Some of you may remember that, for most of 2023, I was in what I called The Great Editing. It was a phase where, except for the occasional short story, I did nothing but editing. Mostly stuff related to Hannah and Other Stories‘s first time out, but a few other stories I was editing. When it was done, I hoped to do nothing but write original stories for a long, long while.
Well, man (or whatever entity I am) plans, and God (or whatever entity runs this universe) laughs.
Because I did write a few original short stories last year. And then I wrote The Shape of Evil, which took up half the year. And then I did another couple of stories. Then I did an edit of The Shape of Evil, followed by edits of the stories that were going into Symphony of Walpurgis. Followed by one original story, and then another edit of The Shape of Evil in time for StokerCon. Then I edited stories for Hannah‘s re-release. And then I edited a novella while also writing an essay (which I will likely have to edit soon before I can submit it).
So yeah. I’m in the Second Great Editing. I thought the first one was the editing to end all editings, but I guess a second one was just inevitable! I set myself up for that with the choices I made. And now I’m suffering through it. And it will likely set up the future of my career for decades to come.
Okay, enough with the World War II joke. Point is, I’m stuck in this Second Great Editing. And with two more novellas, that essay, and a short story to edit (plus another novella which needs serious rewrites), I’m likely going to be stuck in it for a while. Possibly till next year, if you can believe it! (Some of these stories will need to be edited again once I have beta readers look them over, after all.)
I’ll hopefully have news to share about this soon.
But you know, it’s not the worst thing. Yeah, except for that essay, I’m mostly putting original works on the back burner until I can get through editing all of these stories that I’ve let sit for so goddamn long. And I really have some new work I want to throw myself into!
But like I said in the WWII joke, I think all this editing is going to have an effect on my writing career. And unlike WWII, the effect will hopefully be positive:
I can’t really get into it right now, but I’m making progress with finding a home for The Shape of Evil. People are reading and enjoying Symphony, and people are getting excited for the return of Hannah and Other Stories. And I hope these four novellas will be published together as a collection. I think this essay, once edited, will make a great entry into a magazine or essay collection. And that short story is rough, but I think it’ll be quite spooky once it’s ready for readers’ eyes.
So, I think I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing: working on these stories so I can get them to you and, if I’m lucky, maybe write full time someday. I’m working hard to make those goals happen.
That being said, once I’m out of this Second Great Editing, I’m going to dive headfirst into some new stories. You can bet your ass on that!
(I’ll also finish my mummy novel Crawler and that witchy novella I was working on at the beginning of the year. I hate leaving things unfinished. Especially when I think they’ll be amazing once they’re done.)
One last thing, my Followers of Fear: this weekend is the Columbus Book Festival. This annual festival is full of amazing writers, vendors, and entertainers, and my fellow Ohio HWA members and I will have a booth there as well. So, if you’re in central Ohio this weekend, July 12 and 13, 2025, please head to the Main Library and Topiary Park in downtown Columbus. I would love to see you.
And if you can’t stop by but still want to support me, you can check out my work. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, there’s something for every horror fan, so why not grab a book and take a look? There’s even some free stuff. I’ll include a link to my books page below.
And if you like what you read, please leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and other readers in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
The folks of StokerCon waiting for the Final Frame competition to start.
Here’s a riddle for you: what took place in Connecticut last week, had nearly 800 people in attendance, and I was among the attendees? StokerCon! Yes, last week, horror writers from around the world descended upon Stamford, Connecticut. There, we had panels, a short film competition, and our annual awards show, the Bram Stoker Awards, noting superior achievement in horror from the previous calendar year.
(There was also apparently dripping goo and weird liminal spaces out of the Backrooms in the hotel, and somehow, I missed both! I’m annoyed about that, especially the weird liminal space. That would make a great YouTube video!)
As I said in a previous post, my goal for this StokerCon was to level up my writing career and get that much closer to writing full time. This would be achieved by going to panels that I thought would help me reach that goal, being on my first ever panel, and, of course, pitching The Shape of Evil to agents and editors. (Plus meeting new people whom I could network with, but I try to make that more about making new friends than trying to make new business connections.) Did I accomplish my goals? Well, let’s talk about the con and we’ll see.
Hanging with Logan Johnson, one of the organizers of this year’s StokerCon, the moderator on my panel, and a new friend, at the banquet cocktail hour.
Seeing all my friends (meeting new ones). One of my favorite things to do at StokerCon is just to see all my horror-writing friends. Many of us only know each other through social media, so it’s nice to meet in person or to catch up with one another when the last time we saw each other could be a year or two ago. So, of course, I did plenty of that. The hotel had a lobby and a restaurant/bar, so outside of panels, we would gather there or on the second floor (that was where most of the con stuff happened) and just talk. We catch up, discuss our lives and our projects, and just shoot the shit. It’s lovely!
