Linda S. Howington was born on August 3, 1950, in Alabama, United States. She is an American best-selling author who writes romance and suspense books under the pen name Linda Howard.

Biography

Howington started writing stories at the age of nine and continued writing for twenty years for her own enjoyment. She worked at a truck company where she met her husband, Gary F. Howington. In 1980, she decided to try to get her writing published. After writing stories for twenty-one years, she submitted a novel for publication, which became very successful. Her first published book, All That Glitters, was released by Silhouette in 1982.

Howington joined the Romance Writers of America (RWA) in 1981, shortly after the organization was created. She served as Region 3 Director until October 31, 2008. In 2017, Howard criticized the RWA’s efforts to include more non-white authors, stating on an internal forum that “Diversity for the sake of diversity is discrimination.” Her comments caused controversy and led Howington to resign from the organization.

Howington’s husband was a professional bass tournament fisherman. She traveled with him and wrote stories on her laptop. The couple lived on a farm in Alabama, where they raised cattle and had two dogs. Linda’s husband passed away on January 3, 2025.