Posts Tagged ‘authors’

Snake: Two-Year Anniversary

Posted: June 10, 2016 in Living and Life, Novel, Review, Writing
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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: Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble,iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

Building a Fictional World (Guest Post by Rami Ungar)

Posted: June 1, 2016 in Reflections, Writing
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I was honored by my friend and colleague, Ruth Ann Nordin, to do a guest post on her blog in honor of the publication of Video Rage. The post is about building worlds in fiction, and has some tips I hope people find very useful. Check it out, and leave your thoughts in the comments.
And thanks again to Ruth for letting me do this. I hope we can work together again sometime.

Ruth Ann Nordin's avatarRuth Ann Nordin's Author Blog

Quick note from yours truly:

I’ve never had a post about world building before, so I’m really excited to feature someone who is excellent at this storytelling technique.  Rami Ungar is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and if you enjoy thrillers and/or horror, why not check out one of the books listed below this post?

Thank you, Rami, for doing this post for this blog!

Now for Rami’s post:

Building a Fictional World

Setting is one of the most important aspects of writing any story, especially speculative fiction such as fantasy, science fiction, and horror. In many ways, the setting of a story is another character, because it interacts with the characters on almost every level of the story. Doesn’t matter whether it’s modern-day Columbus, Ohio, or Victorian England, or the moons of Jupiter, or the fantastical land across the waters that elves come from. One can’t…

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Review: “Slasher” Season One

Posted: May 31, 2016 in Review, Scary Stuff
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I found this on Netflix, and after I saw it got good reviews online, I decided to check it out. And I think I got what I asked for with a series called Slasher.

Now, a little background. Slasher is a Canadian-American TV series partially inspired by American Horror Story (and believe me, it shows), as well as Agatha Christie novels and classic slasher movies. The production company’s plan with this show is to do it anthology style with a new story every year, possibly with a similar cast each season (see? The AHS influence shows). The first season’s story follows Sarah Bennett (Kate McGrath), as she and her husband Dylan (Brandon Jay McLaren) move into the house where her parents were brutally murdered by a man dressed like a medieval executioner back in 1988. In traditional slasher fashion, someone copying the original killer’s MO starts killing people, and Sarah finds herself forced to work with the original killer (Patrick Garrow) to figure out who the new killer is.

So how does it stack up?

Well, the first season does have a bunch of problems. The biggest problem is that it’s really derivative. Like I said, you can see the inspiration from AHS. In fact, it feels like an AHS knockoff, and not exactly a stellar one. The killer is also very derivative, his whole MO a ripoff of the movie Se7en with every victim being killed because they committed one of the Seven Deadly Sins. And the killer’s design? It actually reminds me of the protagonist of my novel Snake. I’m actually wondering if that’s not a coincidence! There’s also a character that I’m told is similar to one iconic character from Twin Peaks, an incompetent police department out of just about every film ever, and a few other things I can’t mention without spoiling the story.

Did anyone ever tell you that you look like a character I created this one time?

Another problem is the protagonist, and the actress who plays her. Kate McGrath’s acting in this series is wooden and emotionless, to the point where I want to pull out my phone and find something a bit more animated. Not to mention McGrath’s Irish accent breaks through her attempts at whatever the Canadian equivalent of the General American accent is. As for her character, I find it hard to sympathize or connect with her. I get that her parents were brutally murdered, and that she’s got more than a few reasons to investigate these murders, but other than that there’s not much to her character besides her ability to make and act on connections the police can’t. She feels more like a construct or an idea of what the final girl in slasher stories can be than a real person.

So with all that, is there anything positive about Slasher? Actually, quite a bit.

For one thing, it’s interesting. Fault it for how derivative it is and for the wooden lead, but the show’s writers know how to set up an interesting story. Every character has secrets, and it’s fun to watch those secrets get opened up and divulged to the other characters and the audience. You’re also kept guessing on who the killer is until the final reveal, and there are a bunch of other twists that keep the story feeling fresh and exciting. And there are scenes that are both heartwarming and heart-wrenching. There was one scene in the seventh episode that particularly got to me, and the way it was done was just so artful and well-done. So despite it’s derivative nature, it’s good to see that they can keep an audience interested in the story. Especially an audience that goes through a lot of trash trying to find gold and therefore knows all the cliches.

And while the lead isn’t that great, some of the other characters are just a lot of fun. Dylan Bennett has an interesting character arc in relation to his job as a journalist, the events unfolding around him, and their effects on his marriage. And Christopher Jacot as gay real estate agent Robin is always a blast to have on screen. I think I fell a little in love with his character. Patick Garrow’s incarcerated killer Tom Winston is surprisingly likable and sympathetic. And Dean McDermott as Police Chief Iain Vaughn is also a nasty character I love to hate, and the twist his character takes in the show is thrilling, to say the least.

