William Wallace Johnstone (October 28, 1938—February 8, 2004) was a prolific American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 author, mostly of western

Western (genre)

The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...

, horror

Horror fiction

Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...

 and survivalist novels.

Biography

Born and raised in southern Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, Johnstone was the youngest of four children. His father was a minister

Minister of religion

In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...

 and his mother a school teacher. He quit school when he was fifteen and worked in a carnival

Carnival

Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...

 and as a deputy sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

. He later served in the Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 and, upon returning to civilian life, worked in radio broadcasting for 16 years.

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 and horror. His main publication series were Mountain Man, The First Mountain Man, Ashes and Eagles and his own personal favorite novel was The Last of the Dog Team (1980). He also authored two novels under the pseudonym

Pseudonym

A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...

 William Mason.

Johnstone had lived for many years in Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....

, yet died in Knoxville, TN, at the age of 65. His death remained officially unconfirmed for nearly three years and was the subject of continuous debate in the forum

Internet forum

An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...

 on his web site. No statements were issued, however 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 is continuing William W. Johnstone's series.

The Ashes series

Originally published

Publishing

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...

 1983

1983 in literature

The year 1983 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Ironweed by William Kennedy is published.*Salvage for the Saint by Peter Bloxsom and John Kruse is published. This is the final book in a series of novels, novellas and short stories featuring the Leslie Charteris...

 - 2003

2003 in literature

The year 2003 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Peter Ackroyd - The Clerkenwell Tales*Atsuko Asano - No...

, reprinted starting January 2008

2008 in literature

The year 2008 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*January 1 - In the 2008 New Year Honours, Hanif Kureishi , Jenny Uglow , Peter Vansittart and Debjani Chatterjee are all rewarded for "services to literature".*June 15 - Gore Vidal, asked in a New York Times...

 with each book rereleased monthly.

1. Out of the Ashes
   Out of the Ashes (Ashes Series)
   Out of the Ashes is the first in The Ashes series by William W. Johnstone.-Overview:The book depicts life after a nuclear and biological holocaust has wiped out most of the world, and follows main character Ben Raines, a former Hellhound and ex-mercenary, as he explores the remnants of the United...
   
    (1983)
2. Fire in the Ashes (1983)
3. Anarchy in the Ashes (1984)
4. Blood in the Ashes (1985)
5. Alone in the Ashes (1985)
6. Wind in the Ashes (1986)
7. Smoke from the Ashes (1987)
8. Danger in the Ashes (1988)
9. Valor in the Ashes (1988)
10. Trapped in the Ashes (1989)
11. Death in the Ashes (1990)
12. Survival in the Ashes (1990)
13. Fury in the Ashes (1991)
14. Courage in the Ashes (1991)
15. Terror in the Ashes (1992)
16. Vengeance in the Ashes (1993)
17. Battle in the Ashes (1993)
18. Flames from the Ashes (1993)
19. Treason in the Ashes (1994)
20. D-Day in the Ashes (1994)
21. Betrayal in the Ashes (1996)
22. Chaos in the Ashes (1996)
23. Slaughter in the Ashes (1997)
24. Judgment in the Ashes (1997)
25. Ambush in the Ashes (1998)
26. Triumph in the Ashes (1998)
27. From the Ashes: America Reborn (1998)
28. Hatred in the Ashes (1999)
29. Standoff in the Ashes (1999)
30. Crisis in the Ashes (2000)
31. Tyranny in the Ashes (2000)
32. Warriors From the Ashes (2001)
33. Destiny in the Ashes (2001)
34. Enemy in the Ashes (2002)
35. Escape from the Ashes (2003)

The First Mountain Man series (starting with Book 13 written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. The First Mountain Man (1991)
2. Blood on the Divide (1992)
3. Absaroka Ambush (1993)
4. Forty Guns West (1993)
5. Cheyenne Challenge (1995)
6. Preacher and the Mt. Caesar (1995)
7. Blackfoot Messiah (1996)
8. Preacher (2002)
9. Preacher's Peace (2003)
10. Preacher's Justice (2004)
11. Preacher's Journey (2005)
12. Preacher's Fortune (2006)
13. Preacher's Quest (2007)
14. Preacher's Showdown (2008)
15. Preacher's Pursuit (2009)
16. Preacher's Fire (2010)
17. Preacher's Assault (2011)

