Colleen Kelly Mellor

Author Bio: Colleen Kelly Mellor My many life’s crises inform my multi-genre writing. My most recent book-- "Az and Me: A Partner's Journey with Alzheimer's," chronicles my 10+ years as caregiver to my husband who has the disease. My stories are snapshots of my husband's and my life, woven together with my practical caregiver tips. I intermix my poetry, and my stories become short, digestible pieces, because as a longterm caregiver, I know: Caregivers don't have the time or the energy to read long, exhausting pieces. We want short...we want practical... and we really could use some humor. I deliver on all three fronts. Three "Top Docs" sing my book's praises--Chief neurologist at Miriam Hospital, Chief urologist at South County Hospital and our primary care doctor, a young man who believes my book "should be required reading for young doctors who will benefit from the immersive experience." Rounding out my reviews are editors, authors and other caregivers, across the country, who are on a similar journey. As a multi-genre writer. I've published two children’s books (Grandpa and the Truck, Books 1 and 2), about my husband's earlier exciting travels as a big rig driver, across the nation's "superslabs" (trucker lingo for highways) for 30 years and "Boomerrrrang," about my husband's and my search for the perfect retirement home. We Boomers find it in Asheville, North Carolina, live there nine years, only to have our world upended by a freak accident when a 12-year-old girl crashed into his car on a mountain road. My husband died, following surgery, and was brought back to life by the triage team.That event ushered in two years of PT and OT. In the story of our adjustment/maladjustment to the South, I weave in my knowledge as a six-figure realtor, warning of potential pitfalls in purchase/sale of what’s arguably folks' biggest asset—a home-- especially in unfamiliar territory. And, I include my trademark humor. Reviews on Amazon demonstrate readers' enjoyment of Boomerrrang.(Spell it with 3 r's, even tho' Google tries to autocorrect to one r.), Finally, I wrote "Az and Me: A Partner's Journey with Alzheimer's" with caregivers in mind, hoping to spare them the problems I encountered and to give them tips and encouragement on a journey that is lonely and challenging. I also hope to inform new doctors and medical staff in this neurological/gerontology field regarding the demanding role of the caregiver. Even more exciting? Az and Me: A Partner's Journey with Alzheimer's is an Amazon Best Seller. (Scroll down on the page to see its global rank.) As to my writer's resume, I'm published in The Wall St. Journal, Associated Press, World News, and Scripps-Howard, and I have been a serial columnist in Western North Carolina’s Mountain Xpress and a feature writer and monthly columnist in Rhode Island's Pulitzer-Prize-winning Providence Journal. Contact me for guest-speaking or just for quick chat.