A Ghostwriter for Rogues, Reluctant Heroes, Adventurers, and True Originals.

Charles Daly , “Charlie,” is a ghostwriter and developmental editor working with memoir and non-fiction. He helps authors “go there” with difficult topics and trauma, helping veterans, first responders, survivors, addicts in recovery, and outdoor adventurers tell their stories and put their experience on the page. He has worked on best-selling military memoirs and had his co-authored work featured on Jocko Podcast. He is drawn to stories of rogues, reluctant heroes, and true originals. He specializes in sea stories and nautical lore, drawing on personal experience as an expedition sea kayaker and maritime first responder.

Charlie is the co-author of I Will Follow You Anywhere: The True Story of a 9/11 Responder and a Comedian who Took on Congress by John Feal with Charles Daly, foreword by Jon Stewart (Benbella Books, 2026), and Make Peace or Die: A Life of Service, Leadership, and Nightmares. He has worked as a developmental editor on bestselling military memoirs, including From Lawyer to Warrior and Civil: Life After the Foreign Legion.

His travel writing and long-form journalism has appeared in has appeared in The Boston Globe, We are the Mighty, Kōkatat, and Thought Catalog. He has also written white papers, case studies, ebooks, and other long-form B2B marketing content for Roku, SalesForce, Privy, and Palisis. He prides himself on lean prose, tight sentences, and getting projects turned around quickly, producing a draft in as little as six weeks.

He lives in a cottage on the Atlantic coast of Ireland with his wife, Dominique Müller, a Swiss crime novelist, and their cat, Serge. He has also worked as an English teacher in Korea, a surf instructor, and a defamed Stop & Shop cashier. When he’s not writing, he’s exploring the coast in small boats or on call with his local Lifeboat crew.

“This is the kind of book I love—a true-life memoir of a man who lived (and is still living) a multi-dimensional life of war, love, family, and service … and who writes about it like a bandit.”

- Steven Pressfield, on Make Peace or Die

Notes from a Ghost 👻

A podcast about stories and the people how tell them.

The Lap

I’m training for my second attempt to kayak around Ireland— Subscribe to follow the adventure.
Here’s the story of my first attempt.