Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category

Reborn City and Video Rage, side by side.

Reborn City and Video Rage, side by side.

So it’s been a month since Video Rage, the sequel to Reborn City and the second book in the Reborn City series, came out. And I’m happy to say that it’s doing not too badly. In fact, some of the copies that have been sold have been bought by people other than me or my family. That’s a new one, LOL (in all seriousness though, a lot of copies have been sold. And I think my parents and my sister are the only people in my family who have copies besides me, so that says something). I think an author friend or two have been reading the books. And even Reborn City has had an uptick in sales, which I think says some good things.

And even better, I already have one review, which I encourage you to check out.

So with that in mind, I’ve got a few announcements I hope you’ll take the time to read. I’m certainly excited about them:

1. Some price changes on the e-books. I’ve expressed my regrets on this subject before, but I only have so much control over the price of the paperbacks (otherwise each paperback would be between eight and ten dollars, so they’d be a bit more affordable). However, I have plenty of control over the e-books, and I’m glad to say that I’m doing something different with the e-books of Reborn City and Video Rage that I’ve been wanting to try for quite some time.

VR CS front cover

Previously, all my e-books, with the exception of The Quiet Game, have retailed at $2.99. However, from now on, on all the platforms, the e-book of Reborn City will be $0.99, and the e-book of Video Rage will be $1.99. I’m hoping that this will make it a bit easier for people to get their hands on the books and enjoy them. I’ve heard from other authors who have used this method and have had very good results from this, but I’ve never had the chance to try this until now. And now that the opportunity has arrived, I thought I’d give it a try, see what happens.

So if you’ve wanted to read my science-fiction novels on your Kindle or Kobo or whatever but price has been a problem, I hope this helps.

2. The final book in the series will be my NaNoWriMo project this year. I know I said I was going to do a ghost story as my project for National Novel Writing Month, but I changed my mind for two reasons. One was that I wanted a bit more time for me to figure out the best way to tell this particular ghost story (I don’t normally write ghost stories, and I want to get it somewhat right when I do the first draft). The other is that I don’t want three more years to pass before I get out the next book in the series. Unless you’re writing Harry Potter, I don’t think that’s a good gap between books if you can help it. So I’m putting the final book ahead of the queue, with the hope that maybe I can get out maybe ten or twenty-thousand words this winter (I doubt with my schedule I’ll get close to fifty-thousand, though I can certainly try. And I got thirty-thousand of Snake written out back in the day, so who knows?).

I’ve actually done a little work already on the third book, which I intend to call Full Circle (my newest tag). I’ve come up with a bunch of new characters, including the villain(s) of the new book (if you haven’t read VR yet, I do give hints on who that might be, so go check it out so you can start theorizing), and written out the first couple chapters on an early draft of an outline. I also know some of the events that will come later, and I’ll be doing some research later this year so I can get some aspects of Islam right (it’s amazing how often Zahara’s religion comes up in the story).

Get excited, because this is probably my most ambitious novel yet, especially with all I have planned with this story.

RC cover

3. The Reborn City audio book is going to take some more time to bring about. Back in November, I said the audio book was on the way and I had a narrator. And since then, I really haven’t had any updates on this. Well, that’s because of embarrassment. You see, my narrator and I had to dissolve our contract due to some problems on both our ends. Since then, I’ve been trying to find a new narrator, and I may have one, but it depends on her schedule when she finishes her current projects early next month. I didn’t say anything because…well, who wants to admit that the audio book they were so enthusiastic about and which they were saying was going to be done as soon as possible is having technical difficulties?

I do still hope to have a Reborn City audio book out someday (and Snake, I’m working on that as well), though it may take a bit more time. Hopefully though, they will happen, and those among you who enjoy audio books will be able to enjoy them.

 

That’s all for now, Followers of Fear. Shabbat is coming in, so I have to get ready for that. You all have a wonderful weekend, and I hope I can check in at some point soon. In the meantime, the links for both books are below. Make sure to check them out if you’re interested. And if you do decide to read them, please do me a favor and leave a review so I know what you thought. Positive or negative, I love feedback, and it makes me a better writer too.

