Author Archive

Positive Anxiety and Writing

Posted: January 17, 2026 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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Nobody likes feeling anxiety. The tightening chest, the quickening heartbeat, the cold sweat and the panicky thoughts. It makes us dread the future and even the present. You look anywhere online, you’ll find numerous articles about how to combat anxiety that range from medication to breathing exercises to a variety of cognitive exercises. And in our crazy world, there’s never been a higher need for those combat tools.

But what if I told you there’s a form of anxiety that’s good for you? A form of anxiety that helps you?

A growing body of research suggests that we might be looking at anxiety all wrong. Rather than treating everyday anxiety as a disease or a problem, as we’ve been doing for decades, we need to see how anxiety can positively affect us. Known as “positive anxiety” or “good anxiety,” this anxiety helps us in our daily lives. According to the articles I read (which I will link to below), anxiety reminds us of uncertainties in the future, how those uncertainties can affect us, and to plan how to deal with them.

In other words, anxiety can give you a to-do list against unknowns and negative scenarios, and even increase your productivity as part of dealing with those unknowns.

Now, I’m not saying all anxiety is positive. Anxiety disorders, which are when constant or reoccurring anxiety impairs your life and makes it hard to function (like what I’ve had since 2018), are serious medical diseases and should be treated accordingly. I know my GAD improved dramatically with medication, coping techniques, and talking therapy. And with anxiety being a daily occurrence, we all could use ways to cope, including avoiding sources of anxiety.

However, emotional regulation isn’t about avoidance or immediate pacification. Instead, it’s about feeling/recognizing your emotions, and engaging with them in a healthy manner. And using anxiety to motivate you, rather than paralyze you or force you into a safe zone, sounds like healthy engagement to me.

So, why am I bringing all this up? Because I’ve been feeling positive anxiety on a more frequent basis. With the pitch sessions back in June; with phone meetings with some of the people I pitched to; and when I’m about to start a big project. I felt it most recently when I had a couple of stories to edit. Overall, the beta readers liked the stories, but they had a lot of notes. And that kind of made me anxious. Would I be able to incorporate that feedback? Would I be able to bring out the full potential of these stories before I started shopping them around?

Rather than run away (AKA never work on those stories again), I decided to start small. At least get started on the projects and see what I can do, I thought. Then, if it goes well, keep going. Lo and behold, that worked and I was able to get started on the edits. And while I’m not sure any of the stories are as good as they could be, they’re definitely at a point where I wouldn’t mind sending them out to publishers.

And when I was doing the pitch sessions, I felt anxious, but I didn’t let that take control. Instead, I started making plans. I did research on all the agents/editors accepting pitches, learned from others what the pitches were like and what to expect, and practiced several times. And while I’m still working on finding The Shape of Evil a home, I’m happy to say that I made great progress on that front because of the pitch sessions and and the prep I did for them.

Anxiety can sometimes work with your writing career, rather than against it.

So as it turns out, anxiety can be a help when it comes to writing. It can also be a hindrance, no doubt (so many writers I know deal with mental health struggles, same as me). But we can use it motivate, plan, and accomplish our goals. How do we do that?

Well, first off, if you feel anxiety, take a deep breath (that really does work). And if the anxiety is negatively impacting your life, discuss it with a medical or psychological professional. Believe me, therapy and medication can work. But after those steps, do the following:

  • Identify what’s giving you anxiety. Is it starting a project? Trying to get it published? Once you figure it out, you can work on the next steps:
  • Figure out what you ultimately want to do. If you want to move forward, you need to state your goal.
  • Make a plan with steps on how to accomplish your goals. I would recommend doing that with any goal, but doing that to help with anxiety works. Especially if you factor in balancing your mental health with breaks and whatnot. And finally:
  • Go and do the thing. Once you get it done, your anxiety will become a thing of the past, and it’ll be easier to repeat the tasks that give you anxiety in the future.

Anxiety can be rough. But there are benefits to anxiety, and if you figure out how to use anxiety to your advantage, it can help you reach your goals. Just don’t neglect your mental health if you seriously need to care for yourself. After all, the most important thing is that you’re able to function and enjoy life to the fullest. Everything beyond that is just to enhance your enjoyment of that life.

Sources:
How we misunderstand anxiety and miss out on its benefits, University of California
Good Anxiety Does Exist. Here’s How You Can Benefit From It, NPR

Can People Not Behave at the Theater Anymore?

