Biography: Gary Phil Brandner (May 31, 1930 – September 22, 2013) was an American horror fiction author best known for his werewolf-themed trilogy of novels, The Howling. The first book in the series was loosely adapted into a motion picture in 1981. Brandner's second and third Howling novels, published in 1979 and 1985 respectively, are not connected to the film series, although he did contribute to the screenplay for the second Howling film.