Joe McKinney is the San Antonio-based author of several horror, crime and science fiction novels. His longer works include the four part Dead World series, made up of Dead City, Apocalypse of the Dead, Flesh Eaters and The Zombie King; the science fiction disaster tale, Quarantined, which was nominated for the Horror Writers Association’s Bram Stoker Award for superior achievement in a novel, 2009; and the crime novel, Dodging Bullets. His upcoming releases include the horror novels Lost Girl of the Lake, The Red Empire, The Charge and St. Rage. Joe has also worked as an editor, along with Michelle McCrary, on the zombie-themed anthology Dead Set, and with Mark Onspaugh on the abandoned building-themed anthology The Forsaken. His short stories and novellas have been published in more than thirty publications and anthologies.
In his day job, Joe McKinney is a sergeant with the San Antonio Police Department, where he helps to run the city’s 911 Dispatch Center. Before promoting to sergeant, Joe worked as a homicide detective and as a disaster mitigation specialist. Many of his stories, regardless of genre, feature a strong police procedural element based on his fifteen years of law enforcement experience.
A regular guest at regional writing conventions, Joe currently lives and works in a small town north of San Antonio with his wife and children.
Old Major's Dream 
David Whitehead
/ May 22, 2010I suppose this is a classic case of being better late than never. Last week I happened across a copy of DEAD CITY. Last night I started reading it. I am absolutely blown away by not only the story but the quality of the writing. This morning I Googled Joe McKinney and found this site. This afternoon my quest to build my very own Joe McKinney library begins! Thank you for the thrills, spills and beautiful writing!
joemckinney
/ May 22, 2010Thanks, David! High praise indeed. I’m glad you liked Dead City. And don’t feel like you found it too late. The sequel, called Apocalypse of the Dead, is coming out in November, 2010. That will be followed by the third book in the series, The Ninth Plague, due out in April, 2011. The fourth and final book in the series, The Zombie King, will be coming out in November, 2011. Thanks again for the kind words. I appreciate it.
Diana Miller
/ July 20, 2010Hey I really think you should find a director and make Dead City into a movie. I would LOVE to see how you do it. And please please please if you do make it a movie keep it EXACTLY like the book. I love this book and its the only one I have read in 2 days.
joemckinney
/ July 20, 2010Thanks, Diana! Believe me, I would love to see Dead City as a movie. Maybe one day. I’m glad you liked it.
Chris Karcher
/ October 27, 2010Good evening, Joe. I was the oddly dressed fellow who shared a table with you Saturday morning at Trinity. As well as teaching a class this semester, I’m also taking one. Today I was given an assignment to do an interview with someone interesting and write a magazine article. You immediately came to mind. Any chance you’d be willing to talk with me about the impact police work has had on your writing? If you’re comfortable with the idea, could we meet for lunch or breakfast, my treat? Thanks, Chris K
InfernusMikey
/ November 4, 2010I read “Dead City” a while back and loved it. I wondered why there was nothing else out there by him. Recently I saw the new cover with the announcement in the back that there was gonna be another one. I’m 220 pages into this one and love it even more.
Congrats, bud, for a well-written horror novel. Can’t wait for the next 2!
I reviewed “Dead City” on my YouTube channel. Check it out, also under InfernusMikey.
Thanx!
joemckinney
/ November 6, 2010Hey, that’s great! Glad the new book is going well for you. And thanks for the YouTube review. That was pretty cool. I wonder why more folks don’t review books on YouTube. It really shows off the reader’s interaction with the book…something I don’t get to see enough of.
Deven
/ November 15, 2010Hi Joe!
Just started Apocalypse of the Dead and I’m loving it.I’m only on page 32 but had to take time to tell you it got me from the start,here’s why #1 my inlaws live on Tiki Island by Galveston #2 my daughter is a pilot with the Coast Guard and was just recently stationed in Corpus Christi #3 I live in Sarasota!!! I just told my husband all this but he thinks I’m a nut when it comes to Zombies,I’ve probably got the largest collection of Zombie books and movies of any 52 year old woman on the planet.Just love em! Take care and keep up the good work! Deven
joemckinney
/ November 16, 2010Devon,
Very cool! Talk about coincidences! I hope the rest of the book moves along with the same resonance. Let me know if I captured the sense of place of Sarasota. I’ve been there several times and I really love that town.
