| Owl Goingback | |
| Birth Name: | James Russell Heidbrink |
| Birth Date: | 1 May 1959 |
| Birth Place: | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation: | author |
| Language: | English |
| Nationality: | American |
| Genre: | Horror fiction |
| Subjects: | --> |
| Spouse: | Nancy Santos Bello |
| Children: | two sons |
| Awards: | Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement (2020) |
Owl Goingback (born May 1, 1959, in St. Louis)[1] is an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.
The writer was born James Russell Heidbrink[2] on May 1, 1959, in St. Louis, Missouri.[1]
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.[3] According to the Daily Beast, the author legally changed his name to Owl Goingback in 2000 in Seminole County, Florida.[2]
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.[1]
In 2019, the Orlando Weekly wrote that Goingback "is of Choctaw and Cherokee heritage".[4] As of March 2024, the author's website states that he is "mixed blood Native American heritage (Choctaw/Cherokee, not enrolled, and Caucasian)".[3]
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."[5]
From 1976 to 1981, Goingback served as a jet engine mechanic in the United States Air Force, where he became a sergeant.[1] He received a good conduct medal and Air Force Longevity Service Award.[1] 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.[1] [6] [7]
Goingback writes horror fiction novels, often with Native American subject matter.[4]
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] [8] 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]
The author legally changed his name to Owl Goingback in Seminole County, Florida in 2000.[2] Goingback presently lives in Florida with his wife and sons.[6]
| 1996 | "Grass Dancer" | Nebula Award for Best Short Story | Nominee | [9] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crota | Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel | Winner | [10] | ||
| Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel | Finalist | ||||
| 1998 | Eagle Feathers | Storytelling World Award for Pre-Adolescent Listeners | Honor | [11] | |
| 1999 | Darker than Night | Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel | Finalist | [12] | |
| 2019 | Coyote Rage | Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel | Winner | [13] [14] [15] | |
| 2020 | Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement | Winner | [16] |