Author Archive

#FirstLineFriday

Posted: September 15, 2023 in Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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You ever go to visit family, and it all goes terribly wrong? Well, that describes the next story in Hannah and Other Stories very well. And I have the opening below.

As before, here are the rules for #FirstLineFriday, which I’ve brought back for Hannah‘s imminent release:

  1. Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
  2. Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
  3. Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).

Today’s opening is from The Red Bursts, which follows a man and his husband as they go to check on the man’s sister after she stops communicating with them. Once they get to the town, things go haywire pretty quickly. Enjoy:

“Okay, it says to turn left in a quarter mile,” said Joel Gladstein, looking up from his smartphone.

You know how every journey starts with a single step? He’s really going to regret that first step.

Anyway, if you would like to find out what happens once they get to the town, you should preorder a copy of Hannah and Other Stories. And if you like what you read, please leave a review somewhere so I and other readers know what you think.

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Bertrand
Booktopia
BSC Publishing Square Store
Kobo
Wook

And if you would like to try this tag yourself, consider yourself tagged. Just copy and paste the rules above, and I look forward to seeing what you post.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll see you all on the flipside. I hope you’re all excited for Hannah coming out soon. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

“Hannah and Other Stories:” Only Ten Days Away!!!

Posted: September 13, 2023 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Yeah, this September is going to be the month where I post about very little but Hannah. But you knew that going in, didn’t you?

Now, if you’re unaware, Hannah and Other Stories is my latest collection of short stories, containing tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things. You know, all the things that are perfect for the Halloween season. And the book releases on September 23rd, 2023. Which is…ten days away! EEEK!

***

Sorry, I had to go scream in terror and excitement while also performing a voodoo ritual to ensure the book’s success. Now, where were we? Oh yeah. So, as I’ve been saying, Hannah‘s release is just over a week away. And I am beyond excited for you to read it. I’ve been recording videos, going on podcasts (going to be on one tonight, actually), and obviously posting about it here nonstop. All in the name of getting people interested in reading this book, which my publisher and I have been working to get it ready for nearly two years now.

And I think you’re going to really like the stories inside. Each one is special to me and I think will resonate with readers of the horror genre (as well as possibly scare the shit out of readers who don’t read horror). Hannah is a fun ghost story told through the point of view of an experienced ghost hunter (and no, not one of those fakes); Queen Alice is a surprising thriller that crosses Alice in Wonderland with Slender Man; The Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah is a dark, gruesome tale about a teen getting wrapped up in the machinations of a budding serial killer; Fuseli’s Horses is about carnivorous horses, and they are as terrifying as they are cool; The Red Bursts is the most abstract story, but it also talks a great deal about finding faith in tragic circumstances; What Errour Awoke takes cosmic horror to talk about the horrific events the world has suffered through the past few years; and Poor, Unfortunate Souls is about finding someone who understands in the depths of the Paris catacombs.

Awesome, right? I think so, too.

Anyway, I can’t wait to share this book with you and will do everything in my power so you’ll want to read it when it releases. If you’re interested, you can preorder it from any of the sites below. And if you end up reading it once it’s released, I hope you’ll leave a review with your thoughts. Even if it’s negative, I would appreciate the feedback. Plus, other readers would appreciate it, too.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. If anything else comes up, I’ll be sure to let you know. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bertrand
Booktopia
BSC Publishing Square Store
Kobo
Wook

The Face of Horror: Onto the Full Moon Round

Posted: September 12, 2023 in Living and Life, Scary Stuff
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Well, it looks like I survived the first round of the Face of Horror contest, Followers of Fear. And it has amazed me how many of you came out in droves to vote for me! I kid you not, during the past week thousands of people have visited this very blog just to find the link to my profile page and cast their vote for me. So, thank you, Followers of Fear. I literally couldn’t be doing this without your support, and I hope you’ll continue to support it.

Now, for those unfamiliar, the Face of Horror contest is a contest where competitors try to gather the most votes and prove they’re the greatest horror aficionados around. The winner of the contest will get a cash prize and a photo shoot in Rue Morgue magazine with Kane Hodder, who played Jason Voorhees a total of four times. I participated last year and got pretty far, so I thought I would try again and see if I could get farther than before. And so far, I think I stand a chance.

