John Steakley

John William Steakley, Jr. (July 26, 1951 – November 27, 2010)^[1] was an American science fiction author.^[2] He published two major novels, Armor (1984)^[3] and Vampire$ (1990); the latter was the basis for John Carpenter's Vampires movie.^[4] He published four short science fiction and fantasy stories.^[5]

Steakley was born in Cleburne, Texas. Aside from brief spells in South America and Hollywood, Steakley lived most of his life in Texas. Steakley's father owned a Chevrolet dealership in Dallas from 1962 until he sold it in 1999.^[6][7] Steakley attended St. Mark's School and graduated from Colorado Academy, a boarding school in Denver. He then went on to study at Westminster College in Missouri, and at Southern Methodist University, where he received his BA in English.^[2]

In 1988, Steakley married photographer Lori Jones; they held their wedding reception in the showroom of a local Subaru dealership.^[8] He was an avid golfer and in the mid-1990s carried a single-digit handicap.^[9] He died after a five-year battle with liver disease.

Steakley's sister told the press that he went to Hollywood at the invitation of screenwriter L.M. "Kit" Carson. He sold a film treatment, and played a bit part ("Local 1") in at least one film, Don't Open the Door!, but "he stayed out there a few years and just hated it."^[2] Following through on his childhood fantasy of becoming a science fiction writer, Steakley returned to Texas, and wrote.^[2] He published his first professional short story, "The Bluenose Limit", in the March 1981 issue of Amazing Stories; and another, "Flyer", in the September 1982 issue.^[10] He published two major novels, Armor (1984)^[3] and Vampire$ (1990). According to his website, he worked on the incomplete Armor II for years.

Steakley wrote the screenplay for the 1997 film, Scary Texas Movie; he also played a nameless bit part in that film. Steakley also played a nameless bit part in the 2000 film Playing Dead.

In 1998, John Carpenter directed a screen adaptation of Vampire$ (retitled Vampires), which starred James Woods as the leader of a Catholic Church-sanctioned team of vampire hunters.

• Armor (December 1984, DAW Books, ISBN 978-0-88677-368-7)
• Vampire$ (November 1990, Roc Books, ISBN 978-0-451-45033-3)

• Notable alumni of St. Mark's School of Texas

• John Steakley at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• John Steakley entry at The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 3rd edition (draft)
• John Steakley at IMDb
• Fantastic Fiction author page