Jarod K. Anderson is a strange mix of fantasy nerd, nature writer, podcaster, poet, and erstwhile academic. He once accidentally picked up a rattlesnake and has slept in the branches of a maple tree more than most writers. He created and voices TheCryptoNaturalist podcast, a show about real love for imaginary nature, and he regularly shares his poems and prose on social media. He has published three books of poetry as well as the memoir Something in the Woods Loves You, about his lifelong struggle with depression and the healing power of the natural world. His new contemporary fantasy novel Strange Animals will be published in February 2026 by Ballantine Books. He has an MA in early modern English literature and insists he’s more fun than that makes him sound. He lives with his wife and son in a little white house tucked between a park and a cemetery.
Strange Animals: A novel
Cryptonaturalist: one who studies cryptids; an expert in or student of supernatural history.
After a series of inexplicable encounters upends his life, Green finds himself alone and terrified in the Appalachian mountains, full of questions about the transformation he’s undergoing and the impossible creatures he’s starting to see.
“I cannot express how much this book scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. The deep wonder and curiosity about nature coupled with the terror of our own insignificance strummed a familiar chord within me, and reading about these singular creatures and Green’s journey confronting them inspired a childlike glee of discovery. I envy everyone who gets to read Strange Animals for the first time. I’ll be reading it again and again to revisit that happiness and winkle out every morsel of wisdom breathed by the sage characters within.”—Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of Candle & Crow and the Iron Druid Chronicles
“A wildly inventive, fantastically fun story about a man who goes to find himself and finds so, so much more. I absolutely loved it from the first page.”—Peter Clines, New York Times bestselling author of Paradox Bound and God’s Junk Drawer
Preorder
something in the woods loves you
An inspiring blend of nature writing and memoir that explores nature’s crucial role in our emotional and mental health.
Cover art by Tuesday Riddell
The Haunted Forest Trilogy
Hardcover edition of Jarod’s three previous poetry collections.
Jarod K. Anderson - Granville Arts Center Signing
The Cryptonaturalist podcast
A scripted, audio-fiction podcast about a strange expert (The CryptoNaturalist) exploring odd and mysterious nature.
Find The CryptoNaturalist wherever you find podcasts, or stream from CryptoNaturalist.com.