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Recent Posts
Old Major's Dream 
Jennifer McKinney
/ July 11, 2008I am lovin’ this! I am your biggest fan and I order your books all the time on Amazon. I have also bought your short stories online. I share them with my friends. They all think we are related somehow because we share the same last name. Anyway, I just thought I would let you know that you have an admiring fan waiting anxiously for your next book. Jenny from Spring Branch
Marilyn
/ April 14, 2010I really enjoyed your workshop at SAWG last week. Can you help me with a question about procedure? I am writing a novel about a young woman in San Antonio who falls into private investigation by default. In the first chapter she is asked to deliver a summons by someone who does not expect her to be able to do it. I have researched process service, and it is my understanding that a judge can give permission for a single process service without the person being certified. Do you know whether I am correct? If not, could you point me to someone who might? Thanks!
John Farris
/ June 23, 2010I finished your novel Dead City last week and throughly enjoyed it ! I am looking forward to reading the Apocalypse of the Dead. I have recently stepped into the genre of zombie novels and short stories and really enjoy your work. Kudos to you to have the ability to write and keep a law enforcement career. I wish you well in your ventures and hope we can get your novels onto the big screen in the future!
joemckinney
/ June 23, 2010John,
Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate that. And as for seeing them on the big screen, you and me both! Let me know what you’re doing with zombies, okay?
Joe
Rose
/ November 9, 2010Joe, Excellent article. I wish you would differentiate between your genres of books. Not all genres appeal to me. I’d email you directly about films, but my computer won’t allow this. Don’t ask me why. If you are able, please email me (as supplied). No stunt.
All best, Rose
David S. Sanders
/ November 19, 2010I have never found myself enjoying reading of any sort but i received Dead City for my birthday from my girl friend on October 22, 2010. I read 200 pages in the first two days between classes for Law Enforcement. The book was so enjoyable I’ve already turned 4 people to them and have already finished your second book which was the last one on the shelf at my local Barnes and noble. You are a truly gifted writer and i have already talked about your work in my sociology class and in my English class. Your work kept me on the edge of my seat and i felt there wasn’t enough time in the day to finish them. The way you developed mood and character dept is unmatched to any modern day author, and the extensive knowledge you have on a professional level really comes through in your work i am hooked. I do find myself wondering and hoping that i will find out in my studies but i do often wonder if the government would really quarantine and exterminate the population of the united states if some sort of virus would take place on a large skill. To tell you the truth i picked up your book on an impulse buy because it was only $6.99 and it was the best impulse buy i have done to date. I am currently looking through your impressive list of work and will be tracking down everything i can. On a side note though i was wondering what advice you would have for a young kid working toward a future in law. I am 23 years old working on a degree in Homeland Security and will finish with Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice degree.
joemckinney
/ November 19, 2010David,
Thanks for finding me here! I appreciate that. Your email brightened my morning. I’m really glad you connected with Dead City. As that is my first book, I have a bit of soft spot for it, and it makes me proud to know it continues to resonate with readers. I’m flattered that you’ve mentioned my book in your class. That really is something special. And your comment about the government quarantining a civilian population to prevent a potential pandemic virus is a good one. George Bush once made a speech suggesting that very thing, and I used that as the premise for my second novel, Quarantined.
As for advice to a young man looking to make the law a career the best endorsement I can give is to say that if I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn’t hesitate. Working as a cop has been an incredibly rewarding experience. If you’re thinking of going federal, that’s great too. The FBI, Marshal’s Service, DEA…all of them are top notch organizations. The thing I would caution you about the feds is the possibility of being assigned to someplace completely alien to you. This is fine if you’re young and single, but if you’re trying to set up a family and worrying about keeping the kids in a good school, transfers can make life difficult. You wouldn’t have that problem, obviously, working for a local PD. Just a thought.
Thanks again for reading, and for your kind words. I appreciate it.