Joe
Jamie
/ November 17, 2010Just picked up your book dead City last night and I could not put it down. I am 3/4 of the way done and plan to finish it tonight so i can buy the next one tomorrow. Really love the writing because you leave each chapter in a way that the reader has to press on so they know what is going to happen next.
I have recommended the book to several of my friends and they are all ready to run out and buy it. Of course we all live in San Antonio so it is weird and cool to read a zombie book about our city. I found myself driving to work this morning trying to figure out where I would hold up if the apocalypse truly happened.
joemckinney
/ November 17, 2010Jamie,
Thanks for the note! Glad to hear my fellow San Antonians are enjoying the books. And you know, I’ve often wondered where I would hide out myself. I suspect the best thing to do would be to put some serious distance between yourself and the city, like heading out 90 West towards Hondo, or out HWY 16 toward Fredericksburg. I suspect the country would be the place to go. Thanks for mentioning my books to your friends, too. I appreciate that.
Joe
Jamie
/ November 30, 2010What about holding up in a prison? Lots of guns and food. If the inmates are zombies they will more than likely still be behind the bars. Plus in a prison you have the wall and fence around to keep you safe.
joemckinney
/ December 2, 2010They actually do this in The Walking Dead comics, and it works well for the characters. And the reasoning is sound. After all, if it can keep prisoners in it should be able to keep zombies out, right? My concern would be for zombies wandering the grounds. Most prisons, after all, have a high percentage of their population out of the their cells during the course of an average day.
celestina
/ November 19, 2010Just discovered your book at the Carver Library on the east side of SA! I am just in the beginning of the book and it is freaking me out!! (in a good way) Love the way you wrote it and I am willing to catch up on the other books!
joemckinney
/ November 19, 2010Celestina,
That’s fantastic! Glad to hear it. I hope the rest of the book keeps up the excitement. Which one are you reading, by the way?
Jond76
/ November 27, 2010Hey Sgt! I’m a Harris County deputy and fellow zombie lover. Glad to see you could turn a passion into a side career.
I myself am working on a series of short films that I plan to release as a web series. Got three shot so far.
Looking forward to your future books (just read the excellent Apocalypse)
Maybe we should collaborate! Ha!
joemckinney
/ November 27, 2010Cool! Good to meet a brother in blue! I’d love to see your short films. Send me a link so I can check them out.
Jond76
/ December 1, 2010I’ll keep you posted on their status 🙂
joemckinney
/ December 2, 2010Cool, thanks!
Jond76
/ March 1, 2011God, I hope I’m not flooding your comments section. Feel free to delete all the duplicates. As promised I wanted to let you know my website is up. A teaser and episode 1 are ready for viewing. Hope you like it, let me know what you think! Thanks!
Joe Beck
/ January 17, 2011I read Dead City in two days. I picked it up on the way to Bass Pros and decided to read a couple pages in the parking lot before I went in. Three hours later I still hadn’t gone in. I’m going to start the second book now– thanks for the good read.
“What’s wrong with you, Simon? Did someone write you a ticket and hurt your feelings. Come on fess up…”
Too funny– keep it up and keep your head down and your powder dry.
Joe
joemckinney
/ January 17, 2011Thanks, Joe! That’s a cool story. Glad I made you late!
Best,
Joe
Mindy
/ January 26, 2011Please don’t say there’s only 4 to this zombie series! I was riveted.. I won’t know what to read when they finish!!! Your zombie books are my favorite of all your books. Intense, twisting, and moving! I hope you will still think of more zombie books after this series or even add on to it.
joemckinney
/ January 26, 2011Mindy,
Thanks for that! Wow, that’s great to hear. For now, yeah, there’s just the four books…but I think I might have another in me somewhere down the line. The overall series has a few remaining holes to fill, and any one of them could turn into a novel. I’ll make sure and post what’s going on with future releases here on this website. Thanks again for your kind words. Your message was a real pleasure to read.
