Are you all annoyed with me yet? Or is this sort of promotion just expected from me at this point?
So, if you were unaware before, my short story “Agoraphobia” is releasing this month. Specifically, it’ll be releasing two weeks from today on Tuesday, March 16th. The story follows a man with severe anxiety and agoraphobia who has to face the prospect of leaving his home for the first time in hears due to a hurricane bearing down on his area. As you can probably guess, things don’t go exactly as planned.
And if you do download the story (or buy it at a future event), I would be very happy if you left a review somewhere. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and your input not only helps me out in the long run, but helps other readers decide whether or not the story is worth their time. Between people actually reading the story and word of mouth, it’s one of the most important ways you can help an author out. At least one whose name isn’t Stephen King or Anne Rice or something.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be leaving the links for “Agoraphobia” down below, as well as my other works. Hey, you never know. One of those stories may appeal to you as well. Perhaps my fantasy-horror story Rose; or my serial killer thriller-horror Snake; The Quiet Game, my debut collection of short stories; or maybe my Arthurian fantasy/sci-fi mashup “Mother of the King.” Either way, I leave it in your hands.
Until next time, my Followers of Fear, stay safe, happy reading and pleasant nightmares!
(Note: All stories and publications have had their names removed. This way, my stories and my career won’t be negatively affected by mentioning anyone by name. I would flatter myself by adding that the circulation of the publications won’t be negatively affected, but we all know that’s never gonna happen.)
Before you ask, no, I was not happy to receive a rejection because the publication was actually run by bad people or ethically dangerous or whatever.
Also, no one likes getting a rejection, least of all me. It’s never nice to hear that your story isn’t going to appear in a publication or an anthology. That all those hours of hard work, of writing and editing, of making sure your story is as exciting and memorable and well-crafted as possible, weren’t enough to sway an editor to publish your story. It can dishearten anyone. There have even been times where I’ve gotten rejections and have not wanted to submit anything ever again (or perhaps just for several months).
But every now and then, you get a rejection where the editor takes their time to let you know what they thought of your story. And sometimes, even in a rejection, it elevates your mood like nothing else.
Take yesterday, for example. I received a rejection for one of my stories. However, the editor noted that the story wasn’t bad. Far from it, actually: he said that this submission period the magazine got a huge number of submissions, and some decisions had to be made. He also included one editing suggestion for the next time I submit the story, which I listened to after a bit of thought (it was something cosmetic that I didn’t really think would make a difference, but apparently to him it did).
So, that was very nice. Yeah, the story isn’t going to appear in the next issue of the publication. However, the editor did imply he liked it, he just had to make a tough decision. And he also gave me some advice for the next time I submit the story (which has already gone out again. Here’s hoping it finds a home at the next place). I love it when people enjoy my stories, so even if this editor didn’t take the one I sent him, I was still happy he thought so highly of it.
Turn your rejections into fuel for your creative bonfire. Trust me, it works.Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
And this isn’t the first time this has happened, either. A while back, I got a rejection from a well-known publication whose editor I happen to know personally. While it was a rejection, what the editor had to say made me really happy. They gave me some strong feedback and some ideas on how to further improve the story. I was so happy with the message, I sent them a private message on Twitter just saying how helpful I found their advice. If I remember right, they responded with a smiley face.
What’s the point of recounting all this? Well, I guess it’s just to remind writers who submit stories and get rejections that this happens to everyone. The rejections, anyway. We all get passed on or told our stories aren’t a good fit or that the editor found the story hard to believe. But then we get the ones that encourage us. That tell us the stories, or that we the authors, have the potential. That if we keep writing and editing and submitting, and with a bit of luck, we can get our stories published.
In the meantime, let those rejections be the fuel for your creative fire. They’ll keep you going strong until you reach the end.
At least, that’s what I think. And the Tarot cards seem to back me up, so that’s what I think. Hey, the Seven of Wands means overcoming obstacles to reach your goals. When that appears in the Future position, you know you gotta keep trying because you know those rejections are just more fuel. Better listen and get to work.
