William W. Johnstone

Born and raised in southern Missouri, Johnstone was the youngest of four children. His father was a minister and his mother a school teacher. He left school when he was 15 and worked in a carnival and as a deputy sheriff. He later served in the United States Army and, upon returning to civilian life, worked in radio broadcasting for 16 years.[1]

Johnstone started his writing career in 1970, but did not have any works published until 1979 (The Devil's Kiss) and became a full-time writer in 1980. He wrote close to two hundred books in numerous genres, including suspense, horror, men's adventure, post-apocalyptic, and Westerns. His main publication series were Mountain Man, The First Mountain Man, Ashes, and Eagles. His own personal favorite novel was The Last of the Dog Team (1980).[1] He also authored two novels under the pseudonym William Mason.

Johnstone had lived for many years in Shreveport, Louisiana, yet died in Knoxville, Tennessee at the age of 65. His death remained officially unconfirmed for nearly three years and was the subject of continuous debate in the forum on his website. No statements were issued, however[2][3] until the 2006 paperback release of Last Gunfighter: Devil's Legion, which, on its copyright page has, indeed, confirmed that "William W. Johnstone died" and that a "carefully selected author" has been chosen to carry on his legacy. J. A. Johnstone, William's niece,[4][5] is continuing her uncle's series.

As of July 2020, Johnstone has been credited on over 480 books, at least 330 of which were published after his death in 2004.[6]

• Jerry Ahern
• James Wesley Rawles

• Official website
• William W. Johnstone at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database