Tag: author life

new blog post: september 2025 wrap-up post September 2025 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

September 2025 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

I don’t know about anyone else, but September was the month of chaos for me. Between random family stuff, a bunch of medical appointments, and other things beyond my control, I felt like I was pulled in ten different directions this month. At the same time, I do feel like I did decently but not on my goals for September. Let’s take a look at what they were.

  • Write 20,000 words of TRF
  • Work more on F&F rewrite
  • Set up my goals for Q4
  • Cover reveal
  • Set up preorder for TRF
  • Stay on top of grading
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out newsletter

Books

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

  1. A Letter from the Lonesome Shore (#2) by Sylvie Cathrall- 4 stars, the final book in a duology set beneath the sea and told through letters and other found objects. It’s a really cool idea, and I absolutely love the main characters. At the same time, some of the characters come off as juvenile or weirder than they’re meant to.
  2. The Dragon’s Promise (#3) by Elizabeth Lim- 4 stars, the second half of Six Crimson Cranes follows the main characters are they reclaim their positions and figure out how to untangled their world from promises made with dragons. I loved the glimpses of history we get from this book and how they tie to the prequel book.
  3. Eaters of the Dead by Kevin J. Wetmore Jr.- 5 stars, a fantastic nonfiction book about how cannibalistic monsters tie back to death rites, famine, and other sociological causes. It was incredibly interesting and very useful if you are someone who is into why monsters appear and how they fit into our history.
  4. Her Radiant Curse (#0) by Elizabeth Lim- 4 stars, this feels more like a third book than a prequel. It needs to be read after The Dragon’s Promise to avoid spoilers for that series. I think I actually liked this better than the other two books in the series. Lim does a fantastic job weaving in folklore into fantasy.
  5. Conquering Writer’s Block by K. M. Weiland- 4 stars, useful for people who need a little reminder as to what is important how to untangle ourselves from brain chaos and doubt. For someone who has been writing for a long time, it’s nothing you don’t already know, but I do think hearing these things and refreshing our memories with a less than a hundred page book can make it worth it and useful when floundering.
  6. The Summer War by Naomi Novik- 5 stars, a book about sibling relationships, ineffectual parents, and how people need to stick together to create a better future. I especially loved how one of the main themes/messages is that leaving anyone behind means leaving everyone behind.
  7. A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a creepy rather than scary horror book about a house haunted by familial expectation. Really creepy and deliciously soft yet ghoulish (as many of T. Kingfisher’s books are). It probably won’t do it for diehard horror fans, but for chickens like me, it was great.
  8. To Clutch a Razor (#2) by Veronica Roth- 4 stars, a novella about dealing with familial trauma, revenge, and how to make things right. I absolutely LOVE this series and how it combines folklore and modern settings.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Set up the preorder for The Reanimator’s Fate
  • Made my goals for Q4
  • Set up my kanban board for Q4
  • The Reanimator’s Remains won in 3 categories of the Indie Ink Awards
  • Created a retroactive outline for The Reanimator’s Fate as I work on it
  • Did celebratory sushi for morale
  • Got my flu and covid shots
  • Got my car inspected and got my partner’s ID done
  • Paid Q2 author taxes
  • Went to my specialist appoint (just a refill, I’m fine)
  • Took my partner for blood work and doctor appointments
  • Dealt with family health stuff (partner’s, not mine but you know how it is)
  • Stayed on top of my grade… yay *laugh-sob*

Blogs

Writing

Writing this month was equal parts productive and chaotic. I had weeks where things went really well, but toward the end of the month, things went rapidly downhill due to external family chaos and a week full of appointments between me and my partner. I think I would have done better if we didn’t have so much crammed so close together, and as an autistic person, it’s really hard for me to do anything before an appointment and I often need to decompress after an appointment. It just takes the life out of me, as does unpredictable things that have to be done to help someone else. The Reanimator’s Fate has been going well, even with a week of no writing, and I’m really excited having it come out in late January. It will definitely be done by then, *knock on wood*.

