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Owl Goingback
BornJames Russell Heidbrink[1]
(1959-05-01) May 1, 1959 (age 65)[2]
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.[2]
Occupationauthor
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
GenreHorror fiction
Notable awardsBram 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.

Early life

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Awards for Goingback
Year Title Award Result Ref.
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]
1998 Eagle Feathers Storytelling World Award for Pre-Adolescent Listeners Honor [10]
1999 Darker than Night Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel Finalist [11]
2019 Coyote Rage Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel Winner [12][13][14]
2020 Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement Winner [13][15]

Bibliography

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  • Crota (1996)
  • Eagle feathers (1997)
  • The Gift (1997)
  • Shaman Moon (1997)
  • Darker Than Night (1999)
  • Evil Whispers (2001)
  • Breed (2002)
  • Coyote Rage (2019)
  • Evil Whispers (2023)[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Howard, Brooke Leigh (24 July 2023). "The Native American Activists Exposing Celebrity 'Race-Fakers'". Daily Beast. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Contemporary Authors New Revision Series. Gale p. 152. 2005.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Goingback, Owl 1959-". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2023-03-03.[better source needed]
  4. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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.
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