This month has been chaotic to say the least, and because of that, I have been fending off burnout since midway through the month (and not very well, mind you). It has been a struggle to get through most things I need to do this month, and I did not maintain the balance I need to keep my mental health from derailing. Anywho, let’s take a look at the goals I made for August:
- FINISH THIS BOOK
- Get through my summer class
- Prep for my fall classes
- Read 8 books
- Blog weekly + monthly newsletter
- Not lose my marbles along the way
- Get ahead on blog posts again
Books
My goal was to read 8 books, and I read 7 this month.
- The Tiger Came to the Mountain by Silvia Moreno Garcia- 4 stars, a magical and mildly autobiographical story about desperation and strength during war and the history of girls lost to time.
- Four Weddings to Fall in Love (#1) by Jackie Lau- 4 stars, a romance that begins with a one-night stand that goes awry where the couple needs to reconnect and regroup as they attend multiple weddings together.
- The Invisible Man and his Soon to be Wife (#2) by Iwatobineko- 4 stars, a cute, sweet addition to the series, which brings in a queer side character, which was a lovely surprise.
- Saffron Alley (#2) by A. J. Demas- 4 stars, we get to see a bit of domesticity between our MCs as they try to navigate the future together.
- The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell- 3 stars, a slightly fantastical version of Lucrezia de Medici’s marriage and short life. While I loved Hamnet, I found this one to be a bit brutal for my taste.
- Strong Wine (#3) by A. J. Demas- 4 stars, the wonderful conclusion to the Sword Dance trilogy where we meet Dami’s horrid family, see him fighting a murder charge, and get a HEA.
- Secret XXX (#0) by Meguru Hinohara- 4 stars, a spicy yet sweet manga between a pet shop owner and a man who thinks he’s allergic to bunnies. It also sets the scene for a spin-off series.
Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff
- Got a Bookbub for The Reanimator’s Heart (dropping 9/3)
- Made my syllabi for my classes
- Made the Blackboard boards for my classes
- Taught my summer class and graded all their papers
- Got my car’s oil changed and brakes checked before the fall semester starts (was stressing over this)
- Took part in the Narratess Indie Author Sale
- Kept my mental health hanging on by a string and rode myself into the ground
- Did not manage my anxiety well… at all.
- But the sales I ran have bumped up my preorders for The Reanimator’s Soul nicely
Blogs Posted
- July 2023 Wrap-Up Post
- Kara’s Random Game Recs
- Art of Oliver and Felipe!
- The Reanimator’s Heart is Only 99c (still on til 9/6, btw)
- August Newsletter
Writing
Writing has been a mixed bag this month with it mostly being decent, despite my mental chaos. I ended up writing more than I have in a long time, and I basically finished the book. I need to go back and do a bit of tweaking, editing, and expanding, but the story itself is complete. I am super excited for you all to read The Reanimator’s Soul when it comes out October 24th because I think I did a better job on the mystery than I did in book one, and there’s a lot of emotional complexity going on between Oliver, Felipe, and their various family, friends, and foes. I’m trying to control myself for now, but there will definitely be a side story that goes out to newsletter subscribers as well as potentially a novel or novella featuring Ansley and another character from this book.
Hopes for September
We are once again keeping the goals light because my brain needs a break.
- blog weekly
- monthly newsletter
- read 8 books
- maintain mental health by gaming, reading, or crafting when necessary
- stay on top of grading
- Edit The Reanimator’s Soul
Kara Jorgensen 
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