Oh, The Joys of the Process

Posted: November 13, 2026 in Reflections, Writing
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So Wednesday this week, I had the day off, and I spent nearly the entire day writing. I finished a short story, and then I edited another short story before submitting it to an anthology call. It took several hours, I got through at least three or four albums from two different artists (BABYMETAL for the first story and Robert Johnson for the second, if you’re curious), and by the end, I felt like I’d done an intense, two-hour workout.

But you know what else? More than exhausted, I felt extremely satisfied.

People who don’t write think of writers, and they may think of glittering parties where writers stand around talking about books while sipping champagne. Really, I only do that once a year, on the last night of StokerCon. Most of the time, I’m just writing and editing and trying to get people to read what I have out there. And while I’m not sure any of us enjoy the marketing (except when it works), I definitely enjoy the work. I enjoy seeing the story fill up the page. I love the idea of spending my days just working on stories. In fact, when I daydream of writing full time, I see myself working on stories like that all day.

Are you surprised I felt so happy yesterday? It was like a preview of what I might be doing in the future!

It helped that, with these latest short stories, I was getting better. I could honestly see the improvement in my storytelling skills with these last couple of stories. With the one I finished yesterday, I figured out some new ways to engage the reader’s five senses and give them insight into the characters’ emotional states. They just occurred to me while I was working on the story.

And that’s another joy that comes from the writing process. Just seeing the improvement. Just seeing the proof that you’re getting better and getting closer to the writer you want to be. That’s special, and I’m so happy to see it happen with these latest stories.

I wish more people understood that. The other day, I saw someone on social media claiming that AI had totally transformed their “writing” output. They lamented that before AI, they spent eighty percent on the process, only twenty percent on thinking up new ideas. (And now, they spend ninety-nine percent of the time doing nothing, and one percent typing in prompts.)

And I’m just seeing that post, and I’m like, “What did you think writing was?”

My writing space, soon after I moved into my condo back in 2022. (I should take an updated photo.) I hope someday to work fulltime in a space like this.

Because writing is that process. Ideas are only a small part of that. Anyone can have an idea. But to spend the time actually bringing the idea to life? To devote yourself entirely to the hard work, and watching yourself develop skill and style? To seeing the improvement manifest midway through the project and feeling that glow of pride when you know you did that? You made that happen?

That’s what differentiates the people who become writers from those who just dream of being writers. That practice, and the willingness to engage in the practice. And I wish the people who just want to skip over to the prestige of calling themselves an artist understood that better. (Especially since they seem to think that relying on a computer that takes stolen material and spits out crap that all sounds the same is somehow artistry.)

Well, in the meantime, I’ll enjoy the process when I can. And maybe someday, I’ll be able to do it every day, from nine in the morning till four or five in the afternoon. Right now, I can’t think of anything that could be more lovely.

Do you enjoy the process of writing, Followers of Fear? What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the process?

Contacting Spirits at a Friend’s House

Posted: November 2, 2026 in Scary Stuff
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October may have ended, but the spookiness never goes away.

So, my friend and colleague S. Alessandro Martinez invited me to his house for his birthday party. And because his birthday is November 1st, it also became a late Halloween party, with the theme of “1920s Spiritualism.” I RSVP’ed and dressed up again as Sweeney Todd (or his ghost), and grabbed my Tarot cards and dowsing rods. Hey, the theme was Spiritualism.

And it was a fun night. I did some Tarot readings, there was a potluck with good food and drink, and we all had some good conversation. Plus, Alessandro and his wife Erin invited a magician friend of theirs, who also billed himself as an occult aficionado, to put on a show for us. And it was really cool! Rather than your usual card tricks, he did some “mind reading” stuff, did this trick with his own Tarot deck where he guessed what card I was holding, and even put a nail up his nose. Yes, that happened. It was wild.

