Archive for the ‘short story’ Category

Yeah, this September is going to be the month where I post about very little but Hannah. But you knew that going in, didn’t you?

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

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

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

Awesome, right? I think so, too.

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

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

The mythological Wild Hunt, and the inspiration for this forthcoming tale.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Week four. And this time, the story we quote from is the one that tends to get people’s attention the most. Fuseli’s Horses, the one about the carnivorous horses.

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Good morning, people. Do you like serial killers? Because this story has one.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Well, we’re back again, folks. #FirstLineFriday is back, just as promised. And this time, the story we’ll be quoting from tends to get…curiouser and curiouser.

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

But first, the rules of #FirstLineFriday:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Run for your lives! Light a magic candle! Pray to the Great Old Ones to be left alone! Hannah and Other Stories releases in just one month!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s time I brought back something I haven’t done for a very, very long time. And I’m doing it for every story in Hannah.

So, for those of you unaware, for a while, it was a thing for authors to post the first line of a story that was either being written or about to be published on social media or blogs. And we called it #FirstLineFriday, hashtag included. I was a big fan, and did it regularly for a few years, though I made it only a special occasion thing around 2021.

Well, it’s now 2023 and I have a new collection of short stories out in…36 days! Wow, time flies. Anyway, with Hannah and Other Stories releasing soon, I thought it would be fun to bring back this tag and post the first line or two from each story in the collection leading up to its release. And hey, it might get some of you interested in reading the book, right?

Anyway, here are the rules of #FirstLineFriday for those who aren’t initiated:

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

Sounds simple enough, right? And I already have the first two rules taken care of, so let’s do #3. Obviously, this set of lines comes straight from Hannah itself:

The Penton Incident, as I call it, began as many of our ghost hunts did.

But how do their ghost hunts start? How do they start?! I guess you’ll have to read Hannah and Other Stories to find out. And if you want to read Hannah, you can preorder a copy using the below button. Also, what do you think of the opening? Does it make you curious? Let me know in the comments below.

Also, you should try the #FirstLineFriday tag. Just copy and paste the rules, then follow them with a story of your own. Of course, if you prefer to be tagged, then consider yourself tagged. Now go and make a blog post.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll have the first couple of lines for Queen Alice next week. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Did you know that we’re only a hundred days away from Halloween? It’s true. And I can’t think of any way to celebrate the opening of spooky season than preordering what will surely be one of the best horror releases of 2023.

Okay, terrible opening aside, it is both 100 days away from Halloween and two months till the release of Hannah and Other Stories. For those of you who don’t know (I’m sure there are a few of you out there), Hannah and Other Stories is my new collection of short stories. It’s being released on September 23rd by BSC Publishing Group and features tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things.

And I am so excited for people to read these stories. The seven stories are all plenty fun and strange and unique, which is what I love. The title story, “Hannah,” is about a pair of ghost hunters who get more than they bargain for when they investigate a haunted school. The one that follows it, “Queen Alice,” combines Alice in Wonderland with Slenderman, which I’m sure would intrigue many of you. The story “What Errour Awoke” combines classic English literature, cosmic horror and some of the biggest events of the past few years into an epic tale of magic and horror. “Fuseli’s Horses” contains those carnivorous horses I mentioned, and come on! Don’t you want to know how that works?

Plus, half of the stories contain LGBT characters and “What Errour Awoke” deals with a lot of the conspiracy bullshit we’ve been dealing with these past few years, so I’m sure someone’s going to try to get it banned from a library or school at some point. I’m sure more people will want to read it just for that.

But back on track. I’m so excited for people to read these stories, and I’m doing all I can to get people interested in preordering copies. It hasn’t been easy (see my recent post on marketing), but I feel I’m making headway. For example, I’ve posted some videos on my YouTube channel, and they’ve gotten some attention. Below are some of the ones I think really help with the sell.

If you watched all those videos, or even just one, thank you. That helps immensely.

I’m also releasing tons of excerpts, some of which are below. And I’m appearing on podcasts soon. Plus, with the eARC almost ready, that will mean I can do a lot that will surely heighten Hannah‘s profile, not the least of which will be the eARC readers, some of whom are very well known in horror, may help spread the good word about it.

Hopefully by September 23rd, there will be plenty of buzz for Hannah.

In the meantime, I’ll leave a button down below. If you click it, you’ll be taken to the preorder page for Hannah. I hope you do and you decide to preorder a copy. Every copy helps immensely. And I know it’s only going to be in ebook at first, but if Hannah does well, a paperback version isn’t out of the question. Maybe even an audio book.

So if you’re at all interested, preorder a copy. And be sure to talk about Hannah on your social media. The more people talking about Hannah, the likelier it is to be ordered and read and reviewed. All that will help this book be as successful as possible.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I look forward to Hannah‘s release and what you think of it. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and–look out! There’s a carnivorous horse behind you!