Well, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you found this post inspiring for your own creative work. Let’s not get bogged down with rejections (even when it seems everyone else is getting acceptances) and get to work. Who knows? We may just end up finding the perfect home for our story with the next submission.
Until next time, stay safe and pleasant nightmares!
Wow, I’m writing this post way later than expected. I blame the busy day I had. After work, I had to run errands, and then I had administrative work to do (answering emails, sending emails, setting things in motion, etc.), and I had to eat dinner…I’m sorry. I’m not sure why I’m bothering you guys with this stuff either.
Anyway, as you can tell from the title of this post, “Agoraphobia” is three weeks away from being released. This short story is about a man with severe agoraphobia and anxiety who is forced to leave his home due to a hurricane bearing down on his house. It’s a creepy, delicious little tale of dealing with your darkness under the most dire circumstances.
If that sounds like your kind of thing, then guess what? The story is available for preorder right now. I’ll leave the links below. I hope you’ll check the story out. And if you do, I hope you’ll let me know what you think somehow. Positive or negative, I love feedback from readers. And if you leave reviews on Amazon or Goodreads, it helps me out in the long run, as well as give readers a better idea of whether or not a story is worth their time.
(Hopefully you consider mine worth your time.)
Anyway, the story will release March 16th, so I’ll be posting reminders right up until release day. Hopefully you won’t be sick of me by then.
Speaking of “Mother of the King,” I’ll leave links for that below as well. It just received its tenth review on Amazon (and five stars, no less!), so you should go and check it out. Or you can check out my short story collection, The Quiet Game; my serial killer horror-thriller novel Snake; or my fantasy-horror Rose. Any one of them will be worth your time. I’ll include links below.
Alright, that’s enough self-promotion. I’ve got a busy week ahead of me, so I’ll be mostly focused on that. However, you should see me again by the end of the week, if a certain film is released to streaming as promised. Until next time, good night, my Followers of Fear, stay safe and pleasant nightmares!
Cover illustration of “Agoraphobia” by Don Noble and Rooster Republic Press
You know what one of the good things about February is? It’s easier to figure out what day something is in March and how far away it is by what the corresponding day is in February.
As many of you know, I’m releasing some of my shorter stories as e-book exclusives with the print versions only available as chapbooks at events (click here to find out what a chapbook is. Click here to here about future events I’m attending this year). Why? Because I’m constantly trying new things to expand my audience, and this is just one of them. Anyway, another one of my stories is coming out next month on March 16th. Which, as you might have noticed, is exactly a month away!
See? It’s the corresponding day in February. Works out wonderfully.
The story in question, “Agoraphobia,” is about a man with severe anxiety and agoraphobia who is forced to leave his home when a hurricane bears down on his area. Considering how anxious and agoraphobic people are during this pandemic, I think they’ll sympathize with the main character. I even based his anxiety feelings on my own feelings of anxiety, so I hope those parts will speak to readers.
Anyway, the story is available for preorder now from Amazon. I’ll leave the links below for you Followers of Fear to check out. And if you do end up reading the story, let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I have work today, so I’m going to get on it. Until next time, stay safe and pleasant nightmares!
This day has been full of exciting stuff happening behind the scenes. In fact, quite a lot has been happening on and off the blog. I can’t go into all of it right now, but I hope to get a few out before this time next week. For now, however, there’s an important one I have to make.
As I announced previously, my next e-release will be “Agoraphobia,” a short story I wrote last year about a man with severe anxiety and agoraphobia who has contend with the possibility of leaving his home during a hurricane. It gets even worse when something gets into his home.
I haven’t talked about it since then, but guess what? I’ve finished looking over the manuscript, the cover’s been created and the release date is set. The gears, ladies and gentlemen, are moving and “Agoraphobia” will release on Tuesday, March 16th, 2021! Why that date? No reason. I just believe stories, from short stories to novels, should have a good lead up time so that as many people as possible can get excited/interested in reading it.