And this is just a small thing that I really liked, but there’s an interracial couple in this story that’s actually somewhat functional and doesn’t make race the focus of their drama. Whenever I see interracial relationships on American television, it’s always portrayed as something filled with drama, and the race thing comes up in a big way at least once. There’s none of that here. Even better, it’s a black man and a white woman. I’ve seen the reverse a couple of times on TV, but this might be the first time I’ve seen it in any medium. Props to the show for portraying diverse backgrounds and experiences and not making it a huge deal. That’s still something others are having trouble with, as the fact that I’m pointing it out makes evident.

So what’s my final verdict of Slasher? Well, I think a 3.0 out of 5 seems right. Yes, it’s not the best horror show out there, nor is it the best attempt to turn a slasher into a TV series (*cough* Scream was awesome, and I’m so excited for season 2 *cough*), but it keeps your attention and has more than a few things going for it. Assuming there’s a second season (no word at this time if there will be one), there’s a good chance that the people behind the show will learn from the problems of the first season and fix them for the next one.

Oh, and for those of you who’ve seen AHS: Hotel, you may notice more than a few similarities between this show and that season, enough to make you wonder if there was plagiarism involved. Turns out, both shows’ stories were conceived and filmed around the same time. It’s just that one aired after the other. It’s a weird coincidence, but a totally innocent one.

Sunday Surprise

Posted: May 29, 2016 in Character Interviews, Novel, Writing
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What’s better than one character interview in one day? Two! While Rip’s getting interviewed on the blog, Zahara’s getting interviewed by another fictional character on the blog Creative Barbwire, hosted by fellow novelist Barbara G. Tarn. Definitely check it out, especially if you haven’t read Reborn City yet.

Barb's avatarBarbara G.Tarn - writer

Hi guys,

I’m Samantha and I come from another world – the original, old Silvery Earth, where people are immortal and never grow up. When I’m not switching bodies at will, I travel to other universes, especially books or movies. That’s how I met Rajveer the vampire, for example!

So, I’m taking over the interviews on this blog! And here I am, meeting people from other books/universes/whatever!

RC coverWelcome, guest! Tell me a little about yourself!

Hi, my name is Zahara Bakur. I’m fifteen years old, and I’m from New York City. I’m a Sunni Muslim, and I’m supposed to be entering my senior year of high school, but…well, things are complicated right now.

I don’t know why, but things on Earth are always complicated… *snort* Describe your appearance in ten words or less.

Average height and weight, light-brown skin, blonde hair (it used to be brown). Sorry, that’s longer…

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Writing Isn’t Adulting

Posted: May 26, 2016 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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The other day, I posted about my recent adulting experiences (how typical is it of the Internet era that the age and mode of responsibility is now a verb that I fully embrace as part of the English language?). Funnily enough, after I wrote the first draft of that post (yeah, there were a couple of drafts to that strange, slightly stream-of-consciousness post), I realized that during all the times I listed stuff I was doing that counted as “adulting”, I didn’t list writing. For some reason, writing doesn’t count as adulting.

This struck me as kind of odd. Why doesn’t writing, an activity that is essential to just about every business and so many different professions, not count as adulting? Well, actually it is. Typing up forms and reports, sending emails, writing a speech. Those are all adult activities, and they’re so important that the basics are taught to us from a very young age.

But creative writing–writing fiction, creating poetry, and maybe even journalism–are not treated as adulting activities. And I think that’s because, unless you’re making quite the income from these activities, people don’t treat them as a job or as an activity up there with paying your bills or making your own meals. I’ve talked about how people don’t see writing as a job before (too bad that post didn’t change as many minds as I would like), and a lot of the points I made in that post still hold true. People still don’t see writing as on par for a job.

There are a number of reasons for this. One is that people think of authors and see someone sitting in front of a notebook/typewriter/computer and magically bang out a story with little to no effort. Now, the reality is very different, but perceptions are hard to break, and the belief persists that writers are hardly expending any effort in their work. And as adulting kind of involves expending energy and doing hard work, the definition is at odds with the perception.

This isn’t considered an adulting activity.

Another reason that people might not see writing as adulting is because it’s filling a creative urge that most associate with our inner child. I know, this might be a bit of a stretch, but at least hear me out. At some point in your childhood, you likely sat at the table with a bunch of paper and paint or crayons and churned out picture after picture that your parents put on the fridge and treated it like a freaking Picasso. And after you learned to read and write and maybe understood some basic storytelling, you may have created short stories based on fairy tales or some giant robot anime (asking your parents on how to spell certain words) and then listened to them act like you’re the next F. Scott Fitzgerald after you told them those stories.