Joe
Danny Garcia
/ April 2, 2011Hey Joe, I think it’s freaking awesome how you get back to your fans. I love that about people who make it big. When i first read about Dead City in the SA express way back before it came out, i was totally on ban wagon. A few months after that i got the book and read it. I FREAKING LOVED IT. Please keep in mind that I have A.D.H.D. so i hate reading. If i had to read to save my life, i’d probably commit suicide. lol Your book hooked me right off the bat though. I’m also a big fan of anyone who makes it big from SA. Hopefully i get to talk to you soon. I know you’re a busy person but i would like your help with something. I’m also going to buy Apocalypse of the Dead and Fleash Eaters soon. I can’t wait to dig into those. Have a good day.
joemckinney
/ April 3, 2011Hey Danny, thanks for the really kind words! That’s about the best compliment a writer can get. I got you email and I’ll send you a reply here in a bit. I’m on the road right now, enroute to Dallas. Thanks again!
Cliff Edwards
/ April 2, 2011Just finished Apocalypse. Big zombie fan. Read Autumn and the sequel in between City and Apocalypse. Autumn is all over the top 10 lists but I almost didn’t finish the sequel. Both are just average. Your first two should be right at the top. Great character development although I think you could have cut a few out and focused a little more on Barnes and the biker…Ed, the lady coming out of SA, etc. Great characters. I had a little trouble picking it up after a few days and staying with it. I always have 10 -12 books going. The biker was great! Lots of good fight sequences and overall – two of the best zombie or apocalypse novels out there. Hope you sell some movies and bank! Great books. Ready for the third. Rare talent! Comparable to old Stephen King and how he developed characters.
joemckinney
/ April 3, 2011That’s really cool, Cliff! Thanks man. I hope I sell some movies too! Actually, several of my projects are currently optioned, so let’s see how it turns out.
Jerry Barnett
/ April 8, 2011Joe…bought Flesh Eaters on Tuesday and read it on Wednesday. Fantastic!!!!! I have to ask….when is the next one coming out?????
joemckinney
/ April 8, 2011Awesome, Jerry! Glad to hear it! I actually have a meeting scheduled with my publishers on Monday to discuss that very thing. Hopefully, it’ll be April of 2012, though November 2012 is also possible. I’ll keep you up to date. And thanks for the great feedback on Flesh Eaters. Glad to hear it!
Chris Wray
/ April 19, 2011Dear Joe,
I never have been a reader of any sorts and since I’m 19 I don’t ever have time. But let me tell you what, Dead City just blew my mind. Since im from Texas, it was easier to with the story and all The way you describe the feelings and actions of the main character are breath taking. Also, how you explained the wreckage of the city and how every character you introduced felt like i knew them. I am currently looking for a copy of Apocalypse of the dead and cant wait to read it. I am a zombie fanatic and truthfully i believe if your books do show on the big screen, they could easily rival that of the resident evil series. I’m looking forward to hear back from you and also to read your books.
joemckinney
/ April 19, 2011Chris, that’s fantastic! Glad to hear you connected with Dead City. I love hearing stories like that. I hope you find Apocalypse of the Dead, and the third book, Flesh Eaters. Both take place in Texas (well, a lot of Apocalypse of the Dead does; all of Flesh Eaters does) so hopefully you’ll recognize home in there somewhere. As for movies, well, that is the dream. Dead City has been optioned a few times, but the movies haven’t developed. However, one of my zombie short stories is getting very close to the production phase. I have my fingers crossed. Thanks for contacting me! I appreciate that.
Joe
chris wray
/ April 20, 2011Also I forgot to mention it above but you have inspired me to try my hand at writting…it won’t be anywhere close to your zombie writing but I have to start somewhere
Thanks
joemckinney
/ April 20, 2011That is awesome, Chris! I’m honored to be your gateway drug to the wonderful high that is writing! Have fun with it. That’s my best advice. Think big and have a blast. As long as you keep writing fun, you’ll never grow tired with it.
John
/ June 8, 2011Im not a huge reader. When I found this book I was blown away! I love the idea of a zombie apocalypse! I’m currently reading the second book and I’m glued to it! Thank you so much for writing these books you are my favorite author now! I hope some day I can meet you and talk to you for a bit. Truly art work dude. I can’t say enough about these books. They’re amazing.
joemckinney
/ June 8, 2011John,
That’s really cool! Thanks! I’m flattered by your kind words. And you bet, I’d love to run into you some time and talk for a bit. That’d be great. Thanks again for the wonderful message.
