“Symphony for Walpurgis” Has Been Released!!!

Posted: May 1, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Hide in your homes and turn off all your lights! It is Walpurgis Night, also known as the Feast Day of Saint Walpurga, when witches are at their most powerful! And it is the release day of Symphony for Walpurgis, my brand new collection of novelettes!

I am so excited that this collection is finally out! I’ve been working on this project, first secretly and then not-so-secretly, for months now. It’s been a true labor of love, bringing together all nine novelettes–a length of story between 7,500 and 17,500 words that, in my humble opinion, doesn’t get enough love or attention–creating a spooky cover for the book, and doing everything in my power to get people interested in reading it. Including the book trailer you see below.

And I’m happy to say, my efforts have appeared to pay off. Not only did I get a lot more preorders, the most for any book I’ve self-published before, but I’ve already had some reviews from advanced readers, and they’ve all been extraordinarily positive. If things continue to go well, I hope more people will read this book and leave reviews so others can find out if it interests them.

And in case you’re interested, this book contains nine novelettes featuring tales like “Blood and Paper Skin,” about a group of teens who end up in what appears to be someone’s private jail/torture chamber, and learn the dark reason why they’ve been brought to this place; “Disillusionment and Trauma Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand,” in which a teenage girl gets wrapped up in a plot to avenge her best friend, and ends up having the last laugh; “The House on Lafayette Square,” which is about a Jewish exorcism (yes, we have those); “Mother of Spiders,” about a small town in 1950s Ohio whose dark past comes back to haunt the present; “Famous,” about a wannabe Las Vegas starlet who will do anything to get what she believes is rightfully hers, including a deal with a beast straight out of cryptid legend; “The Little Goddess of Horror,” about the strange and eventful life of a beloved actress and scream queen; “The Parasite Man,” about a lawyer/loan shark whose family gets their just desserts from a malevolent spirit; “Cressida,” about a man keeping a mermaid with an uncanny resemblance to his daughter in his basement; and “Natural Predators,” about the crazy shit that goes down when a summer camp becomes ground zero for the next pandemic.

If that sounds like it might be up your alley, you can now order a copy using the links below. I’ll also include the link for the Goodreads page, in case you want to read the advanced reviews before you decide whether to check out the book or not.

And if you do, I hope you’ll let me know what you think in a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Not to mention, it helps other readers out.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to get a new tattoo, and then I’m off to celebrate the release of this wonderful new book. Until next time, good night, happy reading, and pleasant nightmares. I look forward to seeing what you all think of Symphony for Walpurgis.

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Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
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“Symphony for Walpurgis:” The Paperback Edition is Available for Preorder!!!

Posted: April 24, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Well, better late than never, am I right? Finally, with just a week out till release, Symphony for Walpurgis is available for preorder in paperback!

So, if you didn’t know, Symphony for Walpurgis is my latest collection. It contains nine novelettes that range in subject from cryptids (“Famous”) to malevolent spirits (“The Parasite Man”) to even a Jewish exorcism (“The House on Lafayette Square”). It’s a very exciting time for me, as the book comes out in seven days, and I can’t wait for people to read it.

Now, since January, it’s been available for preorder, but only as an ebook. That’s because Amazon doesn’t do paperback preorders for books published through their KDP platform, and Barnes & Noble…well, Barnes & Noble took three months to update my vendor account to reflect the address I’ve been living at for the past three years. They only got through that recently, which meant I was finally able to post Symphony to Barnes & Noble’s website yesterday.

And now Symphony for Walpurgis is available for preorder on Barnes & Noble, including in the paperback version! Yay for people who prefer paperbacks!

Now, there is a catch: B&N Press has rules about how many days between submitting the paperback for publication and when it comes out (especially if preorder is an option). And because B&N Press took so long to get my vendor account updated, the Symphony for Walpurgis ebook will be out on May 1st, but the paperback will be out on May 8th.

Yeah, I know, it sucks. On the bright side, the paperback will probably come out on time on Amazon, but you won’t be able to preorder it. Either way, you likely won’t get a print copy of Symphony on May 1st. Which is pretty typical of paperbacks ordered online these days, now that I think about it.

Anyway, no matter which way you prefer, if you want a paperback copy of Symphony, you can now at least preorder it.