I think to some degree that urge to be an artist or storyteller when we were children stays with us as we grow older, and we creative types indulge in the urge, only we write/paint/create much better than we did as children (usually). So when writers are busy working on a story, people see it as partaking in a vestige of our childhood that’s somehow stayed with us through the years. And childhood is the exact opposite of adulthood, which means it’s has nothing to do with adulting.

Now considering all that, should writing be something we want considered as adulting? After all, adult things usually have some sort of prestige to them. Perhaps since so much goes into writing and publishing fiction, it should be an activity worthy of being called “adulting.”

My opinion: HELL NO! Why? Because of what constitutes as adulting already: paying your bills, handling moving into a new home, working a 9-5 job and enrolling your kid in that day camp so they aren’t cooped up with the Xbox all summer and you can go to that 9-5 job. These are activities that are either boring, or annoying as hell. You’d just rather not deal with them. So when writing isn’t considered an adulting activity, I treat that as a good thing. Because you know what? As difficult as writing can be, it should be fun! It should be something pursued for joy and for the sake of creation and connection, not because it’s a task that has to be taken care of at some point if we don’t want to upset our lives.

So let’s not call writing an activity worthy of being called adulting. Let’s just keep it as a fun, creative outlet that you can occasionally make some money off of, and leave it at that.

Do you think writing should be considered adulting? Why or why not?

What are some other activities that should or not be considered adulting, and why?

Character Interview: Zahara Bakur from “Video Rage”

Posted: May 22, 2016 in Character Interviews, Novel, Writing
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VR CS front cover

Hey all! How are you this fine weekend?

With Video Rage coming out in ten days, it’s time to do something I do every time I have a new book coming out: interview my characters. And who best to interview first than the protagonist, Zahara Bakur? After all, she was my first interviewee for Reborn City, so it makes sense that she would be the first for Video Rage as well. She’s also one of my favorite characters, which is even more reason for me to interview her first.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Notes and Stats:
Sex: Female
Age: 15
Race/Ethnicity: Arab
Birthday: August 31
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Brown (used to be dyed blonde, but she’s gone back to her natural color lately)
Religion: Sunni Muslim
Affiliation: West Reborn Hydras
Special Abilities/Powers: No special superpowers, but she is a prodigy when it comes to riding hoverbikes.
Notes from the Author: In the first book, Zahara was very timid and unsure of herself. She was also very adverse to violence. She’s still very adverse to violence, but having survived several violent events, she’s better able to keep it together when there’s trouble. Add in the fact that she’s a natural hoverbike rider, and she’s gained some confidence. I think part of the fun of Zahara is that you do get to see her grow in confidence throughout the series, and that affects her role in the story. At first she’s scared often and usually gets relegated to the sidelines, but as time goes on she becomes braver and takes center stage more and more. That, if you ask me, is my favorite type of protagonist.

RU: Hello again, Zahara. It’s been a while.

ZB: You again! Where am I now?

RU: Zahara, you left Reborn City a few weeks ago. Please tell us what’s happened to you since then.

ZB: Well, we’ve been screwed over, that’s what!

RU: Whoa, temper!

ZB: Well, sorry! I’m just upset, okay? Parthenon tried to have us all killed, and when their plans–and their building!–go kaboom, they turn us into terrorists! Just because I’m a Muslim, they make us into the new al-Qaida and send the whole world after us! Seriously!

RU: Oh yeah, the world you live in isn’t exactly nice to Muslims, is it?

ZB: No, it’s not. We thought before we could get to New York and find some safety, but with the whole “terrorist” label, that plan’s out. We’re just trying to find a safe place now. We don’t know where that is, so we’re just going, and hoping by the time we’ve put enough distance between us and Parthenon, we’ll know where a safe place is.

RU: What are you guys doing to keep yourselves from getting caught?

ZB: A lot. We’ve changed our appearances, for one thing. My hair’s back to its natural color for the first time in years–

RU: I’ve noticed. It’s very nice.

ZB: Thank you. Rip’s also changed his hair, he dyed it back to what he says was its original color. It looks very nice. And Owl wears sunglasses, and we’ve all stopped wearing black clothes, and we’ve even removed our tattoos! Those last two were huge giveaways, so they had to go. Still, it was a big deal for the other Hydras. The clothes and the tattoos were an important part of their identities.

RU: Not yours?

ZB: Well, I’m glad to be rid of the tattoo, and the clothes did make me warmer than is good during the summer. But…

RU: But?

