Archive for the ‘Novel’ Category

I Need Your Help with a Project

Posted: May 6, 2024 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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I did say I would get a post out between last Friday and this Friday that wasn’t about The Pure World Comes, didn’t I?

So, as I’ve mentioned before, my novel Rose is coming up on its five-year release anniversary. And I’m doing something a bit different to celebrate the momentous anniversary. Specifically, I’m trying to put together a video of people with their copies of Rose, along with one word they would use to describe the book. To do this, I need photos of people with their copies of Rose giving me that one word they would use.

So, I’m asking all my Followers of Fear to help me with this project. If you have a copy of Rose, paperback or ebook, please take a photo of yourself with your book and send it to me with one word you would use to describe the book. You can send your photo and your adjective of choice to ramiungar@ramiungarthewriter.com. If you do, I’ll put it in the video.

Now, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It’s not as if I can force you, after all. However, I need as many photos as possible to make this video longer than half a minute. So, if you can, please take that photo and send it to me along with one word to describe the book. And please send it along by May 31st. That should give you plenty of time, so please send your picture along.

Thank you, and I cannot wait to see what you send me. I’m very excited to be marking this anniversary and to be putting together this video for the anniversary. If all works out, it should be fun.

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

If you haven’t read Rose yet but would like to check it out, the links are listed below. If you end up reading it, I hope you’ll leave a review so I know what you thought. As well as send me a photo and an adjective, but no pressure. Thanks, and happy reading!

Available from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Audible, B&N

Announcing “The Pure World Comes” Two Year Anniversary Sale!!!

Posted: May 3, 2024 in Novel, Scary Stuff, Writing
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I did say in a previous post that I would be doing something to celebrate all these big book anniversaries in the near future, didn’t I?

So, as you’ve heard, my novel The Pure World Comes was published as a paperback and ebook nearly two years ago. The Pure World Comes (or TPWC for short) is my Gothic horror novel and love letter to Victorian England and the horror stories released back then. It follows a maid named Shirley Dobbins who gets a job working for a mad scientist. Think Frankenstein and Crimson Peak had a baby together, is how I describe it, and that’s not a bad description. I mean, it’s got a crumbling old house, a mad scientist, a young woman getting into a situation where there’s more than meets the eye, and even an appearance by Jack the Ripper.

If that’s not Victorian Gothic horror, I don’t know what is!

Anyway, since it’ll be two years since the release, I’m going to do a special promotional sale for the book. Starting on May 10th, when the book came out, and through May 17th, The Pure World Comes will be sold at a discount on ebook and paperback. In addition, the audio book will be on sale from some retailers (I can only do sales from so many platforms in that format). So if you’re looking to get a copy at a lower price, this would be the opportunity to do it!

And if you get a copy and read it, I hope you’ll leave me a review so I know what you thought. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me develop as a writer.

So, in one week, my Followers of Fear, get ready! We will be enjoying the company of a maid and her employer, the latter of whom is researching new frontiers in fringe sciences, and the consequences of those actions. It shall be quite the thrilling pastime, believe me.

One more thing, my Followers of Fear: right after the last event post, I found out I was accepted back for the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo in Marietta, Ohio! This year, it’ll be occurring on September 28th, 2024 from 11 AM – 5 PM at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Marietta. There will be ghost hunters, psychics and Tarot readers, and horror creators like me. I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readers, so please stop by if you’re in the area. I would love to see you.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope to have something not-related to the sale between now and the 10th, so hopefully I’ll come up with something by then. Until next time, good night (or good morning) and pleasant nightmares!

Review: “Silver Nitrate” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Posted: March 3, 2024 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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My signed copy of Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Back in September, author Silvia Moreno-Garcia visited Columbus as part of my local library’s Carnegie Author series of events. Me and many of my fellow members of HWA Ohio went to see the event, where she talked about the influences behind her latest book, Silver Nitrate, which I later got signed by the author herself. That was a cool Sunday.

Months later, I finally cracked open the book to read it. And, as you can tell from this blog post, I’m going to review it.

