Author: Kara Jorgensen

Kara Jorgensen (they/them) is a queer, nonbinary oddball with a penchant for all things antiquated, morbid, or just plain strange. While in college, they realized they no longer wanted to be Victor Frankenstein but instead wanted to write like Mary Shelley and thus abandoned their future career in science for writing. They meld their passions through their books and received an MFA in Creative and Professional Writing in 2016. When not writing, they can be found hanging out with their dogs watching period dramas or trying to convince their students to cite their sources. To find out more about her books go to https://karajorgensen.com Sign-up for her newsletter and get a free short story: eepurl.com/bfJTW9
new blog post: november 2024 wrap-up post November 2024 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

November 2024 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

This month has FLOWN by. Seriously, where did it go? For me, October dragged, but November managed to gallop past when I wasn’t looking. This has been sort of a decompression month for me after the release of The Reanimator’s Remains, which was very needed. Before we get going, let’s see what my goals were for November.

  • Start working on a new writing project
  • Finish Botany Manor and Love, Ghostie
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my monthly newsletter
  • Finish the majority of my Christmas shopping
  • Finish the majority of my grading (yay)

Books

My goal for this month was to read 8 books, and I read X books (the links below are affiliate links).

  1. A History of Ancient Egypt Volume 3 by John Romer- 4 stars, a comprehensive overview of the last dynasties of Ancient Egypt. Part of me wished this went further into history when Egypt was colonized, but I understand why it is cut off where it is.
  2. Sinner (#3.5) by Maggie Stiefvater- 3 stars, this one is a mixed bag. The reality show part I loved, but I thought Cole’s dad was sort of out of character compared to how he previously spoke about him. It felt like slightly out of character fanfic rather than something made by the author.
  3. Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton- 4 stars, an overview of the history of Halloween up into the modern day. Very interesting, especially in how it dispels myths that were perpetuated by past historians. This is research for TRM #3.5
  4. Glitterland (#1) by Alexis Hall- 4 stars, a novelist grappling with his mental health falls for an earnest and sweet model. The MCs are mismatched, which is what makes it perfect. It was very heartfelt and lovely.
  5. Floriography by Jessica Roux- 4 stars, a primer on the language of flowers. I read the ebook, but the physical edition would probably make a lovely coffee table book. Useful for my Victorian research purposes.
  6. Waiting for the Flood (#2) by Alexis Hall- 4 stars, a conservator falls for a civil engineer who is helping with the flooding around his home. The MC is still recovering from a break up with his long-time partner several years earlier, and we get to see that partner find someone as well since the edition I had contained that story as well. Having them together and seeing their lives separate but intertwined was oddly lovely.
  7. Ennead (#4) by Mojito- 3 stars, I’m still not sure how I feel about this series. There’s a major content warning for rape with this series, and I know mythology is very much like that, but I have a hard time with this one. The Ancient Egyptian gods are compelling and messy, yet I find myself put-off by this series. I’ll probably buy one more volume, and if I don’t love it, I won’t continue.
  8. Black on Both Sides by C. Riley Snorton- 4 stars, a very interesting nonfiction text about the intersection of face and gender identity. It is about trans people, but it also discusses Blackness and gender on a whole, especially in relation to the Mammy figure and other historical stereotypes and such.
  9. The City in Glass by Nghi Vo- 5 stars, one of my top reads for this year. This book is as much about an angel and a demon falling in love over time as it is about a demon’s unwavering love for humanity and hope for the future. It was so, so damn good.
  10. Three Reasons to Run (#2) by Jackie Lau- 4 stars, on her wedding day the bride realizes she cannot marry her future husband and manages to run straight into an unexpected getaway car, his cousin who has had a crush on her for years. He (and his parents) help her get her life in order, but things are turned on their head when she asks him for a one night stand that rapidly turns into more.
  11. Lion’s Tail (#2) by Jordan L. Hawk- 4 stars, a witch and his shapeshifting boyfriend get entangled in a murder when a man from a rival speakeasy dies in the establishment they work in. While one deals with a potential turf war, the other blossoms at a job that may not be the golden ticket it seems.
  12. Monstress (#9) by Majorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda- 4 stars, Monstress is one of those series that keeps unfolding and getting better with each volume. Marika is up to her eyeballs in trouble as her father leads a war and has new, untold powers, but there are far worse things lurking in Marika’s mind and body than she thought.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • figured out a title for the TRM #3.5 story (“An Unexpected Evening”, which will be out in January probably)
  • made the cover for “An Unexpected Evening”
  • outlined “An Unexpected Evening”
  • graded all the papers I had laying around and didn’t dillydally too much
  • beta read a friend’s book and gave them feedback
  • renewed by healthcare for next year (if you get your insurance through the ACA/Obamacare, now is the time to renew/reapply)
  • freaked out over the election, screamed, cried, threw up, got angry
  • started doing some weight lifting, which has helped my mental health and body
  • finished my lesson plans for my novel class for the rest of the semester
  • started setting up my bullet journal for 2025
  • Contacted my narrator and set up the dates/contract for TRR (it’ll be out in late spring/early summer 2025)
  • bought most of the gifts I need to get for my family, which I’m pretty happy with

Blogs

Writing

For most of November, I took a break from writing. Finishing The Reanimator’s Remains drained my creative battery, and I was worried I would burn myself out if I immediately jumped into a new book or story. I did do a lot of brainstorming for the TRM #3.5 story and started working on it a little along with brainstorming more ideas for the Joe and Ansley story. For TRM #3.5, I’m thinking that I will send it out to my newsletter in January, and it will be released to the general public a month or two after. Next month will be a writing-focused month since I have most of my Christmas shopping and job stuff out of the way, and I’m very excited to get going.