Plus, there’s always new people to meet. I actually got to know quite a few people whom I’d never met before, and it was fun to ask how they were enjoying the con and what they were working on or up to with their horror writing careers. Obviously, some were already well-known within the community, but most were just like me: working stiffs who enjoy horror and hope to make our marks in the genre. I’ve connected with a lot of these people now, and I’m hopeful we can continue to be friends and support each other as we work on our stories.
Going to panels. As I said, with a few notable exceptions, the panels I went to were ones I thought would be helpful for me as I move forward in my writing career. This included a panel on getting your stories adapted for film (it nearly happened once to me, so I thought I’d get some tips in case it happened again), and on how to get along with others as a professional. This one was particularly important to me, because being on the spectrum, I often feel like everyone but me was given a rule book on social interaction at birth and I have a lot of catching up to do. I actually brought this up during the Q&A section at the end of the panel, and what I should do in case I made a mistake. The answers I received were very reassuring. Not just to me, but, as I learned afterwards, to others in the audience who also were neurodivergent and felt the same way. I even got thanked a few times for bringing the topic up, which surprised me but also made me glad I asked.
As for the other panels I went to, one was about a Jewish writer who, while not a horror writer, had some dark themes in some of his work (I’m going to have to read that at some point), and a panel on using public domain characters and stories in horror (as someone who’s seen the Winnie the Pooh and Steamboat Willie horror films, I couldn’t resist). All in all, they were very educational, and I’m glad I went to them.
The signature scavenger hunt. As you might expect, I went a little crazy in the dealer room and bought way too many books. One of the books was The Rack, edited by Tom Deady, which is pictured above. It’s an anthology of stories inspired by those vintage horror paperback covers from the 70s and 80s. I bought it directly from the editor, Tom Deady, in the dealer room, and he signed it. And then I ran into one of the writers in the anthology, Erick Nunnally, a little while after. On a spur of the moment, I asked him to sign the book where his story began, which he did. And then he suggested I get the other authors in the book who were in attendance at StokerCon to sign. Which I did.
Ultimately, I think I managed to get half the authors to sign their stories. Most of those were done during the Mass Author Signing, where you can go around a big room and get your books signed by the authors who wrote them all at once. That was fun, because I also had them sign other books they’d written I’d bought, and then got signatures from other authors whose books I had copies of. The rest were just during random meetings during the con, and they were always happy to sign.
So yeah, I spent a good portion of StokerCon on a bit of a scavenger hunt, but it was still a lot of fun, and I only missed three of the authors who were in attendance (maybe next year?). And now, I have a cool knickknack in my personal library, which I’m currently reading through and loving! So, no regrets whatsoever.
From left to right: Rob Costello, Gaby Triana, Tamika Thompson, myself, Aaron Dries, Rae Knowles, and Logan Johnson.
Being on my first live panel. I’ve done a few StokerCon panels in the past, but they were always pre-recorded on Zoom for the virtual audiences. And while that is great, I’ve always wanted to tackle being on a live one. Not only did I get to do just that last week, but it was on a topic I am passionate about: Authentic Representation in Horror, which was about including marginalized communities and voices in horror and how to do so. And wow, did a lot of people show up! By the end, nearly all the seats were taken. I guess other people wanted to talk about this as well.
To say the least, the conversations were illuminating. I even had a few moments where I was like, “I never thought of that.” Honestly, I want to give this panel its own blog post, so I’ll stop there, but I’ll say this: it was great being on a panel like that. I look forward to doing it again someday soon.
The pitches. I’m sure a few of you skipped ahead just to find out how this went. Yes, during StokerCon’s annual session dedicated to connecting authors with agents and editors, I did get to pitch The Shape of Evil. And you know what? I got results. Three agents and one editor asked me to send them part or all of The Shape of Evil, which I did on Monday after taking a little time to recover from all the travel (and that traveling is worth a blog post on its own).
To say the least, I am beyond happy about this result. It went way better than I thought it would go, even with practicing pitches beforehand (always recommended), and I am hopeful that at least one of them will want to help me get The Shape of Evil published. I’ll likely know something by the end of the summer. And, of course, if it all goes well, I’ll be sure to let you know.
