Books by Austin Ray
Austin Ray writes from the crossroads of faith, art, and identity. Once a Southern Baptist minister and a master’s in theology, he later became a Las Vegas headliner, a Chippendales MC, and a cruise ship entertainer performing across the globe. Those worlds—sacred and scandalous, holy and human—shaped his storytelling.
Today, he blends the discipline of a theologian with the passion of a performer to create novels and spiritual works that celebrate authenticity, queer love, and the radical act of being fully oneself.
👇 This is my second book, and my first fiction! 👇
In Unison — A rising rock star and a closeted songwriter collide in 1990s Los Angeles — where ambition, shame, and desire could destroy them … or set them free.
Part love story, part psychological drama, discover the twist that unites these two men forever.
Here's a preliminary read before it goes on sale... 👇 👇 👇
👇 This is my first book.👇
Praying Naked — A spiritual memoir about prayer, hypnosis, and observation — exploring the freedom that comes from stripping away every layer of religion and standing before God completely bare and beautifully human.
👆👆👆👆👆Available now on Amazon!
Why I wrote Praying Naked.
How many people can list Chippendale, Las Vegas headliner, and Southern Baptist minister on the same résumé? And if you did find someone like that, wouldn’t you assume the minister came last—after a dramatic conversion, a repentance tour, and a tearful altar call?
That’s not my story.
I started as a minister. But to be one, I had to live completely in the closet about my sexuality. That secret split me in two and led me to the edge of suicide. When the church I served discovered I was gay, they fired me instantly—no care, no compassion, no curiosity about what would happen next.
But that terrible moment became the beginning of my greatest gift: freedom.
Freedom to love God wholly and completely—as myself. Freedom to shed the shame that religion had stitched into my skin. It didn’t happen overnight, but it started that day.
I wrote Praying Naked as a gift to others who’ve been cast out, condemned, or discarded by people who claim ownership of “unconditional love” but rarely live it. My message is simple: being rejected by a church doesn’t mean you’ve been rejected by God.
This book is about finding new ways to love, pray, and connect with the divine—not through fear or rules, but through honesty, curiosity, and the courage to be fully human. That’s why I wrote Praying Naked.