Taking place in Mexico City in the 1990s, Silver Nitrate follows Montserrat, the only female sound editor in a studio dominated by chauvinistic men, and her best friend Tristan, a former soap opera star whose career was marred by tragedy and now makes a living doing voicework. Their lives change forever when they meet Abel Urueta, a film director they both once loved whose last film was never completed. After learning the history of the film, including that it was co-written by a German occultist with Nazi ties who was trying to cast a spell with the film, Urueta convinces them to help him finish the film and occultist’s spell, thereby possibly fixing a string of bad luck that has plagued the director.

What occurs next is a series of events that comes with two realizations for our two leads. One is that magic, especially magic in film, is more than just a metaphor. The other is that they have set something in motion, something big. And if they’re not careful, they’re going to lose everything from it.

The best part of this book is definitely our two leads. Montserrat and Tristan are such fully realized characters that you feel like they could step out of the pages and you’d know them. Montserrat is quite prickly but does care a lot, while Tristan is slightly narcissistic and dramatic but does care and wishes he were a better person. Their interplay throughout the book is fun to watch, as well as their reliance on one another.

Another plus of the book is the magic system. Those of you who’ve been with me for a while know that I studied Nazi occultism in preparation for my WWII study abroad trip in college. Yes, a lot of that stuff is real, though it is highly exaggerated in most depictions. In any case, I was delighted to see a lot of what I had learned mixed in with the magic system used in the novel. It made it easy for me to grasp, and gave it a sense of “realism,” so to speak, that I liked.

However, Silver Nitrate does have its flaws. So much time is spent explaining the complexities of the magic system that the slow burn of the story is too slow. Things don’t really start to get exciting to the last hundred pages or so, and by then it’s a bit too late to really bring up the book’s final score.

I also had some issues with the ending, but I won’t say what because I don’t want to spoil it.

All in all, I would give Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia a 3.9 out of 5. It’s a bit too slow for my tastes, but it’s got great characters and a fully realized setting and magic system. If you’re interested, give it a read and fall down the occultism rabbit hole.

“Natural Predators” is Now Available for Free!!!

Posted: March 3, 2024 in Novelette, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Surprise! I meant to let you all know this was coming, but time got away from me, and the next thing I knew, it was time to release this story!

So, if you’re unaware, I’ve been releasing stories for free every couple of months for free on this blog. I first released “Car Chasers” in November, followed by “Cressida” in January. The former is like a Fast & Furious story mixed with a ghost story, while the latter is a mermaid horror story. Now, I’m releasing “Natural Predators,” an apocalyptic pandemic story set at a summer camp.

Honestly, this story surprised me when it was first published in an anthology about two years ago. As you are no doubt aware, we were still smack-dab in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, so I wasn’t sure anyone would want to print a pandemic story, let alone one taking place just a few years after and referencing the COVID-19 pandemic. But to my surprise, it found a home almost immediately, which showed me that there’s still an appetite for those sorts of stories.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story. It’s available to download below. And if you like what you read, please check out the other free stories, as well as my other published works. And if you do read those books, I hope you’ll leave me a review so I know what you thought. I’ll leave a link to my Books page below the story.

Happy reading, my Followers of Fear, and pleasant nightmares!

natural-predatorsDownload
Book Links and Excerpts

One more thing, Followers of Fear: this coming weekend, I’ll be selling and signing books and maybe even sitting on panels at Cleveland Concoction in Cleveland, Ohio. If you can stop by, please do! I would love to see you, sign your books, and even give you a Tarot reading. Details can be found on the convention’s website.

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

Review: “The Ballad of Black Tom” by Victor LaValle

Posted: February 18, 2024 in Novella, Review, Scary Stuff
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I’ve been hearing of this novella for years, but for some reason I haven’t gotten around to reading it until recently. However, recently I felt an itch to indulge in some cosmic horror and the audio book was on sale, so I downloaded it and listened to it.

Followers of Fear, why did I wait so long to check this out? It was awesome! I can see why it was nominated for a Stoker award.

