Category: Monthly Review

new blog post: march 2024 wrap-up post March 2024 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

March 2024 Wrap-Up Post

Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

Despite battling tree pollen, I have made it through March! The weather is warming up, the flowers are blooming, and a new writing project is underway. Let’s take a look at what I’ve been up to this month and the goals I set out last month.

  • Writing at least 20k words of book 3
  • Proof any audiobook chapters that come in
  • Grade papers but enjoy spring break
  • Set up the preorder for book 3
  • Do a title reveal for book 3
  • Do taxes ;–;
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send monthly newsletter

Books

My goal was to read 8 books, and I read 9 books in March.

  1. The Reluctant Heartthrob (#2) by Jackie Lau- 5 stars, an actor and an autistic programmer get involved, but she doesn’t realize he’s an actor and panics. Super cute, great rep.
  2. Meet Me in Millfield (#1.5) by Jackie Lau- 4 stars, a side story featuring two fans of a TV show who meet online. A sweet, You’ve Got Mail style story with an older female love interest.
  3. Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen- 4 stars, a nonfiction book about asexuality that I would highly recommend to aces and allosexual people alike.
  4. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi, 4 stars, for fans of Piranesi. This story is one of those where the further you go, the more you realize the cleverness of it.
  5. Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau- 4 stars, fake dating to appease their parents turns into actual romance between a starchy man who is more than meets the eye and a writer who fears she’s disappointing her family. Bonus points for realistic writer rep.
  6. We Could Be So Good (#1) by Cat Sebastian- 5 stars, set in the late 1950s, a reporter falls in love with his best friend who happens to be the bosses son. It’s a story about belatedly realizing you’re queer, love, wanting/having more than you expected, and it is just so friggin cozy and lovely.
  7. Therapy Game Restart (#2) by Meguru Hinohara- 4 stars, I love seeing these two characters get closer and navigate the real world issues that come with being in a long-term queer relationship.
  8. Therapy Game Restart (#3) by Meguru Hinohara- 4 stars, see above.
  9. Ennead (#2) by Mojito- 3 stars, I’m going to keep reading the series for now, but I sometimes feel like I’m missing context while reading these books. I wish there was more dot-connecting or a character chart of gods/characters at the beginning.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Wrote the blurb for The Reanimator’s Remains
  • Did the blurb/title reveal for The Reanimator’s Remains
  • Set up the preorder for The Reanimator’s Remains
  • Did my taxes (woo)
  • Applied for a creative writing grant
  • Signed up for a book promo/sale next month
  • Finished the formatting and such for the uni literary magazine (for one of my classes, but it’s a lot of work)
  • Enjoyed spring break with my partner
  • Stayed on top of grading
  • Tried some new recipes
  • Set up the elliptical, though I haven’t used it much yet
  • Finished a cross-stitch project and got most of the way through another

Blogs

Writing

My next blog will talk more about this, but I hate writing the beginnings of new books. This is the part of the process that is the slowest and most painful part for me, so my word counts have been quite small and sporadic. Starting a new book means extra processing and thinking time, which on one hand is necessary and on the other is maddening as someone who wants to just get into the damn book already. The good thing is that I have the overall plot fairly nailed down as well as the emotional arcs. The Reanimator’s Remains is a story about family, in its various forms, and dealing with trauma. In Felipe’s case, those two concepts are linked in a way that is painful. This story is coming on the heels of my short story, “An Unexpected Question” (TRM #2.5), so if you read The Reanimator’s Soul, I highly recommend reading that short story as some of the details will be important in book 3. Plus, I just think it’s cute. The good thing is that I have all of my admin stuff for this book set up already, like the blurb, title reveal, preorder page, etc., so it should be smooth sailing for a while.

Hopes for April

  • Write 20k words of The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3)
  • Proof audiobook chapters of The Reanimator’s Soul (TRM #2)
  • Keep up with the Fungi and Frogs stitch-a-long I’ve joined
  • Maintain my mental health better (aka refill the well and use your elliptical)
  • Send out monthly newsletter
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
new blog post: February 2024 Wrap-Up Post February 2024 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

February 2024 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

February managed to come and go so fast, but I finally feel like I’m hitting my stride this year. The semester is in full swing, I shoveled snow a few times, and I’m finally working in earnest on book 3 of the Reanimator Mysteries series. Let’s recap the goals I had for February and see how it went.

  • Put together the elliptical and use it
  • Do the bulk of the historical research for The Reanimator Mysteries #3
  • Start actually writing The Reanimator Mysteries #3
  • Proof any audiobook chapters that come in
  • Stay on top of grading
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out monthly newsletter
  • Read 8 books

Books

My goal was to read 8 books, and I managed to read 12! Some were short or graphic novels, but DAMN.

