Johanna Helen Howard, who wrote under the name Johanna Lindsey, was a bestselling American author of historical romance novels. She was born on March 10, 1952, in Germany, where her father, a soldier in the U.S. Army, was stationed. The family moved around frequently during her childhood, eventually settling in Hawaii after her father's death in 1964. It was there that Johanna would later become a prolific and successful writer.
In 1970, Johanna married Ralph Lindsey and became a young housewife. The couple had three sons, Alfred, Joseph, and Garret, and Johanna became a grandmother in later years. After her husband's passing, Johanna moved to Maine, New England, to be near her family. Johanna's first novel, Captive Bride, was published in 1977, and she went on to write over 58 million copies of her books were sold worldwide, with translations appearing in 12 languages.
Johanna's novels are set in various eras of history, including the Middle Ages, the American "Old West," and Regency England-Scotland. She is perhaps best known for her Malory Family series, which is set during the Regency era. Johanna's female characters are often portrayed as feisty and strong-willed heroines, while her male characters are typically self-reliant, powerful, and sexual alpha males.
Johanna's success as a writer cannot be overstated. With more than 56 million copies of her books in print and translated into twelve languages, she is one of the world's most popular authors of romance. She has written over thirty novels, each one a bestseller, with several New York Times number ones. Johanna Lindsey died on Oct. 27, 2019, in Nashua, N.H. She was 67.