Now, I don’t think I’ll win this contest. But I’m working to get as far as possible. Why? Because it’s fun, and I get so much out of it. I mean, I got to see just how much people were willing to support me in this contest! That’s amazing, and it makes me think that perhaps some of these people will also help me in other aspects of my career.

So, if you would like to help me (and understand, this is all voluntary on your part), you can do so by voting once per day on my profile page. You can also buy extra votes by donating to a cancer research charity connected to the contest, but I won’t urge you to do that unless you really want to. All I ask is that you go each day to my profile and vote for me so I can stay in the contest.

And speaking of which, we’re now in the “Full Moon” round. Between now and September 21st, I have to stay in the Top 15 in my group or I’ll get kicked out. I hope you’ll continue to help me out in that regard.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Below is the button to lead you to my profile. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

And no, there wasn’t a reference to Hannah in this post. Don’t worry, you’ll get a whole post about that in a few hours.

The Face of Horror

“The Wild Hunt” is Getting Published in Happy Hellidays!

Posted: September 11, 2023 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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The mythological Wild Hunt, and the inspiration for this forthcoming tale.

Followers of Fear, there’s so much going on in my writing career beyond just Hannah and the Face of Horror contest that I can’t share with you yet, but which I want to so badly. Thankfully, I can now share one thing with you: one of my short stories is getting published!

Back in March, I wrote a Christmas horror story called “The Hunting Party,” which I hoped to start submitting around the time holiday anthologies started seeking submissions. Well, I edited the story and renamed it “The Wild Hunt,” and then submitted it to Hellbound Books for consideration in their upcoming anthology Happy Hellidays.

As you can tell from the title of this post, it’s now going to be published in said anthology. And I cannot wait for you to read it!

Taking place at Christmas Eve, “The Wild Hunt” follows two sisters who have a fateful encounter with the Wild Hunt, a mythical band of riders who travel the sky at night. According to some, this band gets quite powerful around Christmas.

You know, Followers of Fear, I really didn’t think I’d be able to get this story a home. Or at least, not so easily. I mean, I thought it was great, but it’s long for a short story at 7,300 words and I worried that the ending might be a bit too sweet and happy, even for horror. Even a rewrite of the ending didn’t calm my worries.

But on the first try, “The Wild Hunt” was accepted. And to be in an anthology from Hellbound Books, no less! It’s an honor.

Not to mention, I’m kind of tickled that, as a Jew, I get to add a Christmas horror story to the world. Feels kind of like a variation on a theme, seeing as my people wrote some of your favorite Christmas carols last century. Yeah, that’s true. Look it up. You’ll never look at carols the same way again.

Anyway, I look forward to letting you know when Happy Hellidays, and thus “The Wild Hunt,” is released. It’s a great story, and I hope it fills you with Christmas fear–I mean, cheer. And I can’t wait to tell you all the other good news out there I’m celebrating. With any luck, I may be able to reveal it all in the coming weeks and days.

For now, though, my Followers of Fear, I’ve edits to make and emails to write. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and Merry Christmas come early!

Couple of quick notes: as you know, Halloween is currently fifty days away and Hannah and Other Stories releases in just twelve days. Why not prepare for the former by reading the latter? Hannah and Other Stories, my new collection of short stories, is perfect Halloween reading, with tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things. You can preorder a copy from any of the links below.

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Bertrand
Booktopia
BSC Publishing Square Site
Kobo
Wook

Second, I’m currently participating in the Face of Horror contest. I don’t expect to win, but I’m working hard to keep myself in the competition for as long as possible. If you would like to help, you can cast a daily vote for me on my profile page using the button below. Do that, and I might survive a few rounds. Hell, I might even win! Wouldn’t that be nice?

The Face of Horror contest

Once more, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares!

#FirstLineFriday

Posted: September 8, 2023 in Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Week four. And this time, the story we quote from is the one that tends to get people’s attention the most. Fuseli’s Horses, the one about the carnivorous horses.