  1. Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble (#2) by Alexis Hall, 4 stars, a romance-adjacent story about a highly anxious young man, a baking competition, the adorable gay Muslim dude who finds him cute, and the mess he gets himself into (see Goodreads review for some quibbles regarding this book)
  2. Galatea by Madelline Miller- 4 stars, the story of a statue-turned-human taking back control of her life
  3. Of Socialites and Prizefights by Arden Powell- 4 stars, a social-climbing woman is cursed by a jilted suitor to turn into a wildcat every night unless she finds true love’s kiss. Turns out that might be a butch mechanic from the other side of the tracks.
  4. Taproot by Keezy Young- 4 stars, a ghost and a medium bond over plants and try to figure out how to make their otherworldly relationship work, very cute and fluffy
  5. Shtup Me at Sunrise (#0.5) by Felicia Grossman- 4 stars, the prequel to the Once Upon the East End series, featuring a headstrong woman determined to take her place in a society that has seemingly rejected her
  6. Ghostland by Colin Dickey- 4 stars, a nonfiction book about how ghost stories come to be and what they say about our society
  7. Of Honeymoons and Wildcats by Arden Powell- 4 stars, the companion story to Of Socialites and Prizefights where they go off to a cabin and find something very cute
  8. The Sitcom Star (#1) by Jackie Lau- 4 stars, an overworked TV star and writer accidentally runs into one of her childhood friends who helps her relax and more
  9. Vampire Forensics by Mark Collins Jenkins, a nonfiction book about how disease and irregular decomposition team up to create vampire legends
  10. Therapy Game Restart (#1) by Meguru Hinohara- 4 stars, Shizuma and Minato are back to figure out how to navigate their first real relationship along with new jobs and complicated feelings
  11. A Haunted History of Invisible Women by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes- 4 stars, a nonfiction book about how women who live outside the norm become legends and ghost stories
  12. The Invisible Man & His Soon-to-be Wife (#3) by Iwatobineko- 4 stars, really cute fluffy volume of this manga with good blindness rep

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Researched about ghosts for book 3
  • Researched about the undead for book 3
  • Did character sheets for book 3
  • Outlined a chunk of book 3
  • Helped a former student with their poetry book
  • Celebrated my partner’s birthday (more like a bday week since I had to work on their actual bday)
  • Stayed on top of grading (mostly)
  • Refilled my creative well with tons of reading
  • Started learning to cross-stitch
  • Began putting together the elliptical (oops)

Blogs

Writing

This month I decided to refill the well as much as possible and plan out the beginning of book 3 of the Reanimator Mysteries series. While I had hoped that I could start actually drafting it, I’m excited to get started in March. I know where the story is, generally, going and the main threads that the characters will follow. One of the first things I need to figure out before writing a book is how the two main characters’ emotional issues will intertwine and fit with the rest of the outer story. Once I figured that out with Felipe and Oliver, things clicked, especially after I bounced ideas off my partner. The beginnings of stories are the most daunting for me. I’m mostly a discovery writer (who does minimal planning), so there are still so many paths left open at the beginning that I become overwhelmed and get choice paralysis. I know by the halfway point, I’ll be fine, but I know the first act will be done in fits and starts as I figure things out and narrow down the path forward. If you’re interested in what’s going on in book 3, check out the Pinterest board and the playlist I made on Youtube. All vibes are subject to change.

Hopes for March

  • Writing at least 20k words of book 3
  • Proof any audiobook chapters that come in
  • Grade papers but enjoy spring break
  • Set up the preorder for book 3
  • Do a title reveal for book 3
  • Do taxes ;–;
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send monthly newsletter
new blog post: January 2024 wrap-up post January 2024 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

January 2024 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

Ah, January, the new start to the year and the time when “new year, new me” expectations weigh heavily upon us. As much as I try to temper that feeling in January, this year it felt more like December 2.0 as I tried to wrap up the projects I had left from 2023 before diving into my main goals for 2024. Let’s get into it. Here were the goals I made for January:

  • Finish/edit “An Unexpected Question”
  • Format/upload/send out “An Unexpected Question”
  • Start brainstorming The Reanimator Mysteries #3 and doing research
  • Research selling books on my website/Etsy (and if I want to do it)
  • Start checking/proofing the audiobook of The Reanimator’s Soul as the chapters come in
  • Do Sarra Cannon’s 2-3 day class on long-term goal setting
  • Write more days than not (aka get into a better habit)
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my January newsletter with “An Unexpected Question”

Books

In January, my goal was to read 8 books, and I read 10.

