W. R. Flynn was born in Hibbing, Minnesota, one of seven children of a civil engineer at an open pit taconite mine. He was later raised in a rough neighborhood near Oakland, California, a few blocks from Foothill Boulevard. When Flynn was in his 20s, he pulled his way out of poverty by working his way through college as a steelworker in Seattle, Washington. He earned a BA in history from the University of Washington at the age of 28 and a masters degree in education from Western Washington University at age 32. Enjoying an interesting and colorful life, he travelled throughout much of the communist world during the 1980s including a one month experience working on a farm in Cuba. Since then, Flynn has travelled to Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Portugal, Argentina, Chile, Spain and Singapore with his wife and children. Retired from a career in law enforcement, he now spends his time writing books and raising his family.