Austin Worley
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amworleywriter.bsky.social
Austin Worley
@amworleywriter.bsky.social
Author of Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Romance | Published Poet | Amateur Astronomer | Avid Reader
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Out on 11/28: THE GALE AT QUIET COVE

Fishermen claim the storm never ends. Selkies say shadows lurk in the waters around Ruby Isle. If she's to stave off a famine, Knight-Mother Arlise Dun must reckon with wild magic, an unknown monster, and the worst mistake she ever made.

#fantasy

🔗 below:
The Gale at Quiet Cove (Tales of the Watchers)
The Gale at Quiet Cove (Tales of the Watchers) - Kindle edition by Worley, Austin. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Gale at Quiet Cove (Tales of the Watchers).
www.amazon.com
11/22 #QueerPrompts

Well, Arlise has already taken a vow of poverty as part of joining the Order of Watchers, so it’s no choice at all. Her wits and her will are all she needs, and there isn’t an evil bone in her body.
November 22, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Day 22 #NovemberWorldbuilders

Khosalla was a matriarchal magocracy destroyed in ancient times by the Tyrians. Little else is known of them, as the carnomantic ritual responsible for their destruction sunk vast swathes of the nation and taints what ruins endure.
November 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Time for an art reveal! @bonsquiggle.bsky.social did a fantastic job with this sketch of Tanis, main character of my saucy sword & sorcery heist “He Who Sows” (from @jmanfredweichsel.bsky.social’s anthology Sword & Scandal)

You may see more of Tanis. I intend to reprint “He Who Sows” in 2026!
November 22, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Day 21 #FantasyIndiesNovember

Free Friday: it’s been an awesome week! “Dusk and Dawn at Laufenden” is finally done, “The Skull in the Tree” is available for preorder, and “The Gale at Quiet Cove” continues to march toward release on Black Friday

Oh, and there’s art to reveal👀
November 22, 2025 at 12:23 AM
11/20 #QueerPrompts

Sometime, I need to work my way back to “Dreadnought” by April Daniels. More superhero novels, please!
November 20, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Day 20 #NovemberWorldbuilders

Almost all cities and notable towns in the Marches stand on the river. Most notable of them is Flussberg, which was built at the confluence of the Hafl and its main tributaries, a commanding geographic position.
November 20, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Day 20 #FantasyIndiesNovember

Everywhere! Books, movies, music, and games are common sources, but history, folklore, current events, and documentaries also offer lots of fodder.

Some examples: the Pied Piper, Irish folk song “Bean Pháidín”, and the filk song “Threes”
November 20, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Reposted by Austin Worley
Did you know issue #0 of @newedgeswordmag.bsky.social, cover art by @gileadart.bsky.social, is 🤩FREE🤩 in digital and priced at cost in soft & hardcover?

👉 newedgeswordandsorcery.com/product-cate...
November 19, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Proud to announce the standalone re-release of my novelette "The Skull in the Tree" is now available for preorder on Kindle!

#fantasy #darkfantasy #mystery
The Skull in the Tree (Tales of the Watchers)
The Skull in the Tree (Tales of the Watchers) - Kindle edition by Worley, Austin. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Skull in the Tree (Tales of the Watchers).
www.amazon.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Day 19 #NovemberWorldbuilders

Well, I mentioned the possibility of Marchers noodling for catfish in the Hafl; I’m definitely going with that idea now!

Economically, a lot of trade flows down the Hafl and its tributaries, especially stuff like lumber, stone, and livestock.
November 19, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Day 19 #FantasyIndiesNovember

Emotion! Emotions are so hard to articulate, but the emotional journey of your characters (especially POV characters) is absolutely critical to most character arcs, so avoiding them isn’t on the table.
November 19, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Out on 11/28: THE GALE AT QUIET COVE

Fishermen claim the storm never ends. Selkies say shadows lurk in the waters around Ruby Isle. If she's to stave off a famine, Knight-Mother Arlise Dun must reckon with wild magic, an unknown monster, and the worst mistake she ever made.

#fantasy

🔗 below:
The Gale at Quiet Cove (Tales of the Watchers)
The Gale at Quiet Cove (Tales of the Watchers) - Kindle edition by Worley, Austin. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Gale at Quiet Cove (Tales of the Watchers).
www.amazon.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:07 PM
11/18 #QueerPrompts

Arlise made some waves as a gladiatrix under the stage name “Sunna the Savage” while in Tyria. She wasn’t especially famous, and her true identity was almost unknown, but she became a modest local celebrity.
November 19, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Day 18 #NovemberWorldbuilders

Being from the Marches, Arlise wasn’t around a lot of water as a child. She can swim, but not well, and she’s uncomfortable out on the ocean (and even with riverine travel).
November 19, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Day 18 #FantasyIndiesNovember

Favorite Characters: I’m most attached to Arlise Dun. She was my very first recurring character, and by far my most prolific.

Tanis of Byrsa was very fun to write, and I’m tempted to write more of her, but idk if there’s a market for her niche.
November 19, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Reposted by Austin Worley
We have picked all the stories for our 2026 sword and sorcery anthology and are getting it ready for publication. We will be posting the release date & title, the authors and their works that are included in the anthology, along with a cover reveal early in 2026! Got some great stories in this one!
November 13, 2025 at 3:03 PM
11/17 #QueerPrompts

This is an old one, but in my superhero stories, Rosa Coronil is a college student at the same time she’s active as the Kingfisher.
November 18, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Day 17 #NovemberWorldbuilders

Catfish are native to the Hafl River, which leads me to wonder whether noodling should be common in the Marches🤔
November 18, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Day 17 #FantasyIndiesNovember

Hobbies: I love amateur astronomy and astrophotography! I’m a bit of a novice at the latter, but I’ve taken some fantastic pics over the last couple years😍
November 18, 2025 at 12:13 AM
11/16 #QueerPrompts

More than once, Arlise has stared down lynch mobs to defend innocents, from the accursed to falsely accused carnomancers to young magi who’ve come into their powers…explosively.

The latter in particular all too often draw violent backlash from local bigots
November 17, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Day 16 #NovemberWorldbuilders

Elissene belief holds the Mother caused the Hafl River to flood after Torsten retreated across it, allowing him to elude a large Tyrian expeditionary force and concentrate scattered nomadic armies into what became known as the Holy Host.
November 17, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Day 16 #FantasyIndiesNovember

“Plantser who leans toward Plotter” would best describe me. I almost always create outlines, but I don’t wed myself to them. If I come up with something better while writing, I’ll adjust accordingly.
November 17, 2025 at 1:01 AM
11/15 #QueerPrompts

Yeah, I tend to listen to soundtracks when I write, which are really helpful with focus. The Witcher 3, Mass Effect, Baldur’s Gate III…all games whose soundtracks I’ve used while writing.
November 15, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Day 15 #NovemberWorldbuilders

The Hafl River winds across the steppes, similar to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Platte on the Great Plains. Trade flows down it to Jevine, and almost all Helsan settlements stand on one bank or the other.
November 15, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Day 14 #NovemberWorldbuilders

As a rule, Anuran societies concern themselves with the sex lives of individuals *far* less than those on Earth. There are some exceptions, but consenting adults are generally left to their own devices by the law and others alike.
November 15, 2025 at 12:19 AM