Johanna Helen Lindsey (née Howard, March 10, 1952 – October 27, 2019) was an American writer of historical romance novels. All of her books reached the New York Times bestseller list, many reaching No. 1.

Born in Germany, where her father, Edwin Dennis Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army was stationed, Johanna moved around a lot in her early years. Her family settled in Hawaii after her father passed away in 1964 to honor his dream of retiring there.

In 1970, still a student, she married Ralph Lindsey and became a young housewife. The couple had three children: Alfred, Joseph, and Garret, and she became a grandmother. Following her husband's death, she relocated to Maine, New England to be closer to her family.

Johanna Lindsey wrote her first book, Captive Bride, in 1977 "on a whim," and it was a success. By 2006, she had sold over 58 million copies.