Austin Shirey
@austinshirey.bsky.social
He/Him. Pronounced “SHY-ree.” Author of CITY OF SPORES (2024, Madness Heart Press), GOODLY CREATURES, and THE MAGIC OF EVERYDAY THINGS. AntiFascist. Black Lives Matter. Husband. Father. Cat-lover. Nerd. https://linktr.ee/austinshirey
Just signed the contract, so now I can officially announce that my bizarro coming-of-age novella, PALLBEARERS, will be coming out in 2026 with Madness Heart Press!!! 🥳🎉
April 25, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Just signed the contract, so now I can officially announce that my bizarro coming-of-age novella, PALLBEARERS, will be coming out in 2026 with Madness Heart Press!!! 🥳🎉
The CITY OF SPORES audiobook (narrated by the incredible Kerie Darner) is available on Audible NOW! **If anyone would like to review the audiobook, please reach out for a promo code!**
www.audible.com/pd/B0F642NPQ...
www.audible.com/pd/B0F642NPQ...
April 24, 2025 at 5:19 PM
The CITY OF SPORES audiobook (narrated by the incredible Kerie Darner) is available on Audible NOW! **If anyone would like to review the audiobook, please reach out for a promo code!**
www.audible.com/pd/B0F642NPQ...
www.audible.com/pd/B0F642NPQ...
The AUDIOBOOK of City of Spores should be available on Audible and iTunes within the next week or two! @keriedarner.bsky.social is the PERFECT narrator for the book—she brings Madripol and its various characters to vibrant life. We’re so excited to share the audiobook with you very soon!
April 16, 2025 at 4:01 PM
The AUDIOBOOK of City of Spores should be available on Audible and iTunes within the next week or two! @keriedarner.bsky.social is the PERFECT narrator for the book—she brings Madripol and its various characters to vibrant life. We’re so excited to share the audiobook with you very soon!
April’s newsletter is available now! Featuring an interview with @ivygrimes.bsky.social, some exciting City of Spores news, and the penultimate chapter of Mushrooms for Mirabelle!
austinshirey.substack.com
austinshirey.substack.com
April 14, 2025 at 8:00 PM
April’s newsletter is available now! Featuring an interview with @ivygrimes.bsky.social, some exciting City of Spores news, and the penultimate chapter of Mushrooms for Mirabelle!
austinshirey.substack.com
austinshirey.substack.com
Holy crap they pirated some of my short stories, too! 🤬🤯 This is so gross
March 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Holy crap they pirated some of my short stories, too! 🤬🤯 This is so gross
I’m a pretty inconsistent and sporadic social media user, so my monthly newsletter is the best way to stay up-to-date with me and my writing. I’ve got some exciting news coming up, so there’s no better time to subscribe! austinshirey.substack.com
March 17, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I’m a pretty inconsistent and sporadic social media user, so my monthly newsletter is the best way to stay up-to-date with me and my writing. I’ve got some exciting news coming up, so there’s no better time to subscribe! austinshirey.substack.com
Looking for a story about mushroom people rising up from the sewers to revolt against a megalomaniacal billionaire playing fascist dictator? Check out my novella, CITY OF SPORES—a proudly anti-fascist, anti-capitalist mushroom noir where the bad guys get what’s coming to them. Link in bio.
March 13, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Looking for a story about mushroom people rising up from the sewers to revolt against a megalomaniacal billionaire playing fascist dictator? Check out my novella, CITY OF SPORES—a proudly anti-fascist, anti-capitalist mushroom noir where the bad guys get what’s coming to them. Link in bio.
Y’all NEED to preorder a copy of @ivygrimes.bsky.social’s novel right now! It’s so freaking good! A perfect distillation of her one-of-a-kind mix of the surreal and absurd, all wrapped up in the guise of a modern Southern fairy tale. I loved this book so much!
March 11, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Y’all NEED to preorder a copy of @ivygrimes.bsky.social’s novel right now! It’s so freaking good! A perfect distillation of her one-of-a-kind mix of the surreal and absurd, all wrapped up in the guise of a modern Southern fairy tale. I loved this book so much!
