Looking back on my goals for June, I’m pretty sure I was delusional. Seriously, I don’t know why I put together this mishmash of goals, but I do think I got a lot done in June, just not those things. In May, I was feeling fried, but in June, I have actually been doing pretty decently, apart from a bump of anxiety. Here are the goals I made last month:
- Blog weekly and send out my monthly newsletter
- Write 25,000 words
- Edit act 1 as a tidy up
- Watch and take notes on more of Publish and Thrive 2.0
- Enjoy my anniversary with my partner
- Keep posting regularly on Tiktok
- Maintain mental health by not overdoing it
Books
My goal was to read 8 books this month, and I read 9 books.
- Delilah Green Doesn’t Care (#1) by Ashley Herring Blake- 4 stars, a sapphic romance between a bookstore owner with a kid and a photographer who doesn’t do love. I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance, but I really enjoyed this one, especially with the complicated family dynamics running in the background.
- My Alcoholic Escape from Reality (#4) by Nagata Kabi- 4 stars, I always love Kabi’s candor about her struggles with alcoholism, mental illness, and her sexuality.
- My Wandering Warrior Existence (#5) by Nagata Kabi- 3 stars, I loved this one a little less as it felt like it had less substance than her other works. Not bad, just a bit flimsy for its own book.
- The Case Study of Vanitas (#9) by Jun Mochizuki- 4 stars, a good addition to the story where we get to learn a bit about Vanitas’s past while still leaving a lot unanswered.
- Lore Olympus (#4) by Rachel Smythe- 4 stars, I would love to know why I’m hooked on this series, despite it being so hetero, but I am. I think it’s Hades and his love of dogs mixed with Persephone being a mess.
- Last Gender (#3) by Rei Taki- 4 stars, the final installment of Last Gender gives a surprising twist about the club’s owner and more.
- The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw- 5 stars, a monstrous aftermath for The Little Mermaid where a mermaid and a plague doctor team up to figure out what’s going on with immortal kids in the woods and their sinister gods. Very queer and goes into the beauty and brutality of nature and man. Adored it.
- The Madman’s Library by Edward Brooke-Hitching- 4 stars, an interesting overview of weird books found all over the world. A good jumping point for deeper research.
- Monster and the Beast (#4) by Renji- 4 stars, the final installment in the series where we get to see what is in store for our heroes as well as finding out Liam’s backstory.
Admin/Behind the Scenes Stuff
- Celebrated our 18th anniversary with my partner (brought home a smörgåsbord of takeout, and it was glorious)
- Kept up with my tiktok-making
- Got the cover for The Reanimator’s Soul sorted with Crowglass Design
- Rewrote the blurb for The Reanimator’s Soul
- Did a major editing pass of The Reanimator’s Soul
- Listened to the audiobook proof of The Reanimator’s Heart, narrated by Jack R. R. Evans
- Paid for, approved, and distributed the audiobook of The Reanimator’s Heart to all major retailers (see next week’s blog for more details)
- Managed to recover (mostly) from burnout while only having a few major stress/anxiety days
- Made and setup my goals/kanban board for Q3
- Ran a sale on K&K
- Took my dog for his vet recheck (he’s doing well, btw)
- Had The Reanimator’s Heart appear as one of Meet Cute Bookshop’s “guess the queer romance by the unhinged description,” which made my day
Blogs Posted
- May 2023 Wrap-Up Post
- Planning for Pantsers
- What’s in the Works Right Now
- 10 Queer Books to Read After Pride Month
- June Newsletter
Writing
While the month started out a little slow, I picked up speed partway through the month as I truly hit my stride on the draft. I began by editing the first act and doing some tidying in the second, but once that was over, I was able to write more per day more fluidly, which feels amazing. The first half of a book is always the slowest part for me because I’m constantly double-checking plants and foreshadowing, setting things up for later, etc., so I probably end up spending double the time on the first half as I do the second. The second half is sort of the consequences of the first half, so whatever happens there should make sense with what I started with. The only thing I’m semi stuck on at the moment is the order of events for the later part of the book, but I’ll figure that out soon. Over the entire month, I netted 15,000 words, but do keep in mind that I was editing for the first week, so there is a lot of rewriting and tinkering mixed in.
Hopes for July
- Write 25,000 words
- Read 8 books
- Blog Weekly
- Monthly Newsletter
- Jury duty (UGH) and my birthday (meh)
- Post the cover reveal for The Reanimator’s Soul
- Prepare for the summer class I’m [probably] teaching
Kara Jorgensen 