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August Niehaus

wearer of all hats; writer, producer, musician, and creative cheerleader

“I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.” – Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

Ask anyone who knows me, I don’t really do labels. I make a little bit of everything. I dabble in all sorts of genres when I write fiction. I’d like to try every kind of creating at least once, if I can. I’m not an expert in much.

But I can weave a good story. I can craft a solid cast of characters (especially if it’s ensemble) with strong motivations and bounce them off one another and a few plot devices. I love to unspool plots that circle back on themselves, to world-build casually but well, to power through a first draft in a few short weeks.

I also love to collaborate. I’ve especially enjoyed joining forces with visual artists and other writers to build shared worlds. I enjoy helping others take their stories from vague ideas to “characters, motivation, and plot” with a solid outline.

If you’re here for my books, you can get them all here:

Fiction

A Mutiny of Pirates: Kinfolk, a sci-fi pursuit story about lost pirate treasure and found family. This first in a trilogy about the ragtag space pirates, the Damn Shames, follows stalwart ex-soldier Kin Hanford as he chases down a cruel socialite who’s captured some of his crew. For fans of The Expanse, “Treasure Planet,” and Timothy Zahn.

Gods of Atlantis: Boiling Point, a romance set against a world-ending disaster. Science-fantasy novel about animal-headed shapeshifting aliens, families both blood and chosen, and going after your destiny. For fans of Brian Jacques, Xiran Jay Zhao, and Kristin Cashore (but with more animals than those last two).

Daugment, a tail of friendship in space. Science fiction novel about talking dogs, shiny ships, and scrappy rebels. For fans of John Scalzi, Timothy Zahn, and Clare Bell.

Non-fiction

Robotics for Writers tackles the hot subject of large language models and AI through the lens of a fiction writer. Learn how to coax the AI to make your research and brainstorming processes easier. NOT a book about generating fiction using large language models.

Promptly: Write Fast, Write Now!, the book of prompts I always wished Writer’s Digest offered me. Catered towards writers of speculative fiction, this compact book features sections (like Characters, Concepts, and Settings) you can mix and match.

Why Aren’t You Cooking?, a book of cooking techniques, tips, hacks, and motivational speeches. Great for beginners who have never boiled water all the way up to pros looking for a convenient set of lists to inspire. Co-written with my husband Jake, this is not a cookbook – it’s a book about how to learn to cook.

Short Story Boot Camp, a 52-exercise course that will teach you the ropes of writing a short story. It’s meant to be followed over the course of a year so your inner editor gets out of the way, but you can use these prompts any time.