She worked for the Connecticut Post after majoring in English literature at the University of Connecticut, publishing under her maiden name, Collins. Her early twenties were challenging, having been seriously injured in a car accident resulting from a head-on collision with a drunk driver. A victim of a lack of health insurance, Mary became an English teacher for the sake of benefits and job security. Consequently, she enrolled at Quinnipiac University in the Master of Arts in Teaching programme. Unsatisfied, she also enrolled at Wesleyan University to study poetry/creative writing. She taught at Westshore Middle School in Milford, CT; Betsy Ross Middle School in New Haven, CT; Ansonia Public Schools, CT; and Grossmont High School in La Mesa, CA.