sapphic romance – Kara Jorgensen

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.

In Proper English by KJ Charles, we get a competitive riflewoman, a fiancee who needs to use her spine, and a shooting party complete with a dead body.

proper english

All Pat wants is a shooting party where she can relax and not think about what will happen now that her brother is to be married and she will have to move. What she thought would be a few days with the boys turns out to be a far more mixed party, but luckily, the distractions are worth it. Fenella, her friend’s fiancee, immediately catches her eye. On the outside she appears bubbly and shallow, she’s far more than she appears and is totally wasted on Jimmy. But as they grow closer, the party grows more tense with threats of blackmail that end in a murder. Together Pat and Fen must figure out who killed the blackmailer before more secrets are exposed.

It’s refreshing to have a f/f historical romance for once since typically I read far more m/m historical romance (since it’s more widely available and not nearly as expensive). I received an ARC of Proper English in exchange for an honest review and devoured it in two days. I regret nothing. Proper English is a fantastic balance between romance and mystery without either being skimped on. Both characters have gumption, in their own ways, and yet are feminine, once again, in different but equal ways. Pat is a champion markswoman who runs her brother’s house like a well oiled machine. She knows she will need to step down now that he is married, but she doesn’t know what she will do or if she should open a shooting school for women. Fen is much softer on the outside and often seen as frivolous because that is what is expected of her. Both women reveal they are far more than they appear on the outside. One of the things I always worry about with f/f historical romance is that they’ll be mean to each other or awful people (you can think Sarah Waters for scarring me there), but that isn’t a problem with KJ Charles’ work. They’re charming, flawed, and more than willing to grow and love.

As much as I liked the romance, I think I preferred the mystery more. Charles’ mysteries are always well crafted and have me guessing until the end as to who is the culprit. It’s rare that a writer can blend both genres so masterfully and manage to balance the narrative, so it doesn’t feel shoe-horned in. The suspects all have motive, and in the spirit of Clue, we all hate the murder victim and want to love the suspects. I think it makes it a little more fun when everyone thinks the victim had it coming.

Overall, Proper English is a wonderful f/f whodunit romance that gives us all we ever wanted in a f/f historical romance: two clever women, a party, steamy moments, and a dead body.

Grab a copy when Proper English releases tomorrow, May 8th.

Tag: sapphic romance

What Comes Next and a Sale

Reading Rec: Proper English