Adam Joseph "Joey" Goebel III is an American author whose work centers around the peculiarities of culture in Middle America. Raised in Henderson, Kentucky, a small town on the Ohio River across from Evansville, Indiana, he was surrounded by a family dedicated to social work. His parents, Adam Goebel of Louisville, and Nancy Bingemer Goebel of Henderson, were both social workers who met in Frankfort, Kentucky. His older sister CeCe continues in the family tradition as a social worker.

Goebel's literary works have been published in over sixteen languages and have garnered a significant audience in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Among his notable publications is his third novel, Commonwealth, released on July 4, 2008. He currently resides in Kentucky, is divorced, and has a son named Adam Joseph Goebel IV, affectionately called "Joe."