Set in 1924 New York and based on “The Horror at Red Hook” by HP Lovecraft, the novella follows Tommy Tester, a black man living in Harlem with his father, trying to get by as best he can. When he’s asked to play guitar at a dinner party for an eccentric gentleman named Robert Suydam, Tommy finds himself plunging headfirst into a world of magic, insanity, and cosmic forces. Such exposure will not only change his life, but the lives of all humanity.

If you’re not familiar with “The Horror at Red Hook,” this story was written when Lovecraft was living in New York, and, because he’s Lovecraft, he characterizes the non-white characters, many of whom live in Red Hook, as criminals and gangsters. This story is sort of a rebuttal of that, showing things mainly through the eyes of one of the people whom Lovecraft would have disdained. This allows for a great examination of cosmic horror versus the horrors of racism as seen through the eyes of Tommy Tester, later known as Black Tom. As he notes, the indifference of cosmic horror cannot compare to the malice and cruelty of racism, though both are equally horrifying in their own rights.

Beside that, it’s just a well-written and compelling story. You really grow to understand Tommy and sympathize with him, and can’t blame him when he makes certain choices later in the book. Not only that, but the emotional power of this story cannot be underestimated. One scene involving Tommy’s father was so heartbreaking, I wanted to pick up the phone and call my own dad just to check on him. That’s strong storytelling right there.

I also liked how part of the novel was shown through the eyes of Malone, the main character in “Horror at Red Hook.” Here’s, he’s written more as a character than just some vehicle for Lovecraft to transmit his purplish prose through, and he’s not unlikeable, though he’s still subject to the same prejudices that a lot of people back then unfortunately had. His role in the story is also more consequential, which is a nice change, and his final fate is a terrifying but welcome change from the original story.

On the whole, I give The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle a straight 5 out of 5. I cannot find anything wrong with this story and I’m so glad I finally experienced it. If you’re at all interested, grab a copy, put on some jazz or blues, and give it a read. Trust me, you won’t regret checking it out.

Also, the audio book has my recommendation. The narrator, Kevin R. Free, does a great job with the various voices and the sharp prose. It’s enough that you’ll want him to narrate something you’ve written. That, ladies and gentlemen, is talent.

Novelettes and Novellas Deserve More Love

Posted: February 10, 2024 in Novelette, Novella, Reflections, Writing
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I try to write short stories, but they rarely end up that short. They end up being novelettes and novellas.

Now, I know a lot of you are writers and are familiar with the terms. But for those of you who are not, novelettes and novellas are stories that are longer than short stories but shorter than novels. Depending on who you ask, the length can vary, but the HWA defines novelettes as 7,500 words to 17,499 words and novellas to 17,500 words to 40,000 words. Obviously, shorter than 7,500 is a short story and over 40,000 is a novel.

And like I say, I try to write short stories. I do. Most publishing magazines and anthologies prefer short stories, and many like them under five-thousand words. Can’t really blame them. Not only do short stories that short have a special punch, but it’s just more cost effective. If you’re paying by the word, then the cost per story goes up with the word count. And if you’re paying a flat rate per story, then the higher the word count, the more the author might expect to be paid. Hence why they tend to publish short stories.

However, I have trouble keeping my word count under seven-thousand. I’m an expansive writer, as one of my college writing professors once told me. Hell, even most of the stories in Hannah and Other Stories is more novelette-length than short story, and that’s marketed as a short story collection. I just like having those longer stories that still have that punch of a short story but don’t require the same commitment as a novel does.

And I wish there were more publishers that were willing to pay for novelettes and novellas. Especially novelettes, because a lot of the presses and magazines and anthologies that accept those don’t tend to go above ten thousand words.

Thankfully, my wish appears to be coming true. Perhaps in part due to popular collections of novellas by popular authors like Stephen King and Josh Malerman, and perhaps in part due to readers hungry for them, more publishers are buying and releasing novellas, both as standalone releases and as collections. And it’s a slow trickle, but we’re seeing a rise in publications accepting novelettes, including ones above ten-thousand.

Who knows? Maybe there are even publishers who would willingly put out a collection consisting entirely of novelettes. If the response to some of my social media posts are anything to go by, there’s an audience who would read that.

And I have been considering putting together a collection just like that, as well as a collection of novellas. After all, a lot of what I’m writing these days ends up either a novelette or a novella. Who knows? Maybe if I can put together enough stories of the right length and that gel together and if the stars are right…

Well, we’ll see what happens. In the meantime, if you have social media, make sure to post how you would love to see more publishers and magazines releasing novelettes and novellas. Trust me, if they see the demand, they will respond. The responses to my own social media posts have me convinced of that.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. This post wasn’t the most important thing I could write about, but I wanted to write about it. Besides, who knows? I could find a few more people who wish for more venues for novelettes and novellas. We could start a trend.

Anyway, until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and aren’t you glad this post didn’t become a full-length novelette? Or even a novella?

My First Story of 2024 is Completed!!!

Posted: January 28, 2024 in Novella, Writing
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You know, last year’s first story I finished in March? I know I was knee-deep in edits at the time, but still, I’m glad I could get this one finished in January!

So, as you can tell, I just finished my first story of 2024. The story, called “Hooty Boy,” (yes, that’s the title I’m going with) is about a young man with an extraordinary relationship with owls, and a girl he meets who’s interested in him. I described it online as a story about two strange owls courting, and that’s not too far off. The first draft is 23,304 words longs, making it a novella.

And you know what? I expect it to be even longer once it’s gone through a few edits. I feel like I could flesh it out a bit more, expand some scenes and perhaps give a minor character a bigger role like I originally planned.

But for now, I’m just happy to get the first draft done. As I said in one of my previous posts, I’ve been owl-obsessed for quite a while now, and I’ve known for just as long that I wanted to write a story around those birds. They’re so powerful and deadly, with sharp talons and beaks and wings that make no sound as they fly. Yet they’re also so sweet to their mates and young, and look so peaceful when they’re sleeping. Why wouldn’t I want to put them in a story?

And when I finally had the idea, I was excited to write the story. But then I finally got around to write it, and so many reasons cropped up to keep me from finishing it as fast as I wanted to. Hence why I spent most of today getting it done. Otherwise, it might never be done.

Well, it’s done now. And I think it has some potential, which I will attempt to bring out in subsequent drafts. Hopefully I can make it darker than it is now. There’s one scene that’s really dark, and I would like to see that darkness spread to the rest of the story. Or most of it, anyway.

For now, though, I’m hitting the hay. After all, it’s well past midnight. And after a day or two to recharge my creative juices, I’ll start a new story. I already know what sort of story I’m going to write. And I have a feeling it’s going to be a fairy–I mean, a fairly fun story.

And after that and maybe a few other projects, I’ll edit “Hooty Boy” and a few other stories, too. Hopefully then we’ll see them in print somewhere.

In the meantime, if you can’t wait, head to my Book Links and Excerpts page. You’ll find all my work there, including some free stories, that will surely entertain you or the horror fan in your life. And if you read them, I hope you’ll let me know what you think with a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers out in the long run.

Well, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I can hear my bed calling to me, telling me to get some sleep before the Ohio chapter of HWA meets tomorrow. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Review: “Gone But Not Forgotten” by Iseult Murphy

Posted: December 28, 2023 in Novella, Review, Scary Stuff
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Iseult Murphy has been a friend and Follower of Fear since Rose came out, and I have always enjoyed not just hearing what she thought of my stories, but having conversations with her through blog comments, social media and email. But Iseult is not just a friend or a Follower of Fear. She’s a fellow horror author, and she recently put out a new novella, Gone But Not Forgotten. It sounded interesting and I’m very into authors supporting other authors, so I got a copy.

For someone who has Halloween every day in my soul, this was a good choice.

