Well, here we are again, my Followers of Fear. 2025 is nearing its inevitable death, so I’m doing my annual review post. And can I just say, good fucking riddance? This year was fucking rough! How rough, you ask? Well, I would say the amount of swearing I do on a daily basis, as well as much I swear above a whisper or in mixed company, has risen by at least 100%. That rough!
I’m not even going to go into the negative current events of the last year, like I usually do. Because let’s face it, it’s been pretty awful.
And my personal life has had its fair share of troubles. Back in spring, some idiot hit their car with mine, totaling it. Even after their insurance company accepted fault and paid off the value of the car, I still had to pay off the rest of the loan and shell out for a rental! Add in buying a new car, plus the money I lost from the botched trip to Israel, and my finances took a hit I’m still recovering from.
Work was also really stressful. At my company, we were told to go back into the office five days a week, and like the return to three days in office in 2024, it caused my office’s workload to stay three times higher than previous years. Even now, when the workload has gone down again, we’re still dealing with a lot of people angry they can’t work from home (among other things).
Add in a few other things, and it’s no wonder I can’t wait to kick 2025 goodbye. At least it’s keeping my therapist employed.
But you know, 2025 wasn’t all bad. On the current events side, a peace deal was finally struck in Israel, and while there’s still a lot of work to be done, it’s still progress. Plus, here in the US, there has been a tide to fight back against the wave of fascism and authoritarianism that’s sweeping the country. There have been protests and victories in court and even election wins! Again, a lot of work that has to be done, but it’s still progress. Plus, around the world, there were all sorts of victories for democracy, LGBT rights, diversity, and more.
On a personal note, I had my good moments. In my writing career, I got to pitch The Shape of Evil to agents and publishers (and I’m still working towards getting that published, but progress has been made); I broke my personal record for most books sold at an event twice; I published one new book and a few articles, and re-released Hannah and a short story; I wrote and edited a bunch of stories I have high hopes for; and financially, this was my best year since I started keeping track.
Closer to home, my health has been doing well and work has gotten easier in some respects. I’ve had some wonderful experiences and met some great people. I’m working out more, seeing new places, and hanging out with people I like. I’ve been consistently studying my Hebrew, so whenever I do get to go back to Israel, I should be able to survive. Maybe 2025 wasn’t all bad.
Still glad to see the year change, though.
Now, as for 2026…well, I’m not getting my hopes up too high. Tarot card readings and hopes aside, it’s likely to be another rough year. Still, I’m going to aim for the sky. I’m going to try to get as many stories as possible written, edited, and published, and while I’ll scale back the number of events I’ll attend, I’ll still try to have a great time and get books to good homes. I don’t know if I’ll finally get to the point where I can write full time, but I’ll certainly get closer.
And in my personal life, I’ll hopefully be able to continue to improve health-wise and get my financials to recover. And who knows? Maybe work will finally calm down. Maybe the world stage will be kinder and a lot of what’s plaguing humanity and the Earth will be solved. Maybe we’ll get rid of those tariffs? Any or all of those would be nice.
I guess we’ll just have to take it one day at a time. And with a bit of bravery and a bit of luck, maybe 2026 will be a better year than 2025 ever was.
How was your 2025? Any hopes or plans for 2026? Let’s discuss.
One more thing, my Followers of Fear: we’re still in the holiday season. And if you’re looking for some Christmas horror to read, check out “The Wild Hunt,” one of the stories I re-released this year. Two sisters run away on Christmas Eve and encounter something within a blizzard. It’s a supernatural tale that you can read in one sitting and is perfect for the season. I’ll leave links below.
And if you’re looking for some horror for yourself, or a gift for a loved one, or you just want to support me, know that I have plenty of stories available. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and flesh-eating horses, I’ve got something for every horror fan (including some free stuff). I’ll leave a link to my books page below.
And if you like what you read, please leave a review online. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers out in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Here’s hoping what’s left of 2025 is easy on us. And until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Rami Ungar The Writer 