Joan Johnston

Joan Johnston is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of 62 novels and novellas with more than 15 million copies of her books in print. Her adventures traveling the world as an Air Force brat--encountering a cobra on the back porch and letting a baby octopus crawl on her hand in the Philippines, getting her teeth straightened by a Danish dentist in Casablanca, watching a camel get slaughtered at the souk, actually going to a "Casbah" and learning to ride on an Arabian stallion—made her curious about the world and gave her a love of travel. That rich upbringing--as one of seven kids--gave her the material to become the writer she is today. Joan earned a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, Florida, an M.A. in Theater from the University of Illinois and a J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. Joan has an eclectic background and has worked as a director of theatre, drama critic, newspaper editor, college professor (at Barry University and the University of Miami, Florida) and attorney (with Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Virginia, and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Miami, Florida) on her way to becoming a full-time writer. She has also raised two really great kids. She currently writs for Penguin Random House (Dell).