EXCERPTS FROM HANNAH AND OTHER STORIES

Pop the champagne! Eat the little hors d’oeuvres! Let loose the death wolves and dragon bats and other monstrosities! As of today, The Quiet Game: Five Tales to Chill Your Bones is ten years old! My very first book, my very first self-published book, and my very first collection of short stories is a decade old.

I still have memories of being a young college student, writing the stories in-between classes and homework and designing the cover. I was looking forward to experimenting with self-publishing, as well as seeing what the reaction to my work would be.

If I could, I might go back and teach myself some important things so I could avoid some mistakes. Not the least of which was the double letter “F” in the subtitle. I mean, I’m fond of that now, but it’s still a mistake that if I could, I’d correct it. Sadly, due to some technical issues, I can’t.

But despite all those little imperfections, The Quiet Game has gotten some positive reception. Perhaps because it’s so short and it’s made of short stories, it’s one of my most popular books. Especially at conventions. And I think people responded to all the weirdness of my style that was evident even in my earlier stories. I mean, death wolves, nurses as ogresses, ghosts and dybbuks, and wacky cures for sex addiction. I think people were surprised by that and enjoyed it.

At least, that’s what the reviews seem to indicate. Check out what they had to say:

A collection of five varied stories that get stronger as the collection builds, with the final being my favorite. Though I fancy myself able to “solve” the stories before the reveals, there were several surprises here, especially the reveal in the Quiet Game and I’m Going to be the Next James Bond. I also liked that Rami pulled no punches with his characters. In one instance, an anti-semite for instances uses words that would be hard for any author to write -though are necessary to his character. There are other examples sprinkled throughout the stories that show Rami’s commitment to telling the story in the way it needs to be told. A good collection for a stormy night!

Joleene Naylor, author of the Amaranthine book series

This is the first time I’ve read any of Rami’s stories. I was very impressed with the wide variety of stories and the way he wove the paranormal into each piece. Paranormal is not something I usually read and I enjoyed this collection very much. The collection reminded me of the Twlight Zone. The descriptions were especially well developed. Keep on writing Rami!

Arthur Siegal, Amazon reviewer

I thought these stories would be scarier than they were, but it was a great read and a good effort from the first time author. These stories were more in the genre of creepy rather than scary, but what I really liked was that it made you think of them long after the book ended. The themes of addiction, of sweet innocence gone bad, and of the sins of the fathers being visited on their descendants were very well dealt with, and caused the reader to think of them even after finishing the book. I’m looking forward to more from this new author!

Anonymous, Amazon reviewer

And these are just a fraction of the reviews, the majority of which are positive. I think twenty-year-old me would be happy to know that. To know that people like and enjoy this book and are continuing to read and review it.

And hopefully, as the years go by, more people will find The Quiet Game, enjoy it, and leave their thoughts about it where I can see it.

Speaking of which, if you would like to check out The Quiet Game, I’ll leave links below. And if you do end up reading it, no matter your thoughts, please write a review somewhere so I know what you thought. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback. And it not only helps me, but other readers as well.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I plan on celebrating tonight with some pizza, some sweets, and a cocktail. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Now Available on Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

I found a way to make the ten-year anniversary special!

So, as you probably know, my first book and my first collection of short stories, The Quiet Game: Five Tales to Chill Your Bones, was published nearly ten years ago on July 17, 2013. And I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. The question is, what?

And then I remembered that it’s been ten years between the release of collections, what with Hannah and Other Stories releasing in September. And an idea formed.

So, allow me to announce the Ten Year Anniversary Giveaway! If you preorder a copy of Hannah and Other Stories, and send me the proof between now and July 14th, you’ll be entered for a chance for a free, signed copy of The Quiet Game: Five Tales to Chill Your Bones. This could be a screenshot or a PDF of your receipt from the sale. It just has to prove that you ordered a copy.

On July 17th, the actual day of the anniversary, I’ll announce who won a copy and then reach out to that person to get their contact information. I’ll then send it out to them as soon as possible.

To enter, please email me at ramiungar@ramiungarthewriter.com.

I hope that gets you excited to read some short stories. Both books are excellent. One contains early work of mine and features ogresses, death wolves, and deadly games. The other contains seven original tales of ghosts, budding serial killers and carnivorous horses, among other things. And who wouldn’t want to read one and win the other?

Anyway, I’ll include links for both Hannah and The Quiet Game down below. I hope you’ll take part in the giveaway. And even if you don’t win, I hope you’ll keep your preorder of Hannah. It’s a great book and I think you’ll enjoy reading it.

And if you read either book, I hope you’ll leave a review online somewhere. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps other readers know whether or not to check out the book.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I hope you’re having a good weekend and that it continues to be good. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

To preorder a copy of Hannah, click here.

The Quiet Game: Available on Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo