A lot of fiction writing for me is noticing when I’m getting bored by my own words and then remembering I’m in charge and deciding it’s time to get weirder.

I recommend following Leslie.

Long ago, a stone felt a tingle on its skin. Moss. A new feeling. A green feeling. The granite spoke of ages in the heat of deep Earth. The moss sang the taste of sunlight and the softness of salamander bellies. They named one another. And told those names to no one at all.

how much money does the marine corps lose

Like most people who write poetry, I’m in for the money.

I was lying in the leaf litter today when some moss spoke to me. "Excuse me, do you know the species of this fallen log beneath me?" asked the moss. "Hmm. No. Sorry, I'm a little fuzzy on logs," I said. "What a coincidence," said the moss. "I'm a little fuzzy on logs too."

I love writing books. I love that no matter how many times I do it, it always feels a bit like lassoing a whirlwind in a way that demands I constantly invent new ways just to hold on and see what happens.

Ok, to all the other wimps out there who love @jarodkanderson.bsky.social 's peoms don't be afraid of Strange Animals. There's a couple spots early on that look suspiciously horror but it isn't horror it is lovely stay strong! 🤣

I dwell somewhere between wanting to live in a hollow tree in the woods and wanting to have a fan and heater blowing on me simultaneously at all times.

Sometimes, as a creative exercise, I try to write silly analogies: The plane touched down like a fawn’s first steps. She made love like kicking over a woodpile. They danced like two crows caught in a shopping bag. The moon peeked through cloud-fingers like she was afraid of what she might see.

What's your favorite toast-topping made by bugs? I guess mine is probably honey.

I know it's a cliché, but this is how Leslie and I met and I think there is still room in our cynical world for this type of old-fashioned romance.

As a longtime Jim Butcher fan, this means a lot to me: #jimbutcher

Ohio has the largest bobblehead in the world. He has hamburgers for hands and I don't think he comes in peace.

If anyone cares, I just called and double-checked that my claim went through. Took maybe five minutes. Spoke with a very nice (and very tired-sounding) woman who also let me know, yes, Reference numbers and Confirmation numbers are the same thing, if the terminology had anyone else worried.

Tell me a nature fact that surprised you.

It’s been a busy week. Got to chat with Jim Butcher and had a lovely visit with U of M folks in Ann Arbor.

Book 47. After leaving Twitter and Meta, I lost track of @jarodkanderson.bsky.social, so I was delighted to stumble upon his new novel, Strange Animals. Not since Becky Chambers Monk & Robot have I loved characters this much. Only complaint, it‘s too short. 5 stars. #amreading #booksky 📚

Did Slimer from Ghostbusters have a smell?

EARLY BLURBS for The Book of Spores fungal anthology are coming in! We’re so grateful to @jarodkanderson.bsky.social for reading the collection, and thank you for the kind words 🍄 The Book of Spores is available to purchase in eBook: the-book-of-spores-a-fungal-sff-anthology.pledgebox.com/preorder

I think of how often I dream about using my smartphone (never) and how often it’s in my hand (often) and feel I have identified an imbalance that needs addressed.

I feel like I've been sitting on this news forever!! If you loved The Unmothers, good news! I wrote another super weird folk horror book just for you. Children of the Wrong Heaven is coming! 2027!

A lovely starred review of my memoir from Kirkus! “A brilliantly poignant exploration of nature, masculinity, and the struggles of depression.” www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

Meet Shade, my new writing partner. He’s 3 months old and requires lots of hugs. He made me cry by sitting on my lap and tucking his head under my chin when I visited his foster home. Love at first snuggle.

When I first learned of "Strange Animals" by @jarodkanderson.bsky.social, I pre-ordered it from Bookshop.org. What an amazing book! If you are interested in fantasy stories set in contemporary times, are fascinated by cryptids, or both, you need to read this!

So, when you start to make a new friend and you connect on social media, how do you know when it's okay to start sending them daily unhinged memes because that's a vital aspect of your love language?

