About_Author_Mary_C

    As a young girl, Mary was often the despair of her mother, who constantly implored her daughter to get her nose out of a book and "do something!" Later, Mary used that love of words to eventually do a great deal.
     Journalist, freelancer, and author, Mary Ryan's first paid writing was a poem in the prestigious Wall Street Journal. Since then, she has worked as a correspondent reporter and humor columnist, and written articles and stories for a score of national and regional newspapers and magazines, including two cover stories for Boys' Life. She is the author of seven middle grade novels. Three of them were listed as Junior Library Guild selections. Frankie's Run and Me Two were also nominated for Young Reader awards in several states. Me Two was the basis for the Disney Channel Original Movie, The Other Me.
     Mary grew up in Buffalo, New York. While in high school, she won awards for fiction and essays in state and regional competition. Prior to starting her writing career, she earned a B.S. in Education and worked as a school librarian and fourth grade teacher. She met and married her husband, Pat, raised a family of six children, and currently lives in the Cleveland, Ohio area. She has presented school programs, assemblies, and writing workshops for both adults and youngsters in Ohio and surrounding states. In her leisure time, she enjoyed the outdoors and experiencing "neat stuff," like hot air ballooning, sea kayaking off the coast of Mexico, going underwater in a nuclear submarine, and exploring a Maya cave in Belize, C.A.
     She can often still be found with her nose in a book.