Joe
Sabi
/ January 3, 2012I started with Flesh Eaters and was blown away. I don’t know if anyone plans to make a movie, but the your storytelling technique lends itself well to cinematics. I then got ahold of Dead City (which I enjoyed, though not as much as FE) and Apocalypse of the Dead (which was just as great as FE).
And now it’s January 2012. I was just wondering when The Zombie King is now slated for release. Nothing is showing up on Amazon.
joemckinney
/ January 3, 2012Thank you so much! Unfortunately, movies are a complicated business, and book writers have very little say in what gets turned into a movie. I’ve been through the process a few times now, and I can tell you it is incredibly frustrating. A lot of ego-stroking at the beginning, and then a lot of cold shoulders at the end, when somebody in the chain says no. Believe me, it’s a mean business. I really do appreciate your kinds words on the books, though! Thanks for that. The Zombie King went to the publisher on December 1st. Soon I’ll be getting editorial input, galley proofs, marketing proposals, sales meetings and tour information…all of which leads to the book hitting the bookstore shelves on September 1, 2012. In the meantime, though, I’m going to be releasing quite a few other projects, including volume 1 of my complete zombie short fiction. That one should hit the stores on May 1, 2012. Thanks again for the kind words!
Sarah
/ March 25, 2012September 1st, huh? Excellent, just in time for my birthday (Sept 2)!
Your books rock my socks. 😀
joemckinney
/ March 25, 2012Awesome, Sarah! Thanks for that. Here’s hoping MUTATED lives up to the promise!
Darryl
/ January 26, 2012Hey Joe,
I am very much looking forward to your next novel.Dead City,Apocolypse of the Dead and Flesh Eaters were awesome and have all made their way amongst the Zombie fans at my work.It’s a veritable zombie novel swapping community!So, in the meantime are there any zombie novels you would recommend to satiate my need for some undead action while I wait for your next book?
Cheers,
Darryl
joemckinney
/ January 26, 2012Thanks Darryl! I’m thrilled to hear you’re enjoying the books. Always nice to hear. As for more zombie books, well, there’s a ton of great stuff out there. Here’s a short list of some, but by no means all, of the zombie books I’ve enjoyed.
World War Z
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Wet Work
Dying to Live
Patient Zero
The Dishonored Dead
Tooth and Nail
Zombie, Ohio
The Walking Dead Graphic Novels (far, FAR better than the TV show)
The Loving Dead
Breathers
Day by Day Armageddon
Zone One
The Reapers are the Angels
Warm Bodies
That ought to get you started, anyway. Enjoy! And thanks again.
Daniel
/ June 27, 2012check out Mira Grants books too, not as good as Joe’s, but can hold you over till he comes out with another.
Jared
/ February 29, 2012Joe,
Due to time-constraints, I cannot read books as often as I’d prefer to. And so, I usually have to settle for audiobooks. I am a huge fan of your second book in the “Dead” series, “Apocalypse of the Dead”. Ed the Marshall is my favorite character – He hits close to home and reminds me so much of my late Grandfather. I just wanted to let you know that your writing is inspirational and I greatly appreciate your work for getting me through my mundane work days!
Further, I’m sure that I speak for everyone here: Thank you for being humble about your work and having an interactive way of communicating with your readers through this message board. This is a rare trait and I hope you keep it up. Once again, it is greatly appreciated.
-Jared
joemckinney
/ March 1, 2012Hi Jared!
Glad you liked the book, and I’m deeply honored by your comment about Ed Moore hitting close to home. My own grandfather was a lot like Ed Moore, particularly with the “old age and guile triumphing everytime over youth and raw talent” quote, and perhaps that’s where the motivation for him came from. Thanks for reading, and for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed the book.