ZB: I may not have the tattoos or the clothes, but I’m hunted. I’m hated. And people expect the worse of me without even knowing me. I’m just like the other Hydras, in that way. And I’m with them till the end, good or bad. Inshaallah, it’ll be a good one.

RU: I wish you the best of luck with that one.

Well, that’s all for now. Remember, Video Rage will be available June 1st from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo. You can also get the first book, Reborn City, from those same sites.

Join us next Sunday when we meet Rip again. I seriously hope he doesn’t try to kill me. He didn’t seem to like me the last time we met. But then again, if he does kill me, there goes the Anno Bombus universe, which means the end of his existence…and I’m thinking about this too much.

Have a good one, my Followers of Fear!

Interview with Rami Ungar

Posted: May 21, 2016 in Author Interciew, Novel, Writing
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Check out this lovely interview I have with Joleene Naylor, vampire novelist extraordinaire and the designer of the Video Rage cover art.

Joleene Naylor's avatarAmaranthine by Joleene Naylor

interviewToday we have Rami Ungar, author of Video Rage, with us. Let’s pick his brain! (Not literally, that would be too messy, and no one would ever agree to it anyway. Besides, I left my brain pick at home.)

gas mask“Are you my mummy?” (sorry – gas mask and British flag… *cough*cough* Never mind.) Meet Rami!

Jo: Welcome Rami! Please tell us a little something about your newest release.

Rami:  Video Rage is the sequel to my first novel, Reborn City, and the second book in the Reborn City series. The series follows  Zahara Bakur, a young Muslim teenager who moves to the futuristic city-state of Reborn City and finds herself forcefully initiated into the Hydras, a rising street gang in the city’s western projects. As time goes on, Zahara finds out that the leaders of the Hydras have mysterious powers. And when she finds out where the leaders got their powers, she gets…

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#FirstLineFriday

Posted: May 13, 2016 in ideas, Scary Stuff, Writing
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It’s Friday again, so you know what that means. It’s #FirstLineFriday! And guess what? This is my fiftieth #FirstLineFriday! Wow, fifty weeks of #FirstLineFriday. What is wrong with my life?

Well, if you’re unfamiliar with #FirstLineFriday, here’s how it works. On Fridays, you:

  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 possibly story, a story 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).

This week’s entry comes from a short story idea I had earlier this week. It was inspired by a horror game I watched a guy play on YouTube. Yeah, I watch videos of people playing video games instead of playing them myself. Anyway, one of the sound effects in the video was pointed out by the player as especially weird and creepy, and it gave me an idea for a story. Enjoy:

Lake Onekwenhtara looks serene enough during the day, but at night it looks like the setting of an eighties horror film. And on the evening of July 4th of last year, events occurred at the lake’s campsite that seemed right out of a horror movie.

Speaking of eighties horror films set at lakes and their campsites, it’s Friday the 13th. Coincidence? Not at all.

What are your thoughts? Any problems or anything that could be improved? Would you read this story? Let’s discuss.

And while I still have your attention, why not try #FirstLineFriday on your own blog? It’s a lot of fun, and for novelists, it’s great practice on openings. In fact, to show you all how fun it is, I think I’ll tag someone. Hmm…I pick Julie Proudfoot on Proud Foot Words. Julie, you’ve been tagged and must do your own #FirstLineFriday either this week or next week. Good luck, and have fun with it!

That’s all for now. I’m hoping to have a chill weekend and relax while still making sure that everything I’m working on is accomplished in good time. Wish me luck, my Followers of Fear, and have an awesome weekend.

Also, I hope you don’t have bad luck on this Friday the 13th. Or that you meet a serial killer wearing a hockey mask. That would be terribly unlucky, to say the least.

#FirstLineFriday

Posted: May 6, 2016 in ideas, Novel, Writing
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It’s Friday again, so you know what that means. It’s #FirstLineFriday!

Now if you’re unfamiliar with this meme, let me break it down for you. On Fridays, you do the following:

  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 work, a work-in-progress, or a completed or published story.
  4. Ask your readers for feedback and then encourage them to try #FirstLineFriday on their blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).

This week comes from a potential novel that I’ve been trying different openings for. The good news is, these openings could go in different place elsewhere in the novel without losing their punch, so I’m just seeing what works and what doesn’t. Anyway, here we go. Enjoy:

I remember my fourth birthday as clearly as if it were yesterday. That was the day my mother was murdered, and the day I swore I would kill my father.

Thoughts? Errors? Let’s discuss in the comments below.