Joe
Shawna Stringer
/ December 5, 2010I work at Barnes & Noble and a big time zombie freak. I have a year round zombie endcap to keep my loyal zombie customers happy. When Dead City came out I grabbed it up and couldn’t put it down. Same thing with the 2nd book came out. I have been hand selling your books. I just wanted to say thanks for the great zombie books.
joemckinney
/ December 6, 2010Shawna,
Thank you!!! I really appreciate that. I mean it, I really do. I was a store manager for Barnes & Noble in San Antonio years ago, and I know how it goes out on the floor, making suggestions to new and returning customers. That really means a lot to me that you’ve helped spread the word. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll get to do a signing in your store.
Shawna Stringer
/ December 7, 2010I would love if you could do a signing at my store. My manager is letting me set them up and I told her I want to do a zombie book signing and she said that would be great. And I told her I was going to be dressed as a zombie librarian to work it. Just shoot me an email and we can work something out.
joemckinney
/ December 8, 2010Shawna, this sounds great. Which Barnes & Noble are you at again? I’m going to be booked up through the first of the year, but sometime in January or February would be great. You can reach me at joemckinney2033@yahoo.com if you need to.
Joe
Josh Chandler
/ December 13, 2010I have to say that you are my absolute favorite zombie author. Your writing is gripping and can be authentically chilling. Thank you for writing City and Apocalypse of the Dead. I have thoroughly enjoyed your work!
joemckinney
/ December 14, 2010Thanks Josh! I really appreciate that. It’s a huge honor to be named somebody’s favorite. I hope you enjoy the next two books in the series just as much.
Carmen Rodriguez
/ December 26, 2010I’ve been a long time fan of horror but I always stayed clear of reading because no one could every really do it justice, and for the most part, books just aren’t my thing. But I stand corrected.
Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead were just to of the best fucking books(excuse me) I’ve ever read. I bought them from Amazon and was thought, ‘Eh, they’re pretty cheap so I won’t be too upset if they turn out bad.’ Oh God was I horribly wrong. I think you’ve created the best characterization and back stories behind each character. I haven’t yet had the chance to check out your other books but I hope to read more great books from you and was wondering if you’ve read any zombie books that you might recommend?
By the way, Marcus from Dead City and Barnes from AOTD had to be the two greatest characters ever.
Carmen Rodriguez
/ December 26, 2010By the way, hope you enjoyed a nice holiday!
joemckinney
/ December 27, 2010Carmen,
That’s awesome! Thanks for that. I always enjoy hearing from people who got something special out of my books. And I’m honored to be the writer to get you so excited about reading horror. As far as other zombie books go, there are quite a few really good ones to chose from. Start with World War Z by Max Brooks. After that, try The Book of the Dead edited by John Skipp and Cody Goodfellow, The Living Dead 1 and 2 edited by John Joseph Adams, The New Dead edited by Christopher Golden, Pariah by Bob Fingerman, Tooth and Nail by Craig DiLouie, Dying to Live by Kim Paffenroth, Patient Zero and Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne, Desperate Souls by Greg Lamberson and Plague of the Dead by Z.A. Recht. Those are just a few of the better ones out there, but by no means all of them. I recommend multi-author short story anthologies first, though. That way you can track down writers you really enjoy.
Thanks again for writing. I really enjoyed your comments.
Joe
Greg
/ March 3, 2011Don’t forget mister Brian Keene and his great novels The Rising and City of the Dead! 🙂
Rita
/ January 24, 2011After reading “Dead City” several years ago and being somewhat familiar with the people that work at HQ, I have always wondered who the Sex Crimes Det. who turned into a zombie was. I think I know but need to confirm: Are his initialas MR?
joemckinney
/ January 25, 2011Believe it or not, I didn’t have anybody in particular in mind. I try to avoid making any of my characters too similar to people I know and see every day. I do sometimes channel a mannerism, or a quirk of speech, but even then I try to be careful about it. It’s cool that the zombie was described in enough detail for you to make a connection though. That makes me feel good.
Rita
/ January 25, 2011Well said. But I still think it’s him. An un-named detective and I both came to the same conclusion at the same time. Since it’s been awhile since reading the novel, I forgot the exact description of the Sex Crime Zombie but it was spot on.
Don’t worry, mums the word. And SAPD should be proud to have you on the force.
Adriana Franco
/ April 7, 2011Hello Joe… My name is Adriana. I´m brazilian and I´m press officer to Novo Século who will publish your books on Brazil.
It´s a pleasure to know you. Sorry for my english.
joemckinney
/ April 8, 2011Thanks Adriana! Great to meet you. I think my editor at Kensington sold the Portugese rights to my books several months back. Are you part of that deal?
Lance
/ April 13, 2011I’m a major zombie fan and an amateur writer and I absolutely loved “Dead City”. I picked up “Flesh Eaters” at the local Barnes and Noble the other day and can’t put it down!
I noticed a couple errors in the first hundred pages that got by the editors, though!
I hope I can finish “Flesh Eaters” and pick up “Apocalypse of the Dead” before I ship to Boot Camp next month. I’m seriously going to miss your awesome zombie fiction.
joemckinney
/ April 13, 2011Great to meet you Lance! I’m glad you’re liking the books. Best of luck in Boot Camp! Give ’em hell!
Colleen Anderson
/ May 2, 2011Well, you were probably thinking throughout WHC who is that crazy woman who’s acting like she knows me. Am I embarrassed but only slightly. I was putting faces to so many names this weekend and I mixed you up with Joe Mahoney. Yeah, not all that much the same in name but you know he writes that spec stuff too. 🙂 I guess it didn’t hurt except make you a bit bewildered. Better I thought you someone I liked than someone I need to wreak revenge upon. 🙂 Nice to have met you.
joemckinney
/ May 4, 2011Hey Colleen, no sweat! And to tell you the truth, I was so swamped with the dealer’s room that you could have called me anything and I wouldn’t have noticed. Hope you had a blast at the Convention. I know I did.
Dean
/ August 5, 2011I have never written to an author before but after reading your book, Apocalypse of the Dead, I knew I had to write. You are an excellent author who can create three dimensional characters that seem so vivid and real. That is a skill often associated with only the most gifted of writers. You know that characters are written with great depth when you can mentally call them up quickly when they present themselves again in the story. I am presently reading Dead City since I was unable to shake the storyline. Anticipating the end of this book, I knew that I would crave more so I searched your site. I am glad I did since I can now see many more of your titles with which to follow. Again, thank you for sharing your talent. I am still astounded at the way you were able to weave so many plot lines together in Apocalypse with finesse!
joemckinney
/ August 8, 2011Thanks so much for the kind note. I’ve just returned from a long fishing trip in the remote wilds of Western Canada, so it’s taken me a while to get through my emails. Sorry about that. Anyway, I’m really excited that you enjoyed Apocalypse! Always nice to hear. And here’s hoping you enjoy the rest of what you read. Let me know what you think, okay? I love getting reader feedback. Thanks again for writing to me!
RJ Spears
/ November 14, 2011Mr. McKinney:
Just thought I’d write to let you know how much I enjoyed your book, Dead City. I’m a huge fan of the zombie genre in film and must say I was skeptical about starting a novel about zombies because much of the genre is so visual, but I must say that I think you did an excellent job of hooking me. The book is just chock-full of complications and keeps you on the edge the whole time.
I did have one question and I hope it does not come across as critical because, in reality, in my household it spawned a lively “what if” discussion with my extended family one night.
On to my question, in Dead City when Eddie arrives home and find his wife and child missing, why does he just leave the houses and drive aimlessly? Here was my take: Why doesn’t he leave some sort of note or something for his wife in case she returns?
Anyway, this complication in your book is what generated a discussion at my house. What would we do if we arrived home during some sort of catastrophe and found the other members of our house gone and had no way to contact them? My answer was to write on a wall the three places, in order, that I would travel to to find them.
Again, I hope you don’t take my question as criticism because I’ve always thought that if an author gets you passionate enough the think about his/her work for hours after the story is completed, they have done a great job. And that’s what you did.
Keep up the good work,
RJ Spears
joemckinney
/ November 14, 2011RJ,
Thanks so much for the great letter! I’m really glad you liked the book. And I’m thrilled that it started a discussion in your family. That really is cool.
