Wayne Johnston was born in Goulds, Newfoundland in 1958. He graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1978 with a BA (Hons) in English. He worked from 1978-1981 as a newspaper reporter with the St. John's Daily News. In 1981, after moving to Ottawa, he took up the writing of fiction full-time. In 1983, he graduated with an M.A. from the Univerity of New Brunswick. He now lives in St. John's, Newfoundland, and continues full-time writing.