Posted: January 11, 2026 in Living and Life, Reflections
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I don’t usually do this. I usually try to keep my focus on this blog towards writing, horror, and my career. But as many of you know, occasionally things build up and at some point I need to vent. This is one of those posts. So strap in for another PSA bordering on a rant.

And this time we’re talking about: do people think the theater is their living room?

I go to the theater a lot. Not just the movie theater, but ballets and touring Broadway shows, too. And it just amazes me how few people know how to behave in such a setting! They seem to think that because they paid money to see this, they can act like they’re at home and use their voice at full volume or check their phone.

Yesterday, my mom and I went to go see Back to the Future‘s musical adaptation while it was here in Columbus (yes, there’s a musical adaptation of Back to the Future, and we enjoyed it). And the woman sitting next to me kept having conversations with whom I assume to be her adult daughter during the show. About the actors, their thoughts at the moment, about whatever. And they would do it at a volume you would reserve for your own home.

They would stop talking for a little while and I would be able to calm down enough, but I very nearly did snap and ask them to stop talking. The only reason I didn’t was because we were near the end of the show when I reached my breaking point, so I didn’t see the benefit of doing so.

No talking during the show, please! This isn’t your living room, after all! Photo by Rainaly Gonzalez on Pexels.com

Sadly, this hasn’t been a one-time thing. When I’ve gone to the theater, I’ve been seated near people who seem to think a conversation during the movie or performance in a normal tone of voice was perfectly fine. You know, instead of not talking and, if you have to talk, only doing it in a whisper, which you’re supposed to do!

Add in the people who get out their phones to text or check Instagram during a show, or who bring their small children to the show and are totally surprised when the kids can’t handle it (and I’ve written about that before, you can check here if you want to read that post), and you can see why I need to post about this!

In fact, I have posted about this! Last night, I posted about this on my social media, and the month before I posted about bringing small children to shows they’re not prepared for.* Both posts have blown up, and many people have replied talking about their own experiences with theatergoers who had no idea on how to behave in the theater. And some of these experiences have even gone viral: just recently, a man lost his temper at a bunch of women in front of him who were singing along during a performance of Mamma Mia, which lead to the women getting kicked out (you can see a news report about it here).

And who could forget Lauren Boebert getting kicked out of Beetlejuice because she was vaping and getting handsy with her boyfriend during the show? (Honestly, how did that woman become a congresswoman? She’s seven years older than me, but acts like a drunk 17-year-old on the best of days!)

So what’s causing this? I don’t know. It could be any number of things, or it could be that people just never were taught theater etiquette. Whatever the reason, here’s a quick reminder of theater rules for those who need it:

  • When the lights go down, kindly shut up. It’s that simple. Remember, everyone here paid a lot for these tickets, just like you did. And everybody paid to watch and listen to the actors, not to you. So, when the theater’s dark, if you have to talk, do it sparingly and in a whisper, if at all. Otherwise, reserve your voice for the appropriate moments of cheering and laughing.
  • Put your phones on silent or vibrate, and only check them during intermission. Yes, we see you checking your texts and Instagram. Yes, your screen is distracting. And yes, it is going to happen to you if you leave your ringer on, so better just be safe than sorry. Also, save the photographs and the videography for the bows or for special moments when it’s allowed. Seriously, the companies don’t put out that message for their health. Flashes are distracting, and recordings actually cut into show profits.
  • Know your kid before taking them. I know we all want our kids to have special experiences, but making sure they can handle the theater is important. Just because they can handle a half hour TV show or a movie at home doesn’t mean they’re ready for the movie theater. And just because they can handle a movie theater doesn’t mean they’re ready for live performance. Even if you think they are, talk to them about theater etiquette before taking them, and take them out of the theater if they can’t handle it. Especially if the show you want to take them to doesn’t have special performances for school groups or families that are designed with antsy kids in mind (yes, those exist. See if anyone local to you does them).
    And if your kid isn’t ready, hire a babysitter! Trust me, with the price you’re paying for some of these shows, you can afford it. And if you can’t stand to be separated from your child, then don’t go! Parenthood is about sacrifice. Perhaps a night out at the theater will have to be a sacrifice.
  • Finally, do some research before you go! Movies have ratings, and theaters and plays often have age recommendations and content warnings on their websites. But it seems some people still pay for tickets and are surprised when they come and find out the show is a bit spicier than they thought. This is especially true with live theater: people seem to think that Broadway hasn’t evolved since Sound of Music, and are shocked when they get to the theater and find it full of swearing and sex jokes (Book of Mormon, Beetlejuice), lots of suggestive content (Moulin Rouge), and/or serial murder (Sweeney Todd). And just imagine how awkward it is for the parents who bring their kids to these shows!
    So please, do your research before you go! Make sure the show is right for you and yours before purchasing tickets. Otherwise, you’ll take your eight year old to Heathers the Musical and you’ll both be traumatized by the bullying, murders disguised as suicides, and characters attempting suicide!
Just because a show doesn’t come with a rating doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for all ages.