As for why Eddie doesn’t leave a note, well, in his defense I can only say that Eddie wasn’t thinking straight at the time. And please, don’t worry about it coming across as a criticism. Your question is completely on the money. You have to remember, this book was written before the whole zombie craze really took off, and not a lot of people were talking about things like bug out bags and contingency plans and such. In my novel Flesh Eaters another group of characters prepares for a disaster, and they are far better prepared than Eddie. They have prearranged meeting sites and backup plans, the whole 9 yards. I recommend checking out that one for a better look at being prepared for the zombie apocalypse.
Thanks again for the great letter! I really enjoyed reading your comments.
Joe
Sharon Tabone
/ January 18, 2012I have read 4 of your books. Are you going to write a sequel for QUARANTINED? I think you are a fantastic writer. I am a 64 year old fan of zombie movies and books.
joemckinney
/ January 19, 2012Sharon, thanks so much for the kind words! You know, I would love to write a sequel to Quarantined but I haven’t drafted that out yet. Who would you like to see as the main character?
Sharon Tabone
/ January 18, 2012I think there is so much to write about in a sequel to QUARANTINED. Please consider a sequel about what happens to the characters and the rest of the world.
Sharon Tabone
/ January 19, 2012I personally would like to see the same characters but alot of the sequels I read have different characters. I liked Lily and her family.
joemckinney
/ January 19, 2012Excellent! Thanks Sharon. I’ll give this some thought. I have my next four novel length projects lined up already, but let me start thinking of possibilities. Who knows? Something might grab me.
Sharon Tabone
/ January 19, 2012I hate to take up your time because I know you are a very busy person. You are the first Author I have ever written to, and I feel honored that you take the time to write back. Are any of your 4 upcoming novels going to be about Zombies? Also I want to thank you so much for taking the time to answer these emails. I also want to thank you for not using a lot of over the top foul language. It might surprise alot of authors to know that some of their biggest fans are Born Again Christians. My favorite author is Dean Koontz because of that. I really love Stephen King’s stories but hate all the F— words. Once I read one of his books and inked out all the bad words and put in words that would have worked just as well. Those pages were covered with ink. God Bless you Mr. McKinney.
joemckinney
/ January 22, 2012Sharon,
You’re in luck with the zombies, actually. I just put out a zombie novella called THE CROSSING, which is currently available as an ebook in all formats. The paperback will follow soon. Also, there will be a short zombie novel called Bury Me in Marvin Gardens coming sometime in the summer. Right around the same time I’ll be releasing a full length fully illustrated screenplay and the first of a six part graphic novel. Both projects are about zombies. Then, in September, I’ll be releasing Book 4 in the Dead World series, called Mutated, which will take place about eight years after events in Apocalypse of the Dead. I’m also releasing Volume 1 of my collected zombie short stories about the same time. So there is quite a bit of zombie material on the way. And I’ll try to keep it clean! Thanks again for the kind words. I really appreciate that.
sara miller
/ March 8, 2012Hi Joe,I love your books. I’ve read Dead City, Apocalypse of the Dead and Flesh Eaters.I love zombie books and I have to say yours are the best I’ve read. When is the forth book of the series coming out. I can’t wait. Thanks Sara Miller.
joemckinney
/ March 8, 2012Hi Sara,
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled to hear that. The fourth book in the series is called MUTATED, and it will hit stores on September 1, 2012. It’s available now for pre-order from all the usual online places. I hope you like as much as you have the first three. This one is a bit different, as it takes place eight years after the events in Apocalypse of the Dead. The world in MUTATED has become a radically different place.
Thanks again for the kind words!
Joe
Arnaud
/ March 13, 2012Good Morning from Paris, France !…
Yes, we don’t have that many books about zombies in french, so I had to turn to english to get my fix of zombie fiction.
The great thing about your books is that I think they’re getting better and better. I thought Dead City was an ok book, but maybe not great. Then Apocalypse of the Dead was, in my opinion, much better. And now I’m in the middle of Flesh Eaters and it’s 100% awesome !
I wanted to know something. I’m not familiar with the geography of Houston and since english is not my first language maybe I miss some details, but are those 3 novels supposed to happen in the same “universe” ? during the same outbreak ?
joemckinney
/ March 13, 2012Good Morning from Texas! Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed Flesh Eaters. I had a blast writing that one. And yes, you’re correct about all three novels sharing the same universe. My publisher originally asked me to turn Dead City into a series, something I didn’t really want to do. However, I did like the idea of writing multiple books in the same universe, which is how we got Apocalypse of the Dead, Flesh Eaters, and Mutated, which hits the bookstores September 1, 2012.