But that’s not the reason we have this blog post. The reason why is, afterwards, it came up that the house, which looks like something like a castle, might have a ghost or two. In particular, a woman named Roberta Shand who, in life, was a librarian with a very narrow definition of what “good literature” was. The other was Joseph Murphy, who had the house constructed. And since I had my dowsing rods, I decided to see if I could speak with any of the spirits.

And, because I need to get proof whenever I try a dowsing rod session, I had Erin film it with my phone. That video is below.

So, if you didn’t watch the video, here is a short summary: I was able to contact a spirit, but it wasn’t Roberta Shand or Joseph Murphy. Rather, it was someone who worked for the Murphy family, who died on the property, who lived in the carriage house behind the main house, and was an African American male.

Also, he likes Alessandro and Erin, despite their eccentricities. After all, one’s a horror author, and both are quite possibly vampires.

Honestly, I was pretty excited to do a dowsing rods session. It’d been forever and a half since I had done anything with the dowsing rods, so I was excited to get back into it. And, despite how long it had been, the rods went to work just like they had the last time I did a session. There was no rust or lag. That made me very happy.

So, what’s next? Well, Becky and Kim, whom you heard in the video and seemed familiar with the spirit who was contacting us, are going to look into who he might be. They work with the local historical society, so they’ll take a look when they have a chance. They’ll also see if what the spirit told us matches with what’s in the historical record, like he lived in the carriage house and died on the premises. If what the spirit matches what’s in the historical record, it’s just further proof that we contacted a real, bona fide spirit. And that it’s the spirit we thought it was.

Whatever happens, I will be sure to let you all know. It’s really fun to think that I possibly discovered a previously-unknown spirit haunting my friend’s house, and that I helped identify him.

Thank you Alessandro and Erin for letting me join you for Alessandro’s party and for giving me the opportunity to do some Tarot readings and contact the spirits. I hope you’ll let me do it again someday.

And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to have dinner, get ready for work tomorrow, and either fit in a movie or do some writing (I haven’t decided yet). Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Also, 363 days till next Halloween. Just saying.

Review: “Incarnate” by Alma Katsu

Posted: October 27, 2026 in Review, Scary Stuff
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Social media. Avatars. Influencers. AI. It’s everywhere these days, and although some of it does add something good to the world, most of it just makes things worse. (Especially influencers and AI). With that in mind, it’s no surprise that horror stories about them have started coming out. And one of those stories is the novel we are here to talk about today. What’s more, this novel is brought to you by Alma Katsu, who is a retired government intelligence and technology expert. So, you know she knows what she’s talking about.

Incarnate follows Dorothy, a talented computer programmer and VFX artist who has been hampered all her life by the knowledge that she isn’t one of the pretty and popular girls. While working for an up-and-coming VFX company in LA, she decides to create an avatar that is everything she isn’t: Isabella. Beautiful, charismatic, and almost impossible to tell that she is made entirely from pixels. When Dorothy starts posting pictures and videos of Isabella to social media, someone approaches her online and offers to make Isabella the biggest thing on social media. And from there, things take on a terrifying life of their own.

To put it mildly, this is a relatable novel. We’ve all seen before how things happen on the internet and take on a life of their own. One little mistake or decision, and suddenly a phenomenon occurs, with everyone and their cousin having an opinion and insisting the rest of the world heed it, no matter what. Things spiral out of control, and in the end, entire lives can be irrevocably changed. And I’ve noticed that with Alma Katsu’s horror stories, she focuses less on the fantastical or the monster, and more on how people react to the situations that happen to include the fantastical or the monster. So, between all that and her background, as well as meticulous research, it’s no wonder she wrote such a compelling story set in the world of social media, deepfakes, and internet culture.

I also found Dorothy to be a very relatable character. Despite the decisions she makes and the consequences of those decisions, I sympathize with her. She’s been wounded by the online world before, but she can’t leave it behind because that’s where her talents and passions lie. That’s something we can all understand to a degree. And her decision to create Isabella (who in my mind was portrayed by actress Aubrey Plaza) comes from a desire to create something meaningful and that will give her the attention she’s always wanted, rather than the attention she’s been given. For many creatives, that’s something we experience on a day-to-day basis.

