Posts Tagged ‘Akron Book Fest’

Getting Back on Track

Posted: March 7, 2025 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I can be a real idiot sometimes.

So, back in December, I posted about my plans for 2025 in terms of what I want to accomplish with my writing (you can read that post here). What I didn’t mention was that I had no plans to write anything longer than a novelette. I’d edit the novellas and novels I’d already written, like The Shape of Evil and the four I hope to shop around when I’ve finished editing them. But I wouldn’t work on anything longer. Just short stories and novelettes until those stories were finished and edited and published. And only after I’d gotten back to my mummy novel, Crawler, and finished the first draft of that.

(For those of you who are unaware, the Horror Writers Association defines a short story as 1,000-7,500 words, a novelette as 7,500-17,500, a novella as 17,500-40,000, and a novel is 40,000 words and up.)

So, with my plan in place, I started on a witchy Halloween story that I thought would be maybe a long novelette at most.

And that story ended up going up to 20,000 words! And it’s not even done!

Now, by that point, I had been working on the story since before New Year’s, and I was so frustrated by how busy my life has been, so I completely forgot about my promise to myself and just forged on ahead for a while. But then I found myself just hesitating, not wanting to get further when I knew it could take me another month or two, given my current life.

That was when I remembered my promise to myself. And I slapped myself in the head for not keeping it!

So, the witchy Halloween story is now on hold until I’ve finished Crawler. In the meantime, I’m going to work on something I know will be shorter.* After that, the sensitivity readers should both be done with The Shape of Evil (one’s already sent me their notes), so I’ll probably give that one more round of edits.

After that? Probably another guaranteed short story. We’ll see.

But for now, I should head to bed. I’ve got the Akron Book Fest tomorrow, and I’ll need all the energy I can get.

After I get back home, however, I’ve got a great scary story idea to look forward to writing. And did I mention the story was inspired by Hamilton?

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

*Then again, I thought the witchy Halloween story would be short. So who knows?!

My First Published Piece of 2025 is Live!!!

Posted: March 2, 2025 in Journalism, Reflections
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I’ve been meaning to write and post this all Saturday. But I slept in way later than I meant to, and then my day got busy, and…oh wait, it’s Sunday? Shit. Well, might as well get to the good news, then.

So, you might remember back in January, I got my first acceptance of the year, a non-fiction article about how people move on after learning their favorite celebrities have monstrous sides. That article, “Being in the Fallout: Options to Take When Your Heroes Reveal a Dark Side,” was released on March 1st by Trollbreath Magazine. Which, at the time this blog post came out, was yesterday!

I’m really proud of this article. A few times of year, we find out a celebrity we love is evil or has some really dark stuff in their history, and it’s not always easy to move on or even to figure out how to react. This article goes over the most common methods, while also incorporating some well-known examples of problematic or even horrible celebrities.

If you’re at all interested, please consider giving the article a read. Like I said, I’m quite proud of it and would love to hear your thoughts on it. Plus, reading it, or even purchasing a copy of the magazine, would help Trollbreath immensely in the long run. I’ll leave a link below.

Being in the Fallout

I would like to thank Trollbreath for publishing my article and being my first publication of 2025. Especially with this article. It really means a lot to me. And I would like to thank my critique group, who helped me get this article into shape prior to submitting it. As I tell people, writing is a solitary act, but getting that writing into print takes multiple hands.

Now, before I go, my Followers of Fear, there’s some more news/reminders I want to share:

  • First, I have another non-fiction article coming out later this year. Not sure exactly when, but it might be sometime in summer. I’m really looking forward to it, as it’s going to be from a well-known horror publication. I can’t wait for you to read it.
  • This Saturday, March 8th, I will be at the Akron Book Fest at the Akron Downtown Library in Akron, Ohio. I’ll be there representing HWA Ohio, so I won’t be selling books or doing Tarot readings, but I’ll be happy to talk to you about the books our members put out and how awesome horror is. So if you’re in the area, please stop by!

And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll probably have something out again very soon, so keep an eye out for it. But until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Events in 2025

Posted: January 9, 2025 in Living and Life
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Wow. It’s been a kind of crazy this year, hasn’t it? If I’m not careful, 2025 is going to leave me exhausted! Wait, what do you mean we’re not even ten days into January? Oh God, somebody get me off this ride!

Alright, enough kidding around. Besides, I’m not doing too bad so far. I actually feel really good about what I’ve gotten done today, and coming back to work after vacation hasn’t been as bad as it could have been. I just wish I had more time to devote to writing like I did on that vacation!

Well, maybe through meeting readers and other writers at events, I’ll eventually get to that point. And with that rather silly segue, let’s talk about the events I’ll be attending and/or vending at in 2024, because I’ve got a new one I’m going to be in!

First, in a little over three weeks, I’ll be at Akronomicon on Saturday, February 1st at the Emidio and Sons Banquet Center in Akron, Ohio. Formerly known as Monster Mania, this is from what I hear a small but passionate horror con, and I’m looking forward to it. If you can, please stop by. I’ll be signing books and doing Tarot readings and would love to see you. You can grab tickets through the event’s Facebook page.