And if someone nearby won’t behave, grab an usher. That’s what they’re there for! They can speak to the offenders and, if nothing gets fixed, have security escort them out. It’s that simple.

Look, I know there are a lot bigger problems I could be ranting about. Believe me, I pay attention to the news. But I go to movies and the theater for the experience and for self-care purposes. And it’s very hard to enjoy myself and heal when I have to deal with other people who can’t practice common courtesy for others. So please, the next time you’re at the movies or a live performance, think about all the other people in the audience with you. If you do, you may find that you can still have fun at the theater without disturbing other patrons.

Thank you.

*I went to see SIX the Musical last month, and someone brought their four year old to the show. The kid started screaming bloody murder about two-thirds of the way through and had to be taken out. Saw that kid before and after the show, and I could tell there was no way they were ready for the theater. Though what their parents were thinking, bringing their kid to a show which includes dick jokes and a song about how one of Henry VIII’s wives was groomed and raped her whole life, I have no idea.

The Plan (So Far, Anyway)

Posted: January 5, 2026 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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This is what I look like when I’m editing.

So, we’re five days into the new year, and it already feels like it’s been super long and way harsher than it has any right to be. But that’s beside the point. What is the point is that we’re already five days into the new year, and I’m already hard at work on achieving my goals. And one of those goals is to get as many stories published this year as possible.

With that in mind, I’ve been continuing with the Second Great Editing, which has been going on for so long, I don’t even remember when it started. Only at this point, most of the stories have been looked over by or are with beta and alpha readers. Even the one I’m working on now, a novella about killer fairies, will be sent off to a beta reader once I’m finished with its third draft. And after that, it’s just a matter of incorporating beta reader feedback into the stories and either sending them out or keeping them on hand for future collections.

And so far, this plan has been going great. I’ve already sent off two stories. I’ve got one article waiting for the submission period of a certain magazine to open before I send it off. I have a beta reader who agreed to read the killer fairies story once I’m done with that, and three stories with reader notes to edit after that. Plus, I should be hearing back from another reader with their notes on a story for an anthology call in the next ten days or so.

But, you know, this is life we’re living in. And as they say, “man plans and God laughs.” That phrase applies to me, even if I’m only human in my outer form. And God, or whatever rules this universe, doesn’t just laugh; He/She/They throw curveballs that throw your whole life into chaos. Often the curveballs are somewhat ironic in nature.

Anyway, the point is, this is the plan for now. But who knows what’ll happen in the next several weeks? Two of the stories I wrote in 2025 were written last minute, upsetting all my plans, because there was a call and I HAD TO PARTICIPATE. Even if I only have an infinitesimal chance of getting into one of them, I had to participate. One of those stories is already submitted, and the other is the one that should be returned to me by the reader soon.

Who’s to say that another one of those calls won’t pop up and I’ll feel the overwhelming need to participate?

You never know when one of these are going to come and rock your life.

Or maybe I’ll get some piece of news, good or bad, but it’s so big, it makes me juggle my priorities. Maybe writing related, or work related, or homeowner related. Who knows? Only the force or entity running the universe. And as cosmic horror often points out, sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.

But for now, this is what I’m working on. And I’m looking forward to seeing how many of the stories I’m editing I’ll be able to get published this year.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I just wanted to give you guys an update on what I’m doing lately before things get too crazy. I hope soon I’ll be able to share with you some good news. Until then, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Events in 2026

Posted: January 3, 2026 in Living and Life
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Happy New Year, my Followers of Fear! It’s 2026, and that probably means that nothing is going to change and things are going to be exactly the same as they were a few days ago. Hey, I’m a horror writer. I have to look on the dark side of things.