***
Ultimately, StokerCon was an amazing time for me. Sure, this year’s hotel was weird, but I had fun with friends, accomplished my goals, and made sure to celebrate everyone else’s accomplishments with them. And next year, we’re doing it again: at the end of the awards banquet, it was announced that, to control costs and to ensure StokerCon continues to go in a direction that’s as good as possible for as many people as possible, it’ll be in Pittsburgh for the next two years.
Obviously, I’m stoked, since that means I can drive there. In fact, I’ve already bought my ticket! And next year will be the 10th annual StokerCon, so it should be extra special. (Yeah, I thought it’d been around for longer, too. Color us both surprised.)
Members of HWA Ohio at StokerCon. I have a feeling next year, we’re going to have a much bigger showing.
I wonder what will happen. Will I sit on another panel or two? Do a reading? Somehow get on the ballot and get to be a nominee? I guess we’ll see. In the meantime, I’ll work on getting my stories out there and meeting new readers and having plenty to talk about when I drive to Pittsburgh next year.
In the meantime, I’ll have a new blog post out Monday, so keep an eye out for that. And until then, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and have a wonderful start to your summer. I know I am.
Hello, my Followers of Fear. I’m back from StokerCon and I’m sure you’re expecting me to go into detail about that. I plan to do so, believe me, but I need a little more time to process what’s happened, so I won’t be doing that this post.*
Instead, I want to talk about something else this weekend, which hasn’t happened in a long time: I got new fan art!
I’ve long believed that fan art is one of the most honest expressions of love from a fan to a creator, so I’m very touched to have received a new piece. This piece comes from Louise C, a fellow horror writer and a Follower of Fear I met over on BlueSky. She’s been reading several of my stories since we met, and I’m glad not only to have her among the Followers, but that she gave me this amazing piece of fan art, which was intended as a birthday present for me (my birthday was quite recent, if you didn’t know).
Not only that, but she had the fan art created by a commissioned artist! Yeah, really. According to Louise, she somehow won a free commissioned art piece and decided to use it to give me a birthday present. I told her I was really flattered and that, if she wanted to do this, I would be honored. I also told her she could choose whatever the fan art was of.
The result is below.
Pretty awesome, isn’t it? I love the expression on the character’s face. So cocky and full of pride and self-assurance.
If you don’t recognize the character, it’s the Akolouthos, the master of the dragon bats in my novelette “Disillusionment and Trauma Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand.” He’s described as an extremely tall man of eight or nine feet, with yellow eyes and teeth and wearing a long black coat and broad-brimmed hat. And, as you can guess from one of my stories, he’s not exactly human.
You know, this isn’t the first time that this particular story, which was one of the previously published ones in Symphony for Walpurgis, has had fan art created for it. When I first came up with dragon bats (they came before the story), Iseult Murphy, another friend, fellow writer, and Follower of Fear, created the fan art you see below. It was the first time I ever received fan art, and spurred me to write a story about dragon bats.
I’m glad to know the story is still scaring enough people to generate new fan art.
Thank you again, Louise, for this deliciously scary fan art. It’s such a wonderful birthday present, and there’s a good chance it’s going to end up on my wall, in the spot where my favorite pieces of fan art go. If it does, I’ll be sure to send you a photo.
And, because I would be remiss if I didn’t do this, if you would like to read “Disillusionment and Trauma Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand” and see this villain in action, you can grab a copy of Symphony for Walpurgis using the links below. It’s the second story in the collection. And if you end up liking what you read, please leave me a review and let me know what you think! After all, reviews help both me and other readers in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time (which will hopefully be later this week), good night and pleasant nightmares.
*I will say, however, that I did get a chance to pitch The Shape of Evil to some agents and editors. And I got instructions from four of them on how to send the manuscript to them. Which, yeah, is great, no doubt. However, if one of them wants to work with me to get The Shape of Evil published, that’s when we’ll have a real celebration.
All you need to do is turn on the TV or go online to see that, particularly in the US, we’re in scary times. This is the first year in several years where the White House or the federal government as a whole haven’t acknowledged Pride Month, and governments around the world are rolling back rights for the LGBT community, especially for trans people. In the past two months, there has been a huge rise in the number of violent attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions, with the most recent being the attack on a run to bring awareness to hostages held captive in Gaza a week ago today.
And at the time I’m writing this, National Guardsmen and Marines are being forced at the direction of the President to attack people in LA protesting the ICE raids on immigrant communities.
And this is just a fraction of all the horrible things that have been happening to marginalized communities lately. Honestly, it’s not hard to feel afraid. I’ve certainly felt quite nervous on more days than one, especially after the attack at the Jewish Capital Museum last month. It doesn’t help that some of these actions seem to come from national governments, like the rollback of federal protections and celebrations on marginalized communities, or the UK Supreme Court ruling on sex and gender identity in April.
