Posts Tagged ‘Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo’

The Anchorage Mansion looks so creepy in the dead of night, doesn’t it?

So, as many of you know, I was in Marietta, OH this weekend for the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo. And you probably also know that I not only freaking love Marietta, but that it’s filled with haunted buildings. And while I was in Marietta, I made sure to do some ghost hunting at two of my favorite places: the Lafayette Hotel, where I was staying, and the Anchorage Mansion, where Hidden Marietta does their main business.

And hoo boy, did I get some results!

Now, for those unaware, I tend to use dowsing rods quite a bit when I ghost hunt. These are copper, L-shaped rods that have copper cylinders around the handles. The idea is that the ghosts can manipulate the rods to answer yes-or-no questions or to point. And the cylinders around the handles keep the questioner from manipulating the rods.

My first session was in my hotel room, where I contacted the spirit of a former employee. And, given the answers I got, I felt kind of sad for her.

After that, I decided to try getting some responses in the hallway. Where, by the by, I got some amazing results with some friends about two years ago (see that post here). And this time around, I got results again!

Pretty awesome, huh? The most amazing thing is, when I played the video back, you could clearly hear that thumping noise! My audio clearly picked that up! Now, as to what caused it, or for my camera to go out of focus for a couple of minutes, I don’t know. Still, it was pretty cool! (Also, I met the husband of the couple at breakfast the next morning and got to fill him in on my results. I wonder if he’s a believer now?)

With my exploration of the third floor completed, I headed down to the basement. According to the guy at reception, there are nine spirits of children haunting the hotel, as well as several dogs and a cat. (He also thought he’d heard of a woman who used to work at the hotel dying in the last twenty years and a guest having a heart attack in the 1980s, though he wasn’t sure of the details and couldn’t remember where the employee who died used to work.) The most active and famous of these children is Thomas, whom I was told during my first stay at the Lafayette can be contacted from the basement.

So, to the basement I went! And Thomas reacted to my calls.

How spooky is that? At 5:48 and 8:42, you can clearly hear a snapping sound that likely isn’t the front door! And at 8:08, I could have sworn I heard a whisper coming from down the basement hallway!

Well, after that, I headed to the Anchorage Mansion, where I met my friend Jeff Ignatowski, and we were led on a tour of the Anchorage, hearing about its history and ghost stories. And let me tell you, there’s been some new stories. For instance, there’s apparently a nasty new spirit in the attic and tower that’s pretty territorial. It’s even forced Henrietta and Clarabelle, the two little girls who play up in the attic, out of the attic and to the second floor! The staff have been moving their toys down so they’re not constantly being harassed by this new, mean entity.

Now, after the tour, Jeff and I went to the servants quarters, which is on a sub-floor leading off the second floor. Here, another malevolent entity that has a problem with women is supposed to lurk. Here, we tried to contact said entity and get some answers.

Creepy, right? We didn’t get any answers, but it was interesting how some of those entities reminded me of the Donner Party. And I nearly hit my head on a barrier hanging from the ceiling. Was something leading me there, hoping I’d hurt myself?

Well, after that, we spent a bit of time in the room where Clarabelle and Henrietta’s room, or the room where their dolls, pictured below, are now. The dolls in the rocking chair are theirs, and were designed based on their feedback. Supposedly, you mess with the dolls, they’ll mess with you right back. One college student touched them, and then got slapped on the back. There was a child-sized handprint on his back, according to the stories.

After that, Jeff and I tried messing with some of the equipment to rent in the dining room, but it didn’t really work for us. And that ended the evening. Still, it was pretty cool. And I always enjoy coming to the Anchorage Mansion. Hell, I always love coming to Marietta! And I’m so glad it gave me some amazing experiences again.

Though my experiences with scary stuff didn’t end once I left Marietta. You see, after I left the convention, I stopped by a computer store in Columbus to pick up something. And while I was there, I found something that filled me with fright! You can see the video below!

3D printers! After writing an entire novel about an evil one, so many of them in one place filled me with fright! And I’m sure if the novel ever gets published, a gathering of them will scare plenty of people!


That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Remember, we’re 32 days away from Halloween, so if you’re still looking for something spooky to read this October, I’ve got plenty of stories to offer. Plant/human hybrids and strange gods, Mafia-hunting serial killers, and carnivorous horses! Just check out the button below and you’ll find all my published works, including some free stuff available for download.

And if you end up reading any of my work, please leave a review! Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps other readers find my work.

Also be sure to check out my YouTube channel. If you like it, you can subscribe and be the first to watch my videos when it uploads.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Pop the champagne! Run wild through the streets with hardly any clothes on! Propitiate the horror gods with sacrifices, lest you be eaten by monsters! Hannah and Other Stories is a year old today!