All My Best,
Joe
leslie berry
/ March 2, 2012mr mckinney, i just happened across your books apocalypse of the dead and flesh eaters at the library, and thoroughly enjoyed them. thank you for the great reads. i will be looking forward to more, and start adding to my collection of horror i can read again and again.
thanks for your work, leslie.
joemckinney
/ March 2, 2012Leslie,
Thanks so much for the kind words. I’m thrilled you came across my books. And no worries, there’s plenty more to come. Book 4 in the series, called MUTATED, comes out September 1, 2012.
Thanks again for reading!
Joe
Matt
/ March 28, 2012Greetings again Joe,
Would you ever consider doing a contest of some sort or something like that on your website to let some of your fans win one of your novels that are autographed? That would be awesome! Thanks for the great novels!
joemckinney
/ April 3, 2012Matt,
That’s a great idea! Let me give that some serious thought. With several new books coming out later in the year, I’d have a chance to do several. Yeah, I like that idea a lot!
Brittany
/ April 10, 2012I just pre-ordered Mutated with overnight shipping, that’s how excited I am about your next novel! I’ve been keeping up with your site to see when it will come out and I’m so happy to see that I’ll be able to read it this year! Thank you for your work and I hope you keep it coming!
joemckinney
/ April 12, 2012Hi Brittany!
Thanks for ordering MUTATED! I hope you’ll like it. And don’t worry, there’s plenty more to come. Thanks again. Your note made me smile!
Joe
Brandon
/ May 19, 2012Well last summer while getting ready to go to the outer banks for a summer break during work, I figured I would grab a few books for those fun days of sitting on the beach with a beer and a book. I saw Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead and figured “Ill read them while Im down there.” Day one I started to read Dead City…I finished it that afternoon and then two days later finished Apocalypse of the Dead. I was blown away about how they were written. Also Dead City pushed me towards my new college major of Criminal Justice. Recently just finished Flesh Eaters and was once again blown away about everything from the well organized “disorganized EOC” to the destruction caused by the storms. Cant wait for Mutated and would love to see about your books becoming a movie..In the mean time I guess Ill just have to convert them into Scenario games for Paintball and see how that plays out. Keep up the great work Mr. McKinney!
joemckinney
/ May 21, 2012Brandon,
Thank you for this! Not only am I thrilled you enjoyed the book, but to think that Dead City helped you decide a career choice is, well, really really cool! Thank you contacting me. Here’s hoping that MUTATED continues to deliver the thrills.
All my best!
Joe
here
/ May 28, 2012Is it alright to place part of this in my personal blog if I submit a reference point to this web-site?
joemckinney
/ May 28, 2012Sure, I think that would be okay.
Daniel
/ June 27, 2012As a Coast Guardsman, it is great to see us in a book! Keep up the great work, I have told all of my Zed-Head friends about your work and really work forward to Mutated.
joemckinney
/ June 27, 2012Thanks Daniel! Yeah, a good friend of mine is in the Coast Guard and he was kind enough to offer me some technical guidance on the first chapter of Apocalypse of the Dead.
By the way, I love Mira Grant’s books. Glad you discovered them.
Luke Vaan Horne
/ July 6, 2012Well thank you for ruining every not yet made and yet to be seen zombie movie of my future! Gone are the days of my jumping over the big zombie attack scene in movies after reading FLESH EATERS! What Eleanor went through zombie attack after dozen zombie after hundred zombie and thousand zombie attack left me WORN OUT! She went through so much hell time after time that I really couldnt tell if she and her family would live or die up until the very end! EXCELLENT WRITING! That the zombie plague had some science behind it that made it plausible was an excellent touch. FLESH EATERS is a must read for every zombiefile. Ive been starving for zombies since The Walking Dead is off the air but your books are now the my main zombie repast. Please write a bunch more! Thank you for an excellent read!
Darrell
/ August 3, 2012Joe, do your novels need to be read in order? I started with Apocolypse, then Flesh Eaters, but now I want to read Dead City before Zombie King
joemckinney
/ August 3, 2012No worries, Darrell. The books were written so that readers could do them in any order. There’s no need to read one before the others. You will find, though, that certain things are mentioned in each of the books, and something said casually in one will be a major plot point going on in another book. However, each book uses its own unique cast of characters, so you won’t miss anything by reading one before the other. Oh, and one other thing. After a lengthy discussion, my publisher and I agreed to change the title of THE ZOMBIE KING to MUTATED. You should be able to find it up for pre-order on all the book sites online, and it will be in stores starting September 4th.