Then, I’ll be at the Akron Book Festival at the Main Library in downtown Akron on March 8th. It’s being sponsored by their library, and it sounds like it’s going to be quite popular, like the Columbus Book Fest (but hopefully not as hot and humid). Once more, I’ll be there selling books and maybe doing Tarot readings, so if you can stop by, please do. You can find more info on their website here.

Fast forward two months, and on May 10th, I’ll be at the Halfway To Halloween Expo at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is a very popular event I’ve heard so many things about, so I’m really looking forward to it. Again, I’ll be signing books and doing Tarot readings, so if you can join me there, I would love to see you. You can find out more information on their newly revamped website.

Then in June, I have two events! The first will be StokerCon in Stamford, Connecticut on June 12th-15th. I’m so excited for this! I loved the last StokerCon I was at, and I’m looking forward to this one even more, as I’ll hopefully be allowed on a panel or two, and I’ll be pitching The Shape of Evil to agents. You can learn more about the con from the website.

And last but not least, I’ve just been confirmed for the Big Ohio Book Con in Medina, Ohio on June 28th-29th. This con is hosted by Black Cat Books & Oddities, a bookstore that’s been talked about quite a bit in local horror circles for its leanings towards the dark and spooky. I’ll be doing my thing there, so I hope to see you there! You can find more information on the shop’s website.

And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. There will probably be one or two more before the year is out, and I’ll be sure to let you know when I’ve been confirmed for any of them.

Again, I hope to see you there. And if I don’t but you’d still like to support me, I’ve got a bunch of books available. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and car-chasing ghosts, I’ve got something for every horror fan, including some free stuff. And in case you haven’t heard, I also have a new book coming out that’s available for preorder! So, be sure to check them out and, if you like what you read, please leave a review! I’ll leave a link for my book page below.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I have a few posts planned in the future, so I’ll be writing and posting those as soon as I can. Until then, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Rami Ungar’s Books

Events in 2025

Posted: December 22, 2024 in Living and Life
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This year, I went with a totally metal graphic. You like it?

It probably won’t surprise you that I’m already scheduled to attend some events as an author in the coming year. And because I love it when I run into Followers of Fear at these events (doesn’t happen often, but it still happens occasionally), I try to advertise the hell out of them in the hopes that someone reading these posts will be in the area and want to come and see me.

Plus, I’m doing a lot of new events this coming year, of which most of them are horror cons, so that should be a lot of fun. So, without further ado, let’s talk about what’s happening in 2025!

First, I’ll be getting started early this year with Akronomicon. This horror themed convention, previously known as Monsterfest Mania, will be held at the Emidio Expo Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, which is located in the Akron metropolitan area (hence the name Akronomicon). It’ll be held February 1st, from 10 AM – 7 PM. I’ll be there selling books and doing Tarot readings. If you can stop by, please do. Tickets are being sold here.

Then, I’ll be back in Akron at the Akron Book Festival on March 8th from 11 AM – 3 PM at the Main Library in downtown Akron. I’ll be there with a bunch of local Ohio authors, selling books (and hopefully being allowed to do Tarot readings). If you can, please stop by. You can find out more here.

Skip forward two months, and I’ll be heading up north to Michigan for the Halfway to Halloween Expo! This is an annual event held around when we’re six months away from Halloween (hence the name), and from what I hear, it’s always popular. This coming year, it takes place on Saturday, May 10th, 2025 from 11 AM – 6 PM at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds (now there’s a name!) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I’ll be there selling books and doing Tarot readings, so I hope to see you there. You can find out more on their website.

And finally, StokerCon 2025 will be held in Stamford, Connecticut on June 12th – 15th. This is the Horror Writers Association’s very own convention, with lots of panels, pitch sessions, endless ways and reasons to socialize, and, of course, the Bram Stoker Awards Dinner and Ceremony. I don’t know if I’ll be selling anything there this year, but I’ll definitely be there to enjoy myself, see old friends and make new ones, and possibly get books into people’s hands. I’d be happy to see you there, too, so do come say hi if you’re planning on attending as well. You can find out more about the convention here.

And that’s really all for now, my Followers of Fear. If I am confirmed for other events, I will let you know in case you want to come. In the meantime, I’ll try not to bombard you with reminders of events except right before the events. Unless talking about them more will get people to come? Hmm…something to think about.

Anyway, if you’re unable to come to the events and want to support me, you want to support me anyway, or you just want something to read, why not check out one of my books? From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have something for every horror fan, so why not check something out? I’ll leave links below.

And if you like what you read, please leave a review online so I know what you thought. Every review helps me out immensely. Not to mention, it helps other readers figure out if the book is right for them.

Rami Ungar’s Books & Stories

Anyway, it’s late and I’m tired, so I’m going to head to bed, my Followers of Fear. So, until next time (maybe tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on how things go), good night, pleasant nightmares, and happy holidays.