  1. Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail (#2) by Ashley Herring Blake- 4 stars, a stuffy interior designer who is also stuck in her life falls for a carpenter still mourning her last relationship but trying to start anew by fixing up her family’s B&B.
  2. J. C. Leyendecker: American Imagist by Judy and Lawrence Cutler- 4 stars, a great coffee table book of artwork that has a lot of good info on Leyendecker as a person/queer artist.
  3. Never Whistle at Night collected by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.- 4 stars, a fabulous collection of horror and dark tales by indigenous authors. I added so many new authors to my tbr pile.
  4. This Lord’s Father (#3.5) by KJ Charles- 4 stars, a short epilogue to the Will Darling series.
  5. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (#9) by Seanen McGuire- 5 stars, I really love this series, but this one in particular hints at other books to come and takes care of some older threads.
  6. Therapy Game (#1) by Meguru Hinohara- 4 stars, a serious veternary students belatedly realizes he’s queer after a bad break-up with his ex girlfriend and falls for a prickly photographer who works at the local drag club.
  7. Therapy Game (#2) by Meguru Hinohara- 4 stars, see above.
  8. Fence: Redemption (#6) by C. S. Pacat and Joanna the Mad, a fun volume where we get to see the MCs have a little date and the tension grows between two of their teammates.
  9. Ivy, Angelica, Bay (#2) by C. L. Polk- 5 stars, I adored this historical-fantasy. It’s short but has so much crammed into it about family, community, and there’s also bees.
  10. Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain- 4 stars, an interesting look at the culinary world, and with Anthony Bourdain narrating the audiobook, his voice as a writer truly shines.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Attended Sarra Cannon’s “Your Path Forward” class, did all the lessons and such for that
  • Approved the first chapter of the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Soul (coming in late spring as long as all goes well)
  • Researched selling books on my website and such (not doing anything with this yet)
  • Finished writing “An Unexpected Question” (TRM #2.5), #1.5 is here
  • Edited and proofed “An Unexpected Question” (TRM #2.5)
  • Formatted, uploaded, and sent out “An Unexpected Question” to my newsletter subscribers
  • Was interviewed by Chaos Gays and Teatrays
  • Started teaching my spring classes
  • Paid Q4 2023 taxes (barf)

Blogs

Writing

Writing went pretty well this month. I didn’t finish “An Unexpected Question” as quickly as I would have liked, but that’s all right. Truthfully, I was dealing with a lot of anxiety in the latter half of the month due to work starting again and some random Twitter bullshit (hence why I’m on Twitter less now), but I got my shit together and edited the story. Of course, the day after I sent it out, I found a typo and a word that magically unitalicized itself. It’s not the worst hiccups I’ve had with a release, so I’ll take it. I am super excited that some of you are already reading the #2.5 story. It means a lot to me to know that you all are enjoying it. It was a blast to write. I don’t often get to write a story that’s basically just my characters having fun, so it was a refreshing change of pace. In February, I’m going to turn my focus fully to book 3, and within the next few months, preorders should go up.

Hopes for February

  • Put together the elliptical and use it
  • Do the bulk of the historical research for The Reanimator Mysteries #3
  • Start actually writing The Reanimator Mysteries #3
  • Proof any audiobook chapters that come in
  • Stay on top of grading
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out monthly newsletter
  • Read 8 books
new blog post: December 2023 wrap-up post December 2023 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

December 2023 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

This month is going to be sort of a weird one for updates and wrap-ups because I tried to take it easy. Between the holidays and the end of the semester, I worried I would become very fried, so my December was spent mostly void-staring and trying not to fall into a pit of despair over Palestine (self-explanatory) and covid (if you’re immunosuppressed, you feel very left behind and left for dead at this point). Basically, I could feel the specter of depression looming at the end of November and tried to chill this month to avoid a total mental meltdown. Let’s review what my goals were for December before we get into it:

  • Finish the semester/my grading
  • Finish writing “An Unexpected Question”
  • Start editing “An Unexpected Question”
  • Finish all remaining Christmas stuff/prep
  • Prep for Q1 and get my new goals together
  • RELAX with my partner
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my December Newsletter

Books

My goal this month was to read 8 books, and I read 10 in December.

  1. Ennead Vol 1 by Mojito- 4 stars, an interesting twist on Ancient Egyptian mythology that is apparently queer (not in volume one, so we’ll see).
  2. Greywaren (#3) by Maggie Stiefvater- 4 stars, the epic conclusion to the Dreamer Trilogy. For a while, I was very confused and concerned as to how this series would wrap up, but it was quite satisfying and we even get a little cameo of some old favorites from the first series.
  3. My Pancreas Broke But My Life Got Better (#6) by Nagata Kabi- 4 stars, Nagata Kabi is back and talking about her health issues during the pandemic, her sobriety, relapses, and more.
  4. My Wandering Warrior Eating Disorder (#5.5) by Nagata Kabi- 4 stars, while Kabi usually talks about her alcoholism, this mini volume talking about her eating disorders was very humanizing and illuminating.
  5. Best Supporting Actor (#3) by Joanna Chambers and Sally Malcolm- 4 stars, a hate-to-love romance between an established actor and a rising star who get cast as the leads in a new play. There’s some great discussion of crappy relationships, anxiety, nepotism, and much more.
  6. Saga Vol 11 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples- 4 stars, I love Saga so much. This was a significantly less traumatizing volume compared to the previous one.
  7. The Ancient Magus’s Bride Vol 19 by Kore Yamazaki- 4 stars, we finally finished the school arc, and I am looking forward to seeing where it goes next.
  8. On the Fox Roads by Nghi Vo- 4 stars, if Nghi Vo writes it, I will read it. This time, we have glamorous Asian bank robbers, a trans MC, and magic.
  9. The Garden (#1) by Tomi Adeyemi- 2 stars, this was my least favorite novella in the Into the Shadow series. It was too loosey-goosey in terms of prose and plot for my taste.
  10. Heartstopper Vol 5 by Alice Oseman- 4 stars, sacchrine but enjoyable. I thought this was the final volume, but there’s one more.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • The Reanimator’s Heart won third place in BBNYA 2023! Third place out of 252 entries is just mind blowing to me.
  • The Reanimator’s Heart and The Reanimator’s Soul were nominated for several categories in the Indie Ink Awards.
  • The Reanimator’s Heart was an Amazon sale item (picked by them) for a day.
  • Finished all of my grading for my fall classes in a timely manner.
  • Dissociated and did very little from Christmas Eve to New Years Eve- I needed this desperately. I was feeling very fried and a bit depressed by the time NYE rolled around, and this fills my goal of relaxing during December.
  • Made the syllabi and Blackboard accounts for my classes in the spring (this is an annoying bit of prep that I used for procrastination when I should have been writing, lol).
  • Setup all of my author/writer spreadsheets for 2024 (social media, sales, sales by book, etc.)
  • Made my Q1 2024 goals.
  • Set up my 2024 bullet journal spreads (various yearly ones and my Q1 weekly spreads).

