Johanna Helen Lindsey, born as Howard on March 10, 1952, and died on October 27, 2019, was an American author who wrote historical romance novels. All of her books were listed on the New York Times bestseller list, and many of them reached the number one position.

Personal life

Johanna Helen Howard was born on March 10, 1952, in Frankfurt, West Germany. Her mother was Wanda Donaldson Howard, who worked in human resources. Her father was Edwin Dennis Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army who was stationed in West Germany, where Johanna was born. The Howard family moved frequently during Johanna’s childhood because of her father’s job in the military.

Her father always wanted to retire in Hawaii, but he passed away in 1964. That same year, her family moved to Hawaii, probably to fulfill his dream.

In 1970, after finishing school, Johanna went on a blind date with Ralph Bruce Lindsey. They married four months later. The couple lived in Hawaii and had three children: Alfred, Joseph, and Garret. After her husband’s death, Lindsey moved to Maine and did not marry again.

Writing career

Lindsey wrote her first book, Captive Bride, in 1977 without planning. The book was successful, and so were the forty-nine other books she wrote after that. By 2006, over fifty-eight million copies of her books had been sold worldwide, and her work had been translated into twelve languages.

Style

Lindsey's work includes many types of romance stories, such as historical fiction (set in medieval times, the Regency era, the American frontier, and the Viking era) and science fiction. Her most popular books are a series of Regency stories about the fictional Malory family (see Family Tree).

Richard Sandomir of The New York Times explained,

Legacy

In December 2019, her son Alfred announced that Lindsey passed away on October 27, 2019, at the age of 67. The reason for her death was Stage 4 lung cancer.

Italian model Fabio was often seen on the cover of Lindsey's work. In 1987, Fabio first appeared on Lindsey's novel Hearts Aflame, painted by Elaine Duillo. This image helped start Fabio's career as a male model. By 1992, more than 55 million romance novels featuring Fabio had been sold. In 2019, Fabio shared his sadness after learning about Lindsey's death.