This is one of those days when I have to trust the wisdom of past versions of myself, the ones who were standing on firmer ground than I'm on now. (This is a good policy that gets a little surreal when you've published a book about dealing with chronic major depression.)

Trying to plan a pretty okay hour is about all I can handle right now. And that's fine.

Check out my recommended reading list of seven books that “walk the borderlands between human and non-human” on Debutiful: debutiful.net/2026/03/09/s...

Hear me talk about meaning-making, being creative with a hard-mode brain, and lots of other stuff on the Creative Pep Talk podcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eAr...

The Kirkus review of the Strange Animals audiobook says it has “an atmosphere reminiscent of Twin Peaks,” a show I’ve still never seen, but think I would like! Their verdict? “Get it.” www.kirkusreviews.com/audiobook-re...

When I say we should "circle back," I'm referring to the circular backs of turtles and suggesting we nap deep in the mud all winter long.

I'll be doing a reading and Q&A at the Ross Art Museum tomorrow (3/3) evening at 6:30 (in Delaware, Ohio). Event details here: www.owu.edu/calendars/de...

Today’s review is for ‘Strange Animals’ by Jarod K. Anderson. Heartwarming and slightly horrifying in places, it’s a story filled with wonder and easily became my second 5* read of the year! crooksbooks.blog/2026/02/12/s...

I'll be lurking around Cleveland Concoction March 6-8 (writing panels, signing books, probably playing boardgames). #cleveland

I read Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson. This book is flat-out amazing. You can read my review linked below (or just go ahead and pre-order the book now). @jarodkanderson.bsky.social #StrangeAnimals #booksky #bookblogger

Finished this book today and I highly recommend it! Jarod's poetic prose and love for nature really shines. It's one of the few books I pre-ordered recently. GET IT, it's a rich tale of self-discovery through cryptid encounters in the woods, filled with lovely weird people.

First line: Green died and then he didn’t.

Common Nature Mnemonics: Leaves of three, let it be. (Meh. Sometimes true.) Red next to black, friend of jack; Red next to yellow, could kill a fellow. (Meh. Sometimes true.) Geese have teeth, but snails have more, never enter the mushroom door. (100% accurate.)

Wanna come see me at Penguicon March 27-29 in Detroit? I’ll be participating on these writer panels: The Paths to Publishing Poetry Isn't Dead; It's Undead Hook Your Reader: Starting Your Book The Dreaded Second Draft: Editing Your Novel Navigating Contracts for Authors 2026.penguicon.org

I mean… look… I’m not like the world’s #1 Thoreau fan or anything, but there is something deeply gross about slapping an AI slop cover on a HDT book. And what an unforced error. It’s not like there aren’t LOTS of good Thoreau images very much in the public domain.

Quick favor? If you have a GoodReads account, you can help my new novel by leaving a quick review OR (even easier) just like the positive reviews there to boost their visibility.

Strange Animals had a great first week in print! Please help me spread the word, and if you order a signed copy, I get to stop by my local bookstore and personalize it for you… which is my absolute favorite errand. (Link in bio.)

If you enjoyed my new book, please take a sec and post your thoughts in the usual review places (especially on that one giant website).

I had way too much fun playing 20 Questions: Cryptid Edition with author @jarodkanderson.bsky.social! Jarod K. Anderson’s fantastical new novel STRANGE ANIMALS is out now, featuring mysterious cryptids from his imagination. Already one of my fave reads of the year!

Look at this important art I made. Mothman: A Song and a Dream

Do you ever have a movie scene/line repeat in your mind in association with a creative project? For my new novel, I keep thinking of David Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China saying, “Shut up, Mr. Burton! You were not brought upon this world to ‘get it.’”

Being married to a writer means deep, sophisticated conversations.

Any Wikipedia editors around willing to make a page for me? Maybe this is nonsense request, but as "an old," I would be delighted to finally have a Wikipedia entry. If you're up for doing it, DM me and I can send you a bunch of links from established sources/pages about my work.