Blogs

Writing

In December, I wrote about 10k words, which made me quite happy. It wasn’t as much as I intended or wanted to write, but I had to keep reminding myself that December was supposed to be a month where I could rest and recover from the end of the fall semester along with the holidays. I’m really enjoying writing “An Unexpected Question,” even if it has been a research-intensive story, despite being only ~20k words long. I’ve been neck-deep in learning about Coney Island in the 1890s, Steeplechase Park, hot dogs, and street vendors. For some reason, historical food research always ends up being a highlight for me. I’m really looking forward to diving into the third book in the Reanimator Mysteries series, but that will have to wait for January and February, though I have been jotting down some ideas for where Oliver, Felipe, and Gwen are going.

Hopes for January

  • Finish/edit “An Unexpected Question”
  • Format/upload/send out “An Unexpected Question”
  • Start brainstorming The Reanimator Mysteries #3 and doing research
  • Research selling books on my website/Etsy (and if I want to do it)
  • Start checking/proofing the audiobook of The Reanimator’s Soul as the chapters come in
  • Do Sarra Cannon’s 2-3 day class on long-term goal setting
  • Write more days than not (aka get into a better habit)
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my January newsletter with “An Unexpected Question”
new blog post: november 2023 wrap-up post November 2023 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

November 2023 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

This month I decided to be kind to myself and take it easy. November tends to be a month I struggle mentally due to the time change and the amount of grading I get in throughout the month. I also don’t do so well seeing everyone’s astronomical NaNoWriMo numbers. For once, I focused on grading and said f-it to writing. It helped as I have entered December feeling more refreshed than I have felt in a while. Before we get into what I did this month, let’s get a little refresher on November’s goals.

  • Less chaos overall (not quite within my control, but one can hope)
  • Write most, if not all, of The Reanimator Mysteries #2.5 short story
  • Start brainstorming more of The Reanimator Mysteries #3
  • Maintain my mental health during November to avoid No-Words-November
  • Grade all the papers I receive in a timely manner (I have been bad about this lately)
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my November newsletter

Books

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

  1. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Joanna Chambers- 4 stars, a slightly oblivious computer programmer has a bad day but realizes perhaps he overlooked his officemate
  2. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram H. Kendi- 5 stars, an introduction to how racism colors numerous aspects of life and how to challenge our biases to continually work on being antiracist
  3. A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (#2) by KJ Charles- 4 stars, a newly inherited nobleman deals with his horrid extended family and teams up with a local secretary who has plenty of secrets of his own
  4. Medicinal Cannibalism by Louise Noble- 4 stars, an academic book on medicinal cannibalism in culture and literature from the Early Modern period on
  5. Over My Dead Body by Greg Melville- 5 stars, a fascinating read about how cemeteries reflect societal values (and problems/prejudices) and how they have influenced amusement parks and suburban planning
  6. Under the Smokestrewn Sky (#4) by A. Deborah Baker- 4 stars, the conclusion of a Wizard of Oz-like series featuring two children who enter an elemental world, meet some friends and enemies on their way home
  7. “A Heart Between Teeth” (#2.5) by Kerstin Hall- 4 stars, a side story for a series set in a world where people go after death filled with gods, demons, monsters, and humans struggling to survive their second deaths
  8. Sky Breaker (#2) by Addie Thorley- 3 stars, a YA fantasy that didn’t work too well for me due to the world-building and the way the characters were aged down to make it YA
  9. Monstress (#8) by Majorie Liu and Sana Takeda- 4 stars, a fantastic volume where we find our characters transported to a strange new world they have to fight their way back from