Darrell
/ August 3, 2012Sorry Joe, maybe I should have explored this site some more, … I found your chronological order. Thanks so much for writing this, … it truly is some of the best stuff I’ve read in years.
john
/ August 4, 2012After stumbling upon dead city I was taken back on this style of writting, I have never been one for the zombie genre in books due to the fact that no author that i have read has been able to portrey the victims and the zombies themselves well enough to grab my attention, but This book it just captured me I couldnt put it down had to know what happen to them, and usually authors lose steam after the second book but loved apocalypse and flesh eaters as well truely amazed sir and thank you for making such captivating stories!
joemckinney
/ August 4, 2012Thank you, John! I’m thrilled you’ve enjoyed the books. Hopefully I can keep the fun coming with the next one, called MUTATED. That one arrives in stores September 4. And if you’re a fan of short fiction, my collected zombie short stories, called DATING IN DEAD WORLD, arrives later this year, probably around November.
Dennis Reid
/ October 20, 2012Hey Joe,
I’m a big fan of your zombie novels especially Apocalypse of the Dead. I just picked up Mutated and read the first 10 chapters before I put it down. I was glad to see the resurgence of some favorite characters.and I’m loving the Red Man. Very cool idea on him. I love The Walking Dead but not half as much as your novels. I’d love to see them turned into a series.
joemckinney
/ October 20, 2012Thank you, Dennis! Yeah, I’d love to see the books turned into a TV miniseries also. That would be fantastic. I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the books, and especially the Red Man. He was a blast to write. Thanks again for the kind words!
Joe
Eric
/ November 5, 2012I can’t find “Zombie King” has it been released or is it under a different title?
Eric
/ November 5, 2012oh I see where you say it’s been re-titled
Eric
/ November 5, 2012Just ordered “Flesheaters” and “Mutated”, can’t wait….
Kerry
/ March 20, 2013I thought no one would be able to match J.L.Bourne, but you have done it. I have only read the first 2 books in the series. Can’t wait to read the other 2.
joemckinney
/ March 20, 2013Hey Kerry, thanks so much! I love Bourne’s stuff, and it’s cool to be in that company.
Pamela
/ May 21, 2013Hi I’m from Brazil and recently read your book Dead City. The best book I’ve read, loved a lot, now I do work for school about your book.
Pamela
/ May 22, 2013Hi, I’m from Brazil and I read his book Dead City a short time and loved much, now I do work for school on it. Very good story. You are an awesome writer. Congratulations!
Thank you.
joemckinney
/ May 22, 2013Thanks Pamela! Mighty cool of you to say. Thanks for contacting me here.
Sean Callahan
/ January 20, 2014Fantastic work sir! As former law enforcement (Potter Co SO in Amarillo) and most recently a 12B (Combat Engineer) with 43d CEC 2/3 ACR at Fort Hood, the realistic devastation and overwhelming horror that enveloped San Antonio pushed me into overdrive reading your Dead World Series. About to start book 3 ‘Flesh Eaters’…my wife has devoured (see what I did there? lol), today. Your work has made me realize I’m probably not prepared for a zombie outbreak. I look forward to reading more of your works! Thanks again!
Sean Callahan
/ January 20, 2014So my phone dropped the ball, my wife has devoured Dead City today, starting it at kick off of the NE vs. DEN game and is nearly done at 19:37…again, thanks for the hard work.
joemckinney
/ January 20, 2014Hey Sean,
Thanks so much for the kind words! Always great to meet a brother in blue. And you know, I don’t think any of us is truly prepared. That’s what makes it so scary, I think. I hope you enjoy Flesh Eaters as much as the first two. Let me know what you think, okay?
Joe
Mike
/ July 25, 2014While I thought Dead City was great I just finished Inheritance and Wow. I could not stop until I finished it. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.
joemckinney
/ July 25, 2014Cool! Glad you liked that one, Mike. I’m proud of that book.
Debra Weeks
/ May 13, 2016Mr. Mckinney,
I want to be a True Crime Writer.
I want to write a book. I got the true crime
story in mind, now where do I start?
Thank You
Debra Weeks