And I hope you want to check it out, paperback or ebook. This collection has been a labor of love. I’ve worked hard on each individual story to make it as good as possible, whether that story involved lots of spiders (“Mother of Spiders”), mermaids (“Cressida”), or being locked up in a jail (“Blood and Paper Skin”). I wanted to deliver a collection that would delight all sorts of horror fans, as well as maybe grow the interest in novelettes. Whether or not that’s true, I’ll leave to readers, but I like to think I’ve at least done a good job.

So, if you would like to check it out, I’ll leave links to where Symphony is available, as well as Goodreads where the advanced reviews are located, below the book trailer. And whether you preorder it or wait till the day of, I hope you enjoy what you read. And if you could leave a review letting me know what you think, I would appreciate it. Positive or negative, I enjoy reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers out in the long run.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I have a busy day today, but it’ll be full of excitement as I count down the days till Symphony releases. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and why is a little girl come out of my TV and ranting about me stealing her line? Weird.

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Apple Books
B&N
Goodreads
Kobo

Events in 2025

Posted: April 23, 2025 in Living and Life, Writing
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It’s that time again. No, not the time to promote my work or to make bizarre faces. One of those will come later. No, it’s time to talk about the events I’ll be doing in the near future! As you know, I try to go to as many events as possible. It’s a great way to meet new readers, and once or twice, I even get a few readers who come with the hope of meeting me in-person. So, I occasionally post updates on which events I’ll be at, in case any of my Followers of Fear want to stop by and see me.

So, without further ado, let’s get talking about the events I’ll be attending over the next few months.

First, I’ll be at the Halfway to Halloween Expo at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds in Ann Arbor, MI on Saturday, May 10, 2025. This is a huge gathering of horror fans, with food trucks, a hearse show, plenty of vendors, and even a haunted house attraction you can go through! I’ll be there selling books (including my new book, Symphony for Walpurgis) and doing Tarot readings, and you can buy tickets on the day of, so if you can stop by, please do. I would love to see you.

You can learn more by checking out the expo’s website here.

Fast forward to June, and I’ll be heading to Stamford, CT for StokerCon from June 12-15! If you’re unfamiliar, StokerCon is the premier convention for horror writers, hosted by the Horror Writers Association, and I’m going there this year to see all my horror-writing and horror-loving friends. And if all goes well, I’ll also be sitting on some panels and maybe even pitching The Shape of Evil to editors and agents. And if you want to come and hang out, I would love to see you.

You can learn more about StokerCon by checking out its website.

A couple of weekends later, I’ll be at the Big Ohio Book Con in Medina, OH on June 28-29. It’s a relatively new con sponsored by Black Cat Books & Oddities, but from what I hear, they had a big turnout their first year, and it looks to grow, so I’m looking forward to selling books and doing Tarot readings there. If you’re interested, please stop by. Obviously, I would love to see you.

You can learn more about the Big Ohio Book Con by checking out its website.

And last, but definitely not least, HWA Ohio will be having a booth at the Columbus Book Festival in downtown Columbus, OH on July 12-13! This is a humongous book festival, with over 40,000 guests streaming through the downtown library and Topiary Park last year. And with hundreds of authors, booths for nearly every imaginable interest, performances, food trucks, and so much more, you wouldn’t want to miss out on it this year. Plus, me and my fellow Ohio horror writers are holding a booth together, so you’re bound to find something there if you visit. So, why not stop by? All of us would love to see you.

You can find out more by visiting the festival’s website here.

And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. If there are any more events I’ll be at, I’ll be sure to let you know. And, of course, I’ll be sure to remind you prior to the events themselves. Any more than that, however, and I worry I’ll get annoying about it.

But if you’re unable to stop by any of them but you still want to support me, or you’re just looking for a good horror story, I’ll leave a link to my book page below. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and Jewish exorcisms, I have something for every horror fan, so be sure to check them out. And if you like what you read, please leave a review somewhere so I (and other readers) know what you think.

That’s all for now my Followers of Fear, but I’ll be back soon (you can probably guess why). Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Rami Ungar’s Books

My Autism Isn’t a Curse or a Death Sentence

Posted: April 19, 2025 in Living and Life, Politics and Leadership, Reflections, Social Activism
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Hello, Followers of Fear. As you know, my name is Rami Ungar. I’m a novelist specializing in horror and dark fantasy. I’ve published several books, with my sixth out in just a matter of days. I enjoy horror, anime, ballet and theater, winemaking, reading, and a bunch of other stuff. I am also on the spectrum, and have been my whole life. In fact, from the moment I popped out of the womb, I was so different, my mother thought until my sister came along that all the baby books were lying to her.*

And I am very, very upset by events this week.