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Finished plotting The Reanimator Mysteries #2.5 short story, “An Unexpected Question” (coming in January, probably, December if I’m very lucky)
  • Did more brainstorming on TRM #3
  • Was interviewed by Geeks Out
  • Finished buying and wrapping Christmas presents for my family
  • Hit my yearly reading goal of finishing 100 books/stories/graphic novels
  • Got my car back from the mechanic (finally) and got it inspected
  • Got my car inspected AGAIN because, apparently, you can’t go directly from the mechanic to the inspection station if they pulled the battery
  • Graded so many papers… so many ;—;
  • Contacted my reps repeatedly to demand a ceasefire and to end US funding of Israel’s genocide against Palestine

Blogs Posted

Writing

As I mentioned in the opening of this blog, I decided that I would write what I could, when I could and that I would try not to sweat it. I don’t know whether it’s the early darkness or people constantly posting their large daily word counts during NaNoWriMo, but I never write much during November. This month was no different. I wrote about 3k of “An Unexpected Question,” the Reanimator Mysteries #2.5 story that will go out to newsletter subscribers as a freebie. I am hoping to write the rest of it in December and get it out by January (or December, though I’m not counting on that happening). Instead of writing, I managed to plan out the major beats of the story and am guestimating that it will end up about 20,000 words, which is pretty beefy for a freebie story. I’m really enjoying writing this story and hope my readers will as well. You can sign up for my newsletter ahead of the release or check out the Pinterest board for the story.

Hopes for December

  • Finish the semester/my grading
  • Finish writing “An Unexpected Question”
  • Start editing “An Unexpected Question”
  • Finish all remaining Christmas stuff/prep
  • Prep for Q1 and get my new goals together
  • RELAX with my partner
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my December Newsletter
new blog post: october 2023 wrap-up post October 2023 Wrap-Up
Monthly Review

October 2023 Wrap-Up

Kara Jorgensen4 Comments

October was release month for The Reanimator’s Soul, which was equal parts wonderful and chaotic. It’s been a month, let me tell you, but to refresh your memory (and mine), here are the goals I set for October:

  • Post/market consistently before The Reanimator’s Soul releases October 24th
  • Do all the paperback setup for The Reanimator’s Soul once I have the final cover
  • Have a great launch for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Write side/follow-up story for my newsletter subscribers (TRM #2.5)
  • Get ball rolling on the audiobook of The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Read 8 books
  • Send out my October newsletter
  • Finish putting together my Halloween plastic canvas village sets (I have one building left and need to hot glue others together)
  • Decide if I want to do anything NaNoWriMo related in November, despite it being a month from hell for me usually (aka is Kara feeling masochistic)

Books

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

  1. The Good Kings by Kara Cooney- 4 stars, a nonfiction book that parallels the famous kings of Ancient Egypt with modern politicians and how what often looks like strength actually signifies a weak ruler.
  2. Unknown (#3) by Jordan L. Hawk- 4 stars, Ves and Sebastian are back to look for the third missing magical book when men who frequent Sebastian’s favorite bathhouse start being murdered.
  3. Lore Olympus (#5) by Rachel Smythe- 4 stars, we get to see Hades and Persephone get closer and secrets finally come to light.
  4. Luke and Billy Finally Get a Clue by Cat Sebastian- 5 stars, two baseball players come together after one is injured and realize they are more than teammates with a little help from fate and the one guy’s mom.
  5. Twisted Tome (#2) by Vanora Lawless- 5 stars, an mm paranormal historical romance set during WWI with a dream-walker and an illusion-creator who team up to find a dangerous book and get far more than they bargained for.
  6. In the Pit of Your Stomach by Arden Powell- 4 stars, a choose-your-own adventure story that involves a giant hole, creatures, and maybe even a touch of romance (with a human, sorry monster lovers).
  7. She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat (#3) by Sakaomi Yuzaki- 5 stars, a wonderful installment in this series where we get a new friend and a new neighbor who join the foodie family.
  8. The Case Study of Vanitas (#10) by Jun Mochizuki- 4 stars, a bridge volume that wraps up some of Vanitas’s backstory and sets us down a new path in the story. I’m still mildly annoyed by the forced heterosexuality of this story when the two leads have the best homoromantic chemistry.
  9. The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 4 stars, a fairytale-esque story involving a huntsmen, a poor woman, her wealthy sister, a wolf, and a mysterious stranger. It’s very short, but I am a sucker for Moreno-Garcia’s work, so I will always read it, no matter how long or short.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Finished my Halloween Village craft projects (finally, after months of working on them- take a look here)
  • Posted consistently about The Reanimator’s Soul (TRM #2) leading up to release day
  • Uploaded the final files for The Reanimator’s Soul onto all major distributors
  • Setup the paperback copy of The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Ordered a proof copy, checked it, and approved it
  • Ordered a good copy of The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Had a lovely release day for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Reminded ARC readers to post reviews
  • Created the cover for the Reanimator Mysteries #2.5 short story
  • Came up with the title for the Reanimator Mysteries #2.5 short story
  • Wrote newsletter
  • Blogged weekly
  • Fought with the insurance company over my meds (again)
  • Graded a shit ton of papers
  • Had my car breakdown (repeatedly *laugh sob*)
  • Decided there was no way in hell I was doing NaNoWriMo

