Lynn Long

Lynn Long was born in West Point, Mississippi in 1958. He grew up there and attended public schools until his senior year when his family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina. After finishing high school, he attended two years at the University of North Carolina - Wilmington. Then he transferred to Mississippi State University where he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1981.

He worked for thirty-two years in the oil and auto industry before retiring in 2014. Always an avid reader, Lynn made a couple of attempts at writing that produced incomplete manuscripts. Then an unexpected event sparked his writing career.

In 2011, while playing basketball in the August heat, Lynn collided with another player resulting in fractured cartilage in his neck and a paralyzed vocal fold. The freak accident left him with a hoarse, raspy voice and he could only talk for short periods before having to take a rest. The treatment program took three years to correct his voice and during this period, he found it difficult to talk with other people especially in noisy environments or over the telephone. Writing allowed him to express himself without the barriers the injury caused.

The results was Down for the Count - A Gulf City Saga. The Galveston Daily News calls the book "an homage to the noir mysteries of the late 1940s" and "an exciting, fast-paced mystery." Lynn now lives in Galveston with his wife and chief editor and two dogs. He continues to write including a sequel to Down for the Count along with other writing projects.