And I know that, with how scary it is lately, it feels very easy and somewhat natural to retreat into yourself and distract yourself with only books and TV and things that make you feel good. And I totally get that; there are days when I want to do nothing but watch anime or read books. And if you need to take care of your mental health, you should totally do that. DO NOT ignore your own well-being.
But if writing horror has taught me anything (and it’s taught me many things), it’s that we have to stand up to what scares us if we want to not only fight back but move forward. In fact, horror often teaches me and my fellow horror fans how to deal with current events, because what scares us, including in current events, often makes it into our stories. So, we need to stand up to what’s happening right now and for what we believe in.
So, what can we do? Well, some years ago, I heard a Christian minister say this during an event to commemorate Martin Luther King day: “Sometimes, the least you can do, and often what can say the most, in hard and scary times, is to be there and to ask if someone needs a hand.” Those words have stuck with me through the years, and I think that, right now, that’s a good place to start. Sometimes, just showing up and saying you support them and want to help can do wonders!
In fact, I know this from personal experience. Last week, after the attack in Boulder, some of my non-Jewish friends posted on social media their condemnation of the attacks, and how committing violence, especially against innocent people, was never okay. After hearing condemnations from mainly my fellow Jews and not enough from outside the community, seeing that support helped alleviate so much of my negative feelings.
So, at the very least, show up. Whether that be by showing up at an event or making your voice known online, asking how you can help can help those in marginalized communities feel that much safer and supported, and give them the strength to fight back against oppression. And if you feel safe enough to, please show up to events, reach out to your elected representatives, or sign your name to petitions. And,, of course, donate to organizations that help out with these causes. Doing so may feel like small gestures, but they can have huge impacts. Hell, during the first Trump administration, lawyers at the DOJ did confirm that the protests against certain policies did have an effect on what actions the administration took during the rest of the term.
So, don’t be afraid to show up and to ask what people need. Your little act may end up having the greatest impact on both someone else’s life, and on the world as a whole.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ve been wanting to post something like this for a while now, but what’s happening now really made it a priority. Honestly, I wish I could do more, like that nationwide protest on Saturday against the military parade and a certain someone acting like a king. But as you know, I’ll be at StokerCon during that time. At the very least, I’ll be on a panel about including marginalized communities in horror and pitching a novel that puts my money where my mouth is. So, at the very least, I’m helping out in that way.
Anyway, until next time, my Followers of Fear. I hope you’ll take the message of this post to heart. Stay safe out there while still helping where and when you can. And until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Lately, my life has been nothing but growing excitement. Well, that’s not entirely true: there’s a bunch of other stuff. But work has been getting better lately after several months of insanity, and I’ve been balancing my life very well, which has allowed me to notice the excitement more clearly than if life was too busy and I was super exhausted.
And it’s not surprising that life feels like it’s nothing but excitement. For one thing, StokerCon is fast approaching, and there’s plenty I’m looking forward to with that. For one thing, as you know, I’ll be pitching The Shape of Evil to agents and editors there, and I’ve done the majority of my prep in that respect (a friend of mine who will also be pitching, and we’ll be practicing our pitches together as we get closer). Not only that, but I’m involved with a couple of panels, which I wasn’t the last time I went.
One is a virtual panel, “Understanding Historical Horror,” which I was the moderator of. I say “was,” because we filmed the panel ahead of time. As I suggested the panel (I blame “Sinners” inspiring me), I was asked to moderate and film it. And it went well! We had some great panelists–Philip Fracassi, John Langan, Alma Katsu, and John Kachuba–and we had an enjoyable hour and a half of filming and talking about historical horror: what it was, how to go about writing it, and the ethics of writing it. It will premiere during StokerCon, and will be accessible for those attending virtually.
The second one is “Authentic Representation in Horror,” which will focus on including marginalized communities in the horror community and in horror stories. As you probably know, that’s a subject near and dear to my heart, so I’m eager to talk about it with some like-minded writers in front of an audience. We’ve already spent some time emailing each other, suggesting topics for discussion and what we need as individuals to be more comfortable. That panel will also be livestreamed, so we’ll hopefully get a lot of people tuning in online as well as attending in person.
(And hopefully the anti-woke police won’t show up and cause a problem, lol.)
Add in getting to see so many friends, and it’s no wonder I’m excited for StokerCon!
Pretty much how I feel these days.
But StokerCon aside, there are other reasons I’m excited. For example, Symphony for Walpurgis is doing well. It’s only been out a little over three weeks since my latest collection released, but it’s been selling well and a lot of people have been telling me they’ve been enjoying it or expressing interest in getting copies of their own. One person in the horror community I really admire actually reached out to me yesterday to ask if she could have a review copy, which made my day! I’ll be seeing her at StokerCon, so I’ll give her a copy then.