Blogs Posted

Writing

Not much writing happened this month, but frankly, I’m okay with that. This month was mostly spent preparing for the release of The Reanimator’s Soul, so I knew going into it that my word count was not going to be astronomical. In the end, I only wrote 1,000 words of the Reanimator Mysteries #2.5 short story. Do I wish I could have written more? Yes. Am I okay with only having written a 1,000 words? Also, yes. October has been ridiculously stressful, especially once my car broke down. That happened through the majority of the month where the check engine light came on repeatedly (over two weeks), but my local mechanic (twice) couldn’t figure out why. Eventually, it refused to start in their parking lot, and I had to tow it to the car dealer to get fixed by mechanics who know my brand of car specifically. You know once you bring in the specialty mechanics that it’s going to be big bucks to fix, and it was. As of writing this post on November 1st, I’m still waiting to get my car back from the mechanic due to how long it took for a part to come in. The on-going car repair saga completely stressed me out, making it nearly impossible for me to read or write. I’m hoping that November won’t be a No-Words-November and that I’ll be able to get the majority, if not all, of the short story/novella done.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much seeing the genocide of the Palestinian people live online is affecting me. I have made my stance on Palestinian liberation very clear on social media for years, and to see nearly every politician in the US abandon Palestinian civilians to be wiped out by Israeli forces is more than criminal. If you have the energy, please call your reps and demand a ceasefire now. More needs to be done, but a ceasefire is long overdue. If you would like to learn more about the history of Palestine and how British/American imperialism has lead us to this moment, Verso books has several free books available right now.

Hopes for November

  • Less chaos overall (not quite within my control, but one can hope)
  • Write most, if not all, of The Reanimator Mysteries #2.5 short story
  • Start brainstorming more of The Reanimator Mysteries #3
  • Maintain my mental health during November to avoid No-Words-November
  • Grade all the papers I receive in a timely manner (I have been bad about this lately)
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my November newsletter
new blog post: September 2023 Wrap-up post September 2023 Wrap-Up Blog
Book Reviews · Monthly Review · the reanimator's soul

September 2023 Wrap-Up Blog

Kara Jorgensen2 Comments

In September, I finally feel like I found my footing again. With all my major book launch/release prep out of the way, I am looking forward to The Reanimator’s Soul coming out October 24th, in time for spooky season. As a recap, here were my goals for September:

  • 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

Books

My goal was to read 8 book this month, and I read 8 total.

  1. The Dragon’s Betrothed (#1) by Meguru Hinohara- 4 stars, a blocked up writer returns to his family home only to find out he is supposed to be a dragon’s bride. Hi-jinks ensue as the dragon tries to persuade him to give him a shot and it eventually becomes steamy.
  2. The Dragon’s Betrothed (#2) by Meguru Hinohara- 4 stars, see above.
  3. Night Spinner (#1) by Addie Thorley- 3 stars, an ex-soldier finds her loyalties cannot so easily lie with her old troops after falling in with a band of Robin Hood-like deserters. I found the world-building to be… meh, and while the tone is YA, the ages feel very off for the story.
  4. Akata Woman (#3) by Nnedi Okorafor- 3 stars, a young woman finds she is far more than she appeared and must steal back a mystical book to appease a spider god that threatens to destroy her world. While I enjoyed this, I found the world-building to be all over the place compared to previous books.
  5. Fangs by Sarah Anderson- 4 stars, cute vignettes between a vampire and a werewolf, very fluffy.
  6. Mammoths at the Gate (#4) by Nghi Vo- 4 stars, Chih returns to their monastery to find their home a mess as the head monk has died and the relatives want more than the monastery can give. A wonderful look at grief and the transformative power of love and devotion.
  7. Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir- 5 stars, Princess Bride meets Adventure Time as a princess saves herself with the help of a sassy pixie. Hilarious and weird.
  8. The Candles are Burning (#6) by Veronica G. Henry- 4 stars, a horror short story set in the South, featuring a recent widow who must trick the devil to save her soul. Very atmospheric.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • The Reanimator’s Heart made it to the final round of BBNYA 2023!
  • The Reanimator’s Heart was the queer romance book club pick at Meet Cute Bookshop
  • I ran a sale on The Reanimator’s Heart and a Bookbub ad
  • Finished playing Venba and Assemble With Care (both are available on Steam)
  • Finished writing the last little bit of The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Edited The Reanimator’s Soul twice/two rounds
  • Proofread The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Prepared and sent out ARCs for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Formatted the paperback interior for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Contacted my cover designer for the paperback cover for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Got my covid booster
  • Did a bunch of event admin stuff for work
  • Beta read someone else’s book

Blogs Posted

Writing

Writing and editing went really well, which always scares me a bit. In my defense, The Reanimator’s Soul was a book that I spent a lot of time on, so the “done” draft ended up being fairly clean. When I keep going back and fiddling, I make less of a mess for myself at the end of the process. Another thing that I think worked in my favor for the editing process was that a) I enjoy editing, especially since I edit as I go. b) I made of list of things I needed to add/tweak as I finishing the book up, which made it far easier to go back and run through.