Sorry there isn’t much zombie fiction in French. My publisher recently sold the foreign rights for the Spanish, German and Portugese versions, but I guess French publishers haven’t picked up on the trend yet. A shame, because if La Horde is any indication, your countrymen know how to do a damn good zombie story.
Thanks again!
Joe
Arnaud
/ March 16, 2012Wow ! I never thought anyone would know La Horde outside of France !… The acting wasn’t that great but the movie had some good ideas and was quite funny.
The thing in France (and probably also in the united states) is that the bookstores are invaded by those girly vampire novels, and there is not much place left for sci-fi or (real) horror !
I have now read two thirds of Flesh Eaters, and it’s still great ! Packed with action, real thrills, and you can count on me for your next novel…
Scott K
/ April 16, 2012Just finished Flesh Eaters and will be waiting for Mutated. Great read and I keep thinking what I would do in this situation. In would be a zombie. Please keep the books coming. Found Dead City at Borders and on a hunch bought both Dead and Apocalypse and finished very quickly.
joemckinney
/ April 16, 2012Hey Scott, that’s great! Thanks for letting me know what you think of the books. I’m glad you’re enjoying them. Mutated will be landing on September 1, 2012, so here’s hoping you like that one too. Thanks!
Sarah
/ May 28, 2012Inwas wondering if you had the entire dead world (mini) series published in an omnibus series? Because in looking to find them all
joemckinney
/ May 28, 2012Hi Sarah,
Not yet, but I’ve been wanting to do that for a while. I remember publishers used to publish those omnibus editions and I always wanted my books to come out like that. Who knows, maybe one day.
Joe
Mike Lewis
/ June 14, 2012Hi Joe
Just been reading your Bug out or Hunker down, once again totally brilliant, me and my daughter as I have mentioned before on here to you, are we reckon your biggest fans in the UK, and we have just both read bug out, and we both got talking about what we would do.
Well we have out plan, well I do, head to remote hills of Scotland, ha ha
We are really looking forward to your next book, any official date yet?, keep up the good work Joe, we love your books.
Mike in Hartlepool UK
Jon
/ June 25, 2012Joe
In process of reading Red Empire & just finished “Old Man Under the Sea”. As a fan of both authors loved how you brought Hemingway & l’Amour together…Although I would think L’Amour would have won, found away to save Earnest and get the girl in the end…Guess that’s a story for another day….Well back to Red Empire enjoying all the stories so far.
Keep Writing & I’ll Keep Reading
Jon
joemckinney
/ June 25, 2012Thank you, Jon! Yeah, you’re probably right about L’Amour. That would have made it a very different story, wouldn’t it?!? Thanks a ton for reading the stories. Here’s hoping you find some more favorites.
Joe
Facebook.com/karenrkilby
/ July 23, 2012Joe you really hit the nail on the head at the Lexicon Writer’s Conference with your straight forward roundtable comments!. Thanks for the insights. Now all I need to so is read your book about those Zombies out in the fields…..
joemckinney
/ July 23, 2012Thank you so much! I had a great time at the conference, and it was wonderful meeting you. Hope you enjoy the zombies!
Sarah
/ August 12, 2012Joe,
I love all of your books and just finished the short story, “The Crossing.” I live in L.A. and used to work for a major production company that puts out a lot of horror (although they did win an Oscar for a drama). I wonder if you have been in talks with them. If not, I want to call someone over there on Monday. This is one zombie series that must get made! I read WWZ a long time ago, and I wasn’t even scared. Your books have me screaming and yelling on the edge of my seat, and that’s the kind of experience I’m looking for when I read a book or see a film. BTW, I read all of your books on my kindle because I can look up guns and see the pics, so I know what you’re talking about. Thank you so much for your collection, and please keep them coming!
joemckinney
/ August 14, 2012Hi Sarah,
Thanks a ton! I love scaring people, and it makes me genuinely happy to hear I’ve done my job! Thanks for that!
