Interview With Author Austin Shirey
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey there! My name’s Austin. I live in Northern Virginia with my wife, our daughters, and two cats. I work a day job as a systems analyst, and write whenever I can.
So far I’ve got about four books under my belt. I’ve got two chapbooks: The Magic of Everyday Things, which is a collection of four short stories, and Goodly Creatures, which contains two short stories and illustrations. I’ve also got a novella, City of Spores, scheduled for publication with Madness Heart Press in 2024, and another novella I’m currently shopping around.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Goodly Creatures is my latest. It’s an illustrated chapbook, and deals with my fears of the current climate apocalypse we’re currently living through. Oddly enough, the initial story was inspired by a memory I have as a kid of our dog breaking out of our fence because the neighbor’s cat had teased him one too many times. So that was the germ of the story, so to speak, and I went from there.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Oftentimes, if I’m having trouble having words come while writing on the computer or writing by hand in a notebook, I’ll switch to my Notes app on my phone and write there. I don’t know if writing in the Notes app just makes what I’m writing seem less important, so I can just let the words flow, or what, but it definitely works for me. I also love writing bits and pieces on index cards.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ray Bradbury, Jeff VanderMeer, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Toni Morrison, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jesmyn Ward, Nathan Ballingrud, Laird Barron, Victor LaValle, Stephen King, Stephen Graham Jones, Joe R. Lansdale, Frank Herbert, Philip K. Dick, Haruki Murakami, C.S. Humble, Shirley Jackson, just to name a few.
What are you working on now?
A horror/dark fantasy novel. I’ve been pitching it to myself as “The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe meets Hellraiser.”
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, using all the social media accounts I have: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, Threads. AwesomeGang is really cool, too!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have fun. Let your imagination go wild. Read A LOT. And most importantly – put your ass in the chair and WRITE.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There’s two quotes that I constantly go back to in terms of writing advice:
1. “Don’t think.” – Ray Bradbury
2. “Don’t get it right, get it written.” – James Thurber
What are you reading now?
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. It’s wonderfully written and suspenseful!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Getting this novel done! It’s my first time attempting something this long, so it’s a bit daunting, but ultimately I’m just having fun and learning as I go.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wow, this is hard! Hmm. Probably:
-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
-The Stories of Ray Bradbury by Ray Bradbury
-Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff VanderMeer
-The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
Author Websites and Profiles
Austin Shirey’s Social Media Links