Joe Cooke is a Santa Fe–based novelist who writes dark, high-stakes fiction featuring fierce, flawed protagonists. His work blends relentless action with emotional depth, bringing complex characters—and the choices that define them—to life.

 

BOOKS

Bad-ass female warriors of all ages. Reluctant heroes with troubled pasts who fight cannibals and werewolves and ancient foes. Joe Cooke's fiction isn't stereotypical or formulaic. He brings his imagination and unique voice to new worlds and his characters come to life with beauty, ferocity, and all the flaws that make us human.

 
Browse Books


S H O R T   S T O R I E S

Short Stories
Encountering Writer’s Block Head On
NONFICTION
Encountering Writer’s Block Head On
NONFICTION

I hate to call it writer's block, because extended, incapacitating writer’s block is incompatible with the role of the professional writer (my income depends on my productivity). However, momentary blockage is normal and expected. Experienced writers don’t eliminate writer’s block; they design around it.

Read more →
NONFICTION
Buttermilk Cinnamon Puppies
NONFICTION
Buttermilk Cinnamon Puppies
NONFICTION

For two years, without success, I had been trying to produce a cinnamon roll that was soft, smooth and cuddly like a new puppy. But instead of getting a chewy, moist bakery roll, I kept getting something like a supermarket roll that seemed a little coarse and even dry – more like an old dog than a puppy.

Read more →
NONFICTION
In re National Corn
FICTION
In re National Corn
FICTION

“She’s asking for ten million?” he asked.

Gabby said, “She wants to settle and get out. No alimony. Just child support, but that’s not contested. Did you bone her?”

“No, of course not. Husband is the controller of National Corn? What’s he draw down annually?”

Colder already had a tax form in his hand.

Read more →
FICTION
The Fly Killers
FICTION
The Fly Killers
FICTION

Jackson rolled over and sighed. The sun beat in through the window, striking him across the eyes. He turned away from the window and toward the bedside table, where his precious Darlingtonia californica sat in her bed of sphagnum moss, waiting patiently for a wayward insect to come her way. The sunlight glistened on Darling’s spindly stalks, with their bulbous heads that reared up like swollen cobras. They were beautiful and sensual and deadly.

Read more →
FICTION
A Little Red, A Little Blue
FICTION
A Little Red, A Little Blue
FICTION

Now, Rich’s number one rule is no magic – and that includes curses and even innocent little tricks, but I remembered having some red stool in my younger days when I was really hooked on Indian cuisine, so the next day I marinated a big batch of chicken in Tandoori paste with a lot of extra red food coloring and baked it up for dinner.  We all pooped red bricks for two days. 

Read more →
FICTION
Ask Me
NONFICTION
Ask Me
NONFICTION

My father simply spills out of my mouth from time to time, causing me great embarrassment.

I hadn’t seen Dan in twenty years, and he had barely changed in all that time, while I have gone from a robust forty-something to a bald old version of Joe Sr., who, in fact, died just a few years ago with a full head of wavy white hair.

Read more →
NONFICTION
A Tepid Cup of Coffee
NONFICTION
A Tepid Cup of Coffee
NONFICTION

I’m currently transitioning from my nth career as a college professor to a full-time fiction writer, and it’s a scary transition.

Read more →
NONFICTION
Under the Lake
FICTION
Under the Lake
FICTION

The moment I plunged into the deep, clear, and ice-cold water of the caldera, I became known to myself. The water was cathartic, an antiseptic to my wounded soul. It shocked the breath from my chest and needles of pain pierced what had been a fog surrounding my person in a protective shroud.

Read more →
FICTION


T H E   A R R A N G E M E N T

The Arrangement
7X7: Experimenting with Affirmations (again)
7X7: Experimenting with Affirmations (again)

For the last 18 months I’ve been running an experiment, writing a full page of affirmations every morning as part of my journaling (see Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way for more on morning pages). Here’s a summary of the clear, practical framework for incorporation affirmations into you daily life—not vague slogans, but statements that support action, confidence, and follow‑through.

Read more →
Trust the Process
Trust the Process

We can conquer so many things if we establish the goal, then the objectives that lead to that goal, and then the process that accomplishes the goal. The ideal process results in the inevitable goal. There’s nothing new here about goal setting, but what is important is the right process. Once a goal is set, it’s the process that gets us there, and when we set worthy goals and trust the process, we often do better than we expected.

