John Steakley biography Wikipedia

 

John Steakley

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Jump to: navigation, search

John Steakley

Born
July 26, 1951
Cleburne, Texas
Died
November 27, 2010 (aged 59)
McKinney, Texas
Occupation
Writer
Nationality
USA
Genres
Science fiction, Horror
John William Steakley, Jr. (July 26, 1951 – November 27, 2010)[1] was an American author, best known for his science fiction writing.[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]

Contents
  [hide] 1 Background
2 Writing and acting
3 Quotes
4 Selected works
5 References
6 External links
Background[edit]
Born in Cleburne, Texas, Steakley lived most of his life in Texas, aside from brief spells in South America and Hollywood in his youth. 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.[8]
In 1988, Steakley married photographer Lori Jones; they held their wedding reception in the showroom of a local Subaru dealership.[9] He was an avid golfer and in the mid-1990s carried a single-digit handicap.[10]
Writing and acting[edit]
His sister told the press that Steakley 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] Steakley (whose childhood fantasy was reportedly to be a science fiction writer) returned to Texas, and wrote.[2] He had his first professional short story publication, "The Bluenose Limit", in the March 1981 issue of Amazing Stories; and another, "Flyer", in the September 1982 issue.[11] 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 was the writer for, and played a nameless bit part in, a 1997 film, Scary Texas Movie. 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. Steakley played one more nameless bit part in the 2000 film Playing Dead, directed by Brad Keller (Scary Texas Movie was Keller's first film as a director).
Quotes[edit]
"Mythology is about Good VS Evil, is it not? We can pretend runes and astrology and reading tea leaves...But to whom do we pray when we are terrified? Carl Sagan's essays?" - John Steakley, online"He's the best of us. The best of our best, the best that each of us will ever build or ever love. So pray for this Guardian of our growth and choose him well, for if he be not truly blest, then our designs are surely frivolous and our future but a tragic waste of hope. Bless our best and adore for he doth bear our measure to the Cosmos." - John Steakley, Armor, p. 62"Bullies don't want to fight you. They don't want to fight at all. They simply want to beat you up." - Armor, re-used in Vampire$."He manages to survive, not through the an inherent craving for life, but through a stubborn refusal of death." - Armor"You areWhat you doWhen it counts"- Armor
Selected works[edit]
Armor (December 1984, DAW Books, ISBN 978-0-88677-368-7)
Vampire$ (November 1990, Roc Books, ISBN 978-0-451-45033-3)
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Obituary: John William Steakley Jr.". The Dallas Morning News. November 28, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c Simnacher, Joe (November 20, 2010). "John William Steakley Jr., 'Vampire$' author, dies at 59". The Dallas Morning News.
3.^ Jump up to: a b "Science fiction fans, professionals gather". The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA). February 8, 1986. Retrieved November 27, 2010. "John Steakley's book, "Armor," is about the first interplanetary war."
4.Jump up ^ Johnson, Malcolm (October 30, 1998). "'Carpenter's Vampires': Great Fangs, But No Teeth". Hartford Courant. p. F5. Retrieved November 27, 2010. "Carpenter and his screenwriter, Don Jacoby, set out a bloodless story line drawn from the John Steakley novel "Vampire$" about the pursuit of a master vampire"
5.Jump up ^ "John Steakley". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
6.Jump up ^ Sinnamacher, Joe (October 10, 2002). "John William Steakley, Owner of landmark car dealership". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
7.Jump up ^ Box, Terry (April 27, 1999). "Steakley Chevrolet purchased; AutoNation pays estimated $5 million". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
8.Jump up ^ Simnacher, Joe. "John William Steakley Jr., 'Vampire$' author, dies at 59." Dallas Morning News November 30, 2010
9.Jump up ^ Schwartz, Marilyn (April 5, 1988). "April Fool's, a Showroom, and Thou". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
10.Jump up ^ Wade, Harless (February 20, 1994). "Whatever its vintage, each of these holes offers trouble by the shot". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 27, 2010. ""Any time you tee it up here," said McKinney science fiction novelist John Steakley, a single-digit handicapper, "it's like playing Russian roulette"
11.Jump up ^ ISFDb listing for Steakley
External links[edit]
johnsteakley.com Unofficial/Official website ("John Steakley does not run this site. He knows of it, approves of it, and sometimes cooperates with us on it, but does not pay for it.")
John Steakley at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
John Steakley, entry at the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 3rd edition (draft)
John Steakley at the Internet Movie Database
Fantastic Fiction author page

Authority control
­VIAF: 29680155·
 ­ISNI: 0000 0001 0773 4128
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Categories: 1951 births
2010 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
American science fiction writers
American short story writers
People from Cleburne, Texas
Writers from Texas
Westminster College (Missouri) alumni
Southern Methodist University alumni



