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Lynn Vincent is the New York Times bestselling writer of Heaven is for Real and Same Kind of Different as Me. She also collaborated on Going Rogue: An American Life. Lynn specializes in writing narrative or “dramatic” nonfiction -- true stories that (she hopes!) pull readers from page to page like fast-paced fiction. Lynn particularly loves writing stories about ordinary people living extraordinary lives.

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Lynn has lived in San Diego for more than 25 years. She is an unabashed evangelical, a registered Republican with Libertarian leanings, and (after a brief fascination with the Oakland Raiders) a huge San Diego Chargers fan. Lynn holds a liberal arts degree from Excelsior College, and teaches writing at colleges and conferences kind enough to extend an invitation. Of all her works, Lynn’s favorites are her two sons, who, her research shows, are the two handsomest, most brilliant young men in the universe.

In March 2011, Same Kind of Different as Me (Thomas Nelson) marked its third consecutive year on the NYT list and reached over one million in sales. Since its 2006 release, Lynn’s Same Kind coauthors, Ron Hall and Denver Moore, have spoken at hundreds of events and in 2008, were honored at the Bush White House during a celebration promoting family literacy. To date, Same Kind-related events have raised more than $70 million for homeless shelters nationwide. Disney is developing the book into a major motion picture.

Written with small-town Nebraska pastor Todd Burpo about his son Colton, Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Thomas Nelson) released in November 2010. The book debuted at #3 on the NYT list in December, then shot to #1 on all four NYT nonfiction lists, including Combined Print and e-Book. In April, Heaven also hit #1 on the USA Today bestseller list and, in July, became an international #1 bestseller, reaching the top slot on the Globe and Mail bestseller list in Canada. The book has earned major coverage in international print and broadcast media, is nearing 4 million copies in print, and is being translated into 30 languages.

On its Facebook fan page, Heaven readers have shared stories of restored hope and renewed faith. Sony Pictures is developing the book for the big screen.

Lynn collaborated with former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Going Rogue: An American Life (HarperCollins). In November 2009, the book debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to sell 2.1 million copies. Going Rogue was top-selling memoir of 2009 and among the top ten bestselling books in any genre that year. The title is one of only four political memoirs to sell more than 1 million copies.

Lynn has written a total of ten books, nine of them since 2005. From 1998 to 2009, she worked as a senior writer and features editor for the national news biweekly World magazine, where she covered politics, culture, and current events. She has written more than a thousand articles. Her investigative work includes a story on the gruesome underground trade in the body parts of aborted babies; a piece on the sexual abuse of women in Protestant churches; and a series on National Organization for Women v. Joseph Scheidler, the longest-running federal case in U.S. history. Lynn’s investigation showed that witnesses for the plaintiffs may have lied under oath.

Lynn has also written for America Online, Andrew Breitbart’s Big Hollywood, financial trade journals such as Bank Marketing and Advisor Today, and Wall Street Journal specialty publications. Her articles have been cited in congressional hearings and before the U.S. Supreme Court.

A U.S. military veteran, Lynn served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. As a Navy air traffic controller, she was lucky enough to work as a control tower supervisor when the storied Navy Fighter Weapons School – known better as “Top Gun” – was still based at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego. (And, no, fighter pilots don’t really “buzz” the tower.)

Earlier in her military career, Lynn was on duty at Naval Air Station, Sigonella, Sicily, when intelligence sources reported that Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was launching a missile strike against U.S. bases there. Lynn was ordered to take cover under a government-issue metal desk, which she gladly did.

Gaddafi missed.