If you haven’t noticed, the year is ending soon. And there are some things I’ve been wanting to talk or share with you (especially if you’re not on my other social media) before the year ends. The problem is, I didn’t think any of them on their own were worth putting out a blog post for. However, then I had a thought: why not just combine all the random topics into one big post?
As you can see from the presence of this post, I went through on that dangerous idea, so let’s get to it and talk about random topics.
SWORDS
Every little boy dreams of having a sword at some point in their life. To slay the dragon, to fight the evil king, to reap the souls of the good and the damned as the Carnival of the Judges goes into full swing in the city center–oh wait, that last one is just me. But the point stands. And recently, I was able to make that dream come true.
Pretty cool, huh? A friend of mine is downsizing for a move, and he posted on Facebook to see if anyone wanted them. The price was too good, so I bought them. They arrived way earlier than expected, and so I got them hung up in my office on Christmas Eve. According to my friend, he bought them in Spain when he was there as a teenager many years ago. The top sword is an arming sword, and the bottom is a side sword.
Both are awesome, and either one would make an excellent deterrent for burglars and stalkers.
Anyway, my inner child is now very happy. And I promise my friend that I’d take good care of them, so that’s what I’ll do. I look forward to many years with them on my wall.
BANNER
Back in 2021, when I attended my first ParaPsyCon, my dad and stepmom stopped by to see how I was doing, and while there, they noticed another horror author who had a vertical banner behind his booth broadcasting what he wrote. My dad asked me, “Think you’ll get one of those?” I responded, “Someday.”
Someday is today. Thanks to the grant I got earlier this year, I was able to pay for some new author photos, which I then used to design a banner (this was after lots of concept testing that I did in one of my Facebook groups). I then bought the banner and the frame for it. I absolutely love it. And I have a feeling it’s going to help me find and connect with more readers at the events I’ll be attending in 2024. Including ParaPsyCon.
HOW TO BUILD A WRITING HABIT
I wanted to try something different with my YouTube channel, maybe see if doing so would help me to connect with more readers, writers, and horror fans. At the same time, I’ve been wanting to talk about the habits of building a writing habit for some time now. Like a TED talk or at a convention, if anyone would actually let me speak at one of those (given that it’s me, you understand the caution).
So, I thought I would combine the two and put out a video on YouTube talking about building a writing habit. It’s something I hadn’t tried before and I thought people might find it helpful. Who knows? Maybe it’ll help me connect with more writers, readers and horror fans. At the very least, it’s had more views than other videos I’ve posted, so I guess that’s a good sign. Maybe I’ll try a video like this again when I have the chance/inspiration.
But tell me, do you think this is a good video? Did what I discuss make sense or seem helpful? Any feedback you have would be helpful, so don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
OWLS ARE AWESOME
You probably didn’t see this one coming, did you?
For quite some time, I’ve been obsessed with owls. It started when I found this YouTube channel where a nature artist/filmmaker films the daily activities of the owls and other animals living around his British country home. Watching these owls sleep, raise their broods, and occasionally get into scrapes with each other made me fall in love with and then go down a rabbit hole of learning about owls.
And it’s not hard to see why. They fly with wings that don’t produce any noise, they pick up sounds and sights we’re wholly ignorant of (especially at night), and they can be the most loving partners and parents among birds you’ll ever see. No kidding, watch some of that YouTube channel’s videos. It’ll melt your heart and make you believe in love again. All this in these tiny, compact bodies with sharp beaks and talons that can take out both prey and predators. And which predate on each other if the circumstances are right (or wrong).
It’s kind of no wonder I’m obsessed now and want an owl to live near me. For now though, I’ll settle for writing about them. With any luck, I’ll have a great owl-themed story done some time next month. And who knows? If it gets published, you might become obsessed, too. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?
TALKING WITH MY OLD HEADMASTER
Not too long ago, my dad sent me an article from the Jerusalem Post. Someone I used to go to school with had had an article published in the Post, detailing how he, a reservist in Israel fighting in the current war in Gaza, left the battlefield to be at the birth of his son in Jerusalem. It was incredibly beautiful to read, and all I wanted to do was to give his dad, who used to be the headmaster at the school we attended, my sincere congratulations.
Earlier this week, I actually managed to talk with my headmaster. It was a blast from the past, to say the least. I don’t think I’ve seen this guy since I was eighteen. I used to stop by his office to tell him dumb jokes and even phone pranked him a couple of times (don’t worry, he thought it was hysterical as long as he wasn’t in a meeting). And yet we laughed and talked like not even a day had passed since I graduated. I found out how his family is doing (they’re all in Israel right now for the new grandchild) and he found out what I’m doing and how my family is.
I hope he and his family continue to do well and that his son stays safe. These are scary times, but talking with him reminded me that we can still find reasons to smile in the worst of times. At least, that’s how I see it.
GREETING 2024
I don’t know what your New Year’s plans are, but I know what mine are: order pizza, open a bottle of wine, and watch some movies. And when the stroke of midnight occurs, I’m not going to welcome 2024. I’m going to roar at it. Let it know that whatever it throws at me, I won’t let it bog me down or ruin me. Instead, I’ll fight on and give it something to reckon with. Maybe 2024 will be so intimidated, it’ll give me a great year out of fear.
Sounds silly, I know, but so are a lot of traditions and beliefs I could name. And with an election year just around the corner, we’ll need all the luck we could use.
So, if you like, roar with me at midnight on December 31st. We’ll show 2024 who’s boss.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. As I said, I wanted to get this all out before the end of the year. If you made it to the end of the post, thanks for reading. And if I don’t catch you before December 31st at 11:59 PM, I wish you all a Happy New Year and pleasant nightmares.
Rami Ungar The Writer 