I do have one complaint, and that’s that we only get so much information on whoever or whatever offered Dorothy the deal in the first place. And while I understand why we don’t see more of them (do we see all the factors that cause a viral trend or sensation at play IRL?), there’s clearly a mythology there I would have liked explored a bit more.

Nevertheless, Incarnate by Alma Katsu is a beautifully-written story with characters you can empathize with and a story that’s extremely relevant to us in the here and now. Plus, those last hundred pages or so really surprised me! On a scale of 1 to 5, I award this novel a well-deserved 4. Unplug from the Internet for a while, sit back with a copy, and dive right in. You won’t regret it.

Also, stay away from AI and random strangers whose identity you can’t verify offering to promote you or your work. Just saying.

My Essay, “A Little Yard to Work In,” Has Been Published!!!

Posted: October 14, 2026 in Journalism, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Surprise, I have a new publication! And it’s a short essay.

So, if you’re unaware, the Horror Writers Association does a series of articles called Halloween Haunts every year. The articles are written by and contributed by members and can range in subjects from Halloween to horror writing to life in the HWA. It’s a great way for Halloween people to talk about their favorite holiday during the month of October.

And I’ve always wanted to contribute, but everything I thought to write about always seemed less than worthy for an article. So, I never tried. However, earlier in the month, Kevin Wetmore, a well-known figure in the HWA who is running Halloween Haunts this year, contacted me out of the blue and asked me to contribute! And yeah, that was cool, but I also didn’t think I was the right choice to submit an article. And I did let him know my worries regarding subject matter.

Still, he encouraged me, and I decided to at least try and think of something. And, to my surprise, a few hours after he messaged me, I had a great idea for an article.

That article is now published on the HWA website, and is linked through the button below. “A Little Yard to Work In” goes into the evolution of the Halloween displays I put up in my front yard. And while I wish I had put in some photos for the essay (a Halloween yard display is a visual thing, after all), I’m very proud of it. How could I not be? I get to share my love of creative yard displays for Halloween, after all.

Anyway, I would like to thank Kevin Wetmore for inviting me to contribute to Halloween Haunts this year. (Only the second time I’ve ever been invited to contribute to something, and the first time I’ve actually gotten in!) And I would like to thank you for (I’m assuming you are) reading the article. As always, I appreciate your support as I work hard to become a full time writer.

Until next time (which, who knows? Could be later this week or early next week), my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 17 days till Halloween! I’ll see you real soon.

In fact, I might be in your yard right now. Among your Halloween displays. Look outside, if you dare.

A Little Yard to Work In

“Crawler:” Halfway Through the First Draft!!!

Posted: October 7, 2026 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Praise Anubis, Osiris, and Amun-Ra! After four years, I have finally reached this point!

So, if you’re unaware, let me explain. Back in 2022, after I had moved into my current home and needed a project to work on, I started a mummy novel tentatively called Crawler. The plot followed a mummy on a rampage in a small Ohio town. I got about eight chapters into what was then thirty before I had to put the novel on the back burner and work on something else. I thought, at most, I would be leaving Crawler alone for a couple of weeks. Maybe a few months.

It was four years. Yeah, it was four years. I have no excuses. I just kept finding other things to work on, and I kept meaning to get back to it, but I just never did.

Until this year, that is. When I finally decided I would get back to the novel and finish it. And then in July, right around the time I started the novel four years ago, I started working on it again. I went over the chapters I originally wrote, updating them as I went. And then, after those were edited, I started on new material. New chapters. Some I inserted into the narrative on the spur of the moment, thus expanding the story from thirty to thirty-four chapters.

And despite how crazy my life gets, and several nights where I had to be a responsible adult and take care of things at home rather than write, and God knows what else, I have been making steady progress. And as of last night, I have finished seventeen chapters. Meaning, unless I add more chapters on the spur of the moment, I am officially halfway through Crawler.