Specifically, I’m upset by what our so-called Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, said during a press conference, which is reiterated nicely in this tweet:

He also called autism an “epidemic,” as if it sprouted out of nowhere and has grown exponentially in a few years, rather than a medical condition that has probably existed since prehistoric times and of which we have had a name and research for since the early 1900s. But this is a guy who openly claims he had a worm in his brain, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that worm stole his common sense (and his ability to read as well).

But this level of ignorance has upset me on so many levels. We’ve made so many strides in educating the public about autism and disability in general (I was even quoted in an NPR article last year about what actual disabled people wanted listeners to know). And I don’t even know if Kennedy spouts this crap because he actually believes it, or because he knows there’s money to be made and power to be grabbed from spreading this junk.

In case it’s the former, however, and in case Kennedy or anyone else believes this garbage, let me inform you of some things: I’m 100% certified autistic. And yet, I’ve filed my taxes every spring since I turned 18. I’ve held various jobs throughout my life, being in my current job for the past nine years (I help other employees with disabilities get accommodations so they can continue working, in case you were wondering). I’ve not only played baseball and softball, but I was on my high school’s team for a little while. I’ve not only written poetry (bad as it is), but I’ve written several books and short stories. I dated here and there before I realized I was aromantic. And I use the toilet unassisted several times a day, every day, since I was a small child!

That’s because autism is a spectrum, and the people Kennedy’s describing are only a small part of the spectrum. What Kennedy is describing is like saying because the sky is blue and it’s always so visible, all colors on the color spectrum must be blue!

In other words, I’m not an exception, I’m just another dot on the spectrum. One piece out of a multicolored thousand-piece puzzle.

Autism may make me and others different, but we’re hardly all suffering. Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com

And the fact that Kennedy, a man who has said time and time again he’s always looking for new research proving autism isn’t caused by vaccines, can’t seem to grasp this, shows me that he’s either stupid, stubborn, or he’s looking to profit off of other people’s fears just to be powerful. And I can’t decide which I prefer. Honestly, they’re all terrible.

And honestly, I’m mad about a lot of stuff right now–the tariffs destroying the American economy; the persecution of trans people across the world; my own government sending people out of the country without due process or any semblance of respect for the law to an El Salvadorian concentration camp with my tax dollars–but this one personally got to me. People act like autism is a curse or even worse than death to the point that they avoid giving life-saving medicine to their children!

But as much as autism sometimes hinders me in social situations, it also enhances my life. I see the world differently and am more empathetic to the plight of others because of it. It might even play a role in why I’m as creative as I am. I wouldn’t change who I am for anything! And the fact that Kennedy and his ilk pity me or treat me like an invalid not only shows how little they know, but also how much they’re missing out on people like me.

*I mention this because some vaccine skeptics tend to prefer personal anecdotes to scientific data, and also because anyone who disagrees with this and insists vaccination is the cause of my autism is calling my mother a liar. And you do not call a man’s mother a liar unless you’re prepared for the consequences.

Thanks for reading this far, my Followers of Fear. Honestly, as I’ve gotten older, as I’ve come to grasp how incredibly fucked up the world is, and as I’ve grappled with how to be vocal about my beliefs while also toeing the line at my day job (they prefer us to be politically neutral over there), I talk about politics less and less. But these days, I’m thinking about being more vocal. Especially with the road this country is going down right now.

Well, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Don’t be surprised if I talk about this subject on my YouTube channel in the near future. But until then, or until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” Two Weeks Till Release!!!

Posted: April 17, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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It’s finally getting warmer here in Ohio. Or, at least, more and more days the weather is above fifty degrees instead of below it. Honestly, Ohio weather is a bit of a lottery sometimes.

But on the bright side, something’s coming that isn’t so hard to predict: my new book, Symphony for Walpurgis: A Collection, will release on Thursday, May 1st, 2025! Which means it’s exactly two weeks from release day!