Hopes for December

  • Finish grading finals ASAP
  • Finish Christmas shopping
  • Wrap everything without hurting my back
  • Write all of “An Unexpected Evening”
  • Start brainstorming my next writing project
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my newsletter
  • Play more video games to unwind/refill the well
  • Get my yearly goals for 2025 and my Q1 goals in order
new blog post: What I Learned from Writing TRR What I Learned from Writing TRR
Writing

What I Learned from Writing TRR

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

Every book is a learning experience. This is something I have been trying to drill into my college students’ heads while teaching my novel writing class this semester. No two projects are the same, and every book teaches you new things. Some more than others. The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3) is one of those books where I felt like I stretched myself and came out the other side a better writer. This isn’t a blog patting myself on the back. It’s more so a postmortem on what I think I did right this time.

The Reanimator’s Remains is the third book in the Reanimator Mysteries series, so I was working with characters I had already worked with twice before. This is important because I think being able to grow as a writer can be dependent upon being comfortable in other areas of the book. Knowing who Oliver, Gwen, and Felipe are and being very confident in portraying them made it much easier to step out of my comfort zone when it came to plot level intricacies. I had never really written a plot (or subplot) that relied upon flashbacks. As a creative writing teacher, I know these things can go badly fast. I was worried about how to sprinkle Felipe’s memories into the story in a way that a) feels natural b) doesn’t break up the action too much c) is useful to the story/his characterization. Felipe is a character who holds his cards close to his chest, so the chance of him spilling all of his traumatic backstory to Oliver was slim to none. Ultimately, I decided the best way to deal with this was through dreams (which can be risky in their own way), but the dreams end up tied into the overarching plot of the story, not due to Felipe’s memories per se but something else. Each dream ended with Felipe waking up in a way that scared and/or disoriented him, which helped to keep the tension from dipping after. I think the big thing about feeling like you leveled up your writing is that you’re just more aware of all the moving parts and how they link together. Instead of dropping them, I have been focused on how can one feed another.

The other thing with this book that I think made it a little better than my previous stories is that I leaned into the things my writers like or have told me I’m good at, which comes down to rich descriptions and crying men. I don’t like drama for the sake of drama in books, which is why I hate third act break-ups in romance novels. With this book, we have two established main characters who love each other very much. They are each other’s main vulnerability, and at this point we know their fears. Half of writing The Reanimator’s Remains was playing on Oliver and Felipe’s fears, especially the ones readers are already privy to. This sort of thing upped the ante when it came to the tension between the characters, and even if readers know things will end up all right, they are still feeding off the other character’s fear. My favorite thing to write is the third act mental breakdown (as opposed to a break-up) where one of the characters has to be exceedingly vulnerable and the other has to meet them where they are and accept them for the hot mess they are. It’s a level of emotional intimacy that just makes the romance so much deeper. This book also has a sex scene that isn’t a sex scene, but I won’t go too deep into that because I don’t want to go too much into spoiler land. All I will say is that sex scenes are about being naked and vulnerable, and the sex scene that isn’t a sex scene is all about letting someone else care for you when you struggle to let down your guard.

Something I feel awkward about sometimes is how I write descriptions. I love a lot of detail. My writing influences are very Victorian, which means I enjoy a useful, well-placed description rich in detail. Part of me worries my descriptions are boring or that modern audiences don’t like them, but I have to remind myself that my audience likes a beefy, evocative description. I actually had a reader tell me how much she loved the creepy cathedral in The Reanimator’s Heart, so in book 3, I was like f it, I’m writing a creepy forest, and you all are going to like it. So I went ass-deep into research about bogs, forests, etc. and let the freak fly when it came to my descriptions. I am a romantic goremonger by nature, so I leaned into it in this book with the Dysterwood, the dead people, and the [redacted] mentioned in the story.

As you become more comfortable with your style as a writer, you need to lean into the things that drew people to your work in the first place. Sometimes, you can go overboard, but for the most part, appealing to your readers by playing to your strengths is rarely a bad thing. Do what you do but better. Keep an eye on all of the spinning plates and figure out how to make your narrative work by having the pieces feed off each other rather than act as discrete, separate parts of the plot/construction. Most of all, never stop trying to get better at your craft and learning.

new blog post: 10 Books to Add to Your TBR 2024 Edition Part 2 10 Books to Add to Your TBR 2024 Edition Part 2
Book Reviews

10 Books to Add to Your TBR 2024 Edition Part 2

Kara Jorgensen4 Comments

Most years I put out a list of books I greatly enjoyed from the first half of the year some time in June. This year, I decided to do it early because, besides needing a blog for this week, I have read a lot of good books lately, so I’m thinking of making this something I do more than twice a year (and often forget to do in December). The books listed below are not in any order of favoritism, but I will provide reasons for why you should pick up my ten favorite reads of 2024 thus far.

(All of the links below are affiliate links, so if you purchase something, I get a little money back, just as an FYI)

Here is part 2 of this endeavor! Check out part 1 here.