Honestly, I am ecstatic about this. There were times when I thought this book would languish, unfinished, for years and years. And when I finally got back to it, and there were nights where I couldn’t work on it for one reason or another, I wondered what the hell I was doing. But, maybe because I’m so damned stubborn, I persisted with it. And now, half the book is written, rather than just eight chapters.

And damn, it’s a lot of material, too! At the time I’m writing it, the page count (8.5″x11″, double-spaced, twelve-point font, Times New Roman) is 204, and the word count is 55,845. To say the least, this book is going to be a real doorstopper when it’s done. As long as Snake or Symphony for Walpurgis when it’s done (and those are some chunky books). I hope that doesn’t scare off potential publishers!

But that’s far in the future. In the meantime, I’m going to take a short break from Crawler. (Don’t worry, I don’t plan to let it grow into another years-long break.) And during that break, I’m going to work on some shorter stuff, including an essay that a friend of mine inspired me to write and which I hope to submit later this month. After that, assuming there’s nothing stopping me, I’ll get back to Crawler and hopefully finish it up.

I look forward to the day when I can make that announcement.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m going to brew a cup of tea, read a little, and then hit the hay. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

This Year’s Halloween Yard Display

Posted: October 4, 2026 in Scary Stuff
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We’re in October. My favorite time of the year. In fact, I would argue it’s the real most wonderful time of the year, not Christmas (see my blog post about that here). And, now that we’re in October, my HOA lets me put up Halloween decorations in my yard!

So, without further ado, here is the my yard display for spooky season 2026.

Not bad, right? And if you can’t tell, the theme this year is “spiders.” That’s what’s covering all the characters. Well, except Lizzie Borden. But I include her because she’s kind of my favorite acquitted-murderess-turned-ghost. Not having her there would feel wrong.

Anyway, here are some close ups of my skeletons covered in spiders.

Yeah, I have a feeling that one spider by the porch is going to scare some delivery people. But what can I say? A little adrenaline rush is good for everyone.

And, of course, I made a silly little video about the yard, just like I did last year. Take a look.

Silly, right? But for some reason, it’s got over eleven hundred views on YouTube at the time of this writing. No idea why, but I’m glad people are enjoying it.

And, of course, I took a night shot of the yard. And it was spooky!

Ooh, I think I made myself shiver! And I’m glad it turned out so well. Honestly, one of the best parts of being a homeowner these past four years is being able to have a yard display. To customize it and even tell a story, even just a silly little one, in my yard. And the best part is, my neighbors love it, too! They may not read horror, let alone read anything by me, but several of them love to come by, check out what I’ve put up, and even take some photos.

And occasionally I scare their pants off, too. I had a ghost that hung on a pole and floated in the wind one year, and it scared people to pieces.

Which is kind of the whole point of this display, isn’t it?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed seeing my yard display this year. I’m going to enjoy having it up through the month. And I am looking forward to putting out my Jack-o-lantern on the 30th. In fact, I think I’ve just had an idea for what I will carve this year…

One more thing before I end the post, my Followers of Fear: today my horror writer friends and I had the event at Bite This by Annie, aka Columbus’s Goth bakery. And it was a blast! We enjoyed each other’s company, we enjoyed the sweets, and we got to sell some books. In fact, one person sold out of one book entirely (good for her)!

And this coming Saturday, me and my horror writer friends will be gathering at Sweets of Grace in Canal Winchester for more sweet treats and spooky reads! If you can stop by, it’s this Saturday, October 10th, 2026 from 11 AM – 6 PM at 60 E. Waterloo Street, Suite A, Canal Winchester, Ohio, 43110. However, you need to RSVP to go, so please do so on the website HERE.

And if you can’t stop by but would still like to support me (or you just need a spooky book to read), then why not check out my catalog of books? From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I got something for every reader, including some free stuff. You can check them out using the button below.

