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Whether she is writing about a difficult conversation in the workplace, strangers thrown together on a city bus, or a child determined to save her birthday party, one idea runs through Mary J. Nestor’s work:
The moment something goes wrong may also be the moment we discover what we’re capable of doing next.
Mary is the author of Say It Now! Say It Right! How to Handle Tough or Tender Conversations, the psychological thriller Bus No. 7, and the children’s book Emily’s Best Birthday Party EVER!
In each, she explores what happens when ordinary people face moments that demand something more of them—courage, honesty, resourcefulness, or simply the willingness to act.
In Say It Now! Say It Right!, Mary draws on more than 25 years of experience in communication, leadership and organizational development to tackle a problem nearly everyone recognizes: knowing something needs to be said—and not knowing how to say it. Through real-life situations, practical strategies and words readers can actually use, she shows how speaking up at the right moment can change outcomes, strengthen relationships and prevent silence from becoming a much bigger problem.
That message is even more relevant in today's world of texts, emails, virtual meetings and AI. Are we getting better at communicating, or simply better at avoiding the conversations that matter? That question is at the heart of Mary’s work as an executive coach, speaker and creator of Real Talk @ Work — Honest conversations. Better leadership.
Say It Now! Say It Right! is also available in Spanish through Penguin Random House. Mary is a frequent podcast guest on difficult conversations, leadership, workplace culture, generational communication and the increasingly valuable human skills technology cannot replace.
Then there is Bus No. 7.
One missing phone. One missing wallet. A busload of strangers with secrets. And a chain of events no one can stop once it begins.
Mary’s debut psychological thriller takes readers into a world of seemingly ordinary people whose lives begin colliding in decidedly extraordinary ways. A hospital orderly, a lying husband, a thrill-seeking intern, a drunken city councilman—and even a murderous cat—become caught in a rapidly escalating story of secrets, deception, revenge and survival.
What begins with something as commonplace as a missing phone and wallet sets off a cascade of events. Characters who appear unconnected aren't. Motives aren't always what they seem. Assumptions shift. Secrets surface. And just when the reader thinks the pieces are finally falling into place, the story takes another turn. The result is a fast-moving, character-driven thriller built to keep readers asking two questions: What happens next—and who can I trust?
IHer first children’s book, Emily’s Best Birthday Party EVER!, draws on Mary’s own childhood experiences with resourcefulness, imagination and creativity. Through Emily’s unexpected birthday challenge, young readers discover that when plans go wrong, creativity can sometimes produce something even better.
Before becoming a book author, Mary built an extensive body of work as a freelance feature writer, with credits including the Savannah Morning News, Training & Development Magazine, Training Magazine and Supervision, as well as numerous online publications. She is also an award-winning speaker.
Mary divides her time between Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. She is available for podcast and media interviews, speaking engagements and executive communication coaching
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