But there is one thing to look forward to: new events in 2026! While I will probably be scaling back the number of events I’ll attend this year (don’t blame me, blame the economy and those who made it this bad), I will attend a few. Most of them as a vendor. And in case any of you wonderful humans might be in the area and would like to see me in person, here are the events I will be attending.

First, I will be at Akronomicon next month on Saturday, February 7, 2026 from 10 AM – 6 PM at the Emidio Expo Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. I will be signing books and doing Tarot card readings. This is a fun horror convention, with plenty of cool booths from horror memorabilia to independent studio films and actors to even taxidermy, and they even have celebrity guests! So if your interest is piqued, please consider coming. You can find out more on the convention’s Facebook page.

Skip forward a couple of months, and I will be at the 4th Annual Indie Book Bash on Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 1 PM – 7 PM. It will occur at New Leaf Event Center in Conneaut, Ohio. Like before, I will be signing books and doing Tarot card readings. (And get this: technically, this event center is owned by a Methodist church, but they don’t police what kind of events or vendors can set up there based on their religious beliefs. So, guess who’s wearing his shirt about summoning demons if the weather’s nice enough?). This is a big event, hosted by Pretty Good Books and Chelsea Banning, whom I’ve interviewed on this blog before. You can find out more, just like with Akronomicon, on the event’s Facebook page.

And finally, I will be at StokerCon at the Westin Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from June 4-7. As you know, StokerCon is the big horror writers convention. There are panels, a short film festival, an awards banquet, and all sorts of opportunities to network/make friends/discover new reads/etc. I will be there as just a regular guest, though there’s a chance I’ll find a chance to sell some books. And if I can, I’ll be on a few panels, too. Anyway, if you want to learn more, you can check out the website. And if you want to grab tickets, you can buy them here.

And that’s all for now. I’ll update you with any new events that pop up. In the meantime, I’ll try not to inundate you with reminders (though I will mention them right before the events). In the meantime, if you’re looking for a good scary story to read or you would like to support me, I have plenty to offer. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have something for every horror fan, so why not check one of them out? I’ll leave the link to my books page below.

And if you like what you read, please leave a review online so I know what you thought. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and your fellow readers out in the long run.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares. I’ll be back before long.

Rami Ungar’s Books

Writing, Loneliness, and the Community That Lifts Me Up

Posted: December 30, 2025 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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Writing is a lonely occupation at times. If any of you write, you know this. We lock ourselves up in our rooms or offices and spend hours with our imaginations. Sometimes, we go hours or even days without direct interaction with another person. In fact, the loneliness can get so bad, there was a whole panel about it at StokerCon earlier this year. I believe one of the panelists on that panel started an online meetup group so members of the community can get regular interaction.

And that’s the thing: while writing is a lonely endeavor, there can be a lot of people around you who make writing a little less lonely. Not only that, but the help they can provide in your career can make all the difference!

As you might know, I’m working on a lot of projects right now. This includes an essay or paper on the intersection of ballet and horror (come on, you know my interests!). And I was hoping to submit it to a particular publication once I’d edited it. Unfortunately, after taking another look at the guidelines, I realized that I would have to cut about thirty-five hundred words to submit it there. Needless to say, that wasn’t happening.

Instead, I posted to my social media about the situation. And within an hour, I had responses from some of my writing friends for potential venues. One of them, I’ll try submitting to in spring (and I may only need to cut 500 words. Much more doable).

And as many of you remember, a writing friend of mine, Matt Mason, passed away a little over a month ago. Matt created a whole community online, Horror Writers Chat, and the following Wednesday, during our weekly meet up, we all got together and dedicated the meetup to his memory. Afterwards, one of the members, who owns his own press, announced he was doing a charity anthology in Matt’s memory, with the deadline to submit a story to it at 11:59 PM on New Year’s Eve (AKA tomorrow).

Naturally, I wanted to submit something. So, I wrote up something, and a fellow member of Horror Writers Chat was kind enough to read it and provide feedback. She got back to me within a day, and I sent in the story after going over it one more time and considering her feedback. She sent me a copy of her submission, and I’m going to read it ASAP. (Don’t worry, she’s already submitted her piece; I’m just going to read it.)

