Owl Goingback

Last updated
Owl Goingback
BornJames Russell Heidbrink [1]
(1959-05-01) May 1, 1959 (age 65) [2]
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. [2]
Occupationauthor
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Genre Horror fiction
Notable awards Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement (2020) [1]
SpouseNancy Santos Bello [3]
Childrentwo sons
Website
owlgoingback.com

Owl Goingback (born May 1, 1959, in St. Louis) [3] is an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.

Contents

Early life

The writer was born James Russell Heidbrink [1] on May 1, 1959, in St. Louis, Missouri. [3]

According to his personal website, Owl Goingback was given the surname Heidbrink at the age of ten, when he was adopted by his stepfather Carl M. Heidbrink. [4] According to the Daily Beast, the author legally changed his name to Owl Goingback in 2000 in Seminole County, Florida. [1]

In his biographical statements, Goingback writes that he grew up in the rural midwest, and that his mother's name was Quiet Starr. He dropped out of high school his senior year to join the United States Air Force and later attended Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University. On January 5, 1978, Goingback married Nancy Santos Bello, with whom he has two sons, Jason and Michael. [3]

In 2019, the Orlando Weekly wrote that Goingback "is of Choctaw and Cherokee heritage". [5] As of March 2024, the author's website states that he is "mixed blood Native American heritage (Choctaw/Cherokee, not enrolled, and Caucasian)". [4]

According to the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds, the author was born as James Russell Heidbrink. This organization states that the author is an "ethnic fraud ... of European ancestry." [1]

Military and early career

From 1976 to 1981, Goingback served as a jet engine mechanic in the United States Air Force, where he became a sergeant. [3] He received a good conduct medal and Air Force Longevity Service Award. [3] After leaving the military, Goingback owned and managed a restaurant in Georgia called Jim's Place from 1981-1986, after which he devoted himself to writing full-time. [3] [6] [2]

Writing

Goingback writes horror fiction novels, often with Native American subject matter. [5]

In addition to writing novels, children's stories, scripts, and other documents under his own name, he writes that he "has ghostwritten for Hollywood celebrities", [6] [7] and that he travels throughout the United States lecturing about "the customs and folklore of the American Indians" [6] and has worked as a model and actor. [6]

Personal

The author legally changed his name to Owl Goingback in Seminole County, Florida in 2000. [1] Goingback presently lives in Florida with his wife and sons. [6]

Awards

Awards for Goingback
YearTitleAwardResultRef.
1996"Grass Dancer" Nebula Award for Best Short Story Nominee [8]
Crota Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel Winner [9]
Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel Finalist [9]
1998Eagle FeathersStorytelling World Award for Pre-Adolescent ListenersHonor [10]
1999Darker than Night Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel Finalist [11]
2019Coyote Rage Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel Winner [12] [13] [14]
2020 Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement Winner [13] [15]

Bibliography

See also

Related Research Articles

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for novels.

The Bram Stoker Award for First Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for an author's first horror novel.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for long fiction.

The Bram Stoker Award for Short Fiction is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for short fiction.

The Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement annually recognizes one to three living artists for "superior achievement in an entire career" which has "substantially influenced the horror genre". It is conferred by the Horror Writers Association, and most winners have been horror fiction writers, but other creative occupations are eligible.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for best screenplay.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA). It is given for "superior achievement" in horror writing for best fiction collection.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for non-fiction.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Anthology is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for an anthology.

Thomas Ligotti is an American horror writer. His writings are rooted in several literary genres – most prominently weird fiction – and have been described by critics as works of philosophical horror, often formed into short stories and novellas in the tradition of gothic fiction. The worldview espoused by Ligotti in his fiction and non-fiction has been described as pessimistic and nihilistic. The Washington Post called him "the best kept secret in contemporary horror fiction."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Edelman</span> American writer and editor (born 1955)

Scott Edelman is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer and editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tananarive Due</span> American author and educator (born 1966)

Tananarive Priscilla Due is an American author and educator. Due won the American Book Award for her novel The Living Blood (2001), and both the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel and Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel for her novel The Reformatory (2023). She is also known as a film historian with expertise in Black horror. Due teaches a course at UCLA called "The Sunken Place: Racism, Survival and the Black Horror Aesthetic", which focuses on the Jordan Peele film Get Out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Graham Jones</span> Native American fiction author

Stephen Graham Jones is a Blackfeet Native American author of experimental fiction, horror fiction, crime fiction, and science fiction. His works include the horror novels The Only Good Indians, My Heart Is a Chainsaw, and Night of the Mannequins.

Gary A. Braunbeck is an American science fiction, fantasy, mystery and horror author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul G. Tremblay</span> American author and editor

Paul Gaetan Tremblay is an American author and editor of horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction. His most widely known novels include A Head Full of Ghosts, The Cabin at the End of the World, and Survivor Song. He has won multiple Bram Stoker Awards and is a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards.

Sarah Langan is an American horror author and three-time Bram Stoker Award winner. Langan was also one of the judges for the inaugural Shirley Jackson Award and is currently on its Board of Directors.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Young Adult Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for young adult novels.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Graphic Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for graphic novels.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Short Non-Fiction, established in 2019, is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for short non-fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Bailey (editor)</span> American editor and author (1979–present)

Michael Bailey is an American writer and editor who primarily works with horror and science fiction. His work occasionally blends into other genres such as mystery, western, and thriller, usually with a speculative angle. Most of his fiction and poetry can be categorized as psychological or literary horror. He has authored numerous novels, novellas, novelettes, and fiction & poetry collections.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Howard, Brooke Leigh (24 July 2023). "The Native American Activists Exposing Celebrity 'Race-Fakers'". Daily Beast. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Contemporary Authors New Revision Series. Gale p. 152. 2005.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Goingback, Owl 1959-". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2023-03-03.[ better source needed ]
  4. 1 2 "Owl Goingback" . Retrieved 23 Mar 2024. On July 10, 1969, at the age of ten, he was adopted by his stepfather, Carl M. Heidbrink, who gave him his surname. He carried that name until his stepfather and mother divorced...
  5. 1 2 Nevill, Frances Susanna (23 October 2019). "Owl Goingback, Central Florida's most frightful writer, thinks real life is scarier than werewolves or vampires". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Goingback, Owl - Bio". The Bram Stoker Awards . Archived from the original on 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  7. ↑ "Profile - Owl Goingback". The Authors Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  8. ↑ "Owl Goingback Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Archived from the original on 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  9. 1 2 "1996 Bram Stoker Award Winners & Nominees". The Bram Stoker Awards. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  10. ↑ "The 1998 STORYTELLING WORLD AWARD WINNERS AND HONOR TITLES". Storytelling World. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  11. ↑ "1999 Bram Stoker Award Winners & Nominees". The Bram Stoker Awards. Archived from the original on 2022-08-13. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  12. ↑ "The 2019 Bram Stoker Award® Winners". The Bram Stoker Awards. Archived from the original on 2022-05-28. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  13. 1 2 "Bram Stoker Awards 2020". Science Fiction Awards Database. Archived from the original on 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  14. ↑ "2019 Stoker Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2020-04-20. Archived from the original on 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  15. ↑ "Goingback and Ligotti Win HWA Lifetime Achievement Award". Locus Online . 2020-02-06. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  16. ↑ "Epeolatry Book Review: Evil Whispers By: Owl Goingback - The Horror Tree". horrortree.com. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.