The Last Mountain Man series (#33 written with Fred Austin, #34 to current written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. The Last Mountain Man (1985)
2. Return of the Mountain Man (1986)
3. Trail of the Mountain Man (1987)
4. Revenge of the Mountain Man (1988)
5. Journey of the Mountain Man (1989)
6. Law of the Mountain Man (1989)
7. War of the Mountain Man (1990)
8. Code of the Mountain Man (1991)
9. Pursuit of the Mountain Man (1991)
10. Courage of the Mountain Man (1992)
11. Blood of the Mountain Man (1992)
12. Fury of the Mountain Man (1993)
13. Rage of the Mountain Man (1994)
14. Cunning of the Mountain Man (1994)
15. Power of the Mountain Man (1995)
16. Spirit of the Mountain Man (1996)
17. Ordeal of the Mountain Man (1996)
18. Triumph of the Mountain Man (1997)
19. Vengeance of the Mountain Man (1997)
20. Honor of the Mountain Man (1998)
21. Battle of the Mountain Man (1998)
22. Pride of the Mountain Man (1998)
23. Creed of the Mountain Man (1999)
24. Guns of the Mountain Man (1999)
25. Heart of the Mountain Man (2000)
26. Justice of the Mountain Man (2000)
27. Valor of the Mountain Man (2001)
28. Warpath of the Mountain Man (2002)
29. Trek of the Mountain Man (2002)
30. Quest of the Mountain Man (2003)
31. Ambush of the Mountain Man (2003)
32. Wrath of the Mountain Man (2004)
33. Destiny of the Mountain Man (2005)
34. Betrayal of the Mountain Man (2006)
35. Rampage of the Mountain Man (2007)
36. Violence of the Mountain Man (2008)
37. Savagery of the Mountain Man (2009)
38. Shootout of the Mountain Man (2010)
39. Assault of the Mountain Man (2011)

Matt Jensen: The Last Mountain Man series (all books written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. Matt Jensen: The Last Mountain Man (2007)
2. Deadly Trail (2008)
3. Purgatory (2008)
4. Savage Territory (2009)
5. Snake River Slaughter (2010)
6. Dakota Ambush (2011)

The Family Jensen series (all books written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. The Family Jensen (2010)
2. Helltown Massacre (2011)

Blood Bond series (starting with #11 written with J.A. Johnstone)

First published between 1989

1989 in literature

The year 1989 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 24 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini places a US$3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.-Literature:...

 - 1994

1994 in literature

The year 1994 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Kevin J. Anderson - Champions of the Force, Dark Apprentice and Jedi Search*Reed Arvin - The Wind in the Wheat*Greg Bear - Songs of Earth and Power...

 and reprinted in 2006

2006 in literature

The year 2006 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Literature:*Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun*Chris Adrian - The Children's Hospital *Martin Amis - House of Meetings...

 and 2007

2007 in literature

The year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...

 with two additional books.

1. Blood Bond (1989)
2. Brotherhood of the Gun (1990)
3. Gunsight Crossing (1991)
4. Gunsmoke and Gold (1992)
5. Devil Creek Crossfire (1992)
6. Shootout at Gold Creek (1993)
7. San Angelo Showdown (1994)
8. Death in Snake Creek (1994)
9. Slaughter Trail (2006)
10. The Hanging Road (2007)
11. Texas Gundown (2008)
12. Ride for Vengeance (2008)
13. Deadly Road to Yuma (2009)
14. Moonshine Massacre (2010)
15. Arizona Ambush (2011)

The Eagles series (starting with #11 written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. Eyes of Eagles (1993)
2. Dreams of Eagles (1994)
3. Talons of Eagles (1996)
4. Screams of Eagles (1997)
5. Rage of Eagles (1998)
6. Song of Eagles (1999)
7. Cry of Eagles (1999)
8. Blood of Eagles (2000)
9. Destiny of Eagles (2004)
10. Revenge of Eagles (2005)
11. Pride of Eagles (2006)
12. Crusade of Eagles (2007)
13. Thunder of Eagles (2008)
14. Bloodshed of Eagles (2009)
15. Slaughter of Eagles (2010)
16. Massacre of Eagles (2011)

