Linda S. Howington was born on August 3, 1950, in Alabama, United States. She is an American author who writes romance and suspense books. She uses the name Linda Howard as her pseudonym.

Biography

Howington started writing stories when she was nine years old. She continued writing for twenty years just for fun. She worked at a trucking company, where she met her husband, Gary F. Howington. In 1980, she decided to try to get her writing published. After writing for 21 years for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for publication. The novel was very successful. Her first book, All That Glitters, was published by Silhouette in 1982.

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

Her 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.