserves to be recorded because while we may think we are just ordinary, it's not true.

There is no such thing as an ordinary life.

Your unique experiences, whether tragic or tender - or just apparently everyday - have forged the person you are now.

We write for different reasons. Some want to reflect on memories for purely personal satisfaction and to get events sorted in their heads. Others are keen to begin a history that can become a family heirloom.

And it doesn't need to take forever! CRACK YOUR LIFE: How to Tell Your Unique Story contains heaps of ideas on how to get going. You can achieve so much by writing for as little as 10 minutes at a time. There are plenty of tips too on where to find inspiration and how to make your words shine.

It's available now. $NZ25 including package and posting. BUY HERE...securely, via Paymate. Just click on ADD TO CART below to get the process started. Or if you prefer not to shop online, email me at lindseyoutloud@xtra.co.nz and we'll work out another way to make it happen.

© Copyright 2009-2011 Lindsey Dawson