The idea for Immortal Memoirs came when Marisa's maternal grandmother began revealing the details of her childhood in Dennis, Massachusetts during the Great Depression. Fascinated, Marisa recorded these memories. Later, she drew up more questions. After several sessions of Q & A, they realized they had the makings of an autobiography. Marisa transcribed her grandmother's words verbatem, then dramatized the story (changing none of the facts), until it read like a novel. Nana does not wish to share the story now, but prefers to have it distributed after her funeral. She called the experience "cleansing and cathartic," and urged her granddaughter to offer similar services to others with stories of their own. Thus, Immortal Memoirs of Massachusetts was born.