  1. You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian- Cat Sebastian’s books are always like a warm hug, but I particularly enjoyed Eddie and Mark’s dynamic. Eddie is a young baseball player who got traded and immediately fell into a batting slump (and had a tantrum on tv, oops). Mark is asked to write articles about him in the paper to help restore his image, but Eddie quickly realizes Mark is going through a rough time of his own. It’s a book about grief, loss, new beginnings, and of course, baseball. There’s also a cute, wayward dog and a grouchy old man as side characters- two of my favorite things.
  2. The House of the Red Balconies by AJ Demas- In a fictionalized ancient world, we have Hylas, an engineer, who has just arrived in Tykanos to work on the local aqueduct only to realize there is far too much politic-ing going on than he can deal with. While the governor drags him around from tea house to tea house every night, he finds respite in his new neighbor, Zo. Zo is a dancer at the tea house who is dealing with chronic illness while trying to find a steady patron to give him some semblance of stability. Hylas and Zo compliment each other so well, and the way Hylas cares for Zo is lovely.
  3. A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall- This book is very different from anything I’ve read, and I loved it. It’s an epistolary novel written in letters between the siblings of two people who have gone missing along with those people’s diary entries. The story takes place in an undersea world with a historical/steampunk-ish flare. This story is an introduction to a lush, fantasy world, and I cannot wait to see what Cathrall comes up with in book 2.
  4. When Among Crows by Veronica Roth- This story is under 200 pages, but it is packed with story. We have a magical Chicago, complete with all sorts of creatures (banshees/llorona, zmora, strzygi, Baba Jaga, human warriors, and more). I was pleasantly surprised to realize the MC was queer, and if you like Felipe from my books, the MC in this one will appeal to you. At its heart, it’s a story about atonement, forgiveness, and new beginnings. You know a novella is good when you wish it was longer.
  5. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark- This book is also barely above 200 pages, but as with all of PDC’s books, it is phenomenal. We have an undead assassin sent to kill someone only to find out the target is seemingly a younger version of herself. Of course, she dips but not before grabbing the young woman. They go on a night long quest to figure out who set her up, what magic yoinked her younger self to the present, and why someone was trying to make her kill herself. The whole story is set against a festival, which just heightens the world-building intricacies and decorates the world in the best way. It’s also funny as hell.
  6. Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher- This is my first T. Kingfisher book, and let me tell you, I get it now. This book was equal parts funny, sweet, and intriguing. We have a stoic knight whose god is dead and thinks of himself a bomb that could blow at any time falling for an anxious perfume maker with a weasel cat. There’s political intrigue, a murderer who decapitates people, gruff paladins, and so much interesting world-building. I am officially hooked.
  7. The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carriger- We have our first nonfiction book for this round of books. If you are a writer or do literary analysis, I highly recommend taking a look at this one. I had never really heard of the Heroine’s Journey during literature classes, only the Hero’s Journey, so this provided A LOT of much needed insight. Carriger is a writer but also an academic, so she provides a ton of insight, examples, and breakdowns that are not only great for new or experienced writers but academics too.
  8. The Pairing by Casey McQuiston- This is a VERY queer second chance romance between two people who were friends to lovers to not on speaking terms to friends to lovers again. It’s a romance between two people others might deem pretentious but I, as a low key pretentious person, loved. Really, they’re two people very passionate about art and food who don’t make others feel bad while still steeping in their passions. I adored the way McQuiston played on the 1800s European tour debauchery in a very modern setting.
  9. Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall- WftF has recently been rereleased, and I listened to it as an audiobook, which means it came with Chasing the Light as well. The two stories together are a wonderful juxtaposition. WftF is about Edwin, who is still grappling with his partner dumping him after ten years together, having his world shaken up by a flood that leads him to Adam. CtL is the story of his ex, Marius, finding love, and along the way, we get more about why he broke it off with Edwin. The stories (and the side short stories) intertwine beautifully, and I loved seeing them grow while still loving each other after all that time. It is book 2 in the Spires series, but it can be read on its own.
  10. Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton- This is a nonfiction book that discusses the intersectionality of race and gender in regards to transgender identity. The book is horrific in its content, but it is a must read if you are trans or like to read academic texts on gender. As someone who is into medical history as well, the first chapter is eye-opening and reframes a lot of what I already sort of knew about medical history in the US. I highly, highly recommend this one.
i won't go quietly I Won’t Go Quietly
Uncategorized

I Won’t Go Quietly

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

For the past week, I’ve been debating if I wanted to write anything about *gestures to the world*, but after giving my creative writing students a pep talk on Thursday, I thought I might do the same thing here.

First and foremost, I’m not going anywhere. If 2016 taught me anything, it was that I am proud of who I am. I am a queer, nonbinary author of queer books, and absolutely no one can stop me from making queer art. I’ve watched so many of my friends be devastated by the news, and all I can be is angry. I’m pissed that we let it get this far. I’m pissed that we spent four years resting on the laurels of the status quo instead of improving people’s lives. I’m pissed that we ripped away the safety net created at the beginning of the pandemic that helped so many. I’m pissed that democratic leadership set the country up for failure by pandering to the middle of the road, which is where approximately no one sits when a basic focus group could have cleared up that misconception. I’m pissed that all of my friends need to live in a constant state of anxiety for four years. I’m pissed that this will further ruin the health of so many people, people who are already at a heightened risk for health problems just because they are part of marginalized groups. Most of all, I’m pissed that I have to justify my existence and the existence of my partner and friends to people who idolize conformity and control.