Hopes for October

  • Write 20,000 words
  • Keep up with grades
  • Maintain my mental health
  • Make a dent in Christmas shopping
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my monthly newsletter
  • Cover reveal??

new blog post: may 2025 wrap-up post May 2025 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

May 2025 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

I feel like every other month I say, “Damn, that month went fast,” but truly, May went very fast. The first half was taken up by finishing my grading while the second half was taken up by letting my brain quiet before refocusing on my writing project. Since it feels like forever, let’s get reacquainted with our goals for May.

  • Write 20,000 words of TRF
  • Write the working blurb for TRF
  • Maintain my mental health
  • Keep working out consistently
  • Continue proofing the audiobook of TRR
  • Finish grading portfolios
  • Send out my May newsletter
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly

Books

My goal this month was to read 8 books, and I read exactly 8. All links below are affiliate links, so I get a small kickback if you buy from them.

  1. Death in the Spires by KJ Charles- 5 stars, a mystery that flips back and forth 10 years from when Jem was a student at Oxford when his friend was murdered to the present as he tries to solve the crime and gain control of his life again. It is very queer, rich in texture, and just a fantastic read.
  2. Tasting History by Max Miller- 4 stars, an interesting cookbook based on the Youtube channel about historical recipes. The recipes themselves are great, but I really love the tidbits about the history behind the recipes. I highly recommend his Youtube channel as well.
  3. From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper- 4 stars, opposites collide when two witches have to figure out who hexed someone at a festival. It’s an MF romance in a series with queer couples as well. Rowan and Issa have a complicated past, but seeing them come together is worth a read.
  4. Lore Olympus (#8) by Rachel Smythe- 5 stars, we’re nearing the end of the series, and this volume was chef kiss. I love seeing Persephone and Hades grow toward each other.
  5. Saga (#12) by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples- 4 stars, Hazel is maturing and growing into a teenager, so this volume speaks a lot about PTSD, mental health, and finding where you belong. I love every volume of this series and also hate that the end isn’t that many volumes away.
  6. The Magus of the Library (#8) by Mitsu Izumi- 4 stars, the young magi have their first encounter with spirits and the villains who want to bring the library to its knees. As always, Theo is just such a cinnamon roll, and this was an action-packed volume.
  7. The Other World’s Books Depend on a Bean Counter (#1) by Yatsuki Wakatsu- 5 stars, I picked this manga up on a whim and LOVED it. If you like Oliver from my books, you will love the MC. He is an accountant who gets sucked into another world by accident and takes on the accounting in this new world only to become an enemy to someone in high places and catch the eye of a magical knight who saves him from himself.
  8. The Other World’s Books Depend on a Bean Counter (#2) by Yatsuki Wakatsu- 5 stars, see review above

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Proofed the entirety of the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3)
  • Sent corrections and paid my narrator Jack R. R. Evans (they’re awesome)
  • Published the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains (it is currently trickling out to distributors, libraries and Amazon/Audible will take a few more weeks)
  • Wrote the blurb for The Reanimator’s Fate (TRM #4), so keep an eye out for that soon
  • Accidentally sent my monthly newsletter out super late in the day
  • Finished grading all of the papers and portfolios for my classes
  • Sent out a few job applications to non-academic jobs
  • Worked out fairly consistently
  • Fell very behind on my stitch-a-long project because my mental health dipped a bit
  • Rested mid month to avoid burnout/a mental health spiral
  • Voted in the NJ democratic primaries by mail (send in your ballots if you have them, early voting starts 6/3)

Blogs

Writing

I think I have finally found my footing with this draft. Halle-friggin-luah. Last month I mentioned that I had to scrap the draft I had because I just didn’t like the direction it was going or the tone. It wasn’t working, and sometimes, it is better to start over than torture yourself by trying to force something that just isn’t going to end well. Scrapping it was the right choice, but it put me behind. That, of course, gave me anxiety, which made it harder to write and led me to falling more behind. You can see how this can cause a downward spiral. I took a small break, got my brain shit together, and restarted my book. Now, it’s flowing much better. I have a clearer direction of where I need to go, what the characters are doing, etc. It’s especially hard when you know it’s the last book in a series and you want to make it extra spectacular for your readers. The most important thing is that I am back on track and cruising along at a slow but steady clip (as the beginning always is). When I get further along, I will post the preorder and all the relevant information for this book, so stay tuned.

Hopes for June

  • Write at least 20,000 words of The Reanimator’s Fate (TRM #4)
  • Try to write every single day at least a little to be consistent
  • Get the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3) out everywhere
  • Maintain my mental health and balancing my writing and hobbies to avoid burnout
  • Catch up on my stitch-a-long
  • Exercise consistently
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my monthly newsletter
  • Enjoy my 20th anniversary with my partner

new blog post: April 2025 wrap up post April 2025 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

April 2025 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

April felt like the longest month ever for me. I think it was mostly due to being kept busy by grading nonstop (April is the November of the spring semester), and I, for one, am exhausted. I’m really looking forward to break starting in May, so with that, let’s remember what my goals were for April.

  • Write 20,000 words for book 4
  • Continue to proof the audiobook for TRR as it comes in
  • Stay on grading as there is a lot this month
  • Finish Act 1 and 2 outlines for book 4
  • Continue to bug my senators and house rep
  • Participate in the Narratess Sale (4/5-4/7)
  • Maintain my sanity as best as I can
  • Send out my newsletter
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly

Books

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

  1. What Feasts at Night (#2) by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, I love a nonbinary protagonist, and we get that along with a nightmarish monster who is sucking the life out of people. As always with T. Kingfisher, it is very atmospheric and creepy.
  2. The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid- 4 stars, a fantasy story that pulls together pagan Eastern European, Jewish, and Christian folklore. We have a wolf girl who reluctantly falls for a woodsman/prince who needs to save his kingdom from fanaticism.
  3. Turning the Tables by Andrew P. Haley- 4 stars, book research, but I think it’s interesting for anyone who is into culinary history or how the rise of the middle class in the late 1800s led to the formation of restaurant culture.
  4. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman- 3 stars, a steampunk adventure featuring librarians from a timeless library, book dragons, and tons of nods to classics.
  5. A Gentle Madness by Nicholas A. Basbanes- 4 stars, if you’re a book lover or a collector, this book is for you. Basbanes delves into rare book collecting, bibliomania, and the people who have made some of the greatest collections in history.
  6. Book Curses by Eleanor Baker- 4 stars, this was book research for The Reanimator’s Fate. It’s a very short book that could be a webpage, but it’s fun to have.
  7. Don’t Sleep with the Dead (#2) by Nghi Vo- 5 stars, the loose sequel to The Chosen and the Beautiful set 20 years later during WWII where Nick starts hearing Gatsby long after his death. I absolutely love the demons and world this is set in and how the characters are handled.
  8. Into the Dark (#3) by Jordan L. Hawk- 4 stars, a ghost hunting story featuring lots of queer characters where they go to investigate the asylum the medium’s grandmother was sent to. This is definitely 95% ghost hunting with like 5% romance with an established couple, just as an FYI if you’ve read Jordan’s other series.
  9. The Case Study of Vanitas (#11) by Jun Mochizuki- 4 stars, it was nice to see all the characters back together again as we begin a new story arc. I look forward to seeing where the new story line goes.
  10. Ornithography (#2) by Jessica Roux- 4 stars, this is a book about the symbolism of birds. It would probably be nicer as a coffee table book than an ebook, but it was interesting.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Fixed the outline for the beginning of The Reanimator’s Fate
  • Restarted writing The Reanimator’s Fate
  • Participated in several sales/bundles
  • Did more research for The Reanimator’s Fate
  • Proofed more of the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains
  • Blogged weekly
  • Send out my newsletter
  • Finished teaching for the semester (thank god)
  • Finished the literary magazine for my class
  • Graded a shit ton of papers
  • Paid quarterly and yearly taxes (no one cares but it’s stressful, so it counts, lol)

Blog

Writing

The writing section for this month is a little odd for me. At first, things were going well until I realized I started in the wrong place and had to scrap what I wrote. Ultimately, the idea I had wasn’t going to work, and restarting it was for the best. This sucks since my word count went back to zero, and I spent two weeks figuring out how to fix it and make sure it didn’t happen again. Writing the final book in a series is hard because I want to do the characters justice, and I really want to make my audience happy. It’s really easy to get into your own head and give yourself performance anxiety or choice paralysis. I’m going to try very hard to stay true to myself, to my characters, and to the vision I have for this final book. In the near future, I will talk more about some specifics in the books and reveal the blurb, so stay tuned for that!

Hopes for May

  • Write 20,000 words of TRF
  • Write the working blurb for TRF
  • Maintain my mental health
  • Keep working out consistently
  • Continue proofing the audiobook of TRR
  • Finish grading portfolios
  • Send out my May newsletter
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly

new blog post: february 2025 wrap-up post February 2025 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

February 2025 Wrap-Up Post

Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

Even though the US is a hot mess, I felt like February was far better than January. Maybe it’s seeing the push back, protests, and having judges rule in our favor that has heartened me. That or the spite inside of me has been kindled. That helps as well. Before we get going, let’s take a look at my goals for February:

  • Finish writing “AUE”
  • Edit “AUE”
  • Send it out to my newsletter peeps first (everyone else gets it a month later)
  • Reread The Reanimator Mysteries books 1-3
  • Start proofing the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my monthly newsletter
  • Maintain my fragile sanity
  • Perpetually bug my congress people

Books

My goal was to read 8 books, and I read exactly 8. The links below are affiliate links, so I get a small kickback if you purchase the book through them.

  1. Two Friends in Marriage (#3) by Jackie Lau- 5 stars, a lovely queer MF romance featuring a demisexual FMC and a bisexual MMC. Watching these two go from friends to married to lovers was just so sweet and cute. There’s also a giant penguin plush in the story who helps to sort of bridge the gap through cute and loving gestures.
  2. A Study in Black Brew by Marie Howalt- 4 stars, a retelling of A Study in Scarlet (aka a Sherlock Holmes story) set in a world with multiple alien races, advanced tech, and of course, coffee/black brew. It comes out May 22nd.
  3. Husband Material (#2) by Alexis Hall- 4 stars, a mm story built upon the structure of Four Weddings and a Funeral. Lucien and Oliver are simultaneously at their worst and best in this book, and while I enjoyed this one, the ending kind of annoyed me.
  4. Textiles by Beverly Gordon- 4 stars, a coffee table-ish book about the history and cultural significance of textiles. This is less specific than Victoria Finlay’s Fabric, but it gives you a lot of rabbit holes to go down while doing future research. I believe it is out of print.
  5. The Single Life (#1) by Akiko Morishima- 4 stars, two women who were penpals as children and realized they were lesbians through their letters meet up as older women. This is not a romance, but it’s sort of a slice of life as two queer women figure out what they want from the future.
  6. The Single Life (#2) by Akiko Morishima- 4 stars, see volume 1’s review.
  7. The Single Life (#3) by Akiko Morishima- 4 stars, see volume 1’s review.
  8. Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau- 4 stars, I loved this book. It’s like 50 First Dates meets Ground Hog Day as a workaholic eats some dumplings and gets caught in a time loop where she befriends another time looper and desperately hopes the man she has fallen in love with her will eventually remember her or that they might have a future together. This book comes out May 6th, and I HIGHLY recommend grabbing it.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Approved the first 15 minutes of the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3)
  • Wrote the rest of “An Unexpected Evening” (TRM #3.5)
  • Edited/Proofread/Formatted “An Unexpected Evening” (TRM #3.5)
  • Sent out “An Unexpected Evening” (TRM 3.5) to my newsletter subscribers
    • I also posted the link for it in the freebie section of my website
  • Started working on the Court of Crows Stitch-a-long from FineFrogStitching
  • Agreed to take part in the Weeknight Writers Writing Roundtable on writing trans characters taking place on March 15th
    • You can grab a ticket here or wait for the replay
  • Stayed on task/schedule with grading for my classes
  • Celebrated my partner’s birthday
  • Bugged my senators and congress person repeatedly about… everything. If you can, please reach out to them and try to push them to do the right thing (and praise them when they do- carrot and stick, my friends)

Blogs

Writing

At first, I was very upset that my brain utterly derailed from stress in January after *gestures to the White House*, but I think taking this extra month to work on “An Unexpected Evening” was worth it. The story is significantly better, clearer, and longer. Sometimes, taking extra time is dawdling or dealing with executive function issues, but other times, it really is part of the marinating process. This time it felt like those extra few weeks of marinating helped me to really nail what I was trying to say with Oliver and Felipe. It also made it clearer what I want to do with book 4 (more on that in the near future). I’m super excited for you all to read “An Unexpected Evening,” and I hope you will leave a review on Goodreads or Storygraph if you read it.

Hopes for March

  • Reread all of the Reanimator Mysteries books in preparation for book 4
  • Start outlining book 4
  • Write at least 10k words of book 4
  • Proof as much of the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains as I can
  • Deal with several doctor’s appointments this month (boo)
  • Have the Weeknight Writers event go well (March 15th)
  • Continue to bug my senators and house member
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my monthly newsletter
  • Maintain my sanity
  • Work diligently on my cross stitch project

new blog post: december 2024 wrap-up post December 2024 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

December 2024 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

December is a weird liminal space month, especially as a professor. It begins with finals chaos and ends with the strange nothing week between Christmas and New Year. I purposely tried to take it easy this month, despite the goals listed below, and it was just what I needed to reinvigorate my creativity and brain. Here are the goals I made in November:

  • 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

Books

My goal was to read 8 books, and I read 12 books. The links to the books below are affiliate links, so I get a small kickback if you grab one.

  1. Crabs by Peter J. F. Davie- 4 stars, a nonfiction book about crab species. It’s very interesting and has a ton of pictures. If you like sea creatures, I highly recommend it.
  2. One Night in Boukos by A. J. Demas- 4 stars, this is a mystery, romance mash-up with a soldier and a secretary losing their wayward boss in Boukos. This story cracked me up, and I love the people the characters match up with and that we get to see them in later books.
  3. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, if you watched Shrek 2, did you love Big Mongo and Gingy? If so, grab this book. We get a girl trying to save a kingdom one giant gingerbread man at a time.
  4. Black Water Sister by Zen Cho- 4 stars, a story of generational trauma, breaking the cycle, the ghosts of the past (literal and figurative), and figuring out how to not repeat those mistakes.
  5. Something Human by A. J. Demas- 5 stars, this is probably my favorite A. J. Demas book. We get two soldiers on opposite sides of the war who save each other’s lives, fall for each other, and realize that they must work together to save their people. It was just so tender and lovely.
  6. Honey and Pepper by A. J. Demas- 4 stars, a lawyer(?) and a man who works in a snack stall team up to take down a mob boss and save their city from his power trip and evil ways.
  7. Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore- 4 stars, two girls go to a finishing school, one runs off and the other comes home not herself only to disappear. The story is rich in texture and explores the way we crush girls beneath expectations.
  8. Illuminations by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a girl and her friend accidentally unleash a creature akin to the evil creature from Super Mario Sunshine that wants to destroy magical images and steal the magic for itself.
  9. Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a young boy is sent off alone to bring rain to the town despite not being more than a child and only knowing a few spells. It’s an incredibly clever story that makes you hate all the adults.
  10. The Moon on a Rainy Night (#6) by Kuzushiro- 4 stars, another fantastic addition to the series, and I love that we get to see the other MC start to realize she may have feelings too.
  11. Venom and Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore- 4 stars, two warring kingdoms realize they have been set up to fight each other when all along they are under the same spell.
  12. The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a queer retelling the Ice Queen that has some adorable otters and some gore.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Finished my grading and survived to tell the tale
  • Wrote several letters of recommendations for my students
  • Continued weight-lifting and upgraded to 7lb weights (woo! progress!)
  • Outlined “An Unexpected Evening”
  • Wrote part of “An Unexpected Evening” (which I later rewrote… oops)
  • Finished all of my Christmas shopping
  • Wrapped all the presents
  • Set up my bullet journal for 2025
  • Finished playing the game I had started (Botany Manor– highly recommend, it was a lot of fun)
  • The Reanimator’s Remains made it into the Indie Ink Awards (more on that soon)
  • Set up my goals for Q1 of 2025
  • Appeared on the Right Here, Write Queer podcast talking about queer, historical romance

Blogs

Writing

Truthfully, I didn’t write much this month because I needed to rest my brain a bit. It was worth it. Instead, I devoted myself to planning the story, getting my stuff together in regards to my writing plan for the year, and figuring out where I want to go with book 4 of The Reanimator Mysteries series. I planned out most of “An Unexpected Evening” this month, and now, that I’m writing it, I think you all will enjoy it. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a masquerade party that goes wrong? Unlike other parties that I’ve written, there is no murder *gasp* for once. I was struggling very hard with what to write next after “An Unexpected Evening,” and I’m displeased to announce that actually sitting down and writing out what you have to do worked to sort it out in like… five minutes. It’s very annoying how your brain will do donuts for days, but when you put it on paper, it takes minutes to sort out.

Hopes for January

  • Finish writing “AUE”
  • Edit and format “AUE”
  • Pay Q4 2024 taxes (bleck)
  • Set up my syllabi and Blackboards for my courses
  • Send out my newsletter (with “An Unexpected Evening”)
  • Start planning out TRM #4
  • Blog weekly
  • Read 8 books
new blog post: my end of 2024 reflection My End of 2024 Reflection
Personal Life · Writing

My End of 2024 Reflection

Kara Jorgensen3 Comments

Let me tell you, this year was SO MUCH better than last year. 2023 was horrendous, and while 2024 has not been great on a national scale, on a personal level it has been a breath of fresh air.

The word I had chosen for my word of the year for 2024 was “navigate” because I felt like I had been tossed into turbulent waters due to the fact that I was being harassed and besmirched by Freydis Moon/Taylor Barton, and I couldn’t tell anyone. They were a dark cloud looming over anything good that happened to me, and I was constantly afraid that any time I got attention, they would pounce on me. This meant every book release or awards announcement was riddled with anxiety since they did this to other authors they didn’t like in the past. In late April when they were finally exposed by Elle Porter, it felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The thing that had been too afraid to discuss publicly was finally out in the open, and FM/TB could no longer hurt me. I spent the rest of April and half of May vibrating with equal parts relief and anxiety, waiting for the other shoe to drop. My writing slowed to a crawl at the fear of retaliation and while processing all that had happened, but it was worth it. The only good thing to come out of FM’s assholery is that I have picked up a few new friends who experienced the same thing, and I’ve grown closer to another author I have a lot in common because of it.

On the writing front, it was actually a rather good year. Even with the wasted month, I wrote, edited, and published, “An Unexpected Question” (TRM #2.5), The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3), and started writing “An Unexpected Evening” (TRM #3.5). There’s always part of me that wished I wrote more, especially since that month off set me back and gave me a lot of stress in October when it was close to release day, but overall, I’m very happy with everything I published this year. The Reanimator’s Heart (TRM #1) and The Reanimator’s Soul (TRM #2) were both in the 2023 Indie Ink Awards, and TRS won for mental health representation, and book 3 is nominated in a bunch of categories for the 2024 Indie Ink Awards.

This year, I was invited to be on a few queer podcasts, I blurbed a friend’s book, and I got to work with some great people, like Jack R. R. Evans, who narrates my audiobooks, and Crowglass Design, who creates the covers for my books. I can’t thank enough my author friends for all the support they provided during all of this (and before and after). I also can’t forget my readers, who made the launch of The Reanimator’s Remains so wonderful. Without you all, there would be no books, or at least no audience for my books, and your support means so much to me. Seriously though, the reviews, shout outs about my book on social media, and the little things daily mean the world to me.

In my personal life, things have been going very well. My partner and I have both been on our own gender journeys, where we’ve been trying to figure out what brings us gender euphoria. During this process, we’ve become even closer. We both still struggle with our mental health and neurodivergence at time (are really ND if you don’t get in your own way regularly? lol), but I do feel like I’ve finally found a path toward better physical health. I have started lifting weights, and it’s been interesting to see how getting stronger has intertwined with my own version of nonbinary-ness.

I’m going to write more about my goals for 2025 in a future post, but with the way this year ended, I’m going into 2025 with far more hope than I did going into 2024. More than anything, I hope you all have a fantastic new year filled with good health, fulfilling projects, safe shores, and supportive people who love you.

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 august 2024 wrap-up post August 2024 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

August 2024 Wrap-Up Post

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

Where the hell did August go?? This managed to be the shortest month ever for me, though I think that has to do with prepping for the new semester while trying to get my shit together with book 3 of the The Reanimator Mysteries. Let’s take a look at our goals for August:

  • Write 25,000 words
  • Start edits
  • Prepare for my classes
  • Make the online parts of my classes (bleck)
  • Continue to try to maintain my tenuous grip on my mental health
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out my newsletter
  • Read 8 books

Books

The goal was to read 8 books, and that is exactly how many I read.

  1. White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo- 4 stars, a nonfiction book that looks at why white people react so poorly to being told they are (or might be) racist. A good primer but not super in-depth.
  2. Shiver (#1) by Maggie Stiefvater- 4 stars, a girl is attacked by wolves as a child only to fall in love with the werewolf who saved her. This is very much a YA romance, but I loved every second of it. Sometimes we need angst teen romances.
  3. Cheese by Andrew Dalby- 4 stars, a nonfiction book about the history of cheese. Interesting, but part of me wishes it was more in-depth.
  4. Mushroom by Cynthia D. Bertlesen- 4 stars, from the same series as the book on cheese, this book looks at the history and science of mushrooms. The look at mushroom philic v. phobic countries was quite interesting.
  5. Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth- 4 stars, a dystopian, futuristic reimagining of Antigone. Very interesting set-up, and I like how the focus on reproductive writes and memory were handled in this version.
  6. When Among Crows by Veronica Roth- 5 stars, a fantastic fantasy book set in a monster-filled modern Chicago with an Eastern European flare. I absolutely loved the characters and the world. You know a novella is good when you wish it was longer or that there was a sequel.
  7. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P.Djèlí Clark- 5 stars, another fantastic short book. We have an undead assassin working for a goddess, a case that goes very wrong, wibbly wobbly time, and a really rich world.
  8. Broodmother by Vesper Doom- 4 stars, a folk horror short story featuring some incredibly scary and gross cicadas. No offense to the cicadas, but they were quite horrifying.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Prepped all my class stuff (except the content for my new class, oops)
  • Prepared for the Naratess Indie Sale
  • Advertised my butt off for the Naratess Indie Sale
  • Edited over half of The Reanimator’s Remains
  • Continued to write The Reanimator’s Remains (nearly done, had to fix some stuff)
  • Barely maintained my grip on my sanity, but I did it
  • Listened to my body and did more creative/fun things to keep from McLosingIt
  • Joined the Plants and Petrichor Stitch-a-long, hosted by FineFrogStitching, and have been keeping up with it
  • Had a good first week of teaching my classes
  • Had to put a new battery in my car on the first day of classes because it died in the driveway .-. (it’s been a week, peeps)
  • Brainstormed how I might add to the Paranormal Society Romance series in the future
  • Blogged weekly
  • Sent out my newsletter

Blogs

Writing

I forgot to chart my writing progress this month because I’ve been writing as much as I can. Truthfully, there were weeks where I felt my brain starting to spark, so I had to slow down for a few days. I’m trying to be better about listening to my body and not running myself into the ground. This is a constant struggle for me as I will self-flagellate about not doing enough. Luckily, editing the first 60% of the book helped to get me back on track and figure out where I needed to go with the last chunk. That’s something I usually have to do during the writing process, even though I resist it every friggin time. I’m actually really proud of this book. It’s definitely different than books 1 and 2. It’s quieter and a bit more internal, even though there’s a lot going on in terms of the mystery and learning more about Oliver’s background. That’s also why I’ve been feeling a bit self-conscious about it. I worry readers won’t necessarily enjoy it as much because it isn’t as swashbuckly at the other two. Maybe it is and I’m just hung up on something that’s a non-issue. Either way, I guess I’ll find out when it comes out in October or when my ARC readers get their hands on it.

Hopes for September

  • 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
new blog post: june 2024 wrap-up post June 2024 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

June 2024 Wrap-Up Post

Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

This month has somehow flown but also been the longest month ever. At least it was a rather productive month for me, so I’m content with that. I will say that I am lowkey flirting with burnout, but I think I’ll be okay if I am able to convince myself to play more games and chill a bit more. Here are my goals from last month:

  • Write at least 20k words
  • Outline next chunk of book 3
  • Start the cover stuff for The Reanimator’s Remains
  • Maintain some semblance of brain balance to avoid burnout
  • Keep up with the stitch-a-long
  • Read 8 books
  • Blog weekly
  • Send out June newsletter

Books

  1. The Magus of the Library (#7) by Mitsu Izumi- 4 stars, in this volume we have discussions about censorship, political upheaval, and how we navigate it without setting the wrong precedent.
  2. The Truth of the Aleke (#2) by Moses Ose Utomi- 4 stars, in book one, we got the story of a martyred boy and now we get the history of what comes after and how history gets twisted by time and politics.
  3. You Should Be So Lucky (#2) by Cat Sebastian- 5 stars, a baseball player falls for a reporter fall in love during early 1960s NYC. I loved this book so much, especially since it also deals with grief and finding your place/value.
  4. Asian American Histories of the United States by Catherine Ceniza Choy- 4 stars, I struggled a bit with the backwards chronology, but it was interesting to see how history has led to the present.
  5. The House of the Red Balconies by A. J. Demas- 5 stars, an mm romance set in a fictional Ancient Greece where an engineer who comes to the island to build an aqueduct falls for a chronically ill courtesan.
  6. The Captain’s Holiday Homecoming by Meg Mardell- 4 stars, a widower stumbles across an old friend presumed to be dead in his stable and finds they may have a future together (definitely a HFN rather than a HEA)
  7. A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall- 4 stars, an epistolary novel between the siblings of two missing people in an underwater city, loved the agoraphobia/OCD rep.
  8. The Moon on a Rainy Night (#1) by Kuzushiro- 4 stars, a sapphic YA featuring a teenage girl starts falling for her hard-of-hearing classmate. Once again, great HoH rep that is obvious well researched.
  9. The Moon on a Rainy Night (#2) by Kuzushiro- 4 stars, see above.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • I appeared on the Incoherent Fangirl Podcast’s Pride event, which you can watch here
  • Finished the Femurs and Fungi Stitch-a-long (and I plan to join Fine Frog Stitching’s next SAL in August)
  • Sent in all my info to my cover designer/Crowglass Design
  • Celebrated my 19th anniversary with my partner
  • Outlined the next chunk of my book draft
  • Edited the whole first act (again)
  • Blogged weekly
  • Sent out my newsletter in a semi-timely fashion for once
  • Attempted to relax more and refill the well by not taking on a shit ton of responsibilities
  • Wrote quite a bit (see writing section)

Blogs

Writing

This month has mainly been devoted to writing. I could feel myself flirting with burnout at the end of May due to the semester ending, so I took June to decompress and mostly write. On one hand, yay for doing quite a bit of writing. On the other hand, I’m still struggling to maintain any semblance of balance because I’m still mostly writing or staying at a Word Doc pretending I’m writing. The difficult part has been tearing myself away to do other things like reading and playing games, which ultimately keep me from frying my brain. My tendency is to give 100% repeatedly, even when I can’t actually give that much, until I’m beating myself up about how that current 100% is far less than it was a month earlier. I hope that makes sense. It’s really that I go too hard and take from a well that is rapidly running dry.

The Reanimator’s Remains is shaping up nicely though. I really love this book. I think it’s a little quieter than books 1 or 2, but it still has murder, mysteries, and some very tender moments between Oliver and Felipe. I eventually need to tweak the blurb for this book because it isn’t obvious, but Gwen is involved in this case and goes to the murder town with Oliver and Felipe. I know Gwen is a fan fav as Oliver’s bestie, so I hope you enjoy her getting some extra screen time.

Hopes for July

  • Write 25,000 words
  • Outline next chunk of book
  • Do a cover reveal and make graphics for them
  • Maintain my mental health better (oops)
  • Blog weekly
  • Read 8 books
  • Send out my July newsletter