“An Unexpected Evening” (TRM #3.5) is Out!

March 16, 2025March 16, 2025 Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

If you’re part of my newsletter, you have already received your copy of “An Unexpected Evening,” but I also wanted to release it officially to my non-newsletter readers.

You can grab your copy through the freebies section on my website or through this link. “An Unexpected Evening” (TRM #3.5) is a 16,000 word novella that takes place a few weeks after the events of The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3), so I would highly recommend reading that book (and the ones before it) first.

The cover of "An Unexpected Evening" is in the center (black with green text and a masquerade mask). An Unexpected Question TRM #3.5. Oliver and Felipe, Things go wrong, food, seances, ghosts? a halloween party, an ominous prophecy, 16k words

The Paranormal Society’s All Hallows’ Eve party is the highlight of the magical social season, and after years of going alone and ducking out after an hour, Oliver is hellbent on having a good time with Felipe this year, even if it kills him.

While Felipe is more than willing to wear a costume and dance the night away to make Oliver happy, an ominous prophecy from a sybil only hours before the festivities puts him on his guard. Unfortunately, the sybil’s warning isn’t Felipe’s only concern if the feelings coming across the tether are any indication.

Will Oliver and Felipe make it through the masquerade in one piece or will the prophetess’s warning be their undoing?

CW: discussions of past sexual trauma, sexual content, and panic attack

If you would like to grab your copy of “An Unexpected Evening,” you can do so by clicking the button below. You can also pop over to my freebies page on my website to grab the other 2 in-between stories for the Reanimator Mysteries series.

Grab “An Unexpected Evening” here

“An Unexpected Question” is Coming!

January 21, 2024January 21, 2024 Kara Jorgensen2 Comments

If you follow me on social media or have read past blogs, you may have seen me talking about “An Unexpected Question.” Well, this short story/novella is coming to my newsletter subscribers this month!

It is set about three months after the events of The Reanimator’s Soul, so you should read that book (and book one) before reading “An Unexpected Question” to avoid spoilers. It is the story of Oliver and Felipe’s first vacation together, and of course, things don’t quite go as planned.

Felipe has spent weeks planning a vacation to whisk Oliver away from the Paranormal Society for a few days. The problem is he still needs to convince Oliver to go.
Notoriously vacation- and change-averse, Oliver is dubious about spending a few days in Coney Island, but when Felipe’s plans start to fall apart, Oliver refuses to let Felipe’s hard work go to waste, even if it means a less than romantic trip.
There is one surprise Oliver doesn’t know about, the true reason Felipe wants to have him all to himself. Can Felipe pull it off or will all his scheming be for nought?

“An Unexpected Question” is a 20k novella that comes three months after the events of The Reanimator’s Soul (TRM #2). Please read book 2 before reading this story to avoid spoilers and confusion.

CWs: Brief allusion to past sexual trauma, on page sexual intimacy, depictions of anxiety, mentions of the ocean

Once again, this will be a freebie for my newsletter subscribers and will go out with January’s newsletter next week (probably on Friday). I’m really excited for you all to read it as I think it’s a lot of fun.

If you want to read “An Unexpected Question” for free, you can join my newsletter by clicking the link in the top menu that says “newsletter” or by clicking here.

Add “An Unexpected Question” on Goodreads

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Writing

What I’m Working on Next

November 12, 2023October 30, 2023 Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

Woo! So The Reanimator’s Soul has been out for a few weeks, and first off, I want to thank you all for absolutely amazing release. If you read any of my books, please consider leaving a rating or review (even if it’s only a few words) on your favorite review site or retailer. They greatly help indie authors like me!

Now that book two of the Reanimator Mysteries series it out, you might be wondering what I’m working on next, so let’s dig into my current project, my next project, and what projects are simmering on the back burner.

Current Project:

My current project is an Oliver and Felipe short story/novella (The Reanimator Mysteries #2.5) that takes place a few months after the end of The Reanimator’s Soul. Oliver hasn’t taken an actual vacation away from the Paranormal Society, ever, so now, he has been coerced into a trip to the beach with Felipe. There will be plenty of things that go awry, tender moments, Teresa, Louisa, Agatha, the pomeranians, and something I don’t think my readers will be expecting. This will be free to my monthly newsletter subscribers and probably go out in December, if all goes as planned. I think you all will really like this story, so if you haven’t joined my newsletter yet you can do so here (if you join, you also get a novella and two more short stories).

Next Project:

I like to have a little palate cleanser between major books, hence the short story/novella, but once I finish that, it is onward to The Reanimator Mysteries #3. The title is in the very, very back of book 2, but I haven’t made an official announcement yet, so my lips are sealed here for now. You’ll have to read the book to find the title for book three. What I will tell you is that it involves Oliver and Felipe traveling to a “murder town” (think along the lines of Jordan L. Hawk’s Widdershins) to solve a mystery, Oliver’s origins, Felipe facing some inner demons, Gwen on a case with them, and much more. I will tell you all more as I get more deeply into this project, but it should be out late 2024. PS- there will be at least four books in the series, so book three will not be the last reanimator book. I’ve had a few people assume it’s a trilogy, but it isn’t!

Backburner but Coming Soon:

There are two side characters in The Reanimator’s Soul that I would like to write a story about. When you read the story, you might figure out who I mean, but since it’s only been out a few weeks, I don’t want to state who yet. I’m not sure whether this will be a novella or a whole novel, hence why it’s placed in backburner territory until I figure out where I can fit it in. I think this story will be a lot of fun because it’s definitely a bitier romance, if that makes sense. These characters get on each other’s nerves, and what I envision so far is that they will stumble into each other’s lives again and think they’re on opposite sides when in reality, they need to team up to get what they want.

Another project that I have brewing is a short story about when Oliver and Gwen first became friends, but I’m not sure when I’ll get to that one. That will be a cute, low stakes, low angst type story. Just a little glimpse into how Oliver was ten years prior when he first came to the Paranormal Society and tried to befriend Gwen.

I have several other books simmering on the back burning, including (but not limited to) The Reanimator Mysteries #4, a duology set before and after WWI, Trousers and Trouble (A Paranormal Society Romance #2), and maybe a short story about Gale and Head Inspector Williams.

So these are all the projects I have on the docket for now. I will eventually update the WIP section of my website when I have time, but I hope you all will stay tuned for more news about the upcoming short story as well as book 3 in the Reanimator Mysteries series and much more.

The Reanimator's Heart · Writing

“An Unexpected Valentine” is Coming!

February 19, 2023February 19, 2023 Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may have seen it, but I was moved by the spirit of procrastination and chaos to write a Valentine’s Day short story for Oliver and Felipe. Typically, I don’t run with the plot bunnies and get distracted, but this short story sort of sprung fully formed in my head and came together in a few days.

Oliver and Felipe’s first Valentine’s Day together was supposed to be perfect. That is, until Felipe’s idea falls through at the last minute and Oliver realizes he never ordered Felipe’s gift. Now, nothing is going according to plan.
But with a little ingenuity and help from their friends, Oliver and Felipe may not have such a bad Valentine’s Day after all.

“An Unexpected Valentine” is a <5,000 word short story that comes after the events of The Reanimator’s Heart. Please read book 1 before reading this story if you don’t want any spoilers.
You can add “An Unexpected Valentine” on Goodreads.

Because this story takes place 3 weeks after the events of The Reanimator’s Heart, I think you have to have read it to read this short story. Otherwise it is spoilers galore.

Once again, this will be a freebie for my newsletter subscribers and will go out with February’s newsletter in the next few days. I will not be sending out a short story a month. There is no way I could keep that pace, so please enjoy these random short stories/novellas because there probably won’t be another one for a while. You can join my newsletter by clicking the link in the top menu that says “newsletter” or by clicking here.

Add “An Unexpected Valentine” on GoodReads

Or Join my monthly Newsletter

Writing

My 2023 Writing Projects

January 15, 2023January 8, 2023 Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

Okay, so let me start by saying, this is going to be more of a “what I would like to do” type list while knowing full well I will not be able to write all these things. What I will do is divide it into “Definitely Doing” and “Would Like to Do” this year. Also keep in mind that the dates associated with the “Definitely Doing” projects are subject to change and are ballpark estimates at this point. My hope is that I can get through three projects this year (even if the last is published in early 2024), but a lot of this depends on the amount of classes I am assigned in the summer and fall.

Projects I am Definitely Doing

Flowers and Flourishing

(A Reanimator and Paranormal Society Romance Companion Story)

Release date: end of January to newsletter subscribers only for free

Size: Novella (about 33,000 words)

Add it on Goodread s

So this novella is the backstory for how Agatha and Louisa met and fell for each other. I have more information about it in this blog post, including the blurb and such. You can join my newsletter here if you would like to receive the novella in your inbox later this month. This story will also be exclusive to newsletter subscribers for a while. The plan is to eventually write a bunch of other shorter works all set in the Reanimator/Paranormal Society world and package them in one book/anthology.

The Reanimator’s Soul

(The Reanimator Mysteries #2)

Release date: late 2023 (hoping for a fall release like last time)

Size: Novel (90k-100k words)

Add it on Goodreads

This is the sequel to The Reanimator’s Heart, which takes place a few months after that book leaves off. I won’t get into too much detail here, but it will feature a new society targeting paranormals in New York City, though in a more nefarious way than the Paranormal Society. Oliver’s ex happens to be in town again, and Felipe is struggling with his new life [again] while his daughter’s in town.

The Reanimator’s Soul is going to be my main focus/large scale project this year, so I expect it to take the largest chunk of time.

Trousers and Trouble

(A Paranormal Society Romance #2)

Release date: realistically, early 2024

Size: Novel (50k-75k)

Trousers and Trouble is the prequel story of when Bennett arrived in Brooklyn, met Ruth and Rory, realized he was trans, and eventually came to the Paranormal Society. This more like a romance of self-love than a traditional romance. The series title is set in stone, so *shrug* we’re rolling with this being more about loving yourself, found family, and friendship, including a bit of a quasiplatonic type arrangement between Ruth and Rory.

I already have some of this story drafted and generally know where I’m going with it. I just put it on the backburner because it required more joy than I was able to muster due to grief stuff at the time. Now, I’m feeling better and hoping to jump back in between book 2 and 3 of the Reanimator Mysteries.

Projects I Would Like to Do

As already stated, I have a finite amount of time in a year, and I basically know how much I can accomplish in a year. These things are overflow ideas that I will probably get to eventually, but if the idea struck and I had time, I might bang them out.

An untitled short story about Gale and Head Inspector Williams from The Reanimator’s Heart
Start plotting Book 3 of the Paranormal Society Romances as I think it will connect with the story line of The Reanimator’s Soul
An untitled short story involving Oliver, Felipe, and the beach because it makes me laugh to think of poor Oliver dealing with sand and seagulls. It also goes well with a piece of art I commissioned of them.

All of the shorter works mentioned would go out as freebies to my newsletter subscribers first until they were eventually packaged into the aforementioned anthology with Flowers and Flourishing.

I am so excited to dive into these projects this year, and I hope you will enjoy them as well! Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes info and updates about The Reanimator’s Soul, Trousers and Trouble, and so much more.

dead magic · Monthly Review · Writing

July 2016 in Review

August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

Last year, I decided that I would post my accomplishments for the month and what goals I hope to achieve in the following month.

In July, I found that while I got a lot done on Dead Magic, every other goal I had made in June suffered.

What I accomplished in July:

Wrote 22,000 words of Dead Magic (total 82k)
Wrote 3,500 words of “The Errant Earl”
Wrote the “final” blurbs for DM and “EE”
Read 2 books:
1. Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (4.5 stars)
2. How to Write a Sizzling Synopsis by Bryan Cohen (5 stars)
3. I also have 3 other books partially read that I’ll finish next month
Published the Italian translation of The Earl of Brass (not yet on Amazon)

What I hope to achieve in August:

Finish writing Dead Magic
Start editing Dead Magic
Finish, edit, and publish “The Errant Earl”
Write 6 blog posts
Publish the Spanish translation of The Winter Garden
Read 4 books

I can’t believe I’m nearly done with Dead Magic. I have less than 10k words left to write, and then, it’s onward to editing. It’s always amazing to me how quickly the words come once I’ve gotten past the middle of the book. Now, if only I could have monthly word counts this high from the start.

Later this week, I’ll share the final blurbs for Dead Magic and “The Errant Earl” along with the covers for both. I’m so excited to be fleshing out bits of the series and finally finishing up Dead Magic. I think DM is one of my favorites thus far. It’s dark and creepy, but beneath it all is an undercurrent of love that balances it out. “The Errant Earl” is a short story with some backstory about how Eilian and Patrick became the dynamic duo bromance they are now.

The downside to writing so much is that everything else suffers. I don’t read much, I don’t write blogs, and every other outside activity takes a backseat. Since I’ll be finishing both projects within the next two weeks (hopefully), I’ll be able to read again and actually enjoy life a little before I throw myself into editing.

I keep thinking about how being an indie author really is the best course of action I could have taken.I love being able to publish what I want, when I want in whatever genre I want. If I wasn’t indie, could I be writing side stories for my readers and working on semi-related novellas? I don’t know, but I know that where I am right now is a good place for me.

Writing

Release Day and Sale

January 30, 2016January 30, 2016 Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

IMD Sale

To celebrate the release of The Earl and the Artificer (IMD #3), the entire Ingenious Mechanical Devices series is on sale this weekend! On Saturday, January 30th and Sunday, January 31st, you will be able to get the entire series for under a cup of Starbucks.

You can find the books here:

The Earl of Brass (IMD#1): FREE

The Winter Garden (IMD#20): $0.99

“An Oxford Holiday” (short story): FREE

The Earl and the Artificer (IMD#3):$0.99

**The prices above are only guaranteed for Amazon US. I’m not 100% sure if the sales will appear on all markets, so please check before you click buy**

Personal Life · Writing

Apology Freebie

October 31, 2015 Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

I know I have been totally neglecting this blog for the past few weeks, but it’s for a good reason. My best friend is here visiting from the UK, and I’m trying to spend as much time with her having fun before she goes back.

Anyway, to maybe make up for my absence, I have made “An Oxford Holiday,” which is a romantic Adam and Immanuel short story free today and tomorrow. You can find it by clicking here.

Writing

Happy Accidents

October 10, 2015October 10, 2015 Kara Jorgensen5 Comments

I did a thing. It was a semi dumb thing and I’m not sure why I did it.

As you may or may not know, my third book, The Earl and the Artificer, is also my MFA thesis project, so I have an advisor who is supposed to look at it and give me feedback along with a class who does the same. Thus far, my thesis advisor has been very lenient with me. Some demand at least a chapter a week or put their students on a strict schedule, but he’s pretty much let me do what I want since he knows I’ll get it done.

Well, I knew he would need to see something before the end of the semester, something substantial, in order to give me a grade. Originally, I told him I would hand in the finished piece (unedited) by mid-October. At the time, it sounded like a good idea. I’d have all the time in the world. I’m only taking two classes, so how much work could I have? A lot, that’s how much.

This is when I did something dumb. Part of my job in the English department is to create a newsletter, so I spend a bit of time emailing professors, harassing them until they tell me what they’ve published this semester or what events they’re holding. While emailing my advisor to ask him about his writing, I wrote, “I’ll be leaving an edited draft of the first act, which is about 80 pages in your mailbox next week.” I sent the email off without thinking much of it until about an hour later. NEXT WEEK?! Was I temporarily insane? At that point, I had only edited three out of the eleven chapters in act one. In less than five days, I would need to edit eight chapters to get them to where I was willing to show my advisor without cringing.

I immediately texted my best friend telling her of the stupid thing I had done. “But you work well under pressure!” she replied. I do, but why did I do this to myself? Why give myself added stress for no reason? If I had told him I would hand it in two weeks from then, he wouldn’t have cared and I wouldn’t have been freaking out. Then again, my best friend is coming from England in two weeks, and I would be worrying about my stupid project instead of getting ready for her arrival.

It’s strange, but it’s as if my subconscious gave me a boot in the ass. I’ve had ample time to edit my story, but I’ve been procrastinating and doing everything but writing and editing recently. Would I have had anything to hand in by the end of the month if I hadn’t accidentally cracked the whip on myself? Probably not.

Over the course of three days, I powered through chapters one to eleven, going over what I edited already and combing through the ones I hadn’t touched yet. Last night at midnight I finally finished. While I was too tired to add any new content to the story, I officially finished my edits of act one and will hand them into my advisor on Monday.

I’m somewhat proud of myself for actually getting this all done before the weekend and that on Monday I’ll be able to present my advisor with the first third of my work. After dilly-dallying for so long, it seems strange that I’ll actually be handing in part of my thesis. Luckily my mistake created this progress. Sometimes all you need is to give yourself a kick in the ass to get going.

Uncategorized

“An Oxford Holiday” is Out on Amazon!

August 14, 2015August 14, 2015 Kara Jorgensen3 Comments

Just a quick little Friday post.

My short story “An Oxford Holiday” is now out on Amazon! It is an 8,000 word short story featuring Adam and Immanuel from The Winter Garden. The story is a bit of a romance piece. I wanted to challenge myself because I don’t usually write romance-based plots, and I rarely write short stories. It is 99 cents and can be found here.

If you would like to add it to your Goodread’s to-be-read list, just click here.

Here is the blurb:

After a trying two months at Oxford dealing with miserable classmates and isolation, all Immanuel Winter wants is a peaceful weekend with Adam— two days where they could forget about the impossibilities of their future together.

But when the arrival of a radical female lawyer turns the university upside down, their holiday plans are put in jeopardy.

Will Adam and Immanuel be able to escape the horde of dons descending upon the city or will they be forced to postpone their plans and their future?