On Keepin It Real w/Caramel Podcast, Caramel had an interesting and informative conversation with Emil Rem. Emil meets a lot of people, and he is not afraid to speak with strangers. Matter of fact, he makes great friends, so you never know who will meet until you speak them. Emil Rem, an eccentric accountant and he becomes a writer of eccentric characters, in exotic locales—each chapter, taking us on a trip into his fascinating twisted world. Born to a close-knit, middle-class Muslim East Indian family in Dar-es-Salam, Africa, in the 50’s, he is then moved to Maidenhead England at the age of five. The next twenty years are spent shuttling between England and East Africa, wearing a St. Christopher’s cross one minute and attending church, to wearing a green armband and attending Muslim religious classes in Africa the next. Moving to Canada, marrying a woman from the Philippines and having two boys only adds further texture to his stories. At the age of five, his mother, who possessed no education but held impossible ambitions, divorced his father and moved to England with Emil in tow. The only work she could get was as a trainee nurse but found she could not look after Emil. An English working class family volunteered to take him in until she found a permanent home for him. The initial two weeks turned into 12 years…His father continued to work for an airline which permitted Emil to travel free(ly) on standby and from the age of 12 he began to travel the world on his own… “Neither of his parents could afford to come with him. His mother gave Emil a pittance for his travels—it was all his mother could afford. Emil would arrive at London airport with a carry-on bag and a wad of tickets and take whichever airline had space available. He could have been in Moscow or Rio de Janeiro, Emil never knew. Nor did his family.” Today, Emil is a successful accountant, a respected member of my local community, and the author of three well-reviewed books with more in the works. Many of their chapters have appeared in literary magazines. His wife and Emil are happily married after 30 years, and they have raised two pain-in-the-neck boys who drive him crazy, but whom he loves dearly. Therefore, to understand Emil, his most fundamental conviction is this:

It’s not the chances you’re given in life that matters. It’s the choices you make. Your choice of action in the face of discouragement and adversity. Your choice of attitude: negative or positive, stuck or resilient, powerless or empowered.

Your choice between despair and hope. Emil has chosen action, resilience, and hope—and he believes that we each have it within ourselves to do the same. You can go to Emil website at https://emilrem.ca/about/ or his social media - Facebook and LinkedIn at Emil Rem - To request additional review copies or an interview with Emil Rem, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: [email protected] / 403.464.6925. Thank you for listening to and supporting the podcast. If you want to be heard, email [email protected] or follow me on Instagram @mscaramellucas - TikTok @caramellucas - Facebook - Caramel Lucas