And now, for the cover reveal. This cover was created by Don Noble and Rooster Republic Press. They do some amazing cover work, if you’re interested (you can check out their design services here). And I have to say, I love what they’ve done with my ideas:
Pretty cool, right? It’s quite atmospheric and I love the title font. And it really evokes the hurricane element.
So, where do you get “Agoraphobia” if you’re interested? I’ve include the Amazon links below. It’s available for pre-order, and at only 99 cents (or 77 pence in Britain or $1.26 in Canada). And if you do decide to read it after it comes out, please let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me, as well as other readers, out in the long run.
And yes, I’m sorry that it’s only available in e-book format. Print versions will only be available at events where I’m a vendor as chapbooks. (Click here to see what events I’ll be attending and when) Yeah, it’s a marketing strategy I’m trying. Here’s hoping it pays off.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I have a marketing machine to set into motion. I hope you’re excited to read “Agoraphobia” as I am for you to read it.
And if you’re interested, or need something to read in the meantime, I’ve got some other stories available. You can check out my short story collection, The Quiet Game: Five Tales to Chill Your Bones; my serial killer thriller novel Snake and my fantasy-horror novel Rose; or “Mother of the King,” the first story in the New Arthur Universe, a series of shorter stories centering around the return of King Arthur. I’ll include the links below. And if you decide to read any of them, let me know what you think. As I said, it helps both me and other readers out in the long run.
Until next time, my Followers of Fear, stay safe and pleasant nightmares!
Funny story: earlier this week, I found out I lost some weight, even though I hadn’t expected it (if anything, I thought I gained). I’m talking to my dad about it and say, “I’ve no idea what happened. I’ll have to watch my weight carefully for a while. Make sure I’m not going through something like out of Stephen King’s Thinner.”
My dad has never read a Stephen King novel in his life. His response was, “…okay.”
Me: “Trust me, it did not end well for the guy suddenly losing weight in that book.”
And if you count that as a spoiler, remember that book is nine years older than me. What were you doing these past thirty-seven years?
Okay, onto the meat of this post. The audience on this blog has been growing by leaps and bound lately. So first off, hi everyone. Thank you for joining the Followers of Fear. We don’t (normally) sacrifice members and there are hidden benefits to joining. Namely you’ll likely survive when I start the Apocalypse. Maybe.
Second, since there are so many of you, I thought you should know something about me and my works. First off, me: I’m a novelist from Ohio specializing in horror and dark fantasy. I like reading and writing, anime and horror movies, and being an unabashed eccentric. I also have three books and a short story on e-book available right now, so if you don’t mind (and if it doesn’t make you want to unfollow me), I’d like to tell you about those books. You know, in case you’re interested.
In his publishing debut, Rami Ungar brings us five terrifying stories of darkness in magic. You can experience the strange visions of a man battling sex addiction in “Addict”. Or feel the wrath of an enraged dybbuk in “Samson Weiss’s Curse”. Face your fears in Gene Adkin’s Murder House in “I’m Going To Be The Next James Bond” and then journey with a young autistic “In The Lady Ogre’s Den”. But most of all, prepare to play the most insidious game of all: The Quiet Game.
My second foray into self-publishing. While a lot of these stories aren’t as scary or as well-polished as some of my later work, I think they’re still enjoyable to a degree. Plus, I had a lot of fun writing these stories. Give it a shot if you’re interested.
How far will you go for love and revenge? When a young man’s girlfriend is kidnapped by the powerful Camerlengo Family, he becomes the Snake, a serial killer who takes his methods from the worst of the Russian mafia. Tracking down members of the Camerlengo Family one by one for clues, the Snake will go to any lengths to see the love of his life again…even if it means becoming a worse monster than any of the monsters he is hunting.