Now, if you’re unaware, Symphony for Walpurgis is a collection of nine novelettes, some previously published and some original, that I am releasing in one big book. The stories include “Blood and Paper Skin,” about several college-aged kids who wake up locked in a jail by a very strange man and who slowly start to disappear; “Trauma and Disillusionment Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand,” about a teen girl who gets wrapped up in a revenge plot after her best friend is murdered, and ends up summoning creatures from ancient times in an occult ritual; “The House on Lafayette Square,” about a Jewish exorcism (yes, we have those); “Mother of Spiders,” about a small town in Ohio that comes to a reckoning with its sordid past one Halloween night; “Famous,” about a Las Vegas wannabe starlet who will do anything to achieve fame, including making a deal with a mysterious creature; “The Little Goddess of Horror,” where a podcaster interviews an old man about a famous actress he knew, and gets way more than he bargained for; “The Parasite Man,” about a rich man whose family finds itself under assault by a mysterious entity using parasitic organisms; “Cressida,” about a man keeping a mermaid who looks like his daughter in his basement; and “Natural Predators,” about a summer camp that becomes ground zero for a terrible pandemic.

That’s a lot of words, but it does give you some idea of the stories inside, doesn’t it?

Anyway, I’m very excited for everyone to read this book. I’ve already gotten a few advanced reviews, and they’ve been very positive, which makes me hopeful that plenty of people will hear the buzz and want to read the book. I’m working hard to make that happen.

As part of that effort (and as a special treat), here are the latest graphics with quotes from the book. I’ve been posting them regularly, and I think they’re getting people interested.

What did you all think? Any of it get you intrigued? You want to read the book now?

If you do, I’ll leave links below. Right now, Symphony for Walpurgis is still only available in ebook format from the below stores, but more stores and a paperback edition are on the way. I’ll also leave a link to the Goodreads page, where the advanced reviews have all been posted.

And speaking of reviews, if you like what you read, please consider leaving a review somewhere. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Plus, it helps other readers figure out whether or not they want to read the book.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I hope you’re as excited for this book as I am. And until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and I can’t wait to welcome you to Symphony to Walpurgis.

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Apple Books
Goodreads
Kobo

Review: “The Liminal Zone 2” by Junji Ito

Posted: April 14, 2025 in Review, Scary Stuff
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You know the drill: Junji Ito releases a new collection in the States; I read it; I review it. And in his latest collection, The Liminal Zone 2, Ito-sensei once again gives us four stories that try to toe the line between the world of human-caused horror and the more supernatural kind. (Plus the complicated relationships between fathers and sons, now that I think about it.)

You may recall, but I was not impressed with half of the stories in the first Liminal Zone (see my full review here). And, as Ito-sensei himself says in the afterword of Liminal Zone 2, he feels he’s having fewer ideas for stories every year. Can what ideas he has work for me this time?

For the most part, yes.

The first story, “Demon King of Dust,” follows a young boy living in what remains of a hot springs inn with his increasingly unstable father and two servants. The father is paranoid about dust, claiming it’s part of a terrible demon that rules over the abandoned resort town where the inn is located. It’s a very freaky story, where every couple of pages reveals more and more strange and disturbing imagery and truths. I love how it just escalates and how you’re left guessing how much is real or how much is in the father’s head.

The second story, “Village of Ether,” is about four college students returning to the small town one of them grew up in, and where a pair of scientists were supposedly developing perpetual motion machines (machines that lack an external power source and are considered impossible by mainstream scientists). However, the town is very changed from when the one student was a kid, and the only remaining scientist is hiding secrets that are about to come to the surface. Again, the art here is imaginative and terrifying, especially the “automaton servants,” and it just keeps getting freakier up until the end, which I would define as “explosive.”

The third story, “The Strange Hikizuri Siblings, Chapter 3: Uncle Ketanosuke,” is the latest venture in the Hikizuri siblings, six strange and dysfunctional siblings who have appeared in previous, increasingly supernatural stories (don’t worry, you don’t have to have read the previous stories to enjoy this one). In this tale, a girl named Hotaru senses a strange aura from the Hikizuri family home and ends up staying with the siblings in the hope that it may explain why she’s always felt a heavy weight upon her soul from early childhood. Be careful what you wish for, because the truth is as freaky as these siblings, and I bet a live-action film on just this one tale would be both hilarious and creepy!