You can do many things, but you cannot take away my queerness. It will always be there. Our community has survived centuries of criminalization. We have flown under the radar and kept to our corners, but no more. No one is stuffing us back into the closet. We have seen a better world is possible, and we are not letting the country go back. We are not subjecting children to the same rough childhoods we had. We are not letting them hate themselves or become stereotypes to be mocked on TV. Queer is not a dirty word.

Fascism is.

For the next four years, my goal is to make fascists as uncomfortable as possible. I’m privileged enough to live in a state where my rights are fairly well protected, and as a white queer, I plan on using that to be as obnoxious in the face of fascism as possible. I will be writing queer shit, being queer, supporting other queer artists, and supporting my queer students. I will not cower. I will not obey in advance. I will wear a mask and call my representatives to hammer home how important it is to maintain my rights and the rights of my marginalized friends. If they want to make the world a hostile place for people like us, then I vow to be equally kind and soft because in the face of fascism, love and caring for your fellow person is dangerous. No matter what, I will see the humanity in others and protect their rights in any way I can. I hope you will do it with me.

new blog post: october 2024 wrap-up post October 2024 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

October 2024 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

Wow, okay, so October was hectic for me because I was preparing for the release of The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3), and let me tell you, it went wonderfully. I want to thank you all so much for preordering it and buying the paperback. You all are awesome. Anywho, let’s get into what my goals were for October:

  • Finish editing TRR
  • Send out ARCs/Review copies
  • Format the paperback
  • Have a great publication day
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my monthly newsletter
  • Not implode along the way
  • Stay on top of my class stuff

Books

My goal for October was to read 8 books, and I read 9 books total.

  1. Forever (#3) by Maggie Stiefvater- 4 stars, we get the conclusion of the main romance/series in this volume. Without giving too much away, I enjoyed this. It is very much a teen angst book, and while I feel like the two main characters lost a little of their zip in this book, it’s still good.
  2. The Clockwork Boys (#1) by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, set in the same world as the Saint of Steel books, we get an exorcised paladin/ex-demon hunter who teams up with a pair of ex-criminals and a gnole to stop the “clockwork boys,” which are basically killer automata. I loved the characters and the romance, but I think I prefer the Paladin books a little more.
  3. Lore Olympus (#7) by Rachel Smythe- 4 stars, another great installment. I enjoyed seeing Persephone and Hades get closer while things start to crack with the antagonists. I’m very interested in the next installment since we’re heading into the trial.
  4. The Wonder Engine (#2) by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, see The Clockwork Boys above.
  5. The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a play on Bluebeard’s brides (I think) where a seemingly ordinary girl teams up with a man’s magical wives to save herself and all of them from him. I loved the Alice in Wonderland-ish nature of this book.
  6. Avenger of Sins (#6) by Jordan L. Hawk- 4 stars, we get the conclusion of SPECTR season 3 with Caleb and John stopping another absolutely horrendous ex-government agent, uncovering more of John’s past, and hopefully getting justice in the future.
  7. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a woman inherits her uncle’s estate only to be harangued by her dead husband’s family into giving them control of her money by marrying his cousin. She grabs an old sword off the wall to kill herself with only to find the sword is enchanted/haunted by a dead warrior who does the bidding of the owner. Together, they must work to get her, her life back and along the way, they find romance and far more than they bargained for.
  8. The Book of Hallowe’en by Ruth Edna Kelley- 3 stars, a research book for my TRM #3.5 story. It was useful, but overall, it was kind of vague and apparently had some errors in it (it was written in 1919 after all), and it was a bit poetry heavy for my purposes as a nonfiction book.
  9. The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke- 4 stars, very short but the story is concise and in the spirit of Clarke’s other books, if not a tad more fable-like. The illustrations and feel of the book as a whole are really what makes it. My kingdom for an illustrated short story collection from her.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Edited THE WHOLE BOOK
  • Edited the whole book again
  • Proofread TRR
  • Had an ARC reader send me a punch of typos I missed, so I fixed those and reuploaded it everywhere (PS- thank you from the bottom of my heart for catching all those typos)
  • Formatted the paperback for TRR
  • Got the paperback cover wrap from Crowglass Design
  • Sent out ARCs (super late, oops)
  • Managed to somehow keep up with grading
  • Fell behind in my class notes but caught up
  • Bought advent calendars and a 2025 calendar (yes, I start prepping this early)
  • Managed to not lose my marbles this month because I actually took care of myself and my mental health
  • Finished Minami Lane and started playing Botany Manor (I highly recommend both games)
  • Sent out my October newsletter
  • Blogged weekly
  • I added the freebies page to my website, which has “An Unexpected Valentine” and “An Unexpected Question” on it for free.