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

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m taking the rest of today to relax. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 27 days till Halloween!

Rami Ungar’s Books

“Hannah and Other Stories:” Three Years Since Release!!!

Posted: September 23, 2026 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Break out the good liquor! Dance around the bonfire in costume! Leave out meat for the carnivorous horses! We’re celebrating a book birthday today!

And as you can clearly see from all the little hints I’m dropping, the book in question is Hannah and Other Stories. That’s right, Hannah and Other Stories is officially three years old today.

Now, for those of you who don’t know, Hannah and Other Stories was first published by BSC Publishing Group on September 23, 2023. It’s a collection of seven short stories, including tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things. Yeah, carnivorous horses. Those tend to stick out in people’s minds. And people tend to stick in-between the horses’ teeth, but nobody wants to talk about that!

Anyway, originally it was released only as an ebook, and was out until the end of 2024, when BSC Publishing returned the rights to the book to me. On the second anniversary of Hannah‘s publication, September 2025, I independently re-released Hannah with a new cover, a new edit, and–get this!–a paperback edition! So, it’s not only the three-year anniversary of when Hannah and Other Stories was released, but the one-year anniversary of when the paperback edition was released.

Double the anniversary, double the liquor. Am I right?

Anyway, I’m happy to say that, since I re-released the book last year, lots of people have been checking it out and a few have even left ratings and reviews online. And from the sound of it, most seem to enjoy the book. Okay, one guy got triggered by what he read in the story “The Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah,” and left a zero-star rating on Goodreads (I didn’t know that was a thing until it happened), but still, he’s the outlier. The majority seem to like it.

And why not? I mean, here are the stories inside:

  • “Hannah:” Two paranormal investigators break into an abandoned school to go ghost-hunting, and discover way more than they bargained for.
  • “Queen Alice:” An investigative journalist looks into the newest urban legend from the internet, and discovers there may be more truth there than they previously believed.
  • “The Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah:” A teenage girl living in Paris is blackmailed by a university student living in her building to play a terrible game with him.
  • “Fuseli’s Horses:” A horse ranch in Ohio takes in some pregnant horses whose offspring are more than a little unusual.
  • “The Red Bursts:” A Jewish couple go to visit a family member who has dropped off the grid, and discover something otherworldly has occurred in the small Minnesota town she’s been living in.
  • “What Errour Awoke:” What started out as a reading from an old English fairy tale grows into something else as a grad student and his girlfriend encounter an ancient being and her offspring in the first year of a pandemic.
  • “Poor Unfortunate Souls:” A party in the Paris catacombs goes violently astray when a malformed monster gatecrashes the joint.

I mean, that all sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it?And get this: “Hannah” was actually adapted into a radio play back in 2024. Yeah, it was on the local NPR station and performed by some high school students. It was really awesome, especially for my first ever adapted story. You can still listen to it by clicking the below button if you want.

“Hannah” radio play

Anyway, my Followers of Fear, if this has made you want to read Hannah and Other Stories, then I’ll include links for where to buy it below (no surprise there). And why not? Not only is it an anniversary, but we’re thirty-eight days away from Halloween, so grabbing a copy for spooky season just makes sense. And if you like what you read, I hope you’ll leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback. And those reviews help not just me, but other readers, in the long run.

I guess that about wraps things up for now, my Followers of Fear. But I’ll hopefully have something new to post soon. Until then, good night, happy reading, and pleasant nightmares.

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

Upcoming Events in 2026

Posted: September 19, 2026 in Living and Life, Scary Stuff
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Well, as it turns out, I’ll be at a few more events before the year is mercifully over. And, in the hopes that some of you will be able to join me for these events, I am writing a post to let you know about them.

