Andrew Shaffer

Andrew Shaffer – Life, Career, and Style

Learn about Andrew Shaffer, the American author known for humor, satire, parody, mystery, and genre-bending works. Discover his background, major books, writing style, and influences.

Introduction

Andrew Shaffer is a contemporary American author, artist, and humorist whose work spans parody, mystery, satire, nonfiction, children’s books, and poetry. He is best known for Fifty Shames of Earl Grey (a parody of Fifty Shades of Grey), Hope Never Dies (an “Obama-Biden Mystery”), and How to Survive a Sharknado and Other Unnatural Disasters. His versatility, wit, and blending of pop-culture references with playful imagination have made him a distinctive voice in modern genre fiction and humor writing.

Below is a deeper look at his life, body of work, style, and what makes him notable.

Early Life & Education

• Shaffer is originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa (though precise birth details are not widely publicized).

• He studied at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop (for a summer session) and also studied comedy writing at Chicago’s Second City, a renowned improv & sketch comedy institution.

• Today, he lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife, author Tiffany Reisz.

His educational experiences, especially in both literary craft (Workshop) and performance/comedy (Second City), help explain the hybrid nature of his writing—where humor, plot, parody, and genre interplay.

Career & Major Works

Shaffer’s bibliography is wide-ranging. He writes under his own name and under the pen name Fanny Merkin (notably for his erotic parody work).

Here are some of the notable works and series:

Parody & Humor

• Fifty Shames of Earl Grey — A parody of Fifty Shades of Grey, published under the name “Fanny Merkin.”

• Catsby: A Parody of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby — Another playful reinterpretation of a classic.

• How to Survive a Sharknado and Other Unnatural Disasters — A humorous tie-in book with the Sharknado film franchise.

Mystery, Satire & Political Fiction

• Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery (2018) — Imagines Barack Obama and Joe Biden as amateur sleuths; Biden narrates.

• Hope Rides Again — The sequel to Hope Never Dies.

• The Day of the Donald: Trump Trumps America! — A satirical novel about Donald Trump’s presidency.

Nonfiction, Biographical & Essay Works

• Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love — A nonfiction volume in which Shaffer examines philosophical figures and their romantic failures.

• Literary Rogues: A Scandalous History of Wayward Authors — A look at misbehaving authors and their stories.

• Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal — Tie-in work connected to the Ghostbusters universe.

Children’s / Other Works

• He also writes children’s picture books, e.g. Mothman’s Merry Cryptid Christmas.

• He has done coloring books (e.g. Literary Cats Coloring Book).

Beyond writing, Shaffer is also cofounder and creative director of 8th Circle, a production company and publishing imprint.

Writing Style & Themes

Shaffer’s writing is characterized by:

1. Humor & Satire
   Much of his work is comedic, with parody, irony, and pop-culture play. Even when dealing with mystery or political settings, he injects wit and playful commentary.

2. Genre Hybridity
   He merges or crosses genres—mystery with political satire, parody with homage, horror tie-ins with humor. This flexibility lets him appeal to different audiences.

3. Pop-Culture Awareness
   His works often riff on well-known cultural artifacts—Fifty Shades, Sharknado, political figures—and use them as launching points for creative twists.

4. Accessible Voice
   Though playful, his prose tends to be accessible, fun, with a conversational tone, rather than dense or overly literary.

5. Character Focus & Voice
   Especially in works like Hope Never Dies, the choice of narration (Joe Biden’s voice) plays a central role, giving personality and charm to the narrative.

6. Self-awareness & Parody of Tropes
   He often leans into tropes (romance clichés, thriller conventions) and playfully subverts or exaggerates them.

Recognition, Influence & Reception

• Shaffer is a New York Times bestselling author.

• He has been nominated multiple times for the Goodreads Choice Awards, especially in the Humor category.

• His books have been optioned for film and television by companies such as CBS/Paramount, FOX, Freeform, and Secret Hideout.

• His works have received coverage in media: e.g., Hope Never Dies was described by The New York Times as “political fanfiction” and an “escapist fantasy.”

• The Day of the Donald imagines a Trump presidency and provoked commentary about satire and political fiction.

Lessons & Insights from Andrew Shaffer’s Career

• Creativity thrives at genre boundaries. Shaffer shows that crossing or parodying genres can yield fresh, memorable work.

• Humor is a versatile tool. Whether in a parody or a political mystery, humor can carry narrative, character, and voice.

• Be attuned to culture. Drawing on familiar stories (e.g. Fifty Shades, political figures, pop culture disasters) gives the reader a reference frame, which can be playfully inverted.

• Diversify your writing. His taking on mystery, parody, nonfiction, children’s books, and coloring books demonstrates adaptability and helps reach different audiences.

• Voice matters. Choosing a distinct narrator or persona (Joe Biden, parody narrator, etc.) is part of his appeal.

• Creative entrepreneurship counts. Founding a production and publishing venture (8th Circle) shows how authors can reshape not only content but platforms and business models.