Read more →
Life Lessons from Gin (Rummy, that is)
Life Lessons from Gin (Rummy, that is)

I have to rest frequently during the day since my bout with bone marrow cancer in 2018. I often lay on the couch with my feet up and play online Gin Rummy, so I’ve racked up a few games, and I keep thinking there are a lot of really good life lessons in this game. I think that’s why card games are so popular—because they reflect our lives in some way.

Read more →
The Crowding-Out Effect
The Crowding-Out Effect

In Katie’s coaching business, she uses the visual of a big rubber band, stretched between your hands, with the right hand being your big goals and your left hand being current circumstances. It’s hard to hold that tension, Eventually, you have to either let go of your current situation and move toward your goals, or let go of your goals. She asks: How committed are you? Can you endure the pressure of holding onto your goals until reality catches up to them?

Read more →
Aversion and Opportunity
Aversion and Opportunity

What’s your mindset in your day-to-day life? Are you looking at challenges as opportunities and mistakes and problems as learning experiences? Does a positive mindset really make a difference? Let’s find out!

Read more →
Time and Money Matters
Time and Money Matters

“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.”

Read more →
MADAF Goals
MADAF Goals

Think of some big goal you’ve achieved, like moving into a house, getting a college degree, buying your dream car, or any other goal you felt so strongly about that you overcame all obstacles and accomplished what seemed to be impossible. Then, say this out loud: “I never miss a goal that I am passionate enough about to pursue relentlessly.”

Read more →
Five Crucial Mindsets of Meaningful Personal Accomplishment
Five Crucial Mindsets of Meaningful Personal Accomplishment

Any meaningful personal accomplishment depends on five crucial mindsets:

Forward-Facing | Mission-Driven | Goal-Focused | Solutions-Oriented | Allow-Accept-Appreciate

Read more →
Thoughts on Allowing and Accepting
Thoughts on Allowing and Accepting

The key to achieving a dream that felt like a need, a deep longing like freedom or love or creating a school for marginalized children, or even a small goal like learning to ski or play music, was to let go—to detach from the outcome, to accept and allow.

Read more →


B I K E R   J O E

Biker Joe
Everything Can Change in a Single Moment
Everything Can Change in a Single Moment

We sat on the chair lift looking at the snow-covered mountain below us, our legs swinging, heavy with boots and skis. The icy, hard-packed snow wasn’t the best condition, but the sun was shining and it was warm and we’d left our coats in the lodge when we took a break in the late morning for breakfast burrito.

Read more →
Intersections - COMING SOON!
Intersections - COMING SOON!

Intersections is a true story that reads like fiction. At the heart of it all is love, not just my love for another person, but learning to love and appreciate one’s self and one’s destiny.

Read more →
Motorcycle Lessons
Motorcycle Lessons

…when I say, “I have arranged my life to be this way,” and when Katie and I combined say, “We have arranged our lives to be this way,” we only mean that we have made decisions, good or bad, that affect the things we can control.

Read more →
Ride When You Can
Ride When You Can

Long distance riding is a relative thing. Before cancer, I rode 9 hours one day in a meandering, unplanned sojourn to see my dad and brother. …

Read more →
The Writing Life
The Writing Life

An interview with Santa Fe author Joe Cooke on the writing life, the creative process, and the nuts and bolts of transforming ideas to finished products.

Read more →
Breaking the top 50
Breaking the top 50

I’ve been writing novels seriously since the turn of the century (that sounds so weird) and my lifelong dream is to hit the New York Times best-seller list. As I close in on that dream, I want to record the journey here for the benefit of any who might be on various stages of a similar journey. My coach and mentor reminds me to reach back and lend a hand to those who follow, so that is what I am hoping to do here.

Read more →
Rest When You Must
Rest When You Must

I saw an advertisement today, glossy and well-produced, about focus and getting things done. The man looked quite successful and showed his color-coded calendar, making the case that you should NEVER use a to-do list. Just calendar everything…

Read more →
Getting Close to Getting an AGENT
Getting Close to Getting an AGENT

I got my third request for a full manuscript last week.

That morning I drew the “You Are the Oracle” card from a deck by author Rebecca Campbell. My question was, What can I do right now to achieve my dream of becoming a best-selling author?

Read more →
1141
1141

Rolled into the garage on Thursday afternoon with exactly 1,141 miles on the trip odometer. I know a lot of people do that much in a couple of days, but that was a major accomplishment for me.

Read more →