First, in one week from today (so count this as your pre-event reminder), BookBash Halloween will be happening in Ashtabula, Ohio! This bookish event will be happening on Saturday, September 26th, 2026 at 4102 Main Avenue in Ashtabula, and will be happening in two sessions. The first, from 11 AM – 3 PM, will be for children and families, and the second, from 6 PM – 9 PM, will be for more mature audiences. Obviously, I will be at the evening session. As I’ve said before, can you imagine me trying to sell Symphony for Walpurgis to an elementary school student? The trauma!

Anyway, I’ll be there with my books and my Tarot cards, so I hope you’ll join me there.

Then in October, we have some events that will be both spooky and sweet. First, on Sunday, October 4th, 2026, me and some of my friends from HWA Ohio will be teaming up with Bite This by Annie again! You might not remember, but me and my friends at HWA Ohio had a bit of a surprise event last year right around this time of year with Bite This by Annie, AKA The Spooky Bakery. It’s a goth-style bakery with a rotating menu and a love of horror, and we had a blast hanging out and helping readers find their next spooky read outside the bakery. Plus, you know how I am with my sweet tooth!

Anyway, we will be hanging out there on Sunday, October 4th, from 8 AM – 3 PM or until the bakery runs out of baked goods, whichever comes first. We’ll be in the bakery’s parking lot, which is located at 3009 North High Street in Columbus. We’ll be there to sell books and have a good time, and I hope you’ll stop by and see us after you’ve gotten some sweet treats for yourself.

Also, check out this flyer I made for the event. I’m really proud of it!

And finally, me and my friends will be teaming up with another bakery for what will likely be my last event of 2026. Only get this: the bakery is also a bookstore! On Saturday, October 10th, 2026, HWA Ohio is teaming up with Sweets of Grace in Canal Winchester, Ohio for a day of sweets and books! This place loves putting on author events with local authors, and we’re going to be their big spooky season event. If you want to get some good sweets (some of which can be made vegan, gluten-free, and low-sugar with advance request) and then find your October read, stop by the bakery at 60 East Waterloo Street in Canal Winchester from 11 AM – 6 PM.

Sadly, no poster or other artwork to help promote this event. Not yet, at least. But I hear that might come soon. When it does, I’ll be sure to post it on my social media.

Anyway, I hope you’ll be able to join me at one of these events. And if not but you would like to support me, or if you’re looking for a spooky story to read (especially with next month being October), why not check out one of my books? From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have something for every horror fan (including some free stuff). I’ll include a link to my Books page below.

And if you end up reading something of mine, be sure to leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Plus, your reviews help other readers as well.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to enjoy my Saturday. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 42 days till Halloween. In other words, six weeks. Are you prepared? If not, what are you doing with your life?

Rami Ungar’s Books & Stories

Review: “No One Heard Her Screams” by Ann O’Mara Heyward

Posted: September 16, 2026 in Review, Scary Stuff, short story
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Me holding my copy of “No One Heard Her Screams” after receiving it in the mail.

One of the best parts of being a writer is that I have gotten to meet and make friends out of many of my colleagues. For some of them, I’ve even been able to see them early in their careers and watch them grow and get their early successes. Ann O’Mara Heyward is one of those authors. Since the moment she joined HWA Ohio (which I run), I’ve had the pleasure of seeing her break out into the horror scene and even read early drafts of her stories.

Earlier this year, Ann published her first collection, No One Heard Her Screams, a collection of eighteen tales she’s published. And because I read some of the stories in the earlier drafts, Ann sent me a free, signed copy. Earlier this month, I finally got around to reading it. And what did I think?

To say the least, this is an excellent collection.

Ann has a strong voice and an excellent handling on what’s scary. Not to mention, she often knows how to tell a story in under seven-thousand words, or even five-thousands, and still give it a good beginning, middle, and payoff. I am in awe of authors who manage to consistently keep their stories that short!

My personal favorite was “Gehenna,” a story about a woman in a small town who chronicles the horrors that occurred in her community during a tent revival. Even with the supernatural elements, the events of the story felt very believable. Other highlights of the anthology, which kept me reading through to the end of each story despite my lunch break ending, included “The Monster Maker,” about a mortician who gets a rather unusual client; “The Rookery,” about a local swamp monster living near a condo community in Florida (sounds more interesting than my condo community); and “Zeke Street,” about what happens when you try to monetize the zombie apocalypse.