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John Steakley

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Jump to: navigation, search

John Steakley

Born
July 26, 1951
Cleburne, Texas
Died
November 27, 2010 (aged 59)
McKinney, Texas
Occupation
Writer
Nationality
USA
Genres
Science fiction, Horror
John William Steakley, Jr. (July 26, 1951 – November 27, 2010)[1] was an American author, best known for his science fiction writing.[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]

Contents
  [hide] 1 Background
2 Writing and acting
3 Quotes
4 Selected works
5 References
6 External links
Background[edit]
Born in Cleburne, Texas, Steakley lived most of his life in Texas, aside from brief spells in South America and Hollywood in his youth. 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.[8]
In 1988, Steakley married photographer Lori Jones; they held their wedding reception in the showroom of a local Subaru dealership.[9] He was an avid golfer and in the mid-1990s carried a single-digit handicap.[10]
Writing and acting[edit]
His sister told the press that Steakley 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] Steakley (whose childhood fantasy was reportedly to be a science fiction writer) returned to Texas, and wrote.[2] He had his first professional short story publication, "The Bluenose Limit", in the March 1981 issue of Amazing Stories; and another, "Flyer", in the September 1982 issue.[11] 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 was the writer for, and played a nameless bit part in, a 1997 film, Scary Texas Movie. 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. Steakley played one more nameless bit part in the 2000 film Playing Dead, directed by Brad Keller (Scary Texas Movie was Keller's first film as a director).
Quotes[edit]
"Mythology is about Good VS Evil, is it not? We can pretend runes and astrology and reading tea leaves...But to whom do we pray when we are terrified? Carl Sagan's essays?" - John Steakley, online"He's the best of us. The best of our best, the best that each of us will ever build or ever love. So pray for this Guardian of our growth and choose him well, for if he be not truly blest, then our designs are surely frivolous and our future but a tragic waste of hope. Bless our best and adore for he doth bear our measure to the Cosmos." - John Steakley, Armor, p. 62"Bullies don't want to fight you. They don't want to fight at all. They simply want to beat you up." - Armor, re-used in Vampire$."He manages to survive, not through the an inherent craving for life, but through a stubborn refusal of death." - Armor"You areWhat you doWhen it counts"- Armor
Selected works[edit]
Armor (December 1984, DAW Books, ISBN 978-0-88677-368-7)
Vampire$ (November 1990, Roc Books, ISBN 978-0-451-45033-3)
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Obituary: John William Steakley Jr.". The Dallas Morning News. November 28, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c Simnacher, Joe (November 20, 2010). "John William Steakley Jr., 'Vampire$' author, dies at 59". The Dallas Morning News.
3.^ Jump up to: a b "Science fiction fans, professionals gather". The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA). February 8, 1986. Retrieved November 27, 2010. "John Steakley's book, "Armor," is about the first interplanetary war."
4.Jump up ^ Johnson, Malcolm (October 30, 1998). "'Carpenter's Vampires': Great Fangs, But No Teeth". Hartford Courant. p. F5. Retrieved November 27, 2010. "Carpenter and his screenwriter, Don Jacoby, set out a bloodless story line drawn from the John Steakley novel "Vampire$" about the pursuit of a master vampire"
5.Jump up ^ "John Steakley". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
6.Jump up ^ Sinnamacher, Joe (October 10, 2002). "John William Steakley, Owner of landmark car dealership". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
7.Jump up ^ Box, Terry (April 27, 1999). "Steakley Chevrolet purchased; AutoNation pays estimated $5 million". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
8.Jump up ^ Simnacher, Joe. "John William Steakley Jr., 'Vampire$' author, dies at 59." Dallas Morning News November 30, 2010
9.Jump up ^ Schwartz, Marilyn (April 5, 1988). "April Fool's, a Showroom, and Thou". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
10.Jump up ^ Wade, Harless (February 20, 1994). "Whatever its vintage, each of these holes offers trouble by the shot". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 27, 2010. ""Any time you tee it up here," said McKinney science fiction novelist John Steakley, a single-digit handicapper, "it's like playing Russian roulette"
11.Jump up ^ ISFDb listing for Steakley
External links[edit]
johnsteakley.com Unofficial/Official website ("John Steakley does not run this site. He knows of it, approves of it, and sometimes cooperates with us on it, but does not pay for it.")
John Steakley at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
John Steakley, entry at the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 3rd edition (draft)
John Steakley at the Internet Movie Database
Fantastic Fiction author page

Authority control
­VIAF: 29680155·
 ­ISNI: 0000 0001 0773 4128
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Categories: 1951 births
2010 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
American science fiction writers
American short story writers
People from Cleburne, Texas
Writers from Texas
Westminster College (Missouri) alumni
Southern Methodist University alumni



Navigation menu


Create account
Log in


Article
Talk



 

Read
Edit
View history




 Search 



Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Toolbox





Print/export



Languages
Español
Français
Edit links
This page was last modified on 4 August 2013 at 17:35.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
 Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki