Johanna Helen Lindsey, born Howard, was an American writer who wrote historical romance novels. She was born on March 10, 1952, and died on October 27, 2019. All of her books made it to the New York Times bestseller list, and many of them reached the number one spot.

Personal life

Johanna Helen Howard was born on March 10, 1952, in Frankfurt, West Germany. Her mother was Wanda Donaldson Howard, a person who helped manage employees. Her father was Edwin Dennis Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army who was assigned to work in West Germany, where Johanna was born. The Howard family moved often 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 follow his wish.

In 1970, after finishing school, Johanna went on a date with Ralph Bruce Lindsey, a man she did not know before. She married him four months later. The couple lived in Hawaii and had three children: Alfred, Joseph, and Garret. After her husband’s death, Johanna 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 the forty-nine other books she wrote after that were also successful. By 2006, more than fifty-eight million copies of her books had been sold around the world. Her books have been translated into twelve languages.

Style

Because of the variety of settings in her work, Lindsey's books include many types of romance stories. These types include historical fiction (such as medieval, Regency, American frontier, and Viking eras) and science fiction. Her most popular books are a series of Regency sagas about the fictional Malory family (see Family Tree).

Richard Sandomir of The New York Times explained,

Legacy

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

An Italian model named Fabio was frequently shown on the cover of Lindsey’s books. In 1987, Fabio first appeared on the cover of Lindsey’s novel Hearts Aflame, which was painted by Elaine Duillo. This image is believed to have 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.