As to movies, I’ve been in talks with several movie studios over the past few years about my books, but sadly, none of those deals have turned into anything. As of now, the film rights on all my zombie stories and novels are available. If a studio was to come calling, I’d definitely pick up the phone!
Thanks again for the kind words. I really appreciate it.
Joe
john Q
/ October 7, 2012Please say that your going to make a book five in the dead world series after Mutated! couldnt put it down. was a little discouraged when there wasntt more on what happen to group at jaspers refuge group i know you said diseases did it just wanted to findout more of what happen
joemckinney
/ October 7, 2012Hey John,
Thanks for this! There will definitely be more Dead World novels, so no worries there. And I definitely want to expand on what happens to the Grasslands group. I also want to do more with Eleanor and her family from Flesh Eaters. I suspect they’ll all come together soon enough!
Thanks again,
Joe
Julie Stack
/ October 31, 2012I just finished Dead City and loved it..I want to read your stories in the order you recommended them on the site on the Dead World series where you explain them all but I can’t find the three short stories on Amazon for my Kindle. Is there any way I can get them? Please let me know either way. Thank you and thank you for such a fabulous set of stories. :0)….Julie
joemckinney
/ November 2, 2012Julie,
Thank you so much! Actually, yes, there is a way to get the stories…just not for a month or so. I’m putting out a collection of all my zombie short stories through Print is Dead (an imprint of Creeping Hemlock Press) and that collection should be out just before Christmas. It’ll contain all the stories in the Dead World, plus a whole lot of stand alones. That collection is called DATING IN DEAD WORLD and I’ll make sure to announce it here on Old Major’s Dream first.
Thanks again for the wonderful letter!
Joe
Julie Stack
/ November 4, 2012Thank you very much for your reply….I will definitely look for that…..and thank you again for giving we zombie fans a regular dose of entertainment. :0)…..Julie
Michael Lewis
/ December 9, 2012Hi joe, its your big fans in the uk here, looking forward to dating in the uk, what news of any new books for 2013, not to put you under pressure or any thing, ha ha, but me and my daughter really looking forward to your next book…keep up the good work joe, we love your books, and we hope you have a cracking Christmas and all the best for the new year, from my and my daughter here in Hartlepool on the North East coat of England.
Michael & Claire
joemckinney
/ December 11, 2012Michael and Claire,
Thanks so much for this! I’m so glad you guys are enjoying the books. That makes me feel good. Let’s see, news of upcoming releases…
Well, Inheritance just came out, and that one is my baby, the book I’m probably most proud of. My haunted house tale, Crooked House, will be coming out later this month, hopefully in time for Christmas. My collected zombie short fiction, Dating in Dead World, will be coming out sometime around February 1st. I’ll be doing a short novel for the JournalStone Double Down series and my entry will be coming out in the summer of 2013. That novel will be a direct sequel to Dead City. My next book after that will be a standalone zombie novel that takes place on a cruise ship, and that one will be coming out in September, 2013. After that, I’ll have a horror novel called St. Rage coming out from JournalStone. And then, starting in 2014, I’ll be rolling out a brand new zombie series called The Dead Lands. So there’s a lot to look forward to!!
Thanks again for writing to me.
Joe
Dahlia Fletcher
/ August 22, 2013As I always say…Love the zombie writing 🙂
Chris
/ August 30, 2013Thank you soooooo much for these author interviews. It’s great to see all their different points of view and styles, as well as your take on them all. Awesome stuff, thanks again.
Frank
/ October 11, 2013You are by far one of my favorite Zombie Horror writers 🙂 Your novels are so fast paced and character driven. Each character has depth and I end up liking them all even the villains, The Red Man in Mutated and the Preacher in Apocalypse of the Dead were superb. I just finished The Savage Dead and what a way to wrap the series than with the beginning of it all, Damn Cartels!! I eagerly await your new zombie series The Dead Lands. Keep Them Coming. Oh by the way I would love to see The Savage Dead become a movie, no B-movie either has to be high production w/ grandiose sets and great zombie gore. Thanks again for the fantastic reads.
Frank
joemckinney
/ October 14, 2013Hey Frank,
Thanks so much! Your message made my morning. I’m hoping The Savage Dead gets made into a film too. That would be awesome. Who would you like to see in the lead roles?
Joe
ixworth
/ October 14, 2013Hi Joe
Read dead city a couple of years again BRILLIANT,got all your books half way through savage dead again brilliant,if you keep writing i keep reading
cheers
nick
joemckinney
/ October 14, 2013Thank you, Nick! There’s lots more coming out, so the zombie goodness will continue.
Thanks again,
Joe
Aaron Spuler
/ October 16, 2013Started The Savage Dead last night, about 60 pages in so far. Looking to be another page-turner for sure!
joemckinney
/ October 17, 2013Cool, Aaron! Thanks for this! I hope the rest of the book is just as much fun.
Aaron Spuler
/ October 17, 2013Stayed up way too late reading last night and am paying for it this morning, but yes. I am loving the book. About 1/2 way through it already. The only thing better than kick ass zombie books is kick ass zombie books written by a fellow Texan!
Wayne
/ November 27, 2013Hi Joe
Just finished Flesh Eaters and want to say WOW! And I found out you did a 4th book can’t wait to get it! I do have a question though if you have time to answer then awesome if not I totally understand. I have noticed a trend in the Zombie genre whether book or movie that the dead rising from there graves is never written about or seen on screen anymore. Why is this? Is that a harder thing to write about and explain as an author? I personally feel seeing someone I loved and cherish dearly rise from there grave in whatever state of decomp they would be in to be absolutely terrifying and would make a valid story as well and should be explored more. I love your books please dont take this as criticism but I would love to see the origin to be more than just viral. I get worn out on the keep it based in reality attitude especially with movies. The whole reason for watching these movies and reading these books is escapeing reality. But I do love your books and im a huge new fan of your work.
joemckinney
/ November 28, 2013Thanks Wayne! Great to hear from you. I’m really excited to hear that you’ve enjoyed the books. Flesh Eaters is a personal favorite of mine of the stuff I’ve written. As to the dead clawing their way up from the ground, you’re right, not many writers have done that, and I think the reason for that is the need for realism that you mentioned. There are, however, a few examples of what you’re looking for. Check out Gregory Lamberson’s Johnny Gruesome and Stephen King’s novel Pet Semetary and his short story “Home Delivery” for well written examples of this. Personally, I’d like to see more of the voodoo zombies in zombie fiction, such as those in The Serpent and the Rainbow.
Wayne
/ December 5, 2013Hey Joe thank you so much for the reply! Thats the one thing I love about the technical age and thats your favorite authors, metal groups, actors and actresses are accessible now. I really appreciate this and thank you!
To be honest I haven’t read King since Geralds Game. His style changed to much for me. Not that I think he isn’t a brilliant writer. I was raised on Romero’s zombies and Fulci. I really do miss those days even though ive grown to love this generations zombies theres always gonna be that little part of me that wants to see the dead rise from the grave again lol. But I do thank you for your books the way you write about people especially the elderly gives me so many oh my God moments. I thought only Brian Keene could be that good. Thank you for being that awesome! King, Barker, Hamilton and Rice need to be worried your just as good as they are with your story telling and I mean that. Anyway you have a great holiday bro and continue what your doing. All the best to you
Wayne
Frank White
/ February 23, 2014Hi Joe:
Just a short note to tell you how much I enjoyed reading your novel “dodging bullets”.
This is the first of your novels that I have read and I was certainly not disappointed.
Believe me when I say you have acquired another new fan.
Your novel was well written, fast paced and exciting. The characters were good and there was enough brutality, drug use, sex and general overall mayhem to satisfy any dyed in the wool Noir reader.
I am sure my old buddy Denis McMillan would have been proud to publish your books.
Thanks again for a great read.
Frank White
joemckinney
/ February 24, 2014Frank,
Thanks so much for this! I’m primarily known for my zombie fiction, so it’s a real joy to get great letters like yours on my crime stuff. The crime genre is one of my favorites, and it sounds like it’s yours too. Great to meet someone who enjoys it as much as I do.
Thanks again for the great note.