Having this community is so wonderful. Photo by Dio Hasbi Saniskoro on Pexels.com

Working with my fellow Horror Writers Chat participants for this anthology for Matt was kind of healing. But more than that, just meeting every Wednesday online and participating in Horror Writers Chat can be so healing. Even with Matt gone, it’s still going on. We’re still discussing horror and writing, and we’re still cheering each other on. It’s a warm feeling, and even though I’ve never met any of these people in person, I don’t feel alone when I’m with them.

If I don’t make it into the anthology, I won’t be sad (though I do hope I get in). Because I know these people are going to be there one way or the other, and that we’ll continue to discuss writing and horror far into the future.

And there are just so many other instances I want to mention, quite a few of them from this month! And it’s been wonderful. Because when it’s been tough to get the words out, or work’s been driving me crazy, or I just feel like I’m not making the progress I should be, everyone’s here. My fellow writers (some of whom are Followers of Fear as well). Helping me. Supporting me. Like a thousand hands, giving me hugs while carrying me forward.

And as we move forward into 2026 (and who knows what hell that comes with it), I’m going to need these hugs and hands carrying me forward. Pushing back against the loneliness of writing and helping me reach for my goals.

Happy New Year, everyone.

So, if you’re a Follower of Fear, a fellow writer, or both, thank you. You guys make working through my struggles, the dark grey winter, and everything else that much easier. And I hope I never forget the gratitude I feel for you all.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m heading to bed and tomorrow I’m going to enjoy New Year’s. I’ll see you all in 2026. Until then, good night and pleasant nightmares.

“Hannah and Other Stories:” Three Months Since Re-Release!!!

Posted: December 23, 2025 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Hello, my Followers of Fear. Are you enjoying your holiday season?

Right now, it’s December 23rd, 2025, which means a couple of things. One is that Christmas is in a few days. Another is that today is the parody holiday of Festivus. You know, for the rest of us? And third, and most importantly for the post, it’s the three-month anniversary of the re-release of Hannah and Other Stories!

Now, in case you somehow missed my constant mentions of this particular book (in which case, there is no escape! Except your fate, my dear Followers of Fear!), Hannah and Other Stories is a collection of seven stories I originally released with a publisher back in September 2023. The tales range across all types of horror, including extreme and cosmic, and include tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses (one of which is on the new cover). Sadly, the company who helped me publish Hannah in the first place decided not to renew our contract, and it went out of print late last year.

I decided to re-release it on the two-year anniversary of its release, with a new cover and edit. I also took steps to put out a print edition, which didn’t happen the first time around (long story, don’t ask). Thus, we have this amazing book that came out (again) on September 23, 2025.

And since then, people have been slowly but surely picking up copies and reading it. I might have mentioned this in a previous post, but even a supervisor at work is reading Hannah, and so far, he’s really enjoying it! Plus, a few people here and there have left reviews, and the majority of them have been nothing but glowing. Which, after all this time working to get the book in paperback and then in people’s hands, is nice to see.

As to what happens next…hard to say. I would like to get Hannah, as well as Symphony for Walpurgis and The Wild Hunt, into audio format, but I would like to sell more copies of all of those before that happens. So, in the meantime, I think I’ll just keep posting about the books and trying to get more people to read them. Especially Hannah. Who knows? Perhaps at the six-month anniversary, I’ll have some good news to share.

In the meantime, if you would like to read Hannah and Other Stories, or if you’re still looking for a gift for the horror fan in your life this holiday season, I’ll include links below. And if you like what you read, please be sure to leave a rating or a review somewhere online. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers out in the long run.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and happy holidays. May whatever come down your chimney be welcome, rather than traumatizing.

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

On Hanukkah This Year and Fighting Back Against Erasure

Posted: December 21, 2025 in Living and Life, Reflections
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My menorah tonight on the eighth night of Hanukkah. The holiday for celebrating miracles and fighting against erasure.

As I’m writing this, it’s the eighth and final night of Hanukkah. And this Hanukkah has been different from all other Hanukkahs before.

If you weren’t aware, on Sunday, December 14, a menorah lighting ceremony was held at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, only to be interrupted by two gunmen, a father and son. They killed eighteen people before the father was taken down by a nearby bystander and then shot by police. The father is now dead, and the son is now in critical condition and under arrest.