Blogs

Writing

I think I’ll eventually end up writing a whole post about what I learned from writing The Reanimator’s Remains, but I want to wait until the book has been out for a bit in case I let out some spoilers. Overall, this month was ridiculous in terms of writing. I pushed myself so hard, and I think TRR is one of my best books so far. I stretched my writer muscles more than I think I ever have. On one hand, there are things I think I could have done differently, but I truly like this book a lot. I have the general end-game setup for this series in book 4, but I haven’t started it yet. It feels very weird to realize this is the penultimate book for Oliver and Felipe, though they will pop up in other books in the future. My editing process is a two steps forward, one step back kind of process, so my draft was fairly clean when I finished it (apart from the very end of the book). I managed to speed-run through the end of my editing, and one of my ARC readers (once again, a thousand thanks) found typos I missed. This book somehow managed to grow larger than I anticipated, which caused me to finish it VERY close to the deadline. It needed to be longer in order for the story to make sense, but *nervous laughter* I was sweating it at the very end because I felt the upload date for Amazon and D2D looming ever closer. In the end, I pushed myself and put up the best book I possibly could. This book is more plot-heavy than the previous two, but since it’s the foundation for the final book, I think it is necessary to make a satisfying ending.

I haven’t decided what I’m working on next, but I have a few ideas for the TRM #3.5 story that I think you all will like. More about that in the future.

Hopes for November

  • Start working on a new writing project
  • Finish Botany Manor and Love, Ghostie
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my monthly newsletter
  • Finish the majority of my Christmas shopping
  • Finish the majority of my grading (yay)
new blog post: one day until the reanimator's remains One Day Until The Reanimator’s Remains
The Reanimator's Remains · Writing

One Day Until The Reanimator’s Remains

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

As of when this post goes up, it is ONE day until The Reanimator’s Remains comes out!

the cover for The Reanimator's Remains by Kara Jorgensen. It is green with a skull in the center with trees, roots, bugs, and one man reaching for the other as he walks away
Cover by Crowglass Design

The Reanimator’s Remains is the third book in the Reanimator Mysteries series and follows Oliver and Felipe as they travel to the Pine Barrens on a new case. Here is the blurb:

An autistic necromancer, his undead love, and a covenant that must be broken.

Oliver Barlow never knew what happened to his parents. With a note from his mother as his only lead, Oliver had given up hope of ever learning the truth. But when the dead start rising in the town of Aldorhaven, Oliver jumps at the chance to take the case if it means he can investigate the last place his parents were seen alive.

Felipe Galvan would like to be anywhere but Aldorhaven. Between protecting Oliver and Gwen, dealing with distrustful townsfolk, and an unexpected letter from his estranged parents, Felipe is already stretched thin. But when he is suddenly plagued by whispers from the woods and nightmares from his past, Felipe fears he is only one misstep away from becoming the monster he was meant to be.

Far more sinister things than the dead lurk in Aldorhaven’s woods. A centuries old bargain has been broken, and the only thing that can satisfy it is Oliver’s blood. Together, Oliver, Felipe, and Gwen must finish what Oliver’s parents started or they too will be ensnared by their devil’s bargain

The Reanimator’s Remains is the third book in the Reanimator Mysteries series and is my tenth full-length book (eleventh if you count Flowers and Flourishing). It takes place in the same universe as my other books and is set in the New York Paranormal Society, which is mentioned in Kinship and Kindness. You can also grab several free in-between book short stories in the freebie section of my website. The content warnings for book 3 are listed below and are also in the book are well.

CWs: suicidal ideation, self-harm, blood, gore, violence, death, descriptions of dead bodies, autopsies, on page sexual content, anxiety attack, historical period typical homophobia, remembered.mentioned child abuse, ableism, saneism, medical procedures, insects

The paperback of The Reanimator’s Remains is currently on Amazon and will move to other retailers in the coming weeks. You can still preorder the ebook at all major retailers or you can request it from your library system when it comes out October 29th, 2024. The audiobook is currently in the works and will be available spring of 2025 if all goes according to plan.

If you pick up a copy of The Reanimator’s Remains, I hope you will leave a review on Goodreads, StoryGraph, or your favorite retailer! They really help authors like me out in terms of visibility and credibility.

And if you haven’t read The Reanimator’s Heart (TRM #1), you can pick it up here. Or you can grab book 2, The Reanimator’s Soul (TRM #2), here.

new blog post: a preview of the reanimator's remains A Preview of The Reanimator’s Remains
The Reanimator's Remains · Writing

A Preview of The Reanimator’s Remains

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3) comes out on October 29th, so about a little over a week from now! In order to whet your appetite, I thought I would share another lengthy excerpt. This time from chapter one. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One: Secrets and Surprises

Oliver Barlow did not keep secrets or enjoy surprises, yet he found himself eagerly doing both for Felipe. As Oliver buttoned his waistcoat, he went over the plan for that night’s outing once more. First, he would borrow one of the Paranormal Society’s steamers and take Felipe to the botanical gardens. Oliver wasn’t certain Felipe particularly cared about plants, but he enjoyed walking far more than sitting through a play. Besides, going to the greenhouses would be like visiting forests and gardens all over the world without ever leaving New York. Unlike at the theater, they could freely talk, and there was still a chance they could sneak a touch or kiss on a secluded trail. On the way back to the society, Oliver planned to stop at an Italian restaurant Louisa and Agatha had raved about. Felipe had mentioned wanting to have dinner there one day, but in the chaos of cases and meetings, they had never gotten around to it. Oliver wasn’t certain if the restaurant served dessert, so he double checked the maps in the archives to confirm there were places nearby where they could get an egg cream or some rugelach if Felipe was still peckish.

