Katie Flynn is a well-known British author, best recognized for her family saga novels. Flynn started her writing career as a pen name for Judy Turner, who was inspired by the stories of Liverpool in the early 20th century. Turner also wrote under several other pen names, including Judith Arden, Lydia Balmain, Judy Turner, and Judith Saxton. Following Turner's passing in 2019, her daughter, Holly Flynn, took up the Katie Flynn pen name.
Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School. She was published for the first time in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories at the tender age of eight. As an adult, Flynn joined a Writers’ Circle and published short stories, articles, and other works. She turned to novels in 1971 when the postal strike cut off her main source of income. Initially, Flynn wrote under several different names, including Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, and Judith Arden. However, her Katie Flynn books proved to be the most popular and delightful to write. Flynn has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns.
Flynn lived in the North West for many years and was a compulsive writer who started with short stories and articles. Many of her early stories were broadcast on Radio Merseyside. Flynn decided to write her Liverpool series after hearing the reminiscences of family members about life in the city in the early years of the Twentieth Century. She also wrote as Judith Saxton. For the last few years of her life, Flynn had to cope with ME but continued to write with the help of her daughter, Holly. Sadly, Flynn passed away on 1st January 2019, but she had already begun working with Holly on upcoming books. It was Flynn's wish that Holly continued the Katie Flynn name.