I first found out when I woke up that Sunday morning. I turned on my phone, and there was a message in the family group chat from my dad. He and my stepmom have been in Australia since before Hanukkah, and they were just in Sydney a couple of days before. They assured us they were fine, and that they were in a different part of the country when it happened. I went and looked up what happened. My first reaction was horror, followed by relief that my dad and stepmom were okay, and then more horror.

I spent the rest of the day in something of a slump.

Within a day, however, my feelings had changed. I was angry, but also, I was defiant. Because I remembered something important about the holiday of Hanukkah: why we celebrate it in the first place.

For those unaware, the events that inspired Hanukkah occurred about one or two centuries before Jesus walked the Earth. The land of Judea was ruled over by Seleucid Empire, and the Seleucid ruler suddenly decided the Jews had to leave their religion and worship the Greek gods. Instead of complying, the Jews started a guerilla rebellion so that their religion and way of life wouldn’t be erased.

A war against erasure.

The Triumph of Judas Maccabeus by Peter Paul Rubens

The attack on August 14th was an act of erasure. The attackers were terrorists seeking to cow Jews and drive us into hiding, or make us too afraid to practice our religion. And while the only thing that’s been confirmed about their motives is that they pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, there’s a strong possibility they were also motivated by antisemitism masquerading as anti-Zionism. Just like the Seleucid Empire years ago, they were trying to destroy who we are by destroying lives and shedding blood.

They won’t succeed. Over the past week, I’ve heard from many Jews who won’t let themselves to be erased. I’ve seen posts about celebrating Hanukkah, Jewish identity, and explaining what Zionism is go viral online, including a few of mine.* I’ve read of world leaders and normal people issuing their condolences and support for the Jewish people and even the State of Israel (though they still criticize Netanyahu’s government, which I totally agree with). I’ve heard from so many non-Jewish friends who have checked in on me and let me know they’re thinking of me.

And I’ve felt a renewed pride in Jewish identity and culture. Not just from myself, but from others. Like this incident, as horrible as it is, has galvanized us. Made us think, “No, we don’t care how loud the anti-Semites and those who want Israel destroyed are! We will continue to exist! We will be Jewish! And if people want to destroy us or the country that was created for us, they can try. We’ll fight back.”

It’s the last night of Hanukkah. Tomorrow at sunset, the holiday will end. But the holiday which started with such tragedy is ending with Jews embracing who they are and shouting it loudly to the world. And we will go forward not being afraid. We will stay vigilant and we will still keep security at our institutions, but we will not be afraid.

We are Jewish. We are proud. And we are not going away. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Like the Maccabees who fought against the Seleucid Empire, we will fight to keep from being erased. And next year, we will light the menorah with renewed pride, love, and determination. Maybe even on Bondi Beach, just to show how not scared we are. And if anyone tries to stop us?

Well, screw them. We fought a war to keep from being erased once. And while I doubt we’ll need to fight another one, we’re more than willing to fight if we need too. Have no doubt about that!

*I may talk about what Zionism is in a future post, but to put the philosophy simply, it’s the belief that the Jews should have a nation of their own where they can exist, defend themselves, and determine their own fate. Preferably, that land should be in the Holy Land of Israel, also called Zion, where the Jews have had a continuing presence since centuries before Jesus existed, and continue to have a presence today.

It’s not a genocidal neo-Nazi death cult, which makes absolutely no sense (Nazis hate Jews!). That’s all, and I’m not taking and questions or criticism at this time, thank you very much. Like I said, that might be another post.

Review: “Moan” by Junji Ito

Posted: December 16, 2025 in Review, Scary Stuff
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Junji Ito collections, with the exceptions of masterpieces like Remina or Uzumaki, usually rate a 3.8 out of 5 from me. There’s usually some good ones, but the bad ones can really bring down the score of the collection. And with Ito himself admitting in his last collection that as more time goes on, the more he’s scraping the bottom of the imagination barrel, I was braced for a collection full of duds.

In Moan, Ito-sensei gives us four stories of around 60 pages or so, and two shorter ones of about 10-15. And what do you know? This time around, the majority of the stories worked for me.

The first story, “Supernatural Transfer Student,” is fun and imaginative. A small town high school gets a new transfer student, who immediately joins the Supernatural Studies club, which has some possibly-real, possibly-fake psychics. Suddenly, the town is full of weird phenomena right up the club’s alley, and the new kid might be causing it. It’s visually enjoyable and escalates nicely, so I enjoyed it.

The titular story, “Moan,” is about a family whose mother is obsessed with cleanliness to the point of neurotic. When a murder occurs in their home, things start getting weird and a moaning noise comes out of the pipes. Is it the spirit of the murder victim? Or is something else going on here? There’s a sense of claustrophobia and spiraling madness in this story, and the climax is very terrifying. The story ends a bit too abruptly to me, but I attribute that to manga publishers having a limited page count (still would have liked ten more pages to give the story a proper ending). Other than that, the story is chef’s kiss levels of good.

“Blood Orb Grove” is a tale of vampirism that has an interesting twist on the lore of vampires. It’s good, but there’s a bit too much talking and needless info-dumping in the climax. Meanwhile, “Flesh-Colored Mystery” is a great and imaginative story about how much someone’s beauty standards can mess up the lives of others around them. It’s visually creepy and the themes of beauty and abuse really resonate. Perhaps the ending for this one is also a bit too abrupt, but I still enjoyed it.

The fifth story, “Near Miss,” is very short and unimaginative, and is honestly the low point of the collection. However, the last story, “Under the Ground,” makes up for it with an engaging story that has a predictable, but still very well done, twist at the end.

All in all, I really liked Junji Ito’s Moan. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving it a 4.5, much higher than the usual score. There’s some great stories here, and they’re all done with Ito-sensei’s iconic art style. Hell, some like “Moan” or “Blood Orb Grove” might make for great movies, so long as they were live action (at this point, I’m convinced you can’t make a good animated Junji Ito adaptation). Just avoid the fifth story in the collection, and you won’t regret reading it.

Looking Back at 2025, Looking Forward to 2026

Posted: December 14, 2025 in Living and Life, Reflections
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Well, here we are again, my Followers of Fear. 2025 is nearing its inevitable death, so I’m doing my annual review post. And can I just say, good fucking riddance? This year was fucking rough! How rough, you ask? Well, I would say the amount of swearing I do on a daily basis, as well as much I swear above a whisper or in mixed company, has risen by at least 100%. That rough!

I’m not even going to go into the negative current events of the last year, like I usually do. Because let’s face it, it’s been pretty awful.

And my personal life has had its fair share of troubles. Back in spring, some idiot hit their car with mine, totaling it. Even after their insurance company accepted fault and paid off the value of the car, I still had to pay off the rest of the loan and shell out for a rental! Add in buying a new car, plus the money I lost from the botched trip to Israel, and my finances took a hit I’m still recovering from.

Work was also really stressful. At my company, we were told to go back into the office five days a week, and like the return to three days in office in 2024, it caused my office’s workload to stay three times higher than previous years. Even now, when the workload has gone down again, we’re still dealing with a lot of people angry they can’t work from home (among other things).

Add in a few other things, and it’s no wonder I can’t wait to kick 2025 goodbye. At least it’s keeping my therapist employed.

But you know, 2025 wasn’t all bad. On the current events side, a peace deal was finally struck in Israel, and while there’s still a lot of work to be done, it’s still progress. Plus, here in the US, there has been a tide to fight back against the wave of fascism and authoritarianism that’s sweeping the country. There have been protests and victories in court and even election wins! Again, a lot of work that has to be done, but it’s still progress. Plus, around the world, there were all sorts of victories for democracy, LGBT rights, diversity, and more.

On a personal note, I had my good moments. In my writing career, I got to pitch The Shape of Evil to agents and publishers (and I’m still working towards getting that published, but progress has been made); I broke my personal record for most books sold at an event twice; I published one new book and a few articles, and re-released Hannah and a short story; I wrote and edited a bunch of stories I have high hopes for; and financially, this was my best year since I started keeping track.

Me and my fellow Ohio horror writers at StokerCon this year. Yeah, StokerCon was a definite highlight this year. And not just because of the successful pitch session.

Closer to home, my health has been doing well and work has gotten easier in some respects. I’ve had some wonderful experiences and met some great people. I’m working out more, seeing new places, and hanging out with people I like. I’ve been consistently studying my Hebrew, so whenever I do get to go back to Israel, I should be able to survive. Maybe 2025 wasn’t all bad.

Still glad to see the year change, though.

Now, as for 2026…well, I’m not getting my hopes up too high. Tarot card readings and hopes aside, it’s likely to be another rough year. Still, I’m going to aim for the sky. I’m going to try to get as many stories as possible written, edited, and published, and while I’ll scale back the number of events I’ll attend, I’ll still try to have a great time and get books to good homes. I don’t know if I’ll finally get to the point where I can write full time, but I’ll certainly get closer.

And in my personal life, I’ll hopefully be able to continue to improve health-wise and get my financials to recover. And who knows? Maybe work will finally calm down. Maybe the world stage will be kinder and a lot of what’s plaguing humanity and the Earth will be solved. Maybe we’ll get rid of those tariffs? Any or all of those would be nice.

I guess we’ll just have to take it one day at a time. And with a bit of bravery and a bit of luck, maybe 2026 will be a better year than 2025 ever was.

How was your 2025? Any hopes or plans for 2026? Let’s discuss.

One more thing, my Followers of Fear: we’re still in the holiday season. And if you’re looking for some Christmas horror to read, check out “The Wild Hunt,” one of the stories I re-released this year. Two sisters run away on Christmas Eve and encounter something within a blizzard. It’s a supernatural tale that you can read in one sitting and is perfect for the season. I’ll leave links below.

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

And if you’re looking for some horror for yourself, or a gift for a loved one, or you just want to support me, know that I have plenty of stories available. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and flesh-eating horses, I’ve got something for every horror fan (including some free stuff). I’ll leave a link to my books page below.

Rami’s Books Page

And if you like what you read, please leave a review online. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers out in the long run.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Here’s hoping what’s left of 2025 is easy on us. And until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Review: “Wake Up and Open Your Eyes” by Clay McLeod Chapman

Posted: December 7, 2025 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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“This book is perfect for your conservative relatives. Especially at Thanksgiving.” This is the description I got of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman, a satirical horror novel about a demonic apocalypse. With a description like that, I was intrigued. And this past Thanksgiving, I started the audio book.

To which I say, “Woo-boy? What did I get myself into?”

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes starts with Noah Fairchild, who goes from his home in Brooklyn to check on his estranged parents after his mother leaves a strange, conspiracy-filled message in his voicemail and then doesn’t pick up. When he gets down there, he finds his parents seemingly brainwashed into dementia by their conservative news shows. However, it’s actually the beginning of the apocalypse. And the demons are possessing people through their devices. And what they choose to consume through their devices.

As I said, this is a satirical horror novel, so there are plenty of funny moments that made me laugh out loud. One of the main sources of possession is a parody of Fox News, and it’s so thinly disguised, you can tell immediately which anchor is getting made fun of. In the final third of the novel, the story is actually narrated by a fictional version of a real life news anchor, only he’s a hallucination living in a character’s head to help them process these events!* And even in the apocalypse, people are posting videos to YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, as if they need to share their most intimate moments to make them real.

However, this is a horror novel, and it gets horrifying! The demon-possessed do some seriously fucked up shit when they take over people, and a lot of it is described in excruciating detail. The amount of body horror and gross out elements even borders on extreme horror, so it can be uncomfortable at times (I just barely tolerated it).

Still, it is hard to put down. While at first I could only listen to it in small doses, over time I got so hooked, I listened whenever I could. And the ending, while some may hate it, is definitely quite fitting for such a bleak horror novel.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman a 4.5. It’s bleak, horrifying, and pokes plenty of fun at a nation/world/species that is willing to give up its thinking faculties and let a talking head on a screen do the thinking for you (not just conservatives; liberals and everyone else, too). If you have a strong stomach and are at all interested, give it a read. You may never be able to look at cable news, wellness gurus, or even “Baby Shark” the same ever again, but it might just be worth it.

*And can I say, I find it so bold to put real, living figures in your stories, using their real names? I’ve read a few stories like this, such as Shoeless Joe featuring JD Salinger, or a story by Jonathan Maberry where Kevin Hart and Kelly Clarkson, among others, make an appearance. And ever time, I marvel. I know it’s kind of allowed if they’re a public figure and it’s either parody or their fictional selves are acting in a way that would correlate with their real selves. But still, it’s not something I would consider doing (especially when I put real figures in my stories as a form of punishment for real life bad acts). I would be too worried about getting sued!

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