To recap, here are the rules to #FirstLineFriday, which I revived just for the release of Hannah and Other Stories:

  1. Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
  2. Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
  3. Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).

So, ready for a preview of one of the bloodiest stories in Hannah and Other Stories? Here we go:

“So, you’re getting a bunch of new horses and a cousin?” Matt asked, leaning on the fence posts that divided his family’s property from Pam’s family’s. He was tall for fourteen, with an athletic build hidden under a T-shirt and jeans, and a mop of sweat-slicked dark hair on top of his head.

Are these new horses the carnivorous ones? And what will happen with the cousin? You’ll have to read Hannah and Other Stories to find out. And if you do, please leave a review online so I know what you thought.

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bertrand
Booktopia
BSC Publishing Square Store
Kobo
Wook

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. We got three more stories to go, so I’ll see you next week. If you would like to do the tag yourself, I hereby tag you. Just copy and paste the rules on your own blog and I look forward to seeing what you post.

Couple of things before I sign off, Followers of Fear. First off, as you know, I’m taking part in the Face of Horror contest. And thanks to your votes, I’m staying in the Top 10. However, that could easily slip, so I’m asking you to keep voting for me each and every day while I’m still part of the contest. If you do, I’ll be able to advance through the rounds and maybe even get to the finals. So, if you’d like to vote, you can use the link below.

The Face of Horror

Secondly, tomorrow starts Mystics and Marvels. If you happen to be in Hilliard, Ohio this weekend, please stop by the Franklin County Fairgrounds and stop by the HWA Ohio booth. I’ll be there with my fellow Ohio writers selling and signing books. I hope to see you there.

Until next time (or the next blog post), my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.

The Face of Horror Contest: Voting for 2023 Has Begun!!!

Posted: September 5, 2023 in Living and Life, Scary Stuff
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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So, if you weren’t aware, I am taking part in the 2023 Face of Horror contest. This contest requires contestants to get votes from their social media platforms. Each round, those who have enough votes move to the next round. The winner will get a cash prize and a photoshoot with Kane Hodder (AKA the actor who played Jason Voorhees the most) in Rue Morgue magazine.

And as of 1 PM EST today, the contest has begun.

The first round, “First Kill,” runs from today, September 5th, to September 14th. All competitors are divided into groups, and each group will be reduced to its top twenty competitors based on votes. So, if you would like to help me win this contest, this is the first hurdle. What do you have to do? Well, you can vote for me.

Now, a couple of things to keep in mind:

  • First off, I don’t expect to win. There are plenty of other people participating in the contest, and many of them likely have bigger followings or are better at getting their followers to respond to calls to action. I’m doing it mostly because it’s fun, it’s something I want to do, and I was able to meet many new Followers of Fear by participating last year. I’m hoping for a repeat of that this year.
    That being said, I will fight hard to get as far as I can this year. After all, that’s the point of a contest, isn’t it? And who knows? I may even win. And if I do, woo-hoo! I will be a very happy eldritch entity disguised as a human storyteller.
  • You’re under no obligation to vote for me. This is all voluntary, and you don’t have to participate if you don’t want to. That being said, if you do vote for me and help me get through the rounds, I’ll greatly appreciate it.

So, if you would like to vote for me, all you need to do is click the button below. That will take you to my profile page, where you can cast one vote a day. Do that each day, and that will help me immensely.

You can also buy extra votes by donating to B+, a charitable foundation that provides support to families whose children have cancer, as well as funding research into juvenile cancer. But again, that’s only if you want to.

Anyway, I look forward to updating you on my progress through the contest. Who knows what will happen as a result of my participating and your votes? Only time will tell. That, and you clicking that button.

Rami Ungar’s Face of Horror Page

See you after the first round.

One more thing:

As you know, my Followers of Fear, we’re just eighteen days away from the release of my new collection of short stories, Hannah and Other Stories. This collection is perfect Halloween reading, with tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things. And while it’s currently only available in ebook format, if it does well, it may end up in paperback and even audio book!