So, if you were unaware, Hannah and Other Stories is my second collection and my fifth book overall. The collection contains seven short stories, among which are tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things. Yes, you read that right. Carnivorous horses! They’re horrifying and will get you when you least expect them!

Honestly, it’s hard to believe that this collection has been out a year. I started collecting the stories and then shopping them around to publishers in 2021, at the height of the pandemic. In October of that year, while I was on vacation, BSC Publishing Group told me they wanted to publish them and sent me a contract! Over the next year and a half, we worked to get the stories up to scratch, finally releasing them on September 23, 2023. And here we are today, at the one-year anniversary of the release!

And I’ve been doing a lot for this anniversary. In addition to the usual posting to social media, I created a book trailer, which you can watch below.

Pretty cool, huh? Personally, I think it’s my best work yet! And hopefully it conveys the terror within Hannah.

But this isn’t the only thing I’ve been doing for Hannah and Other Stories. I also did a radio interview recently that should air soon. Yes, you read that right as well. A real radio interview, for a show about artists and writers’ techniques and processes for creating their work called The Craft. I’ll post more details when I can, so you can listen to it live with me.

But more than that, I have a big announcement to make: the title story of the collection, Hannah, is going to be adapted into an audio play!

You see, the guy who produces The Craft, Doug Dangler, does a yearly show where short stories are adapted into audio plays for Halloween, and Hannah is going to be one of those stories! For those of you who don’t know, Hannah follows some ghost hunters who sneak into an abandoned school to ghost hunt, and find more than they expected. Anyway, the story will be adapted and acted out by local high school students, and I can’t wait to see what these kids are able to do. I’ll be sure to let you know when the show airs, but it should be around late October.

With all this going on, I hope this leads to a lot of people checking out Hannah and Other Stories, as well as leaving reviews. The reviews I’ve gotten so far have been rather positive. Take a look:

I just finished Hannah and Other Stories by Rami Ungar. This is a great little collection. Stories range from ghost hunting to the dangers of social media to diabolical new friends and Lovecraftian horrors and more. Had this on my TBR for a while and finally pulled the trigger to finish (the adhd is strong). Very fun collection and I would recommend it and am excited to see his future work. I give it a 4/5.

Dustin Allen, Amazon

This collection of seven stories had me hooked from the get-go. Each story has a little bit of everything: horror, occult, revenge, betrayal, ghosts, and so much more. Every story is solid and unique. Expertly crafted and well told. If you are a fan of horror anthologies, this is an absolute must-read. I’m still thinking about some of the stories. Good stuff. Check it out!

5 severed fingers out of 5

Yeti Reads and Reviews, Goodreads

There are horror stories set in houses across the street and in apartments next door. There are also horror stories set in exotic locations like the Catacombs of Paris. There are even horror stories set in imaginary worlds of cosmic horror and monstrous gods. And then there is Rami Ungar’s collection which manages to be all those things at once. This is what makes these stories so special: a combination of exotic and familiar; Ohioan farmlands and Romantic paintings; Lovecraftian gods and suburban ennui. The stories in this collection range from a traditional haunting with a strange twist at the end (“Hannah”) to a postapocalyptic small-town horror reminiscent of Stephen King’s Cell (“The Red Bursts”); from an unfortunate encounter on a Parisian rooftop (“The Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah””) to a rather more optimistic, though equally bizarre, Beauty-and-the-Beast meeting in the Catacombs (“Poor Unfortunate Souls”); from a creepypasta (“Queen Alice”) to a Renaissance poem coming to life on social media and in the Midwest (“What Errour Awoke”). My own favorite story is “Fuseli’s Horses,” which seamlessly blends the famous Romantic painting of The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli with the realities of farmwork and growing up in rural America. It is not the combination I would ever think of, but the story is flawlessly plotted and executed. The stories in this collection combine moments of visionary beauty and visceral horror, perfect for the genre’s afficionados. Rami Ungar is a writer to watch!

Elana, Goodreads

Along with the titular story, “Hannah”, this collection from the Master of Fear comprises 5 other short stories and a novelette.

There is a certain level of intense imagination, dread-filled atmosphere, and relatable characters that I’ve come to expect from Ungar’s short stories. The last three stories in this collection certainly delivered all these qualities and more.

This is an enjoyable anthology, with solid stories. At times, the political message in some of the stories detracted from the characters and plot. It worked best in “The Red Bursts”, where it layered seamlessly with other thematic elements without distracting from the story.

“Hannah and Other Stories” is a worthy addition to the bookshelves of the Followers of Fear.

Iseult Murphy, author of “Gone But Not Forgotten,” Amazon

Sorry, I couldn’t help but want to post some of these reviews. They’ve all