Linda O. Johnston

Linda O. Johnston's first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the Year. Since then, Linda has had more short stories published, plus 58 novels, including mysteries and romance.

Linda's latest release is CANINE PROTECTION, the fourth of her Shelter of Secrets stories for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. The fifth in the series, CANINE REFUGE, will be an April 2025 release. The shelter of secrets is a very special pet shelter where it appears like homeless people are hired to take care of the animals—but the people are actually persons in danger taken in for their own protection. These stories are a spin-off from Linda’s K-9 Ranch Rescue stories for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and the stories in that series, which contained dogs, have been reprinted under new formats and sometimes new titles that show the dogs on the covers more—including THE SOLDIER’S K-9 MISSION. Linda also has written stories in the long-standing Coltons series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense.

Linda’s most recent mystery series is Alaska Untamed, published by Crooked Lane Books, which she writes under her first pseudonym, Lark O. Jensen. The first book, BEAR WITNESS, was published in 2022, and the second, CRY WOLF, was published in November 2023. Both books have been reprinted as Harlequin’s Worldwide Mysteries.

Linda has also written several other mystery series, including the Superstition Mysteries and the Barkery and Biscuits series for Midnight Ink, and the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries and its spin-off series, the Pet Rescue Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime.

Linda also wrote paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne including the Alpha Force miniseries about a covert military unit of shapeshifters, as well as time travel romances.

Linda is a former transactional lawyer who loved writing contracts as well as fiction, but her law license is officially inactive now so she can write full time. She appears often at writing conferences and libraries, where she speaks about writing romance and mystery, especially those involving dogs. Linda is a member of the Los Angeles chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of Romance Writers of America, including the Los Angeles chapter, and Orange County Romance Writers.

And whenever possible, Linda’s stories include dogs.