The Last Gunfighter series (#13 written with Fred Austin, #14 to current written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. The Drifter (2000)
2. Reprisal (2000)
3. Ghost Valley (2001)
4. The Forbidden (2001)
5. Showdown (2001)
6. Imposter (2002)
7. Rescue (2003)
8. The Burning (2003)
9. No Man's Land (2004)
10. Manhunt (2004)
11. Violent Sunday (2005)
12. Renegades (2005)
13. Savage Country (2006)
14. The Devil's Legion (2006)
15. Avenger (2007)
16. Hell Town (2007)
17. Ambush Valley (2008)
18. Killing Ground (2008)
19. Slaughter (2009)
20. Sudden Fury (2009)
21. Winter Kill (2010)
22. Dead Before Sundown (2011)

A Town Called Fury series (all books written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. A Town Called Fury (2006)
2. Hard Country (2007)
3. Judgment Day (2008)
4. Redemption (2011)

Sidewinders series (all books written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. Sidewinders (2008)
2. Massacre at Whiskey Flats (2008)
3. Cutthroat Canyon (2009)
4. Mankiller, Colorado (2010)
5. Deadwood Gulch (2011)

Blood Valley series (starting with #2 written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. Blood Valley (2006)
2. Six Ways From Sunday (2009)
3. Savage Guns (2010)
4. Mountain Massacre (2011)

The Last of the Dog Team series (#2 written with Fred Austin, #3 to current written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. The Last of the Dog Team (1980)
2. The Return of the Dog Team (2005)
3. Revenge of the Dog Team (2009)
4. Target Response (2010)

The Devil's series

1. The Devil's Kiss (1980)
2. The Devil's Heart (1983)
3. The Devil's Touch (1985)
4. The Devil's Cat (1987)
5. The Devil's Laughter (1992)

Rig Warrior series

1. Rig Warrior (1987)
2. Wheels of Death (1988)
3. Eighteen-Wheel Avenger (1988)

Black Ops series

1. Black Ops # 1: American Jihad (with Fred Austin) (2006)

Code Name series

1. Code Name: Payback (2000)
2. Code Name: Survival (2000)
3. Code Name: Death (2001)
4. Code Name: Coldfire (2002)
5. Code Name: Quickstrike (2003)
6. Code Name: Extreme Prejudice (2004)
7. Code Name: Kill Zone (2005)

Satan Influenced series

1. A Crying Shame (1983)
2. The Nursery (1985)
3. Rockinghorse (1986)
4. Jack-in-the-Box (1986)
5. Sweet Dreams (1986)
6. Wolfsbane (1987)
7. Baby Grand (1987)
8. Toy Cemetery (1987)
9. The Uninvited (1988)
10. Sandman (1988)
11. Carnival (1989)
12. Darkly the Thunder (1990)
13. Rockabilly Hell (1995)
14. Rockabilly Limbo (1996)
15. Blood Oath (1999)

Invasion USA series (#2 written with J.A. Johnstone)

1. Invasion USA (2006)
2. Invasion USA: Border War (2006)

Other books

1. The Sanction (1981)
2. The Initiation (1982)
3. Dagger (as William Mason
   William Mason
   William Mason may refer to:*William Mason , American engineer and inventor working for Remington, Colt, and Winchester*William Mason , American composer and pianist...
   
   ) (1984)
4. Eagle Down (as William Mason) (1985)
5. Bloodland (1986)
6. Death Master (1986)
7. Blood Valley (1988)
8. Watchers in the Woods (1991)
9. Them (1992)
10. Bats June (1993)
11. Night Mask (1994)
12. What the Heart Knows (1996)
13. Breakdown (1997)
14. Ordeal (1998)
15. Blood Oath (1999)
16. Vengeance is Mine (2005)
17. Doubtful, Wyoming (2006)
18. Remember the Alamo (2007) (with J.A. Johnstone)
19. Jackknife (2008) (with J.A. Johnstone)
20. Home Invasion (2010) (with J.A. Johnstone)
21. Phoenix Rising (2011) (with J.A. Johnstone) (first in Phoenix Rising series)
22. Savage Texas (2011) (with J.A. Johnstone)
23. A Lone Star Christmas (2011) (with J.A. Johnstone)

External links

• The William W. Johnstone Website