Carol McAdoo Rehme

When Carol McAdoo Rehme became an empty nester, she knew the world wasn't over. In fact, she admits heaving a secret sigh of relief when her talented, creative – but slightly unpunctual – daughter Katrina left home for college.

“From now on, we would always be on time, we vowed to each other,” writes Rehme in her story “A Matter of Time.” “No longer must we all traipse to the front for the only pew seats available. Nor would we be shushed by a concert usher as we stumbled to our dark seats during the second cantata. Or slip into a wedding reception just in time to catch the garter.”

Two weeks into Katrina's first semester, that vow was already broken.

“Our teary daughter called one Sunday morning,” writes Rehme. “I listened...and soothed...and counseled as she hiccupped her fears and sniffled her concerns into the phone. But the rest of the family wasn't as empathetic. 'I can't believe it,' her dad shook his head woefully. 'She's a thousand miles from home, and still making us late to church!'”

With three other grown children, Rehme is used to helping her sons and daughters spread their wings and fly as they prepare for their next phase in life – whether it be college, a new job, or a new marriage. She chronicles this story and oversaw others as co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Empty Nesters (Chicken Soup for the Soul, October 2008, 978-1-935096-21-4, $14.95).

Rehme's earliest publishing credits were three-inch columns detailing her weekly Camp Fire Girl meetings for the local newspaper. She was eight years old, and held the coveted position of Scribe. Many years later, she agreed to exercise her journalism degree in a public relations capacity for her church. Soon, she was submitting stories to magazines, competitions, and anthologies. In 1996, she submitted her first story to the publishing phenomenon, Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises. Now an editor, ghost writer, and one of Chicken Soup for the Soul's most prolific contributors, Rehme has stories in more than four dozen books in the series, including Chicken Soup for the American Idol's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Woman Golfer's Soul, and more. She is also the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul's The Book of Christmas Virtues.

A freelance editor and award-winning author, Rehme has 600 articles and stories in various magazines and anthologies. She is the co-author of five gift books for Publications International, Ltd. As a professional speaker, Rehme entertains and educates the same way she writes—through stories. She workshops her word-craft at storytelling and writing conferences, and offers keynotes and classes to guilds, businesses, associations, and professional organizations.

Today, Rehme lives in the Colorado Rockies with her husband, Norman, and writes from a sprawling, window-banked sanctuary. They have four married children and five grandkids who call them Grammy and Pops.

To schedule an interview with Carol McAdoo Rehme or receive a review copy, please contact Rusty Shelton at (512) 785-4469 or [email protected].