Joe
Patti
/ March 12, 2014Thanks a lot Joe. I started “The Savage Dead” on Monday, read 80 pages. Continued on Tuesday evening overnight at work, got home and went to bed at 6:30 meaning only to read one chapter. Two hours later, finally I was done and wanted more! It has been a long time since I could not put a book down. Now I have to remember to start your books on an off day so I don’t have to interrupt reading with that pesky thing called sleep.
joemckinney
/ March 24, 2014That’s awesome, Patti! That’s what I love to hear. Thanks so much for the great note!
Joe
essdras m suarez
/ July 16, 2014Mr. Mckinney, congrats on your literary prowess. I recently found your zombie novels and have been going thorough them as fast as I can. I’m right now halfway through the Savage Dead and as much as I’m enjoying 90% of the times where your characters speak Spanish, the translations look, feel and sound as if a computer program translated these phrases. I’m a native speaker and I’m suffering through such horrible translations. To come upon these its like speeding down freshly fallen smooth champagne snow trail and all of a sudden hitting a rock against your skis. Please fix this! You are doing a disservice to your work. Thanks EMS
Elena
/ August 15, 2014Hey dad! And Nanna who made the last comment 🙂
Keith amato
/ October 22, 2014Joe,
Hi. How are you? Hopefully busy writing more of the awesome books that I’ve so thoroughly enjoyed these last few years. Dead World Series is just superb!
I just finished, The Savage Dead( # 5 in the Deadworld series). You published a Deadworld series every year since 2011 and TSD published 2013. Is there another book in the series that your writing? I pray there is! Love your writing style and simply magnificent attention to detail of characters, story, etc.
Am a HUGE fan!
Sincerely,
Keith Amato
Angelina
/ April 15, 2015Hi Joe,
I just started reading the “Ultimate Undead Collection.” “Quarintine” was the first novel in the collection, and it absolutely blew me away. Are you planning to make this into a series? I hope you are, because it was a fantastic read. I am looking forward to reading more of your work. You are very talented.
A new fan,
Angelina Fuller
joemckinney
/ April 19, 2015Thanks Angelina! Glad you liked that one. I have wanted to write a sequel to that novel for a while now. Maybe it’s high time I got around to it. Thanks again for the kind words!
roberttozer
/ November 6, 2015Hi Joe,
You never got back to me with those interview answers. Also, did you get my book that I sent you? I hope you’re well.
Cheers,
Rob.
thedead1@live.ca
joemckinney
/ March 8, 2016Damn it, Rob, you’re right. I’m so sorry. I will have those for you in the next day or so. And yes, I got the book! It looks great! Thank you so much for that!
Essdras M Suarez
/ March 8, 2016Even though I’m a Joe McKinney fan. I’m not exactly sure how did I get into this email exchange loop.
Sent from my iPhone
>
erik prince
/ February 26, 2016hi joe was wondering if you have an eta on the 3rd book of the deadlands series will be coming out
joemckinney
/ March 8, 2016I don’t have a date for you yet. I’m still working on it right now. Check with me on Facebook though. I have tons of updates on my upcoming releases there. (Don’t go to the fan page, though. Go to my personal page. That’s the one I use most.)
Christo Other
/ July 4, 2016Hi Joe,
Thank you for your work 🙂 I’d like to share an insight about zombies.
I suspect zombies and the apocalypse theme describe our instinctual response to modern life and strangers in general.
Maybe our inner monkeys still expect a fight from anyone we don’t live with 🙂
Thank you for sharing your policing experiences so vividly, my favourite was the crazy driving in Dead City….
“That was the most FUCKED UP thing you’ve ever done!”
joemckinney
/ July 7, 2016Thank you! I really appreciate that. Yeah, I really enjoyed writing those driving scenes. They were fun. And I think your thoughts on zombies and xenophobia make a lot of sense.
Jason Lankton
/ August 21, 2017Hey Joe,
Just wanted to pipe in and say I love your work. I read pretty voraciously and your books keep me up at night. I do have one little critique… In Apocalypse of the Dead, Ed Moore’s group stop in Emporia, KS. I live near there and went to college there. A couple of things… There is no Main Street in Emporia and no town square, or a Costco. I love your books, but details like that kind of jar me out of it.
Otherwise, love your work.
Jason Lankton