And then there’s so much more! For one thing, we’re in the middle of Memorial Day weekend, and I’m already enjoying all the things I’m planning on doing this weekend, including getting some much needed sleep and doing a lot of projects I’ve put off till now. In fact, I’ve already made some progress with those projects, and I’ll tell you more about them when the time is right.
My Tarot cards say that for June, all troubles will pass, and lots of good things will happen in time. I can’t wait to see if that comes true!
And my birthday is coming up, which is another reason to get excited. I’m already arranging to get a nice massage on the day of, eat ice cream, and hang out with friends (not necessarily in that order and definitely not at the same time). It’ll be a nice celebration of my life and my inevitable inching towards death before heading off to a certain convention I’ve mentioned a hundred times already.
And a hundred other things are happening or will happen that just get me excited and full of zest for life and so glad I’m at this point in my life. Hell, even my Tarot cards seem to have caught something, because lately the majority of my readings have been super-positive! And if there’s something more to the cards than just pure randomness, then that’s significant!
And I’m looking forward to seeing how all these things play out. Whether it’s StokerCon and what I plan to do there, or the Doctor Who season finale, or even just trying out a new recipe this weekend. It’s nice to not only have so much to look forward to, but also to experience it when it arrives.
Makes me wonder what else I’ll get excited about as the stuff I mentioned above happens. I guess we, and especially I, will find out soon enough!
Me, my grandfather Seymour Ungar of blessed memory, and my dad Rabbi Michael Ungar at the English Department’s Graduation Breakfast.
I did promise I would write about this in its own post. And I do my best to keep my promises.
This past Saturday, May 10th, as well as being the Halfway to Halloween Expo in Ann Arbor and the third anniversary of when The Pure World Comes was released, it was also the ten-year anniversary of my college graduation. When I became an alumnus of The Ohio State University.
Wow. Ten years. It’s kind of crazy to believe. Some of you were following me even back then, reading as I made my way through my college experience, the highs and lows and everything in-between. I remember it being a very momentous occasion. All of my immediate family, as well as some of my grandparents who were close enough to make it, came to see me make that walk. I remember the head of our alumni association at the time making a speech, none of which I remember, as well as the former Secretary of Health and Human Services speaking as well (and someone booing her, which felt tacky AF). And I remember going down from the stands, getting my diploma, and then coming out feeling different. When I reached my apartment to change, I knew I was different.
I was a graduate.
Not even a year later, when I went on campus for a job interview, I felt so out of place walking among all those students. An adult among relative children. Ridiculous, because some of them were my age or older, and there wasn’t much separating us, but still.
And now, ten years later, how do I feel?
Well, obviously I’m glad I went to college, and that I went to the college I did (Go Bucks!). Sure, there are some things I would have done differently if given the chance to do them over, but I feel like most of my experiences there, positive or negative, made me into the person I am today.
But do I feel any momentous feelings regarding the passage of time? Or that I want to go back to my student days?
My sister Adi and I after I’ve gotten my diploma. And I’m about to go on the craziest journey I’ve yet to experience in my short life.
Not really, no. In fact, when I remembered on Saturday that today was the ten-year anniversary of that momentous occasion, I didn’t really feel anything. I just noted it like how one notes that it’s a bit warmer than the day before, or that I need to put something on the shopping list before I go shopping on Monday. It was a fact, nothing more. And as for whether I want to go back…well, whenever I have dreams about being back in school, no matter what grade I’m in or which school it is, I’m always annoyed about the situation. So I’d say going back feels more like a hassle than a chance to relive my glory days.
I’m not entirely sure why that is. Perhaps that’s because so much has happened in the ten years since, personally and on a global scale. It could be that either the world started becoming a darker place to be, or I started realizing the true extent of its darkness, or both, after college, and that dampens the feelings a bit. Maybe my sense of nostalgia only extends to formative media that I experienced at a certain age, rather than phases of my life.
Most likely, it has to do with not just being a different person than I was then, but the kind of person I am. I’m always looking forward, rather than looking back. Rather than focus on what happened or what I wish happened, I prefer to look into the future and daydream of what might happen or what I hope will happen.
But hey, maybe that’s all for the best. After all, there’s a time and place for everything. There was a time when college was one of the main focuses of my life, and that time has long ended. And like I said, I still have fond memories of what I experienced during those four years. Not to mention knowledge from my classes and life lessons that I’ve carried with me through the years. And I will always be grateful for that.