A homage to my burgeoning love to slashers, too many James Patterson novels, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, this was another one I had fun with. It’s also, too date, my longest book, over 100,00 words! And yet, people still find it a quick read. Must be the fast pace. Anyway, check it out if you like unusual tales about serial killers in your diet.
Rose Taggert awakens in a greenhouse with no clear memory of the past two years and, to her horror, finds her body transformed into an unrecognizable form. Paris Kuyper has convinced Rose that they are lovers, and as Paris could not bear for her to die, he has used an ancient and dark magic to save her from certain death. But the dark magic Paris has used comes at a price. A price which a terrible demon is determined to extract from Rose. As Rose struggles to understand what is happening to her, she must navigate Paris’s lies and secrets; secrets that Paris will do anything to protect.
I wrote this novel back in my last year of college as my thesis. It took five years, and more rewrites than I care to remember, but the novel was accepted by Castrum Press, my first novel with a publisher (and hopefully not the last). And you know what? Nearly two years later, it only just got its first one-star review! Yeah, that’s a record (and something I hold as a badge of pride). I think that makes it worth a try, don’t you?
So, those are my published works. And I hope to follow them up with plenty more. And while I work on those, I hope you’ll consider not only checking out these stories, but letting me know what you think once you’ve read them. I love getting reader feedback, no matter what that feedback is, and it helps me out in the long run.
Well, that’s all for now. I’m off to get a lot of sleep. Followers of Fear, stay safe, have a great weekend, and pleasant nightmares!
In my last post, I mentioned that I was prepping to move into a bigger apartment and was getting ready to do so. While going through some stuff, seeing what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to donate, I was surprised by what I found hidden at the bottom of a box: my three contributor copies of the Winter 2011 issue of TEA, A Magazine. This is significant because this was the first time I was paid for a published story!
While my memory can be very unreliable sometimes, I remember that story, and that magazine, so well. I was still in high school then, and I was just starting to try and get into the short story market. In those days, I was regularly borrowing these annual guides on the short story market, reading the articles for anything I could use to improve my own storytelling techniques and looking at the listings of magazines and small presses I could submit my work to. One of the listings was for TEA, A Magazine. You can guess what it was focused on. Articles, ads, recipes, and even fiction centering on tea.
I was a big tea drinker even then, so I was intrigued. And I thought, Why not try to write a short story about tea and send it their way? And I did, a short story called “Summers with Grandmother Fumika.” And as you can tell from that title, I was a huge nerd for anime, manga, and Japanese culture back then. In fact, I was crazier about it then than I am now! But back to the short story. “Summers with Grandmother Fumika” was about a young Japanese-American girl who stays with her grandmother during the summers, and one summer, they perform a tea ceremony for a kitsune, a multitailed fox spirit.
Definitely more fantasy-based than Rose was, though they both drew upon Japanese culture. And it had a happier ending.
I don’t think I really expected TEA to accept my work, but to my surprise, the editor actually enjoyed the story and wanted to work with me on it. A couple of months of edits, and they sent me a contract. Not too long after, they sent me a $100 check for the story, as well as my contributor copies.
My short story in the issue, “Summers with Grandmother Fumika.”
Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan, once said that he could make a million dollars in his lifetime, but he would never feel richer than he did the moment he received a $400 check for his first story, A Princess of Mars. For me, I have the same feeling about that $100. Not because I grew older and $100 didn’t seem like such a big deal as it did in high school. But because that check came with more than just monetary meaning. It came with validation.
Imagine, only 17 and someone thought that something you had written was not only good, but they wanted to pay money for it! To include it in a magazine read by hundreds, maybe even thousands of people! “Intoxicating” doesn’t even begin to cover the feeling I had then. And I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since, trying to replicate it.
Of course, like any addiction, nothing ever compares to that first high. Thankfully, with this addiction, there are plenty of other perks when I manage to publish something people enjoy. You can probably guess what they are.