I’m not going to lie, I really like this book. The emotional arcs for Felipe and Oliver are as important as the mystery. There’s a bit less action than the last book, but I feel like that’s to be expected and is ultimately good for balance since I don’t want the feel of the books to be too homogenous/identical. It’s about coming to terms with being chronically ill/disabled, realizing you can be loved as an autistic person without changing who you are, setting boundaries, and how medicine can uphold white supremacy. Sadly, these things don’t look sexy on a marketing picture, so I rarely get to talk about them, but those are the core things the book is about.

Hopes for October

  • Post/market consistently before The Reanimator’s Soul releases October 24th
  • Do all the paperback setup for The Reanimator’s Soul once I have the final cover
  • Have a great launch for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Write side/follow-up story for my newsletter subscribers (TRM #2.5)
  • Get ball rolling on the audiobook of The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Read 8 books
  • Send out my October newsletter
  • Finish putting together my Halloween plastic canvas village sets (I have one building left and need to hot glue others together)
  • Decide if I want to do anything NaNoWriMo related in November, despite it being a month from hell for me usually (aka is Kara feeling masochistic)
new blog post: august 2023 wrap-up post August 2023 Wrap-up Post
Monthly Review

August 2023 Wrap-up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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

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
new blog post: july 2023 wrap-up post July 2023 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

July 2023 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

July has gone oddly well until the end when I started to get a little fried. I had a really good writing and reading month, and I didn’t get picked for jury duty, which is the most important thing of all. Let’s take a look at what my goals were for July:

  • Write 25,000 words
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog Weekly
  • Monthly Newsletter
  • Jury duty (UGH) and my birthday (meh)
  • Post the cover reveal for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Prepare for the summer class I’m [probably] teaching

Books

My goal for July was to read 8 books, and I read 12.

  1. Sailor’s Delight by Rose Lerner- 4 stars, a lovely, low heat novella about a Jewish merchant and a gentile naval officer in the 1800s.
  2. Falling Bodies by Rebecca Roanhorse- 4 stars, a short story/novella set in space that speaks to the issues surrounding trans-racial adoptions
  3. The Ancient Magus’s Bride (#18) by Kore Yamazaki- 4 stars, an action-packed volume with some good reveals.
  4. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang- 5 stars, a fantastic look at how white authors behave horribly. If you’ve been on book Twitter for a long time, so much of this makes sense. If you love a delusional narrator, this one is perfect.
  5. On or Off (#1) by A1- 4 stars, a graphic novel series about a high-powered CEO and the new employee/CEO of a much smaller company as they navigate the power struggles and their own issues. There is a misunderstanding at the beginning, so check the trigger warnings for volume 1
  6. On or Off (#2) by A1- 4 stars, see above
  7. On or Off (#3) by A1- 4 stars, see above
  8. On or Off (#4) by A1- 4 stars, see above
  9. Payback’s a Witch (#1) by Lana Harper- 4 stars, a witchy romcom about a woman returning to her hometown to officiate a magical celebration/games and uses it to get back at her awful ex and finds herself falling for one of his jilted girlfriends.
  10. A Thief & a Gentleman (#6) by Arden Powell- 5 stars, a saucy thief reunites with his childhood friend who is now an uptight man of leisure, but can they meet each other where they are and thrive?
  11. Sappho: A New Translation by Diane J. Rayor-4 stars, an interesting glimpse into how little we have of Sappho’s works
  12. The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamina- 4 stars, a shorter book packed with medical magic, a queer-normative world, and the complications of being conquered and conqueror

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Survived jury duty and didn’t get picked- did you know jury duty selection can trigger checking OCD? Me neither, but it can.
  • Prepared for my summer class- fixed the syllabus and set up the Blackboard module
  • The Reanimator’s Heart made it through to round 2 of the Book Blogger’s Novel of the Year Awards (I will update you all on the next round when I know!)
  • Did the cover reveal for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Made a page on my website for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Made more index cards/planned the rest of this book
  • Celebrated my birthday and enjoyed myself
  • Continued to post daily Tiktoks
  • Announced the audiobook release for The Reanimator’s Heart
  • The Reanimator’s Heart is now available everywhere in audiobook, including libraries
  • Fried myself a bit, but I have managed to avoid burnout by listening to my body
  • Made a to-be-read jar (aka a mug with slips of paper with book titles)

Blogs Posted

Writing

Writing actually went pretty well this month. I wrote 20,000 words, which makes me very happy. I’ve had some mental health lows this month, so at some point, I got worried about how productive I would actually be. Luckily, I’m heading toward the end of the book, and that second half is often easier for me to write than the first half. The good thing is that the words I have put down are solid, so I don’t think I’m going to need to do any major rewrites, just tinkering with foreshadowing and hitting home the major themes and threads. I’ve been doing sprints with my partner, which seems to be helping me stay on task. They do coding stuff while I write, so we both benefit from the body doubling and accountability. Something I’d like to do as time goes on is increase my daily word count, and I think by doing sprints, I can accomplish that.