I think I’m a good example of OSU’s motto in action. At least, I hope so.
I just don’t want to focus on what was and what could have been. Instead, I want to focus on what is now and what could be.
Which, in its way, is probably a good thing. And I bet my old alma mater would agree. After all, Ohio State’s motto is disciplina in civitatem, or “education for citizenship.” And I got the education I needed to make my way as an adult and a citizen in this crazy world, trying to improve it and eke out a living as best I can. And if I’m not dying to go back or constantly wistful for my college days, then I consider it a job well done.
How do you feel about your college days, Followers of Fear? Do you miss them? What do you think and how do you feel when you look back at them? Let’s discuss.
It’s that time again. No, not the time to promote my work or to make bizarre faces. One of those will come later. No, it’s time to talk about the events I’ll be doing in the near future! As you know, I try to go to as many events as possible. It’s a great way to meet new readers, and once or twice, I even get a few readers who come with the hope of meeting me in-person. So, I occasionally post updates on which events I’ll be at, in case any of my Followers of Fear want to stop by and see me.
So, without further ado, let’s get talking about the events I’ll be attending over the next few months.
First, I’ll be at the Halfway to Halloween Expo at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds in Ann Arbor, MI on Saturday, May 10, 2025. This is a huge gathering of horror fans, with food trucks, a hearse show, plenty of vendors, and even a haunted house attraction you can go through! I’ll be there selling books (including my new book, Symphony for Walpurgis) and doing Tarot readings, and you can buy tickets on the day of, so if you can stop by, please do. I would love to see you.
Fast forward to June, and I’ll be heading to Stamford, CT for StokerCon from June 12-15! If you’re unfamiliar, StokerCon is the premier convention for horror writers, hosted by the Horror Writers Association, and I’m going there this year to see all my horror-writing and horror-loving friends. And if all goes well, I’ll also be sitting on some panels and maybe even pitching The Shape of Evil to editors and agents. And if you want to come and hang out, I would love to see you.
A couple of weekends later, I’ll be at the Big Ohio Book Con in Medina, OH on June 28-29. It’s a relatively new con sponsored by Black Cat Books & Oddities, but from what I hear, they had a big turnout their first year, and it looks to grow, so I’m looking forward to selling books and doing Tarot readings there. If you’re interested, please stop by. Obviously, I would love to see you.
And last, but definitely not least, HWA Ohio will be having a booth at the Columbus Book Festival in downtown Columbus, OH on July 12-13! This is a humongous book festival, with over 40,000 guests streaming through the downtown library and Topiary Park last year. And with hundreds of authors, booths for nearly every imaginable interest, performances, food trucks, and so much more, you wouldn’t want to miss out on it this year. Plus, me and my fellow Ohio horror writers are holding a booth together, so you’re bound to find something there if you visit. So, why not stop by? All of us would love to see you.
And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. If there are any more events I’ll be at, I’ll be sure to let you know. And, of course, I’ll be sure to remind you prior to the events themselves. Any more than that, however, and I worry I’ll get annoying about it.
But if you’re unable to stop by any of them but you still want to support me, or you’re just looking for a good horror story, I’ll leave a link to my book page below. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and Jewish exorcisms, I have something for every horror fan, so be sure to check them out. And if you like what you read, please leave a review somewhere so I (and other readers) know what you think.
That’s all for now my Followers of Fear, but I’ll be back soon (you can probably guess why). Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!
Hello, Followers of Fear. As you know, my name is Rami Ungar. I’m a novelist specializing in horror and dark fantasy. I’ve published several books, with my sixth out in just a matter of days. I enjoy horror, anime, ballet and theater, winemaking, reading, and a bunch of other stuff. I am also on the spectrum, and have been my whole life. In fact, from the moment I popped out of the womb, I was so different, my mother thought until my sister came along that all the baby books were lying to her.*
And I am very, very upset by events this week.
Specifically, I’m upset by what our so-called Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, said during a press conference, which is reiterated nicely in this tweet:
He also called autism an “epidemic,” as if it sprouted out of nowhere and has grown exponentially in a few years, rather than a medical condition that has probably existed since prehistoric times and of which we have had a name and research for since the early 1900s. But this is a guy who openly claims he had a worm in his brain, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that worm stole his common sense (and his ability to read as well).
But this level of ignorance has upset me on so many levels. We’ve made so many strides in educating the public about autism and disability in general (I was even quoted in an NPR article last year about what actual disabled people wanted listeners to know). And I don’t even know if Kennedy spouts this crap because he actually believes it, or because he knows there’s money to be made and power to be grabbed from spreading this junk.
