Jacob Thomas Austin's Blog
November 19, 2025
"Menagerie" - Out Now!
Hello readers,
Menagerie: Stories, my debut short story anthology, is out today! The collection is currently available in print and e-book on Amazon and in audiobook on Spotify, and it should be live on Audible and Apple Books by next week.
I worked incredibly hard on this collection, amassing stories over nearly a decade of writing, editing, and wrestling with buckets upon buckets of self-doubt. I'm so excited to finally bring this work to the general public, and I'd be remiss if I didn't extend my gratitude to my editor, Heather Davis, my audiobook narrator, Cathy Banks, and my cover artist, Joe Brundage -- as well as the countless friends and loved ones who have beta read my work and the literary magazines who took a chance on publishing early drafts of several of these stories. You all mean so much more to me than I could ever put into words, and you helped my work achieve its final form.
Menagerie's goal is to entertain and provoke, to thrill and disturb, to represent tough issues and themes while occasionally winking and sticking out a snarky forked tongue. These stories should be taken seriously -- but not too seriously.
Enjoy your tour through my zoo of madness, and remember: an animal can be many things.
Many thanks, and much love,
- Jacob Thomas Austin
Menagerie: Stories, my debut short story anthology, is out today! The collection is currently available in print and e-book on Amazon and in audiobook on Spotify, and it should be live on Audible and Apple Books by next week.
I worked incredibly hard on this collection, amassing stories over nearly a decade of writing, editing, and wrestling with buckets upon buckets of self-doubt. I'm so excited to finally bring this work to the general public, and I'd be remiss if I didn't extend my gratitude to my editor, Heather Davis, my audiobook narrator, Cathy Banks, and my cover artist, Joe Brundage -- as well as the countless friends and loved ones who have beta read my work and the literary magazines who took a chance on publishing early drafts of several of these stories. You all mean so much more to me than I could ever put into words, and you helped my work achieve its final form.
Menagerie's goal is to entertain and provoke, to thrill and disturb, to represent tough issues and themes while occasionally winking and sticking out a snarky forked tongue. These stories should be taken seriously -- but not too seriously.
Enjoy your tour through my zoo of madness, and remember: an animal can be many things.
Many thanks, and much love,
- Jacob Thomas Austin