And if you like the idea of #FirstLineFriday, why not try it yourself? It’s fun, and for novelists it’s great practice on openings. In fact, I think I’ll tag someone. Okay, let’s look at my most recent followers, see who I want to torture tag…I choose Deirdra Alexander! Congratulations, you’re being tortured you’ve been tagged! You have today or next week to do #FirstLineFriday. Good luck, and have fun with it!

That’s all for now. I’ll probably have something to talk about soon, so keep an eye out for more posts! Until then, have a good weekend, my Followers of Fear. I know I will.

A Wonderful Visit: Meeting with Pat Bertram In-Person

Posted: April 30, 2016 in Living and Life, Reflections
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Pat Bertram with her famous blue 1972 Volkswagon.

Pat Bertram with her famous blue 1972 Volkswagon.

Earlier this week I had a most pleasant surprise: my friend and fellow novelist Pat Bertram came to Ohio to visit.

Now, through the powers of the Internet, I’ve had the opportunity to meet a variety of authors and editors and just plain lovers of literature. I’ve read hundreds upon hundreds of their blog posts, reading about their new books or their thoughts on the Craft of Writing, reviews on books or movies, milestones in their careers or lives or whatever. And through podcasts or videos, I’ve even been able to hear their voices.

Never had the opportunity to meet them though. Distance in real life has made that difficult. Until yesterday, that was.

Now, if you’re not familiar with Pat Bertram, let me introduce her to you. She’s a writer out of Colorado who has written four suspense novels and one memoir on grief. She’s a very smart woman whose posts focus on her life and the strange things that happen in it, as well as writing and reflections on the many experiences she’s had. For the past couple of months, Pat’s been travelling across the country, seeing new sites, hiking and camping and staying with friends. And when I found out she was going on this big trip, I asked if she wouldn’t mind visiting me in good ol’ Ohio.

Not only did Pat say she would, she ended up staying overnight at my place (which is also my dad’s place, considering that I’m staying with him until I move into a place of my own).

Honestly, I was a little nervous. This was the first time I got to meet one of my online friends in person. Without the context of a blog and all the commonalities that we as bloggers have, would we get along? Pat was also staying overnight, so would it be a pleasant stay or would things go south at some point?

Me with Pat's car.

Me with Pat’s car.

Turns out, it was an unnecessary worry. From the moment we met, we had plenty to talk about. I was so curious to hear about Pat’s adventures, from her camping trip to some of the strange people she met (she told me one story about a family in the Blue Ridge Mountains she stayed with who could be the basis for a horror story someday). And Pat was really interested in my family’s Passover traditions, which I (and later my dad) were all too happy to explain. And that wasn’t the full range of our conversations: we talked about writing, childhood experiences, how you never know what will go viral, my family’s complicated structure (ask about me about why I have three mothers, but only two live in Columbus. I dare you!), where we hoped we might go in our lives from here, ballet, Tarot, and more subjects than I can remember, let alone list. We talked late into the night and quite a bit of the morning when we met for breakfast. We were talking even while we were taking photos and while I was helping her load up her car. We were talking right before she drove away!

As you can probably tell, this was a really fun experience for me. And it also made me realize something. Part of my worry was that Pat and I are such different people. I’m an eccentric young adult who still doesn’t have a car and, while well-traveled for someone of my age and means, still has a lot to experience in this world. Pat, on the other hand, is a much more reserved and introspective person who has been driving the same car since she got it over forty years ago and has had a lot more experiences in her life than I have. Without our blogs or Facebook as buffers, I feared we couldn’t connect to each other in the real world because of those differences.

The reality is, we’re both human beings. And that’s really all that matters. We’re both human beings, and human beings have endless ways to connect. Even without a blog or computers to act as connections. Heck, sometimes you just need to meet someone and you can connect with them: my dad met Pat, after only finding out a few hours beforehand that she was coming over to stay, and they immediately got to talking. You’d think they were older friends than I was with her, the way they got on!

Like I said, I had a great time. And so did Pat, even if she didn’t get a T-shirt that said “I SURVIVED A NIGHT WITH THE UNGAR FAMILY.” I was very sad to see her go, but I’m glad we had this chance to connect with each other in the real world. I hope that we get to meet again someday, and that all my future meetings with online and author friends in the real world go just as well.” Because in the end, I think we can all make a connection, no matter what our experiences in

Selfie with Pat/

Selfie with Pat.

life have been. And those connections can lead to the most wonderful memories being made.

And if you’d like to meet Pat for yourself, check out her blog here. Trust me, she’s having some really interesting adventures, and you’ll want to keep up with her on them.

*Just remember that before we meet I know who you are and I feel cool with us meeting. Otherwise it could get creepy very fast. And not in a way I like.

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