March has been the longest month, and while that isn’t a bad thing, it feels a bit surreal that so much has happened in thirty-one days. Before we get into the post, I’d like to point out that Kinship and Kindness is part of Trans SFF bundle on itchio where you can get 38 books by trans authors for $40. I also have The Reanimator’s Heart on sale for $0.99 and The Reanimator’s Soul for $2.99 at all major retailers and regions. There is also a TRH/TRS bundle on itchio that is slightly cheaper than at other retailers.
Before continue, let’s take a look at my goals for March:
- Reread all of the Reanimator Mysteries books in preparation for book 4
- Start outlining book 4
- Write at least 10k words of book 4
- Proof as much of the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains as I can
- Deal with several doctor’s appointments this month (boo)
- Have the Weeknight Writers event go well (March 15th)
- Continue to bug my senators and house member
- Read 8 books
- Blog weekly
- Send out my monthly newsletter
- Maintain my sanity
- Work diligently on my cross stitch project
Books
My goal was to read 8 books, and I read 10 books. The links below are affiliate links, so if you buy a book through them, I get a small commission.
- Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao- 4 stars, a trans woman fleeing an emotionally and financially abusive relationship with a cis man runs into a cis butch lesbian who offers to take her in. Together, they bond over unionizing and coming out of their shells. I have mixed feelings about the trans rep, but otherwise, I enjoyed the romance aspect.
- 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall- 5 stars, a manager fakes amnesia to keep his boss from firing his employees only to be taken care of by his boss. He sees a new side of him and slowly begins peeling back the layers with the help of his gremlin of a cat.
- EAT by Nagabe- 4 stars, it’s a bit f-ed up as most of Nagabe’s stand alone works are. It’s about a wolf who wants to be prey or be eaten.
- When the Earth was Green by Riley Black- 5 stars, a nonfiction work about the long history of plants on earth from before the dinosaurs to the recent past. It is written in a narrative style that is accessible while being incredibly interesting and rich with information.
- The Invisible Man & His Soon-to-be Wife (#5) by Iwatobineko- 4 stars, a super cute series about a blind woman who falls in love with an invisible man. In this volume, she goes to meet his parents while he meets her brother.
- The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow- 5 stars, brutal and all at once wonderful, this novella packs a bunch in a dystopian land where cancer creates monsters and the line between human and monster is slimmer than one thinks.
- The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar- 5 stars, a lyrical tale about two sisters who tend to trees growing near a magical river. It’s about magic wrapped in magic and how song unites people through history. I highly recommend the audiobook version.
- Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite- 4 stars, a detective suddenly wakes up in a new body and is forced to solve a murder on a space cruise ship where everyone aboard reincarnates into their own bodies. It is a really cool premise with a lot of potential for interesting future books.
- Flesh and Bone by Arden Powell- 4 stars, two cowboys are hunted by a werewolf while one is haunted by his past, and the only way to overcome the first is to face the latter.
- What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a very creepy version of the “Fall of the House of Usher,” featuring uncanny hares, a dilapidated house, a nonbinary soldier, and fungus. There’s a lot crammed into the novella, and I am looking forward to the second book in the series.
Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff
- Reread all of the Reanimator Mysteries books and side stories in preparation for writing book 4
- Brainstormed and started toodling with book 4
- Started proofing the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3)
- Participated in a panel on trans characters for Weeknight Writers, which was a lot of fun
- Was part of a Trans SFF bundle on Itch.io (see top of page for details)
- Put The Reanimator’s Heart and The Reanimator’s Soul on sale (see top of page for details)
- Set up a Bookbub ad for the end of March
- Bugged my senators profusely about various political issues
- Blogged weekly and send out my monthly newsletter
- Kept up with my grading (*tired* yay)
- Dealt with my and my partner’s medical appointments (we’re fine btw)
- Finished putting together my day job’s literary magazine with my class
- Changed the batteries in every alarm/detector in my house (this has nothing to do with writing but it was labor intensive and hanging over my head forever, so someone has to hear about it)
- Had to get major repairs on my car… again
- Released “An Unexpected Evening” (TRM #3.5) to my non-newsletter readers (here)
- Started the Court of Crows stitch-a-long by FineFrogStitching
Blogs
- Join Me on Weeknight Writers
- “An Unexpected Evening” (TRM#3.5) is out!
- Project Shop My Shelves
- March 2025 Wrap-Up Post (you are here)
- March Newsletter
Writing
There isn’t too much I can talk about with writing right now. I’m currently working on the beginning of the fourth Reanimator Mysteries book, but I don’t want to go too much into it at this point because things are very subject to change. The opening of a book is where things are the messiest and most subject to change when I’m writing. I have false starts quite often during this part of the process, so I’m keeping my lips zipped about the contents of the story until I hit the end of act 1 when things finally lock in for the most part. What I will say is that this book will involve Oliver stepping up, trips to the library, Gwen’s magnum opus, and Felipe confronting his past and future. I will have more for you all next month, including hopefully a mood board and a working blurb.
Hopes for April
- Write 20,000 words for book 4
- Continue to proof the audiobook for TRR as it comes in
- Stay on grading as there is a lot this month
- Finish Act 1 and 2 outlines for book 4
- Continue to bug my senators and house rep
- Participate in the Narratess Sale (4/5-4/7)
- Maintain my sanity as best as I can
- Send out my newsletter
- Read 8 books
- Blog weekly
Kara Jorgensen 