In case it’s the former, however, and in case Kennedy or anyone else believes this garbage, let me inform you of some things: I’m 100% certified autistic. And yet, I’ve filed my taxes every spring since I turned 18. I’ve held various jobs throughout my life, being in my current job for the past nine years (I help other employees with disabilities get accommodations so they can continue working, in case you were wondering). I’ve not only played baseball and softball, but I was on my high school’s team for a little while. I’ve not only written poetry (bad as it is), but I’ve written several books and short stories. I dated here and there before I realized I was aromantic. And I use the toilet unassisted several times a day, every day, since I was a small child!
That’s because autism is a spectrum, and the people Kennedy’s describing are only a small part of the spectrum. What Kennedy is describing is like saying because the sky is blue and it’s always so visible, all colors on the color spectrum must be blue!
In other words, I’m not an exception, I’m just another dot on the spectrum. One piece out of a multicolored thousand-piece puzzle.
Autism may make me and others different, but we’re hardly all suffering. Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com
And the fact that Kennedy, a man who has said time and time again he’s always looking for new research proving autism isn’t caused by vaccines, can’t seem to grasp this, shows me that he’s either stupid, stubborn, or he’s looking to profit off of other people’s fears just to be powerful. And I can’t decide which I prefer. Honestly, they’re all terrible.
And honestly, I’m mad about a lot of stuff right now–the tariffs destroying the American economy; the persecution of trans people across the world; my own government sending people out of the country without due process or any semblance of respect for the law to an El Salvadorian concentration camp with my tax dollars–but this one personally got to me. People act like autism is a curse or even worse than death to the point that they avoid giving life-saving medicine to their children!
But as much as autism sometimes hinders me in social situations, it also enhances my life. I see the world differently and am more empathetic to the plight of others because of it. It might even play a role in why I’m as creative as I am. I wouldn’t change who I am for anything! And the fact that Kennedy and his ilk pity me or treat me like an invalid not only shows how little they know, but also how much they’re missing out on people like me.
*I mention this because some vaccine skeptics tend to prefer personal anecdotes to scientific data, and also because anyone who disagrees with this and insists vaccination is the cause of my autism is calling my mother a liar. And you do not call a man’s mother a liar unless you’re prepared for the consequences.
Thanks for reading this far, my Followers of Fear. Honestly, as I’ve gotten older, as I’ve come to grasp how incredibly fucked up the world is, and as I’ve grappled with how to be vocal about my beliefs while also toeing the line at my day job (they prefer us to be politically neutral over there), I talk about politics less and less. But these days, I’m thinking about being more vocal. Especially with the road this country is going down right now.
Well, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Don’t be surprised if I talk about this subject on my YouTube channel in the near future. But until then, or until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
You may have heard of BlueSky as an alternative to Twitter. What you may have not heard is that there’s a weekly event on BlueSky for horror writers called “Horror Writers Chat.” It started on Twitter and then moved to BlueSky after Twitter became a hellscape. Every week, authors gather to discuss horror, writing and their work posed by Matt Mason and Eryn McConnell. We answer questions, and even get to share links to our works.
I’ve been doing it for quite some time, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. In fact, some weeks, I really need it.
During the past couple of months, life has been extremely rough. Yeah, there have been reasons to smile, but there’s also been a ton of stuff that just wears down my soul. Work, for one thing, has been absolutely insane since January, to the point where I come home a lot of days very exhausted. And with all the time I need after work to get ready for the next day, as well as get some sleep, my writing time has been cut down drastically.
Which sucks, because writing is one of my ways of de-stressing, as well as how I move forward this career I’m so devoted to.
In addition, recently I was in an accident. Don’t worry, I’m fine, but my car was totaled by the other driver. Thankfully, the other driver’s insurance company agreed to pay all the costs, but this whole experience has been very stressful.
In Tarot, the Ten of Wands represents being overburdened and weary. Matches me some days in so many ways.
Add in all the horrible things happening on the national and world stage (*cough* fascist wave sweeping America *cough*), and it’s enough that even with frequent therapy sessions and all the usual de-stressing methods aren’t enough!
That’s why I’m thankful for all the communities I happen to be a part of. They’re a soothing balm upon my soul.
Obviously, there’s the horror writing communities on social media, that’s been helpful. But there’s also been the horror and horror writing friends and communities I’ve formed IRL. These past few months, I’ve had a few opportunities to see and hang out with my colleagues, which is always a treat. In fact, we’re getting together near the end of April, and I’m super excited about that, as it’s going to be a big meeting and we’ll get to play board games while discussing cannibalism together.
