Karen L. Mead

2025 was a pretty bad year for me; It was a bad year for a lot of people. I pretty much completely neglected my writing because I was dealing with several problems, including medical problems. Now that I’m doing better (**knock on wood**), it’s time to start creating again.

Last time I posted here, I was talking about writing the mermaid book I’ve been kicking around for years. I don’t know what it is about that book, but it’s like Kryptonite for my brain; I just can’t get past a certain part of it. I still think there’s potential for a really good book in there somewhere, but it’s just not coming out.

Given that mermaids have not been kind to me lately, I’m getting back to Demonic Cafe, Book 6 to be exact. I plan on Book 6 being the end of the series; it’s possible while I’m writing it that I’ll get an idea for more stories set in this world, but I think six books is a good length. I always saw the end of the series being when Cassie goes to college, whatever form that ends up taking.

The self-publishing world has changed a lot since I published The Problem with Black Magic waaaaaaaay back in 2012; now, it’s expected that self-published writers who want to be financially successful write multiple books a year; and here I am taking multi-year breaks between installments:). Apparently AI has changed how marketing works, but I know nothing about that and wish to continue knowing nothing about that. I don’t think I’m completely checking out of self-publishing– I hope I will eventually finish that darned mermaid book, for one thing– but I feel pretty far away from the whole writing culture nowadays. Assuming I can finish the two books I’m working on, I might start spending more time on graphic novel work, which is a very different beast.

Of course, it’s possible that sometime in the dead of February, a lightbulb will go off over my head and I’ll suddenly find the will and the discipline to write five books a year– who knows? Stranger things have happened.

Oh, one blog-centric thing I want to mention: I’m not writing any more book reviews, on this blog or on Goodreads. Public opinion has been kind of up in the air about whether or not authors publicly reviewing each others’ work is ethical, and in recent years, I see more and writers turning against it. So no more urban fantasy reviews for me; if I really get a yen to review that badly, I’ll make another Goodreads account or something. Secret Goodreads account!

Next time you hear from me, it should be either a preorder link or a cover reveal for Demonic Cafe Book Six, Please Pack Your Spells and Go. Unless something super-awesome and fascinating happens first.

Stay safe, everybody.