Can’t believe CITY OF SPORES has already been out in the world for a year! Over the past year it’s racked up 50 ratings on Goodreads, 42 text reviews, & has been marked as To-Read by 89 readers! Thanks to everyone who has picked it up & left a rating or review - this means the world to me!
February 17, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Can’t believe CITY OF SPORES has already been out in the world for a year! Over the past year it’s racked up 50 ratings on Goodreads, 42 text reviews, & has been marked as To-Read by 89 readers! Thanks to everyone who has picked it up & left a rating or review - this means the world to me!
Second time was the charm - completely clicked with the film this time around and loved it. Dracula as Gothic fairy tale. Really enjoyed the ending this time, which was the part I wasn’t as sure about on my first watch.
January 23, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Second time was the charm - completely clicked with the film this time around and loved it. Dracula as Gothic fairy tale. Really enjoyed the ending this time, which was the part I wasn’t as sure about on my first watch.
My wife and I saw WICKED tonight and absolutely loved it! Wow. What a wonderful film! It’s excellent.
And seriously, please give Cynthia Erivo all of the awards—such an incredible voice and performance!
And seriously, please give Cynthia Erivo all of the awards—such an incredible voice and performance!
January 22, 2025 at 4:47 AM
My wife and I saw WICKED tonight and absolutely loved it! Wow. What a wonderful film! It’s excellent.
And seriously, please give Cynthia Erivo all of the awards—such an incredible voice and performance!
And seriously, please give Cynthia Erivo all of the awards—such an incredible voice and performance!
Finished this last night. The weirdest, most bizarre, most absurd, most original book I think I’ve ever read. Absolutely loved it! Adventure Time by way of Ren & Stimpy and Smiling Friends with a heaping helping of Nickelodeon slime. @rickclaypool.bsky.social
January 19, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Finished this last night. The weirdest, most bizarre, most absurd, most original book I think I’ve ever read. Absolutely loved it! Adventure Time by way of Ren & Stimpy and Smiling Friends with a heaping helping of Nickelodeon slime. @rickclaypool.bsky.social
Been wanting to read this memoir/biography of David Lynch for a while now, but haven’t got around to it; seems like no better time to start it than today. Love that it’s narrated by Lynch, too.
January 17, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Been wanting to read this memoir/biography of David Lynch for a while now, but haven’t got around to it; seems like no better time to start it than today. Love that it’s narrated by Lynch, too.
How about some weird fantasy mushroom noir? Featuring:
🕵️♀️ a down-on-her-luck PI
🤷♀️ a missing woman
☣️ a mysterious plague
📖 an unpublished manuscript
🏢🍄 a city covered in mushrooms
a.co/d/dNIf5nU
🕵️♀️ a down-on-her-luck PI
🤷♀️ a missing woman
☣️ a mysterious plague
📖 an unpublished manuscript
🏢🍄 a city covered in mushrooms
a.co/d/dNIf5nU
January 13, 2025 at 2:54 PM
How about some weird fantasy mushroom noir? Featuring:
🕵️♀️ a down-on-her-luck PI
🤷♀️ a missing woman
☣️ a mysterious plague
📖 an unpublished manuscript
🏢🍄 a city covered in mushrooms
a.co/d/dNIf5nU
🕵️♀️ a down-on-her-luck PI
🤷♀️ a missing woman
☣️ a mysterious plague
📖 an unpublished manuscript
🏢🍄 a city covered in mushrooms
a.co/d/dNIf5nU
Thanks to everyone who nominated CITY OF SPORES for the 2024 @writehive.bsky.social Indie Ink Awards! Voting is now OPEN, so I’d be honored if you would consider voting for CITY OF SPORES in the categories listed above. You can vote here (link also in bio):
indiestorygeek.com/a/indie-ink-...
indiestorygeek.com/a/indie-ink-...
December 16, 2024 at 4:14 PM
Thanks to everyone who nominated CITY OF SPORES for the 2024 @writehive.bsky.social Indie Ink Awards! Voting is now OPEN, so I’d be honored if you would consider voting for CITY OF SPORES in the categories listed above. You can vote here (link also in bio):
indiestorygeek.com/a/indie-ink-...
indiestorygeek.com/a/indie-ink-...
