On June 8,1935 in Lewiston, Pennsylvania was born into a family as an only child. As Carolyn started school, she would try to find an excuse to get out of gym and recess. She would always get her mother to write a note to excuse her for various reasons. Carolyn was an editor for the school newspaper. She attended Bucknell University 1957, where she majored in English. Three years later she married Joseph Smrcka on June 4, 1960, and she divorced in 1973. She then married E.A. Mares. Carolyn produced three sons Alan, John, and Christopher.

Carolyn won three awards from the Notable Book Citations American Library Association or the ALA, a Best Book Award for Voices of South Africa and Denny’s tape.

At first Carolyn wrote "How to do" books and after producing just male children, she felt like she needed to do something more than writing how to bake bread and how to sew. She then decided to write about what people have accomplished.

Carolyn Meyer’s books are talking about the people from far away places like Japan, Northern Ireland, and Southern Africa. She writes with confidence and believes very strongly in what she writes.