I’m glad I was able to rediscover that story and those contributor copies. It’s been so long, I’d forgotten that I even had them. And with it being around ten years since that issue of TEA was released, it feels almost timely. Makes me want to do something with “Summers with Grandmother Fumika.” Maybe a reading on a YouTube video? It’d be more fantasy than horror, but I’m sure there would be some people interested in hearing me read it. We’ll see after the move.
Anyway, thanks for strolling down memory lane with me, my Followers of Fear. It was a nice, warm, nostalgic moment in my day and I wanted to share it with you. And it reminds me that, even though it’s been awhile since I’ve had an acceptance, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future. Hell, if I can do it at 17, then I can do it at 27. Just a matter of time, work and finding the right publication.
Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night, Shabbat Shalom, have a good weekend, and pleasant nightmares.
Back in November, I announced that I was going to release some of my short stories as e-book exclusives, with print versions available as chapbooks at events (click here to find out what a chapbook is, and click here what events I’ll be attending in 2021). At the beginning of December, I released the first of these stories, an Arthurian fantasy called “Mother of the King” (links below). That did very well and got good feedback. And based on that feedback, I’ve decided to tell further stories in that world.
While those are still gestating in my imagination, however, I still plan to release a few short stories over the course of the year as e-books. And, if the title of this post didn’t clue you in, I’ve decided on which story will be getting the e-treatment: “Agoraphobia,” which follows a man with severe agoraphobia and anxiety trapped in his home during a hurricane. And there’s something in his home with him.
I chose this story because I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback from beta readers on the language and portrayal of anxiety. I also think, since this is more horror than “Mother of the King” was, more people will show an interest in it and want to download it. And of all the stories I’m considering for e-release, it’s the most edited, so that’s helpful.
Before I set a release date, however, I’m going to go through this story one more time and see if I can’t fix up any typos or whatever. I’ve recently learned how to do that thing where Microsoft Word reads your document to you, so I’m looking forward to using that as an editing tool. After I’ve gone through and cleaned it up as much as possible, I’m going to commission an artist to make a cover, as I feel that there aren’t any stock photos or covers I could use like I did with “Mother of the King.”
After all that, then I’ll set a release date, let you all know, and get the ball rolling on that marketing machine of mine. I hope you’re as excited as I am for me to get this story out there.
In the meantime, I’ve got some other stories available if you want to check them out. My other e-release, “Mother of the King,” is available, of course, but so are my fantasy-horror novel “Rose;” my serial killer-thriller “Snake;” and my collection of short stories, “The Quiet Game: Five Tales to Chill Your Bones.” I’ll leave the links below if you want to check them out. And if you do end up reading them, please leave a review or let me know some other way what you thought. Positive or negative, I love your feedback, and they help me and other readers in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, stay safe and pleasant nightmares!
You know, I still remember when it took me months to write a short story. Or it felt like months. It might have been less. But it took a lot longer. I didn’t always have that great discipline when it came to writing, so projects took a lot longer than they do now. I guess that’s growing up and getting experience.
Well, at least it doesn’t take that long to get stories written now. Because, guess what? I just finished my first short story of 2021!
Can I get a GIF of Kermit the Frog being totally excited right now?
Was that necessary? Not at all. Did I enjoy putting it in there? Quite.
So, I’m sure you’re curious about the short story I’ve written. The story is called, “The Divorce from God,” and is unusual for my work because it draws very strongly on my Jewish heritage. Yeah, I may be Jewish, but that doesn’t appear in my fiction very much. Probably a number of reasons for that, but I guess there’s just not many stories I feel like telling where my heritage could fit comfortably in.
However, this story was inspired by a recent scandal in the ultra-Orthodox community, so this time the Jewish heritage fit in quite well. In case you weren’t aware, back in 2013 an ultra-Orthodox rabbi was arrested for some serious crimes. You see, in Judaism, a woman can only get a divorce if her husband gives her a document called a get. Without that, she’s forever tied to him. And sometimes, husbands will hold that over their wives, leaving them with few options. Women stuck in this situation are known as agunot, or chained women.