Newest newsletter is OUT! Featuring Part 2 of my Southern Gothic fungal horror novelette, “Mushrooms for Mirabelle.”
austinshirey.substack.com/p/strange-an...
austinshirey.substack.com/p/strange-an...
December 12, 2024 at 9:14 PM
Newest newsletter is OUT! Featuring Part 2 of my Southern Gothic fungal horror novelette, “Mushrooms for Mirabelle.”
austinshirey.substack.com/p/strange-an...
austinshirey.substack.com/p/strange-an...
Skeleton Crew ROCKS! The feel-good Star Wars adventure we need right now. Watched the first two episodes with the biggest smile on my face last night. I’m all in. Can’t wait to see where it goes!
December 3, 2024 at 1:24 PM
Skeleton Crew ROCKS! The feel-good Star Wars adventure we need right now. Watched the first two episodes with the biggest smile on my face last night. I’m all in. Can’t wait to see where it goes!
For your consideration. If anyone needs a PDF or ebook copy for award nomination purposes, please let me know, and thanks for the consideration! 😊
November 23, 2024 at 4:07 PM
For your consideration. If anyone needs a PDF or ebook copy for award nomination purposes, please let me know, and thanks for the consideration! 😊
Looked up Kirby to draw for my daughter…and saw this. So basically realistic Kirby is Belial from the movie Basket Case? 😅
November 23, 2024 at 12:04 AM
Looked up Kirby to draw for my daughter…and saw this. So basically realistic Kirby is Belial from the movie Basket Case? 😅
Three killer albums that have dropped recently, each of them EXCELLENT: The Last Will & Testament by Opeth, Songs of a Lost World by the Cure, and Muuntautuja by Oranssi Pazuzu.
November 22, 2024 at 8:59 PM
Three killer albums that have dropped recently, each of them EXCELLENT: The Last Will & Testament by Opeth, Songs of a Lost World by the Cure, and Muuntautuja by Oranssi Pazuzu.
This movie is the cinematic equivalent of a long, warm hug. So good.
November 20, 2024 at 6:34 PM
This movie is the cinematic equivalent of a long, warm hug. So good.
Word of mouth remains the most powerful advertising tool we have access to.
Here are 3 indie/small press books that live rent-free in my head:
GLASS STORIES @ivygrimes.bsky.social
HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOON TONIGHT?
@jduckwriter.bsky.social
THEY ARE CURSED LIKE YOU @holleycornetto.bsky.social
Here are 3 indie/small press books that live rent-free in my head:
GLASS STORIES @ivygrimes.bsky.social
HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOON TONIGHT?
@jduckwriter.bsky.social
THEY ARE CURSED LIKE YOU @holleycornetto.bsky.social
November 20, 2024 at 3:08 PM
Word of mouth remains the most powerful advertising tool we have access to.
Here are 3 indie/small press books that live rent-free in my head:
GLASS STORIES @ivygrimes.bsky.social
HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOON TONIGHT?
@jduckwriter.bsky.social
THEY ARE CURSED LIKE YOU @holleycornetto.bsky.social
Here are 3 indie/small press books that live rent-free in my head:
GLASS STORIES @ivygrimes.bsky.social
HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOON TONIGHT?
@jduckwriter.bsky.social
THEY ARE CURSED LIKE YOU @holleycornetto.bsky.social
I’ve got plenty of copies of my weird fantasy “mushroom noir” novella CITY OF SPORES available for purchase if you’re looking for a signed copy! Comes with a bookmark and Mushroom Noir sticker. $15 total (includes shipping), anywhere in the US. Accept Venmo and PayPal. Message if interested!
November 17, 2024 at 10:41 PM
I’ve got plenty of copies of my weird fantasy “mushroom noir” novella CITY OF SPORES available for purchase if you’re looking for a signed copy! Comes with a bookmark and Mushroom Noir sticker. $15 total (includes shipping), anywhere in the US. Accept Venmo and PayPal. Message if interested!
Thanks for this, Gabino! My weird fantasy “mushroom noir” novella, CITY OF SPORES, could use some love: a.co/d/arifchp
November 15, 2024 at 4:06 PM
Thanks for this, Gabino! My weird fantasy “mushroom noir” novella, CITY OF SPORES, could use some love: a.co/d/arifchp