Tag: the reanimator’s fate

new blog post: 10 reasons to read the reanimator's fate 10 Reasons to Read The Reanimator’s Fate
the reanimator's fate · Writing

10 Reasons to Read The Reanimator’s Fate

Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

Now that we are less than two months away from the release of The Reanimator’s Fate (TRM #4), I wanted to give you a few reasons why you should read it (or look forward to it):

  1. Community– this book has a lot of focus on community, the importance of it, the different ways we are in community with each other in small spaces and the world at large.
  2. Cursed objects– while there aren’t any haunted dolls or cursed gems stolen during colonization, there is some new magic in the way of curses, an antiquated method of magic that packs a punch.
  3. Books, libraries, words– last book was very textile heavy, and this book is definitely more focused on the impact of books and words and the way we contain and share knowledge.
  4. The origins of the Paranormal Society– we finally get some more background about how the Paranormal Society came to be and how it functions as a supernatural entity. It’s a little weird.
  5. A look to the future– this story is very much about how we impact the world around us on a micro and macro level, so with fate being involved, there’s a lot of talk about Oliver, Felipe, and Gwen’s futures.
  6. Growing some spines– as the cover may suggest, Oliver and Felipe both grow a spine and stand up to some people, real or imagined, in order to become someone new.
  7. Felipe confronts some inner demons– this was definitely hinted at in book 3, but Felipe is facing down more of his inner demons and finally taking them on.
  8. Prophecies– the prophecy from “An Unexpected Evening” rears its head. If you haven’t read that short story yet, I highly recommend doing so, especially since it’s free!
  9. Oliver gets to tell people off– I don’t know about everyone else, but I really enjoy when Oliver finally snaps and goes off on people who deserve it. In this book, we have more than Oliver pops-off incident. Conversely, he also does a lot of heavy lifting for Felipe emotionally in this book, which feels like a good balance.
  10. This is the final novel in the Reanimator Mysteries series– while there will be a short story collection with all of the in-between stories and several brand new ones, The Reanimator’s Fate is the last big story I have planned for Oliver and Felipe, so I hope you will come and see them off.

If any of this sounds interesting to you, I hope you’ll preorder The Reanimator’s Fate, coming out on January 29th. You can get it all major retailers, and the paperback will be out in January.

Or start the series with The Reanimator’s Heart in ebook, audiobook, or paperback (and in library systems).

new blog post: the reanimator's fate cover reveal The Reanimator’s Fate Cover Reveal
the reanimator's fate · Writing

The Reanimator’s Fate Cover Reveal

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

Today is the day we have all been waiting for, the cover reveal for The Reanimator’s Fate (TRM #4). Crowglass Design has outdone himself with the cover for The Reanimator’s Fate! The cover is *chef kiss* and captured the strain the boys are under in the final installment of the Reanimator Mysteries series.

If you haven’t read book one, you can start the series in ebook, audiobook, or paperback, or you can grab book 2 or book 3 in any of those formats. I also have a sale going exclusively on Itch.io where you can get each ebook for $1.99 until the end of November.

The Reanimator’s Fate is the fourth book in the Reanimator Mysteries series and will be out January 29th, 2026. You can preorder the ebook now at all major retailers, and the paperback will be available in January closer to release day.

Check out the cover, current content warnings, blurb, and preorder link below:

An autistic necromancer, his undead love, and a future in peril

The Paranormal Society has been Oliver’s home for over a decade, yet he still isn’t sure where he fits. At Gwen’s suggestion, Oliver joins the mutual aid committee, but between misunderstandings, sabotage, and a life-changing proposition, Oliver once again fears he is out of his depth. At least there’s one thing he can count on: Felipe and the cases they solve together.

Felipe has always been the one everyone can depend on, but after years of bloodshed, fighting, and death, the cracks are beginning to show. The gruesome cases that once sustained him, now fill him with dread to the point that he questions how long he can keep going before he breaks. But if he isn’t a weapon, then what good is he to anyone?

A sinister plot against magical folks is unfolding, one that threatens to destroy the Paranormal Society from the inside. Can Oliver and Felipe grow into the men they were always meant to be, or will their doubt spell their doom?

CWs include but are not limited to: Murder, descriptions of corpses/autopsies, on page sexual content, ableism against autistics, suicidal ideation, violence, blood, gore, anxiety attack, medical peril

the cover for The Reanimator's Fate by Kara Jorgensen. The background is black with purple and white accents. In the center is a book with a ribcage and spine that lines up with the book spine. Around it are suns, moons, and a dagger. On either side of the book is a man reaching desperately for the man on the other side. A tether of lines joins their chests

As much as I hate to write the last novel for Oliver and Felipe, I absolutely love the cover Crowglass Design has come up with. I think he has knocked it out of the park, and I hope you all love the book as much as I do. You can preorder it at all major retailers or add it on Goodreads. The preorder link is a universal link that will take you to Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and more.

Paperbacks will be available in January closer to release day, and the audiobook will be out in spring or early summer of 2026.

There will be a book of collected short stories for Oliver, Felipe, Gwen, and several other reader favorites coming out in late 2026 as well, so stay tuned for that!

new blog post: The Reanimator's Fate (TRM #4) is on Preorder The Reanimator’s Fate (TRM #4) is on Preorder
the reanimator's fate · Writing

The Reanimator’s Fate (TRM #4) is on Preorder

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

The Reanimator’s Fate (TRM #4) is officially on preorder and will be out January 29th, 2026! You can now preorder it at all major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, and more. The paperback version will be available closer to release day, but unfortunately, I cannot put those on preorder ahead of time. I also plan to put out the audiobook, but that usually lags a few months behind the ebook/paperback release.

cover reveal soon. preorder now, out January 29th. autistic necromancer x undead ADHDer, mm romance, book curses and malicious magic, mutual aid, support, community, a new beginning, if im not a weapon, what good am i?, gwen to the rescue, the paranormal society is in peril, book 4 final book

Here is the new blurb for The Reanimator’s Fate:

An autistic necromancer, his undead love, and a future in peril.

The Paranormal Society has been Oliver’s home for over a decade, yet he still isn’t sure where he fits. At Gwen’s suggestion, Oliver joins the mutual aid committee, but between misunderstandings, sabotage, and a life-changing proposition, Oliver once again fears he is out of his depth. At least there’s one thing he can count Felipe and the cases they solve together.

Felipe has always been the one everyone can depend on, but after years of bloodshed, fighting, and death, the cracks are beginning to show. The gruesome cases that once sustained him, now fill him with dread to the point that he questions how long he can keep going before he breaks. But if he isn’t a weapon, then what good is he to anyone?

A sinister plot against magical folks is unfolding, one that threatens to destroy the Paranormal Society from the inside. Can Oliver and Felipe grow into the men they were always meant to be, or will their doubt spell their doom?

In the next month or two, I will have a cover reveal (I am eagerly awaiting to see what Crowglass Designs comes up with), and of course, I will release more snippets, tidbits, playlists, and more. Stay tuned for that!

If you haven’t read The Reanimator’s Heart, the first book in the series, you can find it at all major retailers and library systems in ebook, paperback, or audiobook.

new blog post: writer rambles #1 Writer Ramble #1
Writer Rambles

Writer Ramble #1

Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

I apologize in advance if this post has typos as I am writing it with what I think is the beginnings of a migraine, and my ability to coherently string together sentences is always what goes first.

I’m starting a new blog post type that I’m dubbing a writer ramble. This is going to be a sort of catch-all for what’s going on, author updates, things on my mind, etc. Basically, things that are not long enough by themselves to constitute a full blog post on their own.

The Indie Ink Awards

On Sunday, it was the awards ceremony for this year’s Indie Ink Awards, and I found out that The Reanimator’s Remains (TRM #3) won in the following categories: LGBTQ+ Representation, Mental Health Representation, and Neurodivergent Representation.

I am so thankful for the readers who nominated it and who voted in the opening round and for the judges that read all of the books for the second round. I am honored and grateful for any and all attention my books get, and in a world where people like RFK Jr. are demonizing autistic people, this feels like vindication for myself and for my readers who love Oliver and Felipe.

A Preorder Coming Soon

The preorder for The Reanimator’s Fate (TRM #4) will be up for preorder soon. I have been putting off setting up the preorder because I need to readjust the blurb a bit, but I’m thinking the release date will be January 27th, 2026. With the semester starting and there being personal life chaos, it has been hard to focus on fixing it. I swear, blurbs take far more brain power than actual writing.

I know it’s a ways off, but I think this book will be long and the wait will be worth it. I want to give Oliver and Felipe the best send-off I can. There will also be an epilogue #4.5 story published after, and at some point in 2026, I plan to publish a collection of the between short stories along with a few new short stories sprinkled in.

Personal Life Rambles

I have been grappling with my “the world is hateful and on fire” anxiety lately, which I think is understandable. At the same time, I think the internet is a giant part of that because it’s like negativity concentrate when trolls and awful people bombard you and get shared widely across your timeline. In reality, the world is not nearly as on fire as it appears online. It’s still bad, but the pace of the horrors is slower. I’ve been trying to be better about not staring directly into the void for too long, so I don’t utterly fry myself. I still want to be in the know and able to share resources and such, so I’m trying to look away from the chaos more often.

The nice thing is that despite all the transphobia in the world, I am watching my partner bloom into her true self, and I am so glad that I get to be along for the ride with her. I have thrown myself into being the most helpful and supportive partner I can as she feels out what she likes and grows into the person she sees in her mind. I’m so proud of her, and it gives me hope that one day I can find my optimal gender expression. I have been finding it difficult to triangulate gender vs autistic clothing tolerance vs cost of clothes. Being autistic and nonbinary makes everything feel like Goldilocks going this is too little, this is too much until you hate shopping for clothes. I know together we’ll figure things out and grow closer as we stumble through the same journey, even if the paths are slightly different.

Is the world on fire? Yes, but there are good things in the world that make life worth living and make every day so much more pleasant. Part of fascism is sucking the joy from everything, so take it where you can get it and lean into what makes you happiest in these times.

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: march 2025 wrap-up post March 2025 Wrap-Up Post
Monthly Review

March 2025 Wrap-Up Post

Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

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