So, use any of the options below and prepare for a world of terror on September 23rd. I look forward to hearing what you think of the book, so be sure to leave reviews. And until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bertrand
Booktopia
BSC Publishing Square Store
Kobo
Wook

#FirstLineFriday

Posted: September 1, 2023 in Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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Good morning, people. Do you like serial killers? Because this story has one.

So, we’re on week three of my revival of the #FirstLineFriday tag in honor of Hannah and Other Stories coming out in…22 days! Yikes! It’s coming up. Have I appeased all the right evil deities and bribed all the right people?

Well, we’ll leave that for another time. As you know, I’m posting the first sentence or two of each Hannah and Other Stories every Friday. Both for fun, and in the hope that some more people will want to check out Hannah when it comes up. Anyway, here are the rules for #FirstLineFriday:

  1. Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
  2. Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
  3. Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).

Today’s quote comes from one of the most difficult stories I wrote and edited in this collection, The Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah. Who knew writing a story about a teen girl wrapped up in the machinations of a budding serial killer would be so hard to get ready for publication? Anyway, here’s the story’s opening:

The Paris Toy and Games Expo was awash with people and noise, which made what Sarah had to do that much easier and that much more difficult.

It’s not a spoiler to say that what she has to do is going to make life that much more difficult for her.

If you would like to find out what happens to Sarah, you can preorder a copy of Hannah and Other Stories using any of the retailers below. And if you like what you read, please leave a review online so I know what you thought.

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bertrand
Booktopia
BSC Publishing Square Site
Kobo
Wook

And if you would like to do this tag yourself, you can do so. I hereby tag you. Just copy and paste the rules on your blog and have a blast.

Also, if you would like to read the tags from the first two weeks, you can check them out here and here.

Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Review: “Boys in the Valley” by Philip Fracassi

Posted: August 25, 2023 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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After reading Philip Fracassi’s book Gothic back in spring (see my review here) and after meeting and sharing a drink with him at Stoker Con in June, I was interested in his new book Boys in the Valley. It helped that there was a lot of advanced buzz around the book. So, I preordered the audio book, and started listening to it earlier this month. What did I think?

Boys in the Valley takes place at St. Vincent’s, a Catholic orphanage for boys in an isolated section of 1905 Pennsylvania. It’s not a terrible place, but it’s not exactly a great place, either. Still, those there try to make the best of it. At least, until one night, when the sheriff shows up with an injured man covered in occultic symbols. The events of that night set in motion the release of a terrible evil and a plot that will test everyone in the orphanage. And failure of that test may lead to consequences worse than death.

Gothic was good, but I liked Boys in the Valley better.

The best part of the story is the cast, and it goes to show Fracassi’s skill as a writer at how well he juggles an ensemble cast. Among the characters are Peter, a young man who is training for the priesthood (though he also has feelings for a local farmer’s daughter) and who views himself as part of a long line of St. Vincent boys; David, an angry young man who considers the orphanage a sort of hell; Brother Johnson, a brutish staff member at the orphanage whose journey through the story is fascinating to watch; and Father Poole, the megalomaniac running the orphanage whom I wanted to strangle throughout the book (and it says a lot about the writer that I reacted as viscerally to the character as I do with some politicians).

All these and more characters really made the story come to life for me, as did the story itself. It’s a possession story, but it doesn’t follow the usual trajectory of one, and that makes the direction unpredictable and the twists so much more satisfying. There were several moments where I had no idea what would happen, but desperately hoped for it to go one way and to open my mouth in surprise when it didn’t.

If there were some things I would have liked better, I would have preferred to see some more demonic antics in the novel. That, and I was hoping for a different ending in the final chapter.

But overall, Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi is an excellent novel and a fun read. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving the book a 4.6. Heartfelt, with a strong cast and vivid storytelling. Set yourself down with a copy and some communion wine and strap in for the ride.

And if you go with the audio book, you’re in for a treat. The narrator, David Aaron Baker, does an excellent job with the various voices of the characters, shifting from boys and teens with cracking voices to gruff adults in a skillful flash.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

#FirstLineFriday

Posted: August 25, 2023 in Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Well, we’re back again, folks. #FirstLineFriday is back, just as promised. And this time, the story we’ll be quoting from tends to get…curiouser and curiouser.

So, if you weren’t here last week, #FirstLineFriday is a tag I’m bringing back in honor of the upcoming release of Hannah and Other Stories. Last week, I did the opening lines from Hannah (you can check out that post here), so it only makes sense to do the next story in the collection.

But first, the rules of #FirstLineFriday:

  1. Create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
  2. Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
  3. Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).

And today, the story from Hannah and Other Stories will be Queen Alice, AKA the story that crosses Alice in Wonderland with Slender Man. Enjoy:

In the WIDI studios on State Street in the heart of downtown Columbus, Joshua Blumfield patiently sat as the make-up artist brushed an eyelash from his cheek. She then put her brush on the vanity.

Not the most terrifying beginning…but then, Alice in Wonderland‘s opening was pretty quiet in and of itself.

Anyway, what did you think of the opening of Queen Alice? Is this Blumfield a reporter? And what’s he reporting about? For the first question, let’s talk in the comments below, and for the latter two, you’ll have to read Hannah and Other Stories, which you can preorder using the below buttons. And if you like what you read, please leave a review online so I know what you thought.

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bertrand
Booktopia
BSC Publishing Square Store
Kobo
Wook

And if you would like to try this tag as well, by all means please copy the rules above and try the tag yourself for next week.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be back next week for the next story in Hannah and Other Stories. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

“Hannah and Other Stories:” Only One Month Till Release!!!

Posted: August 23, 2023 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Run for your lives! Light a magic candle! Pray to the Great Old Ones to be left alone! Hannah and Other Stories releases in just one month!

As you’re probably aware, Hannah and Other Stories is my new collection of short stories which is releasing on September 23rd, 2023. This collection contains seven original tales, featuring tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things. My publisher, BSC Publishing Group, and I have been working on this book for two years, so we’re very excited for people to read it. Hell, I’m kind of hoping it becomes one of the most talked about books for the Halloween season this year.

At the very least, I want to get the book in paperback. Right now, it’s only available in ebook, but if it does well, it’ll get a paperback. Maybe even an audio book.

With that in mind, we’re also doing everything we can to get people interested in the book and in maybe preordering a copy. On my end, I’ve been posting YouTube videos where I read sections from the book. A couple of the videos I’ve done are below.

Not bad, right? I tried to create an atmosphere to go with the stories, and I plan to do the stories I haven’t covered before it releases.

And BSC has been doing some amazing excerpts as well, only they’ve been posting these beautiful graphics that they do in-house! I absolutely love them. Here’s some of the most recent.

Pretty awesome, right? And you can see all the excerpts BSC has made on Hannah‘s personal page on this blog.

Anyway, I’m super excited for people to read it. These stories are all beloved to me in each their own way. What Errour Awoke is a story that not only allowed me to tap into my love of cosmic horror, but helped me to deal with world events that were causing me anxiety at the time of writing. Hannah and Queen Alice were both fun to write, with the former being inspired by a ghost story that’s always fascinated me, and the latter being an interesting mashup of Alice in Wonderland with Slender Man. The Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah was a story where I experimented with extreme horror and splatterpunk that I hadn’t done before, while Poor, Unfortunate Souls made for a heartfelt story of acceptance and hardship in the midst of the Paris catacombs. The Red Bursts gave me an unexpected story of finding faith in dark situations, and Fuseli’s Horses allowed me to have fun with a new monster while also playing with some teenage drama.

I can’t wait to see what people think when they read them.

And if any of this has made you want to read Hannah and Other Stories, I’ll include the links to preorder it below. That’s right, “links.” As of this past weekend, Hannah and Other Stories is available to preorder from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers, including a few international ones. I’ll include links for all the shops below, and I’ll be sure to update future posts as BSC lets me more stores are carrying the book.

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

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be sure to post more updates as we get closer to the release date. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bertrand
Booktopia
BSC Publishing Square Site
Kobo
Wook
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