I bring this up because the rabbi I mentioned was being hired by these women to kidnap their husbands and torture them until they granted the divorce. And the guy charged thousands of dollars for his services, too! He got away with this for decades, protected by his victims’ unwillingness to testify or by the charges being dropped. However, after one of his victims came forward, the FBI pulled a sting and he and his cohorts were arrested. Most of them are still serving their sentences, last I checked.
I first heard about this story last year when I heard that a movie was being made about it. The story immediately inspired me with ideas. And then, about a week ago, I heard about an anthology of Jewish horror being published later this year, so I thought, “Might as well write this story now. It’s a good fit.”
It was a good night of writing, all told.
And hopefully, once I’ve done some edits, it will be. I’ve already sent it to my dad, who’s a rabbi and who’s agreed to take a first look, to give his feedback on the Jewish aspects of the story and if I do a good job explaining those aspects for a non-Jewish audience. After that, I’ll probably let a beta reader or two take a look at it and do some edits before sending it in for consideration. Fingers crossed, the editors will like it.
For now though, I think I’ll celebrate with a cup of tea and a late viewing of Die Hard 2, which is probably the best of the Die Hard sequels. Tomorrow, I’ll probably talk about my next major project. Or watch and review a horror movie. Or both. We’ll see what I’m in the mood for.
Good night, my Followers of Fear. And until next time, stay safe and pleasant nightmares!
Do any of you remember back in April, when an incident occurred near my building that the cops had to be called to take care of? And I got so inspired by it, I used it as the basis of a short story? One that I wrote in one whole evening without getting out of my chair till the story was done?
Don’t worry if you don’t. My memory has faded as well.
I bring it up because yesterday, something similar happened. No, there wasn’t an incident in my neighborhood that required the police (not that I know of, anyway). But I had a sudden flash of inspiration, and knew I had to write the story immediately. The result was six hours or so at the writing desk working on a new short story. I was done at three in the morning (I was a wreck at work today).
Anyway, onto the story, which I named Le The de l’apres-midi. Yes, I gave the story a French title. I am that pretentious. I was going to name it, “That Feeling You Can Only Say in French,” but Stephen King beat me to it, so I settled on Le The de l’apres-midi, which means “afternoon tea.”
Maybe I should just call it that.
Where was I? Oh right, the story is about a film society that gets its hands on the only extant copy of a surrealist silent short film, Le The de l’apres-midi. This film is infamous as it was considered so disturbing, its director was expelled from the surrealist movement of the 1920s. The members of the film society soon learn that not only is this reputation well-deserved, but the copy the society has may be something sinister in and of itself.
The story was inspired by Un Chien Andou, or The Andalusian Dog, a short surrealist film by Luis Burkel and Salvador Dali. A YouTuber I follow recommended it as a lesser-known disturbing piece of horror cinema, and while I didn’t find myself terrified by it, I did find some moments scary and slightly upsetting. It probably didn’t help that I was eating dinner while watching it.
Anyway, the film inspired the short story, and I started writing. At the end, it was just under thirty-eight hundred words. And next…well, I think I may give it a round of edits before I let a beta reader see it. Maybe it’s because I was up past midnight and rushing so I could get to bed, but I feel like the ending needs a few tweaks. Maybe a bit more fleshing out and a much more dramatic conclusion. We’ll see when I get to it.
Mother of the King. Releases December 1st, 2020.
For now though, I have a beer I’d like to pour, and a new project I need to get to work on. And then I’m getting some sleep so I’m not a wreck tomorrow at work. Wish me luck.
Oh, and before I forget, my fantasy story “Mother of the King,” about the woman who raises the returning King Arthur, will be released two weeks from today as an e-book exclusive. If you’re interested to check it out, click the link and you can place a preorder now. Or you can check out all my available stories on Amazon through my author page. Checking out my work not only helps me out, but it might make for a good read or for a relative/friend this holiday season. So why not?
Well, that’s all for now. Until next time, my Followers of Fear, pleasant nightmares!
