John William Steakley, Jr. (born July 26, 1951, in Cleburne, Texas, died November 27, 2010, in McKinney, Texas) was an American author, best known for his science fiction writing. Although not a prolific writer, he published two major novels, Armor (1984) and Vampire$ (1990), the latter of which became the basis for John Carpenter's Vampires movie. He also published four short stories in the science fiction and fantasy genres.