Born and raised in Northern Saskatchewan, Harold Johnson has a Master of Law degree from Harvard University. He has served in the Canadian Navy, and worked in mining and logging. Johnson is the author of three novels, Billy Tinker, Back Track, and Charlie Muskrat all set against a background of traditional Cree mythology and all shortlisted for Saskatchewan Book Awards. Johnson practices law in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, and balances this with operating his family's traditional trap line using a dog team. He is of Swedish and Cree descent.