Oliver drew in a calming breath and shook out his hands to keep Felipe from feeling his anxiety on the other end of the tether. He didn’t need him running down to check on him and ruining the surprise. After listening to confirm Felipe hadn’t reached the laboratory or closet outside his basement bedroom yet, Oliver retrieved the strong box from under his bed. Tucked under papers and old photographs sat a ring box. A nervous smile crossed his lips as he turned it over in his hands. More than anything, he wanted Felipe to enjoy their outing because when they got back to the apartment, Oliver would give him a ring. Popping open the box, he marveled at the way the globe of polished amber set in gold caught the light. When he first saw the amber ring in a display case at the jeweler’s, he couldn’t get it out of his mind. Inside the fossilized resin were bits of ancient flower petals forever frozen in time, but what truly drew him to it was that the amber was nearly the exact shade of Felipe’s eyes when they caught the sunlight. He even got it inscribed with My light in the darkness to drive home to Felipe how much he meant to him. A man who reminded Oliver of all the beauty and softness in the world deserved a ring that reflected that light and life.

Oliver’s thumb drifted to the gold and black enamel band on his ring finger. Even though he wore it every day and kept it on a chain around his neck during autopsies, he still couldn’t believe it was there. He had never expected to be proposed to or to be proposing to Felipe. Men like them rarely found someone, let alone someone who wanted to stay with them forever. Oliver knew it was different at the Paranormal Society, that they could have some semblance of permanency and normalcy, but he never expected that he would find anyone who loved him like that. When Felipe had suggested they take a trip to Coney Island to relax, Oliver never thought it would end with Felipe presenting him with a ring and asking him to spend the rest of his life with him. Oliver swallowed hard at the memory. He would have given anything for that, proposal or not, but the ring with its grinning skeleton and Felipe’s message of Don’t go where I can’t follow was as much a memento mori as it was a memento vivere. If Oliver had his way, they would have so many more years together.

Shutting the ring away, Oliver shoved the strong box back under the bed with his foot. Felipe knew the proposal was eventually coming; Oliver had asked him if he could do it in return after all, but even if it couldn’t be a true surprise, he wanted Felipe to feel special and loved, the way he had made Oliver feel. At the clack of the laboratory door, Oliver stuffed the ring box into the jacket he left hanging on the desk chair and scrambled to his feet. He had just finished smoothing the wrinkles from his trousers when the bedroom door opened, and Felipe slipped inside with a tired sigh. His curly brown hair and suit were rumpled, and beneath his eyes, dark circles blotted his tan skin, but when he saw Oliver watching him, a relieved smile spread across his lips. Oliver crossed the room in two strides and caught his partner in his arms. The shorter man sagged against him in a boneless heap.

“That bad?” Oliver asked with a small smile.

Felipe grunted into Oliver’s chest. “You don’t know the half of it. You’re lucky you work down here. If it wouldn’t make a mess for both of us, I would fully retire now just to not have to deal with these meetings.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Everyone’s getting on my nerves,” Felipe replied, leaning into Oliver’s touch as he combed his fingers through his hair. “During the meeting, the head inspector let us know that a case is being transferred to us from the New Jersey Paranormal Society, so of course, everyone has to pipe up that they are too busy to take it. It couldn’t possibly go to them. Give it to someone else.”

“Do you want to take it?”

“God no, but I didn’t start griping about how we’ve been run off our feet since the Institute for the Betterment of the Soul case. Everyone is busy. Yelling at each other and fighting over whose case is bigger isn’t going to make us any less short staffed. Besides, it hasn’t even been officially transferred to our branch. None of us even know what the case is about, so why start making trouble before we even know what we’re up against?”

“I’m assuming there’s no corpse, or it would be my problem too.”

Kissing the top of Felipe’s head, Oliver inhaled the familiar scent of his aftershave mixed with coffee. When his lips traveled down Felipe’s cheek and into the hollow beneath his jaw, the other man’s hands tightened on Oliver’s back and a low moan broke from his throat. Oliver’s tongue rasped against Felipe’s stubble as his lover’s hands snaked under his waistcoat and down his backside. Halfway down the dark blue wool, Felipe’s hand stilled.

Opening his eyes, he pulled back to look over Oliver’s form. “You’re in your new suit.”

“I am,” Oliver replied with a sly smile.

Felipe stepped back to take Oliver in. His walnut brown eyes raked over Oliver’s form, pausing pointedly on his navy-clad legs and backside as he circled him. A blush rose on Oliver’s cheeks at the heat in Felipe’s gaze. Letting out an appreciative whistle, he ran his hands down Oliver’s sides before kissing him in that slow, deliberate way that made every thought scatter like billiard balls.

“And what’s the occasion for so much color? Last time I saw you, you were in work charcoal.”

“I thought we could go out this evening. I have a whole itinerary. Unless you’re too tired, of course. We could always put it off until tomorrow if you would prefer to stay in. I don’t mind waiting.”

You can read the rest of chapter one when The Reanimator’s Remains comes out October 29th. Preorder it here. Paperbacks will be available very soon.

new blog post: How to Deal with Writer's Block and Imposter Syndrome How to Deal with Writer’s Block and Imposter Syndrome
Writing

How to Deal with Writer’s Block and Imposter Syndrome

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

This semester I’m teaching a class about writing a novel, and one of the things I am trying to emphasize is maintaining your mental health as a writer. I wanted my students to know all the things I had to learn the hard way or from other writers way too late, so I thought I would share my tips for dealing with writer’s block and imposter syndrome.

Writer’s Block

There is no such thing as writer’s block. Before you get mad at me, hear me out. What I mean by that is that there is no divine muse that has ripped away your ability to write and you may never write again. 99% of the time, there is a very fixable reason as to why you are blocked

How to fix writer’s block

  • Deal with your emotions– is there something bothering you? Sometimes you have a mental block. There is an emotion or thought that is clogging the pipes, and until you get rid of it, there will be no way to go forward. If you do need a good cry, embrace it, or if you think that will tank your ability to write afterward, you might consider writing about it in a journal or spending ten minutes to just dump whatever is in your head.
    • Performance anxiety-Another version of this is that you’re ruminating on something you’re worried about with your story. Whether it’s a plot hole you need to fill or imposter syndrome, freewriting for a few minutes can eliminate that block.
  • You’re burnt out– Sometimes you’re just plain tired. Being mentally, physically, or emotionally drained can cause writer’s block. You are out of spoons, and you need to take a break. You might be on a deadline or rushing to finish something, but sometimes, taking a day off can make you more productive after. If you still feel fried after taking a day off from trying to work, you may be headed toward burnout and more self-care and rest may be necessary.
    • Refill the well– This can be resting, watching tv, playing video games, going to a museum/concert, or doing crafts. Do what you need to in order to refill your creative well. In order to be creative, you need to also take things in that inspire you or stimulate your creativity.
  • Work on something else– This has the biggest caveat because if you have shiny idea syndrome, you will never complete anything, but sometimes you started working on something too early or you have another story that is loudly knocking at your brain, making it difficult to focus on your main project. You may want to give yourself a smaller amount of time to work on the other thing. Once you vent it out, you’ll probably have an easier time. If you worry you’re going to run with it and abandon your first project, then don’t do this one or only allow yourself a little side project as a treat.
  • You need to backtrack– One of the most common things for me when I get stuck is that I screwed up somewhere a few pages back, and somehow, my subconscious knows it but I don’t. Reread your story and see if you can figure out what went wrong. Sometimes it’s someone acting out of character, a missing beat/plot point, emotions that just aren’t ringing true, or an imbalance of action to introspection. Once you edit that bit and recalibrate, the words should start flowing again.
    • Most commonly, this tends to be a character issue. We’ve written ourselves into a corner or in such a way that moving in the direction we want doesn’t make any sense. Using a reverse outline can help you avoid this sort of thing, though it does still happen.

Resistance– sometimes we get ourselves so wrapped up in the anxiety of starting that we can’t get going. Some tips for this is to set a 15 or 20 min timer and tidy up your writing space (less to fiddle with or feel stressed by). Then, sit down and read your work for 10-15 min. If you feel the need to tinker or edit as you do so, do it. Then, set the timer again for 15-20 minutes and write. Sometimes all we need is to force ourselves to start in order to get over that resistance. You can also try switching it up by opening a new doc, working on paper, using a white board. Lower the stakes.

Imposter Syndrome

  • What is imposter syndrome?
    • It’s the feeling that you aren’t a real writer, artist, etc. and that if anyone looks closely, they’ll realize you’re a liar/faker. Basically, feeling you shouldn’t be given the label because you aren’t good enough. That sort of self-doubt can paralyze you or make you give up before you’ve even truly started.
  • How to deal with it:
    • Remember that this is a very normal feeling. All of the writers and artists you look up to have also had imposter syndrome, and you still look up to them. There will never be a point when this fully goes away, even if you’re famous and on the New York Times bestseller list.
    • Remember you are a writer if you write. If you have put pen to paper or finger to key while working on a story, you are a writer. People who put other writers down are insecure and projecting. If you have written, you are a writer.
    • Keep a log of your accomplishments. It’s really easy to remember all the rejections, but you need to celebrate the wins, even the small ones. You sent out your manuscript to agents- celebrate! You wrote the end on a book- celebrate! You got your first 5 star review- celebrate!
    • Talk to other writers about your feelings. Trust me when I say they will get it and will try to hype you up. Everyone has gone through it from time to time. The key is to not give in to those feelings and stop writing.
    • Remember that everyone sucks. The books you see in stores are usually like the 5th draft of a story and have been professionally edited. The first draft was a hot mess. If you think your writing is a hot mess, good. That’s part of the process, and it’s what editing and second drafts are for.
new blog post: September 2024 Wrap-up Post September 2024 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

September 2024 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

September did not exactly go to plan, but that’s all right because I can and will get everything together. I underestimated how rough the beginning of the semester would be on my brain and body, especially when I didn’t get my medications for several weeks (laugh sob). Things are back on track (mostly), so let’s take a look at September’s goals before we go on:

  • Finish The Reanimator’s Remains completely
  • Edit the rest of The Reanimator’s Remains
  • Proofread The Reanimator’s Remains
  • Prep ARCs to go out
  • Format the paperback
  • Keep up with my class prep/grading
  • Send out my monthly newsletter
  • Blog weekly
  • Read 8 books

Books

My goal was to read 8 books, and I read 9 this month.

  1. Paladin’s Grace (#1) by T. Kingfisher- 5 stars, a Paladin with a dead god hesitantly falls in love with a perfumer who is dragged into international espionage and nearly ends up losing her life.
  2. The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carriger- 4 stars, a nonfiction book taking a look at the hero and heroine’s journey. I highly recommend this if you are a writer or academic with a background in literature.
  3. Linger (#2) by Maggie Stiefvater- 4 stars, Sam is now a human but Grace is slowly losing her hold on her humanity as the werewolves beckon. Her parents nearly made me throw this book through a window because of how they treat Sam.
  4. Paladin’s Strength (#2) by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a bear shifter and a paladin collide as she looks to get back her missing sisters from the monastery after they are kidnapped.
  5. The Invisible Man & His Soon-to-be-Wife (#4) by Iwatobineko- 4 stars, a really cute volume involving a spa and ghosts. I love when stories like this take a field trip.
  6. The Pairing by Casey McQuiston- 4 stars, a second chance romance between two rather pretentious characters as they eat and screw their way across Europe. It reminds me of how Regency and Victorian gentlemen took hedonistic European tours.
  7. Paladin’s Hope (#3) by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, an MM romance between a paladin trying to help his Gnole friend find a killer as he falls in love with the city medical examiner who happens to have necromancer-adjacent powers.
  8. The Carnelian King and Other Stories by Arden Powell- 5 stars, a really fantastic anthology of fantasy stories spanning genres, time periods, etc.
  9. Paladin’s Faith (#4) by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a spy falls for her paladin bodyguard as they infiltrate a party, end up trapped in a cave during a snowstorm, and figure out who they might be in the future.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • The Reanimator’s Soul won in the mental health representation category in the Indie Ink Awards
  • Wrote my butt off but didn’t finish TRR (it was done in October, oops)
  • Started editing the latter half of TRR… repeatedly
  • Wrote class notes for my new class and got ahead finally
  • Tried to maintain my mental health, so I don’t burn out
  • Played a lot of Love, Ghostie (highly recommend, it’s a very cute game)
  • Went to my doctor and got my meds problem dealt with (laugh sob)
  • Bugged my state reps about not supporting a mask ban (please call your state reps to tell them preemptively not to support a mask ban)
  • Blogged weekly
  • Sent out my newsletter

Blogs

Writing

My first mistake was underestimating the size of this book. It’s been kicking my butt because it is LONG. It isn’t horrendously long, but it’s long for me. It’s close to 110k right now, and while editing, it may end up even longer. Most of my books are around 90k, hence how I ended up woefully behind. I also made the mistake of thinking teaching wouldn’t kick my butt at the beginning of the semester. After like eight years of teaching, those first few weeks still make me feel like I’ve been dragged behind a bus no matter how much I like my students. With the added pressure of creating weeks of notes for a new class, things did not go well in the productivity department. BUT I do think this book is one of my best. I feel like I’ve grown as far as juggling things in the narrative and fleshing out my characters’ trauma in new and interesting ways. I hate feeling behind, but I build in a cushion for a reason.

Hopes for October

  • Finish editing TRR
  • Send out ARCs/Review copies
  • Format the paperback
  • Have a great publication day
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my monthly newsletter
  • Not implode along the way
  • Stay on top of my class stuff
new blog post: one month until The Reanimator's Remains One Month Until The Reanimator’s Remains
The Reanimator's Remains · Writing

One Month Until The Reanimator’s Remains

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

I am so excited because in a month, The Reanimator’s Remains (The Reanimator Mysteries #3) comes out in ebook and paperback. During October, I’m going to be sharing more of the story along with some fun tidbits about why this book came to be, what it’s about, etc.

Today, I want to whet your appetite by giving you some things I listened to and looked at while working on The Reanimator’s Remains.

First up, we have the YouTube playlist for The Reanimator’s Remains. I really love this playlist because the songs are so moody and fit oh so well with the creepy, woodsy ambience of this story. Compared to past playlists, it feels a bit ballad-heavy, but since this book is a slightly slower, more inwardly focused story, I think that works. Some favs:

You might have noticed there are quite a few songs from Shawn James, including “Orpheus,” “Haunted,” and “Through the Valley” among others. His deep, almost smokey voice adds such richness to his music, and of course, the subject matter of his songs is perfect for The Reanimator’s Remains. “Orpheus” is especially so.

“My Attic” which is a P!nk cover sung by Adam Lambert perfectly encapsulates Oliver and Felipe’s relationship in this book as both of them work to deal with parts of their pasts and family histories that are better hidden or left unsaid.

You might also notice songs like “The Lullaby of Woe” and “O Willow Waly,” which are meant to evoke the spookiness of the Dysterwood in book 3. If you loved the creepy cathedral in book 1, you’re going to love the Dysterwood. There’s plenty more on the “soundtrack” for this book, so I hope you enjoy it!

And I cannot give you previews without sharing the infamous Pinterest Board for The Reanimator’s Remains.

The Pinterest board has some research tidbits from this book along with my face castings for Oliver, Felipe, and Gwen. Yes, Gwen is heavily featured in this book! Gwen fans rejoice! If you’ve been wondering what The Reanimator’s Remains is about, the Pinterest board and playlist together should give you a pretty good idea of the mood and some themes. The boys are going through it.

If you haven’t preordered The Reanimator’s Remains yet, there’s still time. It comes out October 29th, 2024 at all major retailers. The Google Play preorder link will be up VERY soon (my apologies for my Google Play peeps), and paperbacks will be available closer to release day since I can’t put those on preorder ahead of time.