Taking place on Halloween in Ireland, Gone But Not Forgotten follows widow Mere as she goes to visit her friend and neighbor Bill, a widower who lost his wife Donna about a year ago. Bill has been having a rather rough go of it, as he’s seeing Donna everywhere. As it turns out, Mere can see her, too. And Donna’s not resting peacefully.

What I liked most about Gone But Not Forgotten was that it did not go in the direction I expected. When you’ve been reading horror as long as I have, you get good at guessing plot developments. But I did not see the development that occurred midway through the novella, and which really changed my outlook of the story. I won’t say what it was, because spoilers, but it was worth the read.

I also liked Mere as a protagonist. She’s sweet and a bit naive for her age, but I found her quite endearing as a person and was rooting for her throughout the story.

If there was one thing I would have liked more, I thought there could have been a bit more danger and violence to the story. Things were a bit too calm for my tastes. As it is, the levels of violence and threat put things more in line with cozy horror, which I’m sure many would enjoy. But it just wasn’t enough for me.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m going to give Gone But Not Forgotten by Iseult Murphy a 4.5. If you’re looking to feel that Halloween spirit at any time of year, this is a good novella to go with. Have some brack bread and an amaretto sour and pick up a copy today.*

*Irish barmbrack, or just brack, is a type of bread eaten in Ireland around Halloween. People would often put little things like rings or toys in it to tell fortunes. It features in the story, as do amaretto sours, which Mere drinks during the story.

And next Halloween, I’m definitely going to attempt to make a barmbrack bread. The amaretto sour, I’m not so sure. I already have a favorite cocktail.

Getting Reprinted for the First Time

Posted: September 16, 2023 in Living and Life, Novelette, Scary Stuff, Writing
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A lot of authors I know get their stories reprinted every now and then. Sometimes, a story previously published elsewhere just fits an anthology or magazine call very well. Plus, it can be a good way to make some extra money, especially if you don’t have anything new that you can submit at the moment (happens to the best of us).

That being said, I’ve never been reprinted before. There are a couple of reasons for that, including not a large enough catalog of previously published works and not finding markets for those stories. At least, until now. Because, my dear Followers of Fear, I just got a story accepted for reprint!

To be specific, I’ll be in Solar Press Book’s first horror anthology, simply titled the Solar Press Horror Anthology volume 1. Here’s the graphic they used yesterday to make the announcement.

Fun fact: Ann O’Mara Heyward is a fellow member of HWA Ohio. As soon as I found out we were going to be in an anthology together, I emailed her to let her know. We’re excited about it.

Anyway, you’re probably wondering which of my stories will be reprinted in the anthology. I’ll tell you: I submitted “The Dedication of the High Priestess,” which follows a young ballerina discovering her true destiny after becoming a model for a famous painter. The story was first released last year on the Tales to Terrify podcast as an audio story (which you can listen to here). This will be the first time the story will appear in a print format.

Though if the story hasn’t been printed before and was originally read aloud on a podcast, is it really a reprint?

Fan art of “The Dedication of High Priestess,” painted in oils by my friend and colleague Iseult Murphy.

Well, I’m sure someone else will do a whole essay or YouTube video on whether or not it counts. The point is, I’m excited for this story to get into a print format and to be my first reprint. I’ve said it before, but I consider “Dedication” to be some of my best work, and has even inspired some amazing fan art, which you can see to the side of this paragraph. So, I’m glad it’s going to have a new venue and maybe find some new fans.

Hell, maybe it’ll inspire some new fan art and even a movie. I can hope!

Anyway, I look forward to letting you know when the Solar Press Horror Anthology volume 1 and “Dedication of the High Priestess” are released. If you’re not into the audio format but want to check out the story, this is a great opportunity to do so.

In the meantime, my Followers of Fear, you know pretty well by now that Hannah and Other Stories will be out in one week. This book is perfect Halloween reading, with tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses. If you would like to preorder it, you can do so with the links below.

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

Also, I’m still in the Face of Horror contest, and I need your daily vote to stay in the contest. If you would like to support me, click on the button to do so.

Face of Horror contest

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ve got stuff to do, so I’m going to get on it. 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.

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