Childhood & Early Life
Vincent Joseph Flynn was born on April 6, 1966, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Terry Flynn and Kathleen Flynn. His father was a teacher and his mother was a wildlife artist.
He was the fifth of seven children, and the family enjoyed telling stories and discussing current events, which instilled an interest in these topics in his young mind.
While in grade school, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and struggled with it all through his life.
In 1984, he completed his high school graduation from ‘Saint Thomas Academy.’
In 1989, he passed out of ‘St. Thomas College’ in St. Paul, with a degree in Economics.
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Career
After college, Vince Flynn took up a sales and account specialist job at ‘Kraft General Foods.’
In 1991, he joined the ‘Marine Aviation Program’ to become an aviator with the ‘United States Marine Corps’. But a week before the completion of the course, he was disqualified on medical grounds.
He took up a job as a commercial real estate leasing agent with ‘United Properties’ in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, and tried to develop a book idea.
After working at ‘United Properties’ for two years, he decided to become a full time writer. So, he left his job and moved to Colorado, where he worked on his book during the day and bartended at night.
Though many questioned his career choices, he remained steadfast in his beliefs and eventually completed his first book ‘Term Limits’. But over sixty publishers reportedly rejected it.
In 1998, he self-published ‘Term Limits’, which shot to the number one position in the Twin Cities area. In one week, the publishing house ‘Pocket Books’ picked it up and signed a two-book deal with him.
In 1999, ‘Pocket Books’ released a paperback edition of ‘Term Limits’ and his second book ‘Transfer of Power’, which introduced the undercover CIA counter-terrorism agent ‘Mitch Rapp’ to readers. All his books thereafter revolved around this character.
In 2000, he established himself as a serious political thriller author with the publication of his third book ‘The Third Option’.
In 2001, he exercised his knowledge of technology and security systems along with the expertise of his government sources in his highly acclaimed fourth novel ‘Separation of Power’.
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In 2003, he switched publishers to ‘Atria Books’ who released his fifth book ‘Executive Power’.
In 2004, his sixth book ‘Memorial Day’ was published.
In 2005, ‘Consent To Kill’, his seventh book was published and he appeared on the talk show ‘The O’Reilly Factor’.
From 2005-06, he worked as a consultant for the hit television series ‘24’.
From 2006-07, his eighth and ninth books ‘Act Of Treason’ and ‘Protect And Defend’ were published, respectively.
In 2008, he began negotiations with ‘CBS Films’ to create films based on the ‘Mitch Rapp’ character. ‘Atria Books’ soon signed him on for four more books and his tenth book ‘Extreme Measures’ was published that year too.
In 2009, he was a panelist on the television talk show ‘Hannity’ and saw the publication of his eleventh book ‘Pursuit of Honor’.
In 2010, he wrote the ‘Mitch Rapp’ prequel book ‘American Assassin’. He also agreed to co-write a new two-book series.
In 2012, ‘Kill Shot’, the second book in the ‘Mitch Rapp’ prequel series and ‘The Last Man’, a book in the continuation of the original series, were published.
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In 2017, the first film based on the ‘Mitch Rapp’ character ‘American Assassin’ was released.
Major Works
In 1999, the paperback edition of his first novel ‘Term Limits’ and his second book ‘Transfer of Power’ were on ‘The New York Times’ bestseller list for many weeks.
His third book ‘The Third Option’ became a ‘The New York Times’ bestseller almost as soon as it was published.
His 2001 book ‘Separation of Power’ reached the number 7 spot on ‘The New York Times’ bestseller list.
His subsequent novels ‘Executive Power’ and ‘Memorial Day’ also made it to ‘The New York Times’ bestseller list.
His 2005 book ‘Consent To Kill’ reached the number 3 spot on ‘The New York Times’ bestseller list, the highest spot ever for Flynn.
His tenth book ‘Extreme Measures’ also made it to ‘The New York Times’ bestseller list.
Family & Personal Life
Vince Flynn married Lysa, and they have three children together.
In early 2011, he revealed in a newsletter that he had a rare form of Stage III prostate cancer.
On June 19, 2013, he passed away in St. Paul, Minnesota aged 47.
Facts About Vince Flynn
Vince Flynn was an accomplished pilot and even considered pursuing a career as a commercial airline pilot before becoming a successful author.
He was known for his love of sports, particularly hockey, and often incorporated his passion for athletics into his novels.
He had a great sense of humor and was known for his quick wit and ability to make those around him laugh.
Vince Flynn was an avid reader and credited his love of books with inspiring him to become a writer.
