After graduating from college, Vince Flynn went to work for Kraft General Foods, where he was an account and sales marketing specialist. Although he enjoyed his job, something was missing. Flynn wanted a challenge, and in 1990 he left Kraft to accept an aviation candidate slot with the United States Marine Corps. One week before leaving for Officers Candidate School, he was medically disqualified from the Marine Aviation Program. The news was not well received, and Flynn struggled for almost two years to obtain a medical waiver. Finally, in the face of severe military cutbacks, Flynn gave up on the Marine Corps and went back to the nine-to-five routine he left several years earlier.
Proving the adage that something good often comes from a setback, it was during this two-year struggle with the Marine Corps that Flynn discovered his true passion. Growing up a dyslexic child in a large family, he had long been terrified of the written word. Determined to overcome his problem, Flynn forced himself into a daily writing and reading regimen.
Flynn soon created an idea for a book, which would grow into his first best-seller, "Term Limits". Pocket Books seized the opportunity to work with this truly talented storyteller. Realizing that Flynn also had an enormous potential with a national audience, Pocket Books published Term Limits in hardcover 1998. Reviewers instantly hailed Flynn's non-stop action and storytelling as outpacing genre leaders David Baldacci and Tom Clancy. Readers agreed, and when the mass market paperback of Term Limits was released in 1999, it spent several weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Pocket Books followed this initial success with Flynn's 1999 hardcover, "Transfer of Power", which also garnered wonderful reviews, and when it was released a few months later in mass market paperback, it too spent several weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. In the fall of 2000, "The Third Option" was published and instantly landed on The New York Times bestseller list as well, solidifying Flynn's reputation as a master of the political thriller.
It's his high-level contacts in the government, his uncanny, fly-on-the-wall expertise of Washington political wrangling both inside and outside the beltway, his keen knowledge of high-tech, high-level security systems that has made him a favorite with both male and female readers. He is also trusted by insiders because of his attention to detail and because he honors his sources. In 2001, Flynn saw his fourth novel published, "Separation of Power", which also quickly landed on the bestsellers lists, reaching as high as #7 on The New York Times list. His fifth novel, Executive Power, was a New York Times bestseller.
"Memorial Day", published by Atria Books in May 2004, was his sixth novel and was put under security review by the Department of Energy due to classified material that appeared in the book. This classified material dealt with nuclear security and was mentioned in internal memos by the FBI and Secret Service.
"Consent To Kill", released this fall reached #3 on The New York Times list, an all time-high for Flynn.
Vince spent some time this past spring in Hollywood consulting on the scripts and plot lines for this season of FOX's hit series 24 heures chrono (2001).
With seven New York Times bestsellers and a newly signed contract with Atria Books for four more, Flynn is very pleased with his choice of career and publisher. Recalling that making the career change was very scary, he remembers deciding between following the path that was the most uncomfortable - continuing with what looked to be a promising career as a commercial real estate leasing agent - or take a big risk and start a new career as a writer. He has no regrets.