Hopes for August

I’m keeping August’s goals light since I’ll be doing a lot of stuff for my classes.

  • 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
new blog post: june 2023 wrap-up post June 2023 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

June 2023 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

Looking back on my goals for June, I’m pretty sure I was delusional. Seriously, I don’t know why I put together this mishmash of goals, but I do think I got a lot done in June, just not those things. In May, I was feeling fried, but in June, I have actually been doing pretty decently, apart from a bump of anxiety. Here are the goals I made last month:

  • Blog weekly and send out my monthly newsletter
  • Write 25,000 words
  • Edit act 1 as a tidy up
  • Watch and take notes on more of Publish and Thrive 2.0
  • Enjoy my anniversary with my partner
  • Keep posting regularly on Tiktok
  • Maintain mental health by not overdoing it

Books

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

  1. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care (#1) by Ashley Herring Blake- 4 stars, a sapphic romance between a bookstore owner with a kid and a photographer who doesn’t do love. I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance, but I really enjoyed this one, especially with the complicated family dynamics running in the background.
  2. My Alcoholic Escape from Reality (#4) by Nagata Kabi- 4 stars, I always love Kabi’s candor about her struggles with alcoholism, mental illness, and her sexuality.
  3. My Wandering Warrior Existence (#5) by Nagata Kabi- 3 stars, I loved this one a little less as it felt like it had less substance than her other works. Not bad, just a bit flimsy for its own book.
  4. The Case Study of Vanitas (#9) by Jun Mochizuki- 4 stars, a good addition to the story where we get to learn a bit about Vanitas’s past while still leaving a lot unanswered.
  5. Lore Olympus (#4) by Rachel Smythe- 4 stars, I would love to know why I’m hooked on this series, despite it being so hetero, but I am. I think it’s Hades and his love of dogs mixed with Persephone being a mess.
  6. Last Gender (#3) by Rei Taki- 4 stars, the final installment of Last Gender gives a surprising twist about the club’s owner and more.
  7. The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw- 5 stars, a monstrous aftermath for The Little Mermaid where a mermaid and a plague doctor team up to figure out what’s going on with immortal kids in the woods and their sinister gods. Very queer and goes into the beauty and brutality of nature and man. Adored it.
  8. The Madman’s Library by Edward Brooke-Hitching- 4 stars, an interesting overview of weird books found all over the world. A good jumping point for deeper research.
  9. Monster and the Beast (#4) by Renji- 4 stars, the final installment in the series where we get to see what is in store for our heroes as well as finding out Liam’s backstory.

Admin/Behind the Scenes Stuff

  • Celebrated our 18th anniversary with my partner (brought home a smörgåsbord of takeout, and it was glorious)
  • Kept up with my tiktok-making
  • Got the cover for The Reanimator’s Soul sorted with Crowglass Design
  • Rewrote the blurb for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Did a major editing pass of The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Listened to the audiobook proof of The Reanimator’s Heart, narrated by Jack R. R. Evans
  • Paid for, approved, and distributed the audiobook of The Reanimator’s Heart to all major retailers (see next week’s blog for more details)
  • Managed to recover (mostly) from burnout while only having a few major stress/anxiety days
  • Made and setup my goals/kanban board for Q3
  • Ran a sale on K&K
  • Took my dog for his vet recheck (he’s doing well, btw)
  • Had The Reanimator’s Heart appear as one of Meet Cute Bookshop’s “guess the queer romance by the unhinged description,” which made my day

Blogs Posted

Writing

While the month started out a little slow, I picked up speed partway through the month as I truly hit my stride on the draft. I began by editing the first act and doing some tidying in the second, but once that was over, I was able to write more per day more fluidly, which feels amazing. The first half of a book is always the slowest part for me because I’m constantly double-checking plants and foreshadowing, setting things up for later, etc., so I probably end up spending double the time on the first half as I do the second. The second half is sort of the consequences of the first half, so whatever happens there should make sense with what I started with. The only thing I’m semi stuck on at the moment is the order of events for the later part of the book, but I’ll figure that out soon. Over the entire month, I netted 15,000 words, but do keep in mind that I was editing for the first week, so there is a lot of rewriting and tinkering mixed in.

Hopes for July

  • Write 25,000 words
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog Weekly
  • Monthly Newsletter
  • Jury duty (UGH) and my birthday (meh)
  • Post the cover reveal for The Reanimator’s Soul
  • Prepare for the summer class I’m [probably] teaching