While June was very low key for me (thank god), it was weird in terms of it being Pride Month in the middle of a fascist regime targeting trans people. The vibes this year were just very blah. We’re all tired at this point. I feel like I struggled a bit this month due to seasonal affect disorder and dysphoria as the heat grew worse, but things feel like they’re evening out. Here were the goals I had for June:
- Write the majority (if not all) of “An Unexpected Christmas”
- Edit “An Unexpected Christmas”
- Continue working on the notes for the Flowers and Flourishing rewrite
- Proof the chapters of the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Fate
- Maintain my mental health
- Do something fun with my partner for our anniversary
- Take my partner to her doctor’s appointments (there are several)
- Plant my pumpkin seeds
- Read 8 books
- Blog weekly
- Send out my newsletter
Books
My goal was to read 8 books, and I read exactly 8 this month.
- Starling House by Alix E. Harrow- 5 stars, a woman living in a small town while striving to give her younger brother the best life she can becomes entangled with an old house with a mind of its own, shadow creatures, and the abrasive man who guards it. The two MCs are broken and complicated, and I loved them together so much as well as the texture of the landscape.
- Lore Olympus (#10) by Rachel Smythe- 4 stars, we’re getting to the end of the series, and while I’m so sad for it to end, I’m greatly enjoying seeing everything come together. It’s very straight, but I love seeing Persephone grow into herself and Hades giving up some of his self-loathing to own who he is.
- Father Material (#3) by Alexis Hall- 4 stars, I really debating my rating on this book because I spent a large chunk absolutely HATING the one MC, which was the point. He just acted like his father (aka a total jackass), but I loved Luc, Spud, and their foster kid Jazz. It was heartwarming to see everyone figure their shit out and also have Oliver finally crack a bit and realize he’s a bit more messed up than he realized.
- Dream On, Ramona Riley– 4 stars, a woman from a small town who is constantly taking care of her younger sister and just trying to get by ends up having to tutor a movie star in how to be a waitress. The problem is that Ramona knows the star is the girl she had a teenage kiss and crush on years ago while Dylan doesn’t recognize her. I always struggle with books where the characters hide things because I know the blow up is coming, but I really enjoyed watching these two get together again.
- The Invisible Man & His Soon-to-be Wife (#7) by Iwatobineko- 4 stars, I love the two MCs so much. We have the invisible man and his blind girlfriend trying to figure out how to navigate their relationship while working through accidentally hurt feelings and insecurities. They are just so lovely to each other than it makes my communication-loving heart happy.
- The Hollow Sea (#4) by Jordan L. Hawk- 4 stars, our favorite ghost hunting crew goes to a deserted island that used to be a rich man’s playground only to encounter the ghost of a little girl, the rich man himself, and a secret his descendants would rather keep hidden.
- Boy with Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald- 3 stars, I wanted to like this so badly, but it felt very obviously written by a European who doesn’t get America. I can suspend disbelief about dinosaurs being common in this world. I cannot do so when it comes to seeing Americans use the metric system. Also, it was just world-building focused over character focused, and that isn’t my jam.
- Bone Map by Sara Eliza Johnson- 4 stars, I’m trying to get back into reading poetry since I haven’t read much since I finished grad school, and Johnson’s work is exactly what I wanted. It’s very science and nature oriented in terms of imagery while still pulling at the heartstrings, sometimes literally. If you’re a romantic goremonger, you’ll like her work.
Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff
- Worked on writing “An Unexpected Christmas” (TRM #4.5)
- Edited a chunk of “An Unexpected Christmas”
- Proofed roughly half of the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Fate
- Contacted my cover artist about some upcoming projects
- Sent out my newsletter with updates
- Worked on the plan for the rewrite/expansion of Flowers and Flourishing
- Got back on track with my working out, which helps my mental health
- Did some more gender poking/questioning (a double-edged sword as many of you know)
- Got the all-clear from the vet that Katie’s face looks good (next appointment in September)
- Enjoyed my anniversary with my partner
- Took partner to get new glasses
- Helped partner send in name change paperwork (yay!)
Blogs
- My Dog’s Experience with Radiation
- On Getting Unstuck
- To 21 Years
- The Perils of Being Creative
- June newsletter
Writing
This month was weird in terms of writing because I wanted to be productive, but I was giving myself permission to not run myself into the ground. The good thing is that I made more progress in June on AUC than I have in months, which makes me really happy. The bad thing is that I didn’t finish it. Ultimately, that’s fine because Christmas in July is a “thing” versus Christmas in June, lol. As long as I’m making writing progress and not feeling like my brain is going to pour out of my ears, I’m happy.
Hopes for July
- Finish “An Unexpected Christmas”
- Finish editing “An Unexpected Christmas”
- Finish the craft projects I started months ago (oops)
- Finish proofing the audiobook for TRF
- Send out AUC to my newsletter
- Maintain my mental health
- Keeping working out
- Enjoy my birthday
- Read 8 books
- Blog weekly
- Send out monthly newsletter
Kara Jorgensen 