Actually, that last one would make a great movie. Zombies may have been used back to death, but it’s always great to see a new take on the trope. And “Zeke Street” is definitely a different take.

Now, not all of the stories worked for me. “The Waiting Room” and “The Dog” both felt like they had letdowns for endings.

But the rest were very good and had interesting concepts. “Missing Lula” involved a real life serial killer, and was fairly spooky; “Consignment” executed its concept with a lot of fun; and stories like “Cleveland,” “The Kitchen Window,” and “The Guests” were wonderfully nihilistic.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I am giving No One Heard Her Screams by Ann O’Mara Heyward a 4.8 out of 5. Full of creepy and perfectly dark stories. If you’re in the mood for something to spooky to read in short bursts this Halloween season, this is a good collection to go with it.

I’m Still Alive

Posted: September 6, 2026 in Living and Life, Progress Report
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“I’m not dead yet,
I can dance and I can sing.
I am not dead yet, I can do the Highland fling.
I am not dead yet. No need to go to bed.
No need to call the doctor because I’m not yet dead.“

That, my Followers of Fear, is from the chorus of “Not Yet Dead,” one of the songs in the musical comedy Monty Python’s Spamalot. A show I would love to see someday, but as of yet, I have not had the opportunity to do so.

It is also a good opener to a post to let you all know that, yes, I am still alive. I know it might seem like I wasn’t, or maybe, God forbid, I have given up on this blog! After all, it’s been nearly a month since I last posted on here. But in reality, I’ve just been super busy lately. You know how it is: between the writing and the day job and everything else, I’ve just been a busy little demon.

Plus, as I mentioned back in February, I don’t want to post just to keep up with some demand or to make sure I stay visible. I want to post because there’s something worth posting about. Whether that be my thoughts on writing or horror, a review of a book I really think you should read, or I have an announcement that I want the world to know about.

Sadly, I don’t have any of those right now, but I did feel it was necessary to check in. And since I’m here, why don’t I give you some updates on how things are going with me? Ready? Okay!

  • The writing is going well. I’ve been making slow but steady progress on Crawler, the mummy novel I’ve been working on. It’s not as fast as I would hope, but it’s better than making no progress, which is what I was making for four years. And I will continue to work at it, while also finding a more permanent title for the story. (There’s a movie with a similar name coming out soon, and “Crawler” was never meant to be a permanent name, anyway.)
    I’ve also been working on and sending out other stories here and there, and I’m hoping to have news on some of them any day now. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even have a publisher for The Shape of Evil, my 3D Printer from Hell novel. You never know.
  • I got a pay raise at work. This is very good, as I’ve had to replace both my water tank and my washer and dryer this summer (and the latter was a saga of trying to find something that fit my tiny laundry room, let me tell you). But it also means that I’m able to save more, which means I get closer to writing full time. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: how does getting paid more at the day job lead to writing full time? Well, it means I can save a bit more after each paycheck (hopefully, anyway). And if that happens and I decide to leave that day job for writing someday, I’ll have more savings to rely on and I won’t have to go back to work in an office so quickly.
  • I’m planning some travel for the near future. It’s still early days, but I’m working on going on a trip or two not related to a convention or book event. It’s been some time since I did any sort of trip like that (remember, my last one was supposed to be Israel in winter 2024, but that got canceled due to the war), so I’m looking forward to it. However, a lot of details are still in the air, so I will wait to give you any specifics until I have some stuff nailed down. Until then, know that I’m looking forward to sharing plenty of photos with you.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I can guarantee it won’t be another month till you hear from me, but it might still be a while. In the meantime, you can keep up with me by following my social media accounts, which I will link to down below. Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 55 days till Halloween. Who’s already putting up their Halloween displays?

Bluesky
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