Until next time, then!

Reborn City: Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & NobleiBooksSmashwords, and Kobo

Video Rage: Amazon, Kindle, CreatespaceBarnes & Noble, iBooks,Smashwords, and Kobo

It’s Friday again, so you know what that means. It’s #FirstLineFriday!

Now, if you don’t know what #FirstLineFriday is, let me explain it to you. On Fridays, you:

  1. Create a post on your blog entitled #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 or published story.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback, and encourage them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).

For this week’s entry, I’m doing another novel I’ve had the idea for since…I can’t remember when. A long time. And this Monday I finished reading a book on living in Victorian England, which is when this novel would take place (I’ve got several ideas taking place around that era, it’s just such a fun, fertile era for stories), and I felt like posting potential lines from that book. Especially since I know a lot more about that era now (speaking of which, if you ever have the luck to get a time machine and head back to Victoria’s reign, STAY AWAY FROM DOCTORS AND PHARMACISTS! The stuff they give out is usually full of opiates or poison. You’re better off not taking anything, or just packing some OTCs from this age before you go). Anyway, enjoy:

When I found out I was the daughter of a noble family and was rescued from the West End, I almost expected something out of a popular novel, with a love triangle between me, a rough but kind old boyfriend, and a roguish but gentle young duke; a rival who would try to bring me down for being beautiful and somewhat naive about upper society; and all that other tosh that people love in their books.

If only that had happened, because what actually happened continues to haunt me even to this day.

Thoughts? Errors? Let me know in the comments below.

I won’t be tagging anyone this week (I feel like giving you all a reprieve from my torture), but I still encourage you to try #FirstLineFriday on your own blogs. It’s easy, a lot of fun, and for us writers, it’s great practice for writing openings. In fact, I think I’ll tag someone–oh wait, almost went back on my word there. Sorry folks.

That’s all for now. I’l probably have another post out later today or tomorrow, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, have a great weekend, my Followers of Fear. I plan to, though I don’t have any plans at the moment.

I just got an interview published on BookGoodies.com. I got the chance to talk to them about the usual stuff, though I did enjoy that they took my author photo and put it horizontal. Definitely check it out.

Also, I’ve had eight ideas for stories today, starting with a dream I had this morning. Talk about a creative day.

See you Friday!

It’s Friday again, so you know what that means. It’s #FirstLineFriday!

Now if you don’t know what #FirstLineFriday is, let me explain how it works. On Fridays, you:

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

For this week, I’m doing the first lines for a short story I had the idea for earlier this week. I was talking to a woman at my new workplace about some rain that was expected to fall later that day (didn’t fall till late that night, though, so I brought my umbrella to work for nothing!). I mentioned that I was not a fan of being caught in the rain, and she told me that it was weird for a horror writer to be afraid of rain (I’m not, but I get the jab). She then told me I should write a horror story about the rain. Well, challenge accepted. I thought about it, and I finally came up with something that I thought would work. Don’t know when I’ll write it, but I got something good, so I’m sure when I do it’ll be great.

Anyway, enjoy:

Mellie had left the bank two blocks behind her when the wind stole her umbrella, sending it up into the trees on the other side of the street. At the same time, the rain fell down upon her in waves, soaking her down to her skin.

Thoughts? Errors? Too many cliches? Let’s discuss.

And while you’re at it, why not try #FirstLineFriday on your own blog? It’s easy, a lot of fun, and it’s great for practicing openings. In fact, I’m going to tag one of my followers and make them try it. Let’s see…I choose S. Hunter Nesbit! Congratulations, you’ve been tagged. You have to do your own #FirstLineFriday either today or next week. Good luck and have fun with it!

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m editing as much as possible this weekend. If I have anything to post about, I’ll let you know. Until next time!

