flowers and flourishing

What Comes Next and a Sale

One of the things I equally love and hate about being an author is how quickly we move on from one project to the next. Since “An Unexpected Christmas” (TRM #4.5) and the audiobook of The Reanimator’s Fate (TRM #4) have come out, it’s time to talk more about my next project, which is the rewrite and expansion of Flowers and Flourishing.

First row in the grid: a Latina woman with curly black hair and tan skin, a display case of butterflies at a museum, a nopal cactus
Second row: a jaguar, a painting of 2 people touching hands with the quote someone will remember us I say, even in another time (Sappho), a 19th century artist's set up
Third row: violets, inside a 19th century greenhouse with a white spiral staircase, a picture of Lux Pascal leaning on her hand while wearing a white, vaguely Victorian outfit

If the name sounds vaguely familiar, F&F is/was the newsletter freebie novella that I wrote a few years ago. It is the story behind how Agatha and Louisa from The Reanimator Mysteries series got together, and it takes place about twenty years before the events of those books. It isn’t for sale anywhere, but it’s been up in its current incarnation for a while.

At the time, I was happy with it, but the more I’ve written Agatha and Louisa as prominent side characters in the Reanimator Mysteries, the more I wanted to delve into their story and flesh it out more. The original novella is about 37,000 words, which isn’t a lot compared to my other books. When I went back and reread it, I really wanted to expand it. As cute as it is, I want to give Agatha and Louisa the depth they deserve in their sapphic romance, and that means expanding the novella into a full novel. The overall idea of the book won’t change that much, but it will be completely rewritten, smoothed, fleshed out, and scenes will change to the point that I don’t think it’ll be recognizable unless you zoom out on the narrative. I have vowed to myself I will never rewrite works I’ve already released, but this doesn’t count since it was a freebie that never ended up on retailers. Loopholes!

Currently, I have the cover in the works with Crowglass Design who did the Reanimator Mysteries covers, and I’m also redoing the cover for Kinship and Kindness to match since they’ll be part of the same series (The Paranormal Society Romance series). For those who have been looking forward to the other books in that series I mentioned long ago, I will get to those. They’re just on the backburner for now while I figure out where I want to go with them.

My hope is that even if you read the original version of Flowers and Flourishing, you will still check out the new one as I think it will be significantly better and more fleshed out. I have no preorder or timeline for the release yet, but I will keep you all updated as I get further along in the writing process! Now, a sale.

a black and white dog with a bald nose with a scar on it.

If you follow me elsewhere (or here), you might know that my dog Katie had treatment to remove and treat a soft tissue sarcoma on her nose. I’m running a bundle/sale on Itchio to help offset the cost of her next vet visit, which will include an x-ray and possibly blood work. You can grab any/all of the Reanimator Mysteries books for 50% off or get all 4 for $10. I believe the sale runs until September 4th. I chose Itchio because I can get the money the quickest compared to Amazon and other retailers that take 60-90 days to pay out. Also, with files from Itchio, you own them forever, and you can send the files to your Kindle or Kobo.

The Reanimator's Heart · the reanimator's soul · The Reanimator's Remains

The Reanimator Mysteries Audiobook Sale

the ad from Chirp.com showing The Reanimator Mystery books 1-3 by Kara Jorgensen as being $8.97 all together for a limited time. Above the 3 audiobook covers, it says, "When necromancer Oliver brings murdered Felipe back from the dead, it kicks off this darkly comedic series full of magic, mayhem, and undead romance!"

Right now on Chirp, you can grab the first three books of The Reanimator Mysteries series in audiobook for $2.99 each or $8.97 for all three. Chirp is like Audible in that it has an app or can be listened to on your browser. Personally, I like it better than Audible in terms of controls within the app.

All three books are narrated by Jack R. R. Evans with book 4 coming out in audiobook in late spring or early summer, so now is the perfect time to catch up if you have been meaning to grab the series in audiobook or if you have a friend who prefers to listen to their books. The Reanimator Mysteries is perfect for fans of Pushing Daisies or Sleepy Hollow who love queer romance, especially those with autistic MCs.

The sale runs from now until February 24th, so grab them while you can!

The Reanimator's Heart · the reanimator's soul

Book Sale Time!

a dark blue background with purple-ish drawings of ghosts, skulls, a rocket, planets, gems, and a dragon reading a book. It says Indie book sale indiebook.sale fantasy, scifi, and horror April 5th to April 7th

This week’s blog is a day and a half early, but it’s because it is time once again for the Narratess Sale! This is a massive sale of indie authors writing scifi, fantasy, or horror, many of whom are queer and/or marginalized authors. You can find tons of good books for under $2 each (some are even free). Lots of my friends have their books for cheap, so make sure to take a look between April 5th and April 7th!


I have included The Reanimator’s Heart (TRM #1) in the sale for $0.99, but The Reanimator’s Soul (TRM #2) is also on sale for $1.99. You can grab them at all major retailers, including Kobo, B&N, Apple Books, Amazon, and you can get them slightly cheaper at Itch.io

If you like queer, paranormal historical romances featuring an autistic necromancer and his undead lover solving crimes in 1890s NYC, this series is for you. It’s also perfect for fans of Pushing Daisies and Sleepy Hollow.

Monthly Review

March 2025 Wrap-Up Post

March has been the longest month, and while that isn’t a bad thing, it feels a bit surreal that so much has happened in thirty-one days. Before we get into the post, I’d like to point out that Kinship and Kindness is part of Trans SFF bundle on itchio where you can get 38 books by trans authors for $40. I also have The Reanimator’s Heart on sale for $0.99 and The Reanimator’s Soul for $2.99 at all major retailers and regions. There is also a TRH/TRS bundle on itchio that is slightly cheaper than at other retailers.

Before continue, let’s take a look at my goals for March:

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

Books

My goal was to read 8 books, and I read 10 books. The links below are affiliate links, so if you buy a book through them, I get a small commission.

  1. Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao- 4 stars, a trans woman fleeing an emotionally and financially abusive relationship with a cis man runs into a cis butch lesbian who offers to take her in. Together, they bond over unionizing and coming out of their shells. I have mixed feelings about the trans rep, but otherwise, I enjoyed the romance aspect.
  2. 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall- 5 stars, a manager fakes amnesia to keep his boss from firing his employees only to be taken care of by his boss. He sees a new side of him and slowly begins peeling back the layers with the help of his gremlin of a cat.
  3. EAT by Nagabe- 4 stars, it’s a bit f-ed up as most of Nagabe’s stand alone works are. It’s about a wolf who wants to be prey or be eaten.
  4. When the Earth was Green by Riley Black- 5 stars, a nonfiction work about the long history of plants on earth from before the dinosaurs to the recent past. It is written in a narrative style that is accessible while being incredibly interesting and rich with information.
  5. The Invisible Man & His Soon-to-be Wife (#5) by Iwatobineko- 4 stars, a super cute series about a blind woman who falls in love with an invisible man. In this volume, she goes to meet his parents while he meets her brother.
  6. The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow- 5 stars, brutal and all at once wonderful, this novella packs a bunch in a dystopian land where cancer creates monsters and the line between human and monster is slimmer than one thinks.
  7. The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar- 5 stars, a lyrical tale about two sisters who tend to trees growing near a magical river. It’s about magic wrapped in magic and how song unites people through history. I highly recommend the audiobook version.
  8. Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite- 4 stars, a detective suddenly wakes up in a new body and is forced to solve a murder on a space cruise ship where everyone aboard reincarnates into their own bodies. It is a really cool premise with a lot of potential for interesting future books.
  9. Flesh and Bone by Arden Powell- 4 stars, two cowboys are hunted by a werewolf while one is haunted by his past, and the only way to overcome the first is to face the latter.
  10. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher- 4 stars, a very creepy version of the “Fall of the House of Usher,” featuring uncanny hares, a dilapidated house, a nonbinary soldier, and fungus. There’s a lot crammed into the novella, and I am looking forward to the second book in the series.

Admin/Behind-the-Scenes Stuff

  • Reread all of the Reanimator Mysteries books and side stories in preparation for writing book 4
  • Brainstormed and started toodling with book 4
  • Started proofing the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3)
  • Participated in a panel on trans characters for Weeknight Writers, which was a lot of fun
  • Was part of a Trans SFF bundle on Itch.io (see top of page for details)
  • Put The Reanimator’s Heart and The Reanimator’s Soul on sale (see top of page for details)
  • Set up a Bookbub ad for the end of March
  • Bugged my senators profusely about various political issues
  • Blogged weekly and send out my monthly newsletter
  • Kept up with my grading (*tired* yay)
  • Dealt with my and my partner’s medical appointments (we’re fine btw)
  • Finished putting together my day job’s literary magazine with my class
  • Changed the batteries in every alarm/detector in my house (this has nothing to do with writing but it was labor intensive and hanging over my head forever, so someone has to hear about it)
  • Had to get major repairs on my car… again
  • Released “An Unexpected Evening” (TRM #3.5) to my non-newsletter readers (here)
  • Started the Court of Crows stitch-a-long by FineFrogStitching

Blogs


Writing

There isn’t too much I can talk about with writing right now. I’m currently working on the beginning of the fourth Reanimator Mysteries book, but I don’t want to go too much into it at this point because things are very subject to change. The opening of a book is where things are the messiest and most subject to change when I’m writing. I have false starts quite often during this part of the process, so I’m keeping my lips zipped about the contents of the story until I hit the end of act 1 when things finally lock in for the most part. What I will say is that this book will involve Oliver stepping up, trips to the library, Gwen’s magnum opus, and Felipe confronting his past and future. I will have more for you all next month, including hopefully a mood board and a working blurb.


Hopes for April

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

Get 2 Books for $2

Get the Reanimator Mysteries books for 99c each at all major retailers
mm historical, paranormal romance
books 1 and 2 on sale
an autistic necromancer x undead adhd-er
pushing daisies x sleepy hollow
book 3 coming October 29th

From now until August 28th, both The Reanimator’s Heart (TRM #1) and The Reanimator’s Soul (TRM #2) are on sale for $0.99, so you can grab both books for $2. It’s the perfect time to read and catch up before The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3) comes out October 29th.

an array of covers behind a banner that says Indie Sale fantasy, science fiction, and horror, August 24 to 26, 2024

There is one day left in the Narratess Indie Sale (ends the 26th), so if you are looking to beef up your to-be-read pile for Indie August, swing over to the Narratess Sale to check out over 200 indie books that are free to $1.99. The Reanimator’s Heart is part of the sale as well as books from many of my friends’ books.

The Reanimator's Heart · Writing

The Narratess Indie Sale!

a grid of book covers. in the center is a dragon and a planet, and around them it says, Indie Sale fantasy, scifi, and horror. April 13-15th

We will be back to our regularly scheduled blogging next week, but I wanted to let you all know that there is one day left in the Narratess Indie Sale, so if you are looking to beef up your to-be-read pile for Indie April, swing over to the Narratess Sale to check out over 200 indie books that are free to $1.99.

The Reanimator's Heart by Kara Jorgensen is on sale for $0.99 for a limited time at all major retailers. mm romance, food tour of 1890s NYC, unbury your gays, forced proximity, a lavender marriage, an autistic necromancer, everybody's queer, murder, magic and mysteries

The Reanimator’s Heart is also part of the sale and is $0.99 at all major retailers and in most regions, so if you’ve been looking to get your hands on it, now is the perfect time to start the series, especially ahead of book 3‘s release in October.

The Reanimator's Heart

The Reanimator’s Heart is Only 99¢!

You read that correctly, The Reanimator’s Heart ebook is currently on sale for 99¢ for a limited time. The price should be the same across all platforms and [most] countries (sadly, I cannot guarantee every country as the retail sites can be finicky). It is on sale from now until September 6th.

The Reanimator's Heart by Kara Jorgensen is on sale for 99cents for a limited time at all major retailers
mm romance, forced proximity, a lavender marriage, murder/magic/mysteries, everybody's queer, an autistic necromancer, unbury your gays, food tour of 1890s NYC

Grab your copy now if you want an autistic necromancer who accidentally reanimates his murdered crush and teams up with him to solve his murder. It is available at all major retailers, including Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Apple Books, and library systems. You can also find it in paperback or audiobook as well, though they are not on sale right now.

You can also preorder book 2, The Reanimator’s Soul, at all major retailers (except Google Play, which is coming soon). Paperbacks will be available closer to release day, and the audiobook will come out in 2024.

As always, if you enjoyed The Reanimator’s Heart, I hope you will tell your friends about this sale and leave a review if you are willing/able. They help small creators like me more than you could know.

The Ingenious Mechanical Devices Series

Get Book 1 Free & Book 2 for 99c

This random post is brought to you by me putting The Earl of Brass for FREE and The Gentleman Devil at $0.99 at all major retailers (and countries/stores as far as the retailers will let me but I tried to go wide with this).

The Earl of Brass and The Gentleman Devil are the first two books in my queer historical fantasy series, The Ingenious Mechanical Devices. They can be read out of order if you prefer M/M romance (which is what book 2 is) as both are standalones/foundations for the rest of the series.

Grab a copy of each book below as the links will take you to your favorite retailer:

The Wolf Witch

Massive Series Sale!

banner books to 6

Need to Catch up on the Ingenious Mechanical Devices series?

Now is the perfect time to catch up on the first five books of the Ingenious Mechanical Devices series before The Wolf Witch comes out July 12th.
Why?
Because the entire series is on sale from today to June 8th. Internationally (I believe), The Earl of Brass and The Gentleman Devil are free.
In the US, The Earl and the Artificer, Dead Magic, and Selkie Cove are all discounted ($1.99 or less!).
I don’t often heavily discount this series, so now is the time to jump on the later books in the series!

Grab your copies below:
The Earl of Brass (Book 1)
The Gentleman Devil (Book 2)
The Earl and the Artificer (Book 3)
Dead Magic (Book 4)
Selkie Cove (Book 5)
The Wolf Witch (Book 6)