Mary Flynn

Mary Flynn is an award-winning author whose work spans fiction, poetry, children's literature, and leadership nonfiction. Flynn is an author of fiction and poetry as well as an international conference speaker and leadership program facilitator with the Disney organization (retired). She served as a full-time staff writer for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City and later became a writer and editor for a leading publisher of stories and comprehension tests used in the U.S. public school system. Her observational humor has appeared in the Sunday New York Times, Newsday, and other newspapers and magazines.

Flynn's debut novel, "Margaret Ferry," set in 1950s Brooklyn, won the gold medal in fiction in the Florida Authors and Publishers Association President's Award and earned two silver medals in religious and Christian writing. Her cozy murder mystery, "Initial Shock," has received five-star ratings, while "Disney's 'Secret Sauce'—the Little Known Factor Behind the Business World's Most Legendary Leadership" won a silver medal. Her short story, "Jeremiah's Orchard," appears in The Saturday Evening Post Anthology of Great American Fiction. Flynn has also written three illustrated children's books: "Reggie and Rocky, The Ring-tailed Raccoons," "Reggie and Rocky, The Naughty Raccoons," and "Mrs. Peppel's Pillows," which won a gold medal in the Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition.

During her fourteen years with Disney Institute, Flynn appeared before nearly three-quarters of a million professionals, including top executives and CEOs, sharing convention platforms with speakers such as Malcolm Gladwell, Tony Robbins, and the President of AOL. Her topics included Disney's Approach to Leadership Excellence, Service Excellence, Hiring and Training, Corporate Storytelling, and Creativity. Her presentation, "Confessions of a Hallmark Greeting Card Writer," is recognized for being both informative and entertaining.

Flynn's stories are an eclectic mix of humor, pathos, and irony that explore the human experience, often with a twist. In her poetry collection, "As One Delighted," she offers imagery and sentiment, with poems reflecting on life and nature. Flynn was the featured poet in Quill and Parchment online poetry journal and appears regularly in The Avocet. She is a member of Florida Authors and Publishers and The Florida Writers Association, where she has served as a conference workshop presenter and panelist. Flynn's career reflects a combination of storytelling, humor, and leadership insight across the literary and professional development fields.