I know I said last time that I was going to talk about work, but I’ve decided against that. After all, I’m working for the government again, in an agency where even the smallest details can be important to national security, so better to be safe than sorry.* My apologies if you were looking forward to a breakdown of my first week on the job like during my internship in Germany.

So instead, I’m going to do something I’ve been wanting to post about for a while, and that has to do with writing good horror.

So, a little backstory: recently I was at this event for young Jewish adults in Columbus, where we young Members of the Tribe can get together, socialize, and have a tasty kosher meal. The last one was a few days after Video Rage came out, so as you can imagine I was telling as many people as possible about the books in case they might be interested. One person, whom I was sitting at the same table with, asked me a question during our conversation on writing, one that really got me thinking. The question was, “Which element in horror is most important? The monster, the scares, or the atmosphere?”

I can’t remember exactly what I told him at the dinner, but I have thought about this question a bit since then. And you know what? I think that all of them are equally important. You just need the right balance of each and a good execution of each as well How to achieve that balance works depends on the story, as well as the skill of the author. Same goes for the execution, though I feel that is more based on skill than anything else.

Think about it. Obviously when you think of horror stories, you most likely think of some sort of monster, maybe a ghost, or a serial killer, or some demonic looking thing with teeth and horns. But then you think of that monster popping up and attacking you, the scare. And then you think of the fear that suffuses you, fills every inch of you, that fear of being attacked by this monster. That is the atmosphere, felt by you, the reader/viewer, an atmosphere of terror at the idea the monster will attack you. All three elements, present and essential to the story.

You can see all this in the case of Stephen King’s IT: you’ve got a terrifying monster, a shapeshifter that takes on the form of your worst nightmares and eats its victims. Every time the monster appears to attack, it’s pretty creepy to say the least. And the fact that the town It terrorizes is under Its influence to a great degree means anyplace could be where It is hiding, making nowhere safe. That’s a terrifying atmosphere to live under.

But like I said, finding a balance is difficult. One of my biggest criticisms of the movie The Forest is that it couldn’t keep up a creepy, tense atmosphere, which ruined the story despite having a great monster (Aokigahara) and decent scares. This is in contrast to a novel like Within These Walls, which manages to keep a great balance between its ghosts, the scares, and the terrifying atmosphere that builds in the house (I highly recommend reading it).

Great example of a good balance of monster, scares, and atmosphere.

This goes as well for execution. Each element, even if perfectly balanced, will not make for a great story if there’s not a good execution. I saw and reviewed The Boy earlier this year, and I felt that the true nature of the supposedly possessed doll made no sense. Seriously bad execution in the monster. Contrast that with the little girl from The Ring, which is a pretty well-thought out ghost, and you’ve got a very good execution right there.

So like I said, all three elements of the story are equally important if you want to make a truly scary story. Though that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to do the execution part. Especially for atmosphere. I find that’s a really difficult thing to create, and even harder to keep. Hopefully though, as I write and edit more and more stories, I’ll get better at all three elements (and I like to think I’m already very good at monsters and scares, so…).

That’s all for now. As you can probably guess, I’m busy with work and being an independent adult, so I might be a little restricted in the number of blog posts I write over the coming weeks. I’ll try to keep up my average of two posts a week (unless something special happens and I can’t help but blog about it), with one probably released sometime between Sunday and Tuesday and one on Friday (you know the one I’m talking about). In the meantime, I’m editing Rose and continuing to find ways to get the word out on Video Rage and all my other books. If I’m lucky, I’ll have more news on those in the weeks to come.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear. Have a good one!

*I will say though that I’m doing the same sort of work as I did in Germany, that the people in my office are the nicest people, that I’m enjoying myself, and as soon as all my basic training is out of the way, I plan to do as much as I can for the office and make the best impression possible. Wish me luck!

It’s Friday again, so you know what that means! It’s #FirstLineFriday! It’s also been a full week of work at my new job. I’ll have to blog about that at some point, if I’m allowed (government work, you need to be very careful when you talk about what you do with them).

Now if you don’t know what #FirstLineFriday is, let me explain. On Fridays, you:

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

Ever since I moved into my new apartment, I’ve been feeling more creative than I have in months. Oh, the number of new ideas I’ve had since I started living on my own! So picking just one story to do an entry on was a hard choice. In the end, I went with on I came up with last weekend, inspired partially by a story I read recently, about an online campaign of witches to cast a hex on that Stanford student who only got six months for rape (yes, both of those are a thing. Crazy, right?). Along with some recent events, I was able to come up with something original and strange and hopefully creepy. Enjoy:

Sometimes you can only take so much from the world before you just decide to strike back. And yesterday was the final straw.

Thoughts? Errors? Let’s discuss.

And while you’re at it, why not try #FirstLineFriday on your own blog? It’s easy, a lot of fun, and if you’re a writer, you get great practice for openings in your own stories. In fact, I’m going to tag someone. Let’s see…I pick Ryan M. Church of The Way of the Storyteller. Ryan, you’ve been tagged. You must do your own #FirstLineFriday either this week or next. Good luck!

That’s all for now. Packed weekend after work, so I hope I have time to check in with the latest. Until next time, my Followers of Fear!

Video Rage

I’ve got my first review of Video Rage! Yay! And it’s from my friend Katja, aka Kat Impossible, from the blog Life and Other Disasters. You’ve probably seen her comments on my posts once or twice on my blog. She’s got that really awesome black-and-white photo as her profile picture.

Now I’m not going to quote the entire review here. Let’s just say I like that she’s honest. She points out the bad as well as the good, which I appreciate. After all, that shows where I can improve in future stories (though given the nature of what I write, it might be hard to get Kat to read them. She doesn’t really do scary). And when she points out the good, she has a way of putting it that makes me smile. Here’s what she said about how I do endings:

Finally, Rami has a certain talent for ending a story. His epilogue always makes you wonder what will happen next and that’s basically what keeps you hooked in a book.

Just wait till you read the third book! I’ve got an ending that I think will really surprise people.

If you guys want to check out the full review, please click here. And if you like what you read, please feel free to leave Kat a comment with your thoughts.

Also, if you’re interested in checking out Video Rage, or the first book Reborn City, I’ll post the links down below. And if you decide to get a copy of either book and you like what you read, please make sure to let me know. Positive or negative, I love feedback, and it ultimately helps me out as a writer.

That’s all for now. Tomorrow’s Friday, so you know what that means. Until next time, my Followers of Fear!

Reborn City: Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & NobleiBooksSmashwords, and Kobo

Video Rage: Amazon, Kindle, CreatespaceBarnes & Noble, iBooks,Smashwords, and Kobo.

Cover of Snake by Rami Ungar

As I mentioned before, today is my twenty-third birthday. Wow, twenty-three. Technically, I’m still pretty young, but I feel old. I’m already paying bills and rent on my own apartment and starting a job. Ah, adulting. How you make me feel older than I am.

And as I mentioned in my last post, it’s also been two years since I published Snake, my second novel. This book, which was inspired by movies like Taken and eighties slasher films, as well as all the suspense novels I read in my first year or two of college, is the story of a serial killer who goes after members of a powerful New York mafia family, and the reasons why he does this.

It’s definitely one of my more “what the fuck?”-worthy stories, as well as one of the ones I had the most fun writing. At the time I wrote it, I just wanted to create a very thrilling, violent story involving a serial killer whom people would find themselves cheering for (like I said, “what the fuck?”-worthy). I did a lot of research into serial killers and psychopaths, even consulting with a forensic psychiatrist who helped me figure out what an actual criminal profiler would say about the crimes, as well as a lot of rewrites and reworking of the plot. The end result was one hell of a bloody, exciting thriller-horror novel.

True, there are some things I would’ve changed in the final product if I could go back (technically I could, but I don’t do rewrites after publication unless absolutely necessary), but yeah, it’s a good novel. And that’s not just my own ego telling me that. Here are some reviews, a few of which are by friends and other authors [WARNING! Some of these reviews do contain spoilers. Please be advised]:

Well, I took yet another vacation where I made my family “just wait until I finish this chapter.” This page-turning read was another great effort by Rami. He is not afraid to take risks in plot twists and turns, character development and he takes the reader on quite the journey in this book. So looking forward to his next creation!

–Michele K

This book is another awesome creation by Rami. This book is scary and brings the reader to the depths of how evil the human character can be and how anyone can be driven to commit acts of torture. The author does a wonderful job of developing the plot and characters and there are certainly twists and turns. I highly recommend reading this book if you love a good frightening thrill.

–ENJ

Rami Ungar makes a promise to (the reader) in all his writings: he WILL scare you, and if he does “his job is done.” Snake will scare you. I am a huge Stephen King fan, so this should give you some idea of my tolerance level for gore, death and mayhem – I was scared. Rami takes you into places you would never have believed possible, and manages to pull his hero (and eventually his heroine) out of them against all odds. If you like to be scared. If you LOVE to be scared. You should read this book.

–Angela Misri, author of No Matter How Improbable

I really enjoyed this book. When I selected “dark” for the mood, it was almost a toss up with suspenseful. You knew early on who the mafia killer was, but the question of how he was going to find his girlfriend and rescue her was suspenseful. I ended up choosing “dark” because of the level of violence our main character used in getting to the girlfriend. But he was a complex character. Even though he definitely had the dark side to him, there was a surprisingly good side to him, too. You don’t really see this until later on in the book. So early on, you might think this is an unredeemable character. But one of the most intriguing characters are those who aren’t what they initially seem, and for this reason, I enjoyed this character. The pacing was just right. It wasn’t rushed, and in no way did I ever feel it dragged, which is awesome for a book that was over 500 pages in paperback.

–Ruth Ann Nordin, author of The Mistaken Mail Order Bride

I guess people really like it. Which is good, because I have plans to someday write a sequel. I just have too much right now to devote time to one. Though considering the experience I had with the first book, I’d probably have a blast getting the second one written and going back down that creepy-as-hell rabbit hole.

So if you would like to read Snake and see if it’s as good and as scary as these lovely reviewers have made it out to be, I’ll include the links below. And if you do decide to read the book, please let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love feedback from readers (and it makes me a better writer to boot).

That’s all for now. I’m off to have birthday celebrations with my family. I’ll see you around, my Followers of Fear. Have a great weekend.

Snake: AmazonCreatespace, Barnes & Noble,iBooksSmashwords, and Kobo

It’s Friday again, so you know what that means. It’s #FirstLineFriday! It’s also my twenty-third birthday. And the two-year anniversary of the publication of Snake. Pick which of those you think is most important. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Now, if you don’t know what #FirstLineFriday is, let me break it down for you. On Fridays, you:

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

Now, given the information I presented at the beginning of the post, you can probably guess what sort of lines I’m posting this week. No, I’m not posting something about birthdays. I’m posting the first two lines of Snake! I don’t think I’ve posted those lines here before, so it’d be nice to post them here after two years of publication. Enjoy:

Paul Sanonia had been touched by a nightmare, an unbelievable disaster that had manifested in reality where it shouldn’t belong. Tonight, he was dwelling on the nightmare in St. Mark’s Cathedral—it didn’t matter that it wasn’t a Catholic cathedral, at this point a mosque would do—and no matter how many times he turned it over in his mind, he couldn’t see what the reason was behind it all, why his life had to have been touched, and why his cousin’s life had to have been touched more.

Thoughts? Errors? Think you’ll check it out just based on this opening? Let’s discuss in the comments below?

And while you’re at it, why not try #FirstLineFriday on your own blog? It’s easy, a lot of fun, and it’s great practice for writers who want to practice different openings for stories. In fact, I’m going to tag one of you to prove this point. Let’s see…I pick Cynthia G. on Persephone’s step-sisters. Congratulations, Cynthia, you’ve been chosen. You have to do your own #FirstLineFriday either this Friday or next. Good luck, and have fun with it!

That’s all for now. I’m off to celebrate my birthday. On Monday I start my new job, so I’m going to celebrate as much as possible while there’s time. Wish me luck, and have a lovely weekend, my Followers of Fear!

And if you would like to read Snake, you can find the links here: AmazonCreatespace, Barnes & Noble,iBooksSmashwords, and Kobo. Please make sure to check it out, and if you do decide to read the books, I hope you let me know what you think once you read it. Positive or negative, I love feedback, and it improves my skills overall as a storyteller. Happy reading!

Video Rage

I can’t believe how fast a single week can go. And I’m happy to say that Video Rage‘s first week has been very successful. Already a lot of people are getting copies of it, and even sales of Reborn City, the first book in the trilogy, has picked up a bit. This makes me really happy because it lets me know that people are very interested in reading these creations of mine.

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with Reborn City and Video Rage (and you must be really new here if that’s the case), they’re the first two books in the science fiction trilogy I’ve been writing since high school. The series follows Zahara Bakur, a Muslim teenager living in a dystopian future, and how her life changes drastically when she is forced to join the Hydras, a rising street gang in the western projects of the Vegas-style city-state Reborn City. Once in the Hydras, she learns that the gang’s leaders have amazing powers and abilities, and that there’s some connection between them and Reborn City’s mysterious leaders. The events that occur in the aftermath of these revelations will not only shape the lives of Zahara and her friends, but perhaps change the world.

When the first book came out back in 2013 (yeah, it took me three years to get the second book out. I was busy with school and work and a few other things), I was gladdened by how much people liked it. Indeed, those who left reviews had some very nice things to say:

This is not a genre I typically delve into, but I took this book on vacation and couldn’t put it down. The plot had me turning pages at quite the clip. The characters were unique and interesting and the imagery had me creating my own visual of what Rami’s interpretation of the future looked like. For first time novelist, Rami Ungar, this was an outstanding showing of talent and commitment to his passion of writing. Looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next!

–Michele K

As a reader who does not read books in this genre, I must admit that I could not put down the book. I attribute this to the talent of the author. I am looking forward to reading the next books published by Ungar. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy action with features of supernatural powers and sci-fi.

–ENJ

This is an extremely commendable effort by a new young writer, whom I believe we will see much more of in the years ahead. Rami Ungar’s vision of a frightening dystopian future is peppered with those elements that make us all human. There are quite a few surprises in the book, and I am anxious for the next volume in the series to be released.

–Marc N

Gangland violence, superhero-like enhancements, a futuristic setting, and social commentary that stems from a semi-post-apocalyptic theme. And then there’s a story where people come together as a family to deal with mutual loss and tragedy. What’s not to like?

–Matthew S. Williams, author of Whiskey Delta and Pappa Zulu

That last one was especially important for me, because it came from an author friend whom I admire a lot.

So yeah, people have enjoyed the first book. And I’m hoping that with the second book, people have similar reactions. With sequels, I try to include the parts that worked, improve or fix the parts that didn’t, and overall expand the world and action in the story without just adding more explosions and some flimsy plot a la Michael Bay (there are explosions here and there, but they’re definitely not excessive).

Reborn City and Video Rage, side by side.

Reborn City and Video Rage, side by side.

I also hope that people take the main theme of the book series to heart. A lot of the characters have been through a lot, and have been told that they are good for only one thing, usually not something good. The series follows them as they realize that they can be better than what people think they’re good for. I’m hoping that a lot of readers will find that theme applies to their own lives and that they take it to heart.

If you wish to check out Reborn City and Video Rage, I’ll include the links below. I hope you enjoy the stories, should you decide to check them out, and that whatever your thoughts, positive or negative, you let me know. I love getting feedback from readers, and it makes me a better writer to begin with.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear. Happy reading!

Reborn City: Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & NobleiBooksSmashwords, and Kobo

Video Rage: Amazon, Kindle, CreatespaceBarnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo