Johnston is a practicing attorney who splits her time between legal work and writing fiction.
Before obtaining her Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law, she ran a small newspaper and then worked in advertising and public relations.
Johnston has taught a course on romance writing at the California State University, Northridge College of Extended Learning and has been chosen to teach at The Learning Annex in Los Angeles, California.
Johnston is a member of the Los Angeles chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime and is actively involved with Romance Writers of America, participating in the Los Angeles, Orange County, and Kiss of Death (romantic suspense) chapters.
Johnston lives near Universal Studios in Hollywood, California along with her husband and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dogs.