Writer Ramble #1

September 14, 2025September 14, 2025 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.

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.

What’s in the Works Right Now

June 18, 2023June 12, 2023 Kara Jorgensen1 Comment

I thought I would use this blog post as a way to update all of you on what I’m currently working on and when it should be coming out, especially since I forget to update the WIP page… sorry. Some of it also isn’t super quantifiable, so it’s hard to toss it up there with percentages of done-ness. Mostly, I just forget it exists. I blather a lot about this stuff on Twitter, but the algorithm there bites and a lot of people have left. If you have already seen all this info, then you are free to go, as I say to my students.

The Reanimator’s Heart Audiobook

I am currently proofing the audiobook files, and by the time this post goes live, hopefully I will be done and on my way to approving the file and kicking it through the system. Because that approval process can take several weeks, I can’t give a clear date on when it’ll appear at your favorite audiobook retailer, but the hope is that by the end of the summer, the audiobook for The Reanimator’s Heart will be up at Audible, Kobo, Chirp, and all other major audiobook retailers. The narrator who worked on Kinship and Kindness, Jack R. R. Evans, is narrating TRH, and I think he’s done a really great job on it.

Estimated ETA: Summer 2023

The Cover Reveal for The Reanimator’s Soul

I’m currently working with Crowglass Design on the cover for book 2, The Reanimator’s Soul. My hope is to have the cover reveal in July as it should be done by then. At the time of writing this post, I haven’t seen the cover draft yet, but from what my designer has mentioned, I am super excited to see it finished. I think you all are going to like it.

EDIT 6/12: I saw the full draft of the cover, and it is GLORIOUS. Seriously, I am so excited to show it to all of you because it is *chef kiss* as it fits the story perfectly while still matching book 1 and looking amazing. The cover reveal will still probably happen in early July.

Estimated ETA: July 2023

The Reanimator’s Soul Book

I am hard at work on writing/finishing up The Reanimator’s Soul and it is still on track to be out October 24th. I recently redid the blurb for it to make it more specific/snazzy, which you can check out below. If you don’t remember the old one, good. It was too vague and dull, but I needed something for early marketing materials. Once I have the cover, I’ll talk more about specific things in the book (like tropes(?) and such). The paperbacks will be available for order about a week before October 24th, but you can preorder an ebook copy now. I will try to get the audiobook out in 2024, but that will depend on my narrator’s schedule.

An autistic necromancer, his undead lover, and the case that could destroy everything.

When a necromancer turns up dead, Oliver and Felipe think it will be the perfect, straightforward case for their new partnership. That is, until it leads them to a clinic promising a cure for magic, but they aren’t the only ones investigating the Institute for the Betterment of the Soul. Oliver’s ex, Ansley, is in town, and he’s certain the clinic isn’t the paragon of righteousness it claims to be.

Forced to help Ansley infiltrate the institute, Oliver fears he is out of his depth in his work and in love as old wounds and bad habits resurface. But Oliver isn’t the only one struggling. Pulled between his cases, Oliver, and his daughter returning home for the summer, Felipe is drowning. Just when he thinks he finally has everything under control, a new reminder of his untimely demise threatens to throw his life into a tailspin once more.

Between festering wounds and secrets, Oliver and Felipe’s lives stand upon a knife’s edge. To face the evil lurking behind the clinic’s genteel smiles, they must stand together or face the destruction of the place they call home.
-the new blurb for The Reanimator’s Soul

ETA: October 24th, 2023

2024 Things

Trousers and Trouble (aka Paranormal Society book 2)

This is sort of a prequel book about Bennett, Ruth, and their friend Rory. I haven’t forgotten about this book. It’s just been put to the backburner in order to work on the Reanimator Mysteries books. Unfortunately, writing is a business and I need to work on the thing that is selling better, and I have not felt super drawn to write it yet. I was going through some shit emotionally, and this book is meant to be about trans joy. I need to get back to that to do their story justice.

A Book of Companion Stories Set in the Paranormal Society/Reanimator Mysteries World

If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you have already received a copy of “Flowers and Flourishing” and “An Unexpected Valentine” as a thank you gift for subscribing. These stories along with several others will eventually be published as a companion novel/anthology. At this point, I don’t know how many works will be included or if it will be out 2024 or 2025 because publication will depend on me getting distracted and writing random side stories. My hope is to have at least a few more side stories with Oliver and Felipe as well as other novellas involving side characters who work at the Paranormal Society.

The Reanimator Mysteries Book 3

My hope is to have one reanimator book out a year, probably in the fall since they’re sort of spooky books. With the goth vibe, October seems like a good idea, so my plan is that book 3 will come out October, 2024. I will not comment on what it’s about, but I have quite a few ideas. All-in-all, I think there will be at least 4 Reanimator Mysteries books, so this one will not be the last we hear of Felipe and Oliver.