And it’s not just the socializing, either. It’s the professional help. As many of you know, I’m hoping to pitch my novel The Shape of Evil to agents at StokerCon this summer. I was recently discussing this with another member of HWA, and he gave me some critical advice to keep in mind if I hoped to pitch and find someone willing to represent me. One of those pieces was to research each person taking pitches thoroughly to see if they were a good fit for me.
A few weeks later, when the agents and editors taking pitches were announced, I did my research, and reached out to authors who had worked with them, as my friend advised me. Some of these authors have become good friends of mine, so I was able to get some amazing feedback from them and make my choices about whom to pitch to from there.
Community saves me, in more ways than one.
And it’s not just the horror communities that have been helping me. My Jewish community, my family and friends community, and even my work community. Yeah, as tough as work has been, I’m surrounded by a team of people who know what we’re going through and are willing to help me when I ask for it. Not to mention, if we deal with a difficult customer (that happens, sadly), my leadership don’t mind going to bat for us. And when my car got hit, my workmates were among the most concerned about me.
So, despite all the hardships, I’m really happy to have all these people around me in the same situation. We’ve already gotten together once for some much-needed R&R, and have plans for the near future as well.
And guess what? The Followers of Fear community is a wonderful community, too. While engagement and growth changes over time, many of you still take the time to read every post, and provide helpful comments as well. Some of you even read my books and provide reviews, and one or two even created fan art of my work, which was a big honor! In addition, many of you have become dear friends of mine.
All that keeps me going, and holds the doubts that threaten my writing career at bay like no wall can.
So yeah, life’s been hard lately, and therapy and anime and writing can only do so much. But then, there are the people around me who give me encouragement and listen when I vent, or who go to see shows and movies or to grab dinner and drinks with me, or the ones without whom I would not be where I am today. They give me a much needed boost when I need it.
With that in mind, thank you, Followers of Fear. As I said, life’s been a chaotic rollercoaster lately, but you being there makes it somewhat more manageable. So, never forget: I am endlessly grateful for you.
Also, if you would like to take part in “Horror Writers Chat” on BlueSky, make an account and follow Matt Mason (username @chaoticauthor.online) and Eryn McConnell (@erynmcconnell.bsky.social). They switch off hosting every other week, so following both is a good idea. The actual event happens every Wednesday at 2 PM EST, with four questions posted every twenty minutes or so. You quote-post your answers from the post with the original question, and like and repost the ones you like from other participants. And don’t forget to use the hashtag #HorrorWritersChat.
Well, that took longer than I expected. But raise your glasses and let out an ear-piercing wail of terror, because I finished my first short story of 2025!
As some of you remember from earlier this month, I was originally working on a witchy Halloween story, but that blew past novelette range into novella territory, and I promised I wouldn’t write any new longer stories until the ones I was already working on were finished and had homes. Thus, the witchy Halloween story got put away for later, and I started working on something new.
And thankfully, this story managed to stay in novelette range, at just under 9,300 words. “The Manhattan Well” follows a young woman in Victorian England meeting a young man from New York who relates his traumatic experience meeting a ghost related to America’s first sensationalized murder.
This story actually has a cool story behind its inspiration. I’m a big fan of the musical Hamilton (I’m actually seeing it live for the third time this summer), and a while back, I had the song “Non-Stop” stuck in my head (I even wrote a blog post about it). As sometimes happens when I have a song stuck in my head, I looked up the lyrics.
Here’s the song in question if you’re unfamiliar or just want to jam.
So, early in the song, when Hamilton and Burr is doing that murder trial, I always thought Burr was saying, “Our client says he’s innocent, call your first witness.” But as it turns out, when I looked up the lyrics, Burr was saying, “Our client Levi Weeks is innocent, call your first witness.”
Dance and celebrate like nobody’s watching.
This led me to ask, “Who the hell is Levi Weeks?” One internet rabbit hole later, not only did I learn about one of America’s earliest true crime stories (and if you’re interested, it’s a rather cool story, so I’d check it out), but I had an idea for a horror story.
And now that the story is written, is it any good? Well, it’s a first draft. It’s not supposed to be good! It’s just supposed to exist and have potential. And on that front, it fulfills both requirements. I’ll give it an edit and see about finding a beta reader later this year. However, I have to do one more edit of The Shape of Evil before I (hopefully) pitch it at StokerCon later this year, so that’s the focus now. After that, we’ll see where we are and what I feel I should be doing.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I just wanted to share the good news with you. If anyone needs me, I’m going to go celebrate and have a super-late dinner. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and don’t throw away your shot!
Rami Ungar The Writer 