The fourth and final story, however, is the weakest of the bunch. “The Shells of Manjunuma” is about a young man living in an area where the local turtles and crows are considered evil and cursed, and the turtles’ belly plates can predict who will die under mysterious circumstances. Ito-sensei himself all but admits in the afterword that he was really scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one, and it shows. The story feels pretty pointless, which only detracts from some of the very gruesome art.

But all in all, this is a much better collection of Ito-sensei’s work. Whereas The Liminal Zone earned a 2.5 out of 5, I’m awarding The Liminal Zone 2 a 3.8 out of 5. Plenty of great storytelling and scary imagery to match! Just skip the last story and you’ll be sufficiently creeped out.

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” Only Three Weeks from Release!!!

Posted: April 10, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Is it just me, or is time moving so fast, it’s kind of crazy?

Anyway, as you’re likely well aware at this point, Symphony for Walpurgis is only three weeks away from being released! And if you’re not aware, Symphony for Walpurgis is my latest book, a collection of nine novelettes with a range of stories focusing on cryptids, malevolent spirits, and even a Jewish exorcism! And it will be releasing in exactly three weeks from today, on May 1st, 2025, AKA Walpurgis Night 2025 (for what Walpurgis Night is, click here).

To say the least, I’m really excited for this book to come out. Not only do I feel that the novelette-length story isn’t given enough love by publishers and readers (7,500-17,500 words, if you didn’t know), but I feel that these stories, some of which have been previously published and some of which are original, represent some of my best work and I’m looking forward to hearing what people think. Will they enjoy “The House on Lafayette Square,” which is my story about the Jewish exorcism? Or will people find “Mother of Spiders” and “The Parasite Man,” which both involve some literally skin-crawling imagery, terrifying?

Luckily, some of my advanced readers have already posted their reviews online, so I already have some idea on how people might feel about the book (one described the imagery in a couple of stories as disturbing, and another said it was a very imaginative book, which I appreciated). But, like every author working to get their stories into readers hands, I want more people to read my work and give me their thoughts.

And I hope those thoughts are pretty universal in agreeing that the stories are scary and that they like what they read.

I hope people read passages like this, and get chills up their spines.

Anyway, if you’re in the mood for a scary collection, if I’ve somehow persuaded you to check out Symphony, or you’d like to support me, I’ll leave links below the collection’s book trailer. You can read the reviews I’ve already gotten on Goodreads, or you can preorder a copy of the ebook. And don’t worry, more stores and a paperback edition will be available as we get closer to the release date.

And, after release day, if you like what you read, I would appreciate it if you would leave a review anywhere just letting people know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Not to mention, it helps other readers out as well.

And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Thank you for your support all this time and as we get closer to the release of Symphony for Walpurgis. I look forward to sharing this new book with you and hearing what you think. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

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Apple Books
Goodreads
Kobo

Finding the Right Words

Posted: April 6, 2025 in Reflections, Writing
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No other way to say it: it’s important to use the right words when telling a story.

That seems to be an obvious statement, but yet it’s something that needs to be stated. Depending on your audience, the genre you’re writing in, the characters you’re working with, and a dozen other factors, what words you choose when telling your story is important. After all, you can’t use complicated, SAT-level words for children’s literature, and you shouldn’t use too simplistic language for work geared exclusively towards adults. You also shouldn’t use futuristic terms or contemporary slang in works taking place in an old-fashioned medieval setting (can you imagine someone saying in a Game of Thrones book, “Dude! The calculations state that winter is only 7.8 parsecs away!”), and you shouldn’t make children sound like adults in their dialogue, though the latter can sometimes work (do you now how often I use the word “dude” myself?).

But more important than this, is finding away to put your carefully-gathered vocabulary together to keep the story together. At least, that’s how it feels to me.

As you may be aware, I’m working on the third draft of The Shape of Evil, a novel I wrote last year about a 3D printer from Hell. I’m hoping to pitch it to agents at StokerCon in a couple of months, where you actually have the opportunity to pitch novels and other works to editors and agents. And I am working hard to make sure the words in that story are compelling and interesting and work cohesively together for that purpose.

That wasn’t such a big problem with the first and second drafts. With the first draft, the point was just to get it out. To make sure it exists and has some semblance of making sense. And with the second draft, the point was to clean it up so that it wasn’t so messy and so that the future beta readers wouldn’t have too many complaints regarding either spelling/punctuation/grammar or the plot (especially since my protagonist is non-binary and my beta readers were also sensitivity readers).

As you are no doubt aware, I’m working especially hard to make the words in this book be the right ones before StokerCon in June.

But with this third draft, the point is to impress agents and/or editors enough that they’ll want to work with me in bringing this book, as well as possibly others, to publication. And with that in mind, I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself–perhaps too much pressure–to make sure those words come together and work well with one another. Like the gears in a clock, moving with one another in beautiful harmony, rather than grinding against each other to make a messy pile of word-vomit.

Then again, why am I putting so much pressure on myself? As with almost all of my books, especially the ones published with publishers, it took way more than three drafts before it was ready for publication. Usually up to seven! And even then, none of my books were perfect. They were just done.

That’s how my high school English teacher, Mr. G, put it. “No story is ever perfect. It’s just done. You’ve done all you can to improve it, and any more edits will only hurt it. Even so, it’s not completely flawless. It’s just done.”

That lesson has stayed with me fourteen years after graduating high school, and I not only try to keep it in mind while writing, but I pass it on to other writers as much as possible. And, occasionally, I’ll remind myself of that lesson when I’m working on a project and have high hopes for it. Hell, I know that no matter how much editing I do, The Shape of Evil won’t be anywhere near done by the time I’m ready to pitch it.

However, it may be far enough along that, when I pitch it, whomever I pitch it to is enchanted enough, and sees enough potential in it, that they’ll help me get it done. And then out into the wider world. And to that end, I’ll try to keep the pressure off myself, so that this metaphorical clockmaker doesn’t feel like he’s forcing the words into the clock and making them work together when they don’t want to.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I felt like I needed to get this off my chest if I was going to move forward with working on The Shape of Evil. And man, do I feel exorcised of some worries! (Though not of my demons. Those are never going away.)

I’ll be sure to check in if there’s any more news, my Followers of Fear. But until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” Only A Month Away!!!

Posted: April 3, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Was that an unseasonal chill in the air? Nope, it’s the warning that Symphony for Walpurgis will arrive in T-minus four weeks!

If you’re unaware, Symphony for Walpurgis is my new collection of novelettes, featuring stories of cryptids (“Famous”), malevolent spirits (“The Parasite Man”), and even a Jewish exorcism (“The House on Lafayette Square”). Yes, Jews have our own exorcisms, too. My parents tried to do them on me on and off throughout the years, but it never worked, so far as I can tell. Anyway, the new collection comes out on Thursday, May 1st, 2025, and today’s Thursday, April 3rd, 2025. Meaning we’re a month away from the book’s release!

I’m super excited for people to read this book. I tend to write stories that fall into the novelette range (around 7,500-17,500 words), but finding them homes are a challenge. Only so many presses and magazines accept novelettes, usually on the shorter side, and then the places that do accept them either only have so many slots available that competition is fierce, or they’re invite only. Hopefully this book brings out a bit more interest for novelettes. At the very least, people will be able to read a lot of them at once. Some of them have even been previously published, while the rest are original.

So yeah, I’m hoping to get a lot of people to read this book. And in the meantime, I’m doing everything I can to get people interested. Just this past week, I’ve been uploading graphics with quotes from the book’s stories, and I like to think people have been enjoying them, and even getting chills from them.

I mean, look at this one.

Brrrr! Spooky! I knew going for shorter, snappier quotes would be helpful.

Anyway, if you’re at all interested in a spooky collection this late spring/early summer, or if you’d like to support me, I’ll leave links below. Walpurgis is available to preorder as an ebook from a certain stores, but more formats and stores will be available as time goes on.

And if you like what you read, please leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and other readers out in the long run. In fact, I’ve already received some awesome reviews on Goodreads for Walpurgis, including a new one yesterday, and they’ve helped immensely. I’ll link to those as well.

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

Amazon
Apple Books
Goodreads
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The Communities That Keep Me Going

Posted: March 30, 2025 in Living and Life, Reflections, Uncategorized
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Photo by Leah Newhouse on Pexels.com

You may have heard of BlueSky as an alternative to Twitter. What you may have not heard is that  there’s a weekly event on BlueSky for horror writers called “Horror Writers Chat.” It started on Twitter and then moved to BlueSky after Twitter became a hellscape. Every week, authors gather to discuss horror, writing and their work posed by Matt Mason and Eryn McConnell. We answer questions, and even get to share links to our works.

I’ve been doing it for quite some time, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. In fact, some weeks, I really need it.

During the past couple of months, life has been extremely rough. Yeah, there have been reasons to smile, but there’s also been a ton of stuff that just wears down my soul. Work, for one thing, has been absolutely insane since January, to the point where I come home a lot of days very exhausted. And with all the time I need after work to get ready for the next day, as well as get some sleep, my writing time has been cut down drastically.

Which sucks, because writing is one of my ways of de-stressing, as well as how I move forward this career I’m so devoted to.

In addition, recently I was in an accident. Don’t worry, I’m fine, but my car was totaled by the other driver. Thankfully, the other driver’s insurance company agreed to pay all the costs, but this whole experience has been very stressful.

In Tarot, the Ten of Wands represents being overburdened and weary. Matches me some days in so many ways.

Add in all the horrible things happening on the national and world stage (*cough* fascist wave sweeping America *cough*), and it’s enough that even with frequent therapy sessions and all the usual de-stressing methods aren’t enough!

That’s why I’m thankful for all the communities I happen to be a part of. They’re a soothing balm upon my soul.

Obviously, there’s the horror writing communities on social media, that’s been helpful. But there’s also been the horror and horror writing friends and communities I’ve formed IRL. These past few months, I’ve had a few opportunities to see and hang out with my colleagues, which is always a treat. In fact, we’re getting together near the end of April, and I’m super excited about that, as it’s going to be a big meeting and we’ll get to play board games while discussing cannibalism together.

And it’s not just the socializing, either. It’s the professional help. As many of you know, I’m hoping to pitch my novel The Shape of Evil to agents at StokerCon this summer. I was recently discussing this with another member of HWA, and he gave me some critical advice to keep in mind if I hoped to pitch and find someone willing to represent me. One of those pieces was to research each person taking pitches thoroughly to see if they were a good fit for me.

A few weeks later, when the agents and editors taking pitches were announced, I did my research, and reached out to authors who had worked with them, as my friend advised me. Some of these authors have become good friends of mine, so I was able to get some amazing feedback from them and make my choices about whom to pitch to from there.

Community saves me, in more ways than one.

And it’s not just the horror communities that have been helping me. My Jewish community, my family and friends community, and even my work community. Yeah, as tough as work has been, I’m surrounded by a team of people who know what we’re going through and are willing to help me when I ask for it. Not to mention, if we deal with a difficult customer (that happens, sadly), my leadership don’t mind going to bat for us. And when my car got hit, my workmates were among the most concerned about me.

So, despite all the hardships, I’m really happy to have all these people around me in the same situation. We’ve already gotten together once for some much-needed R&R, and have plans for the near future as well.

And guess what? The Followers of Fear community is a wonderful community, too. While engagement and growth changes over time, many of you still take the time to read every post, and provide helpful comments as well. Some of you even read my books and provide reviews, and one or two even created fan art of my work, which was a big honor! In addition, many of you have become dear friends of mine.

All that keeps me going, and holds the doubts that threaten my writing career at bay like no wall can.

So yeah, life’s been hard lately, and therapy and anime and writing can only do so much. But then, there are the people around me who give me encouragement and listen when I vent, or who go to see shows and movies or to grab dinner and drinks with me, or the ones without whom I would not be where I am today. They give me a much needed boost when I need it.

With that in mind, thank you, Followers of Fear. As I said, life’s been a chaotic rollercoaster lately, but you being there makes it somewhat more manageable. So, never forget: I am endlessly grateful for you.

Also, if you would like to take part in “Horror Writers Chat” on BlueSky, make an account and follow Matt Mason (username @chaoticauthor.online) and Eryn McConnell (@erynmcconnell.bsky.social). They switch off hosting every other week, so following both is a good idea. The actual event happens every Wednesday at 2 PM EST, with four questions posted every twenty minutes or so. You quote-post your answers from the post with the original question, and like and repost the ones you like from other participants. And don’t forget to use the hashtag #HorrorWritersChat.

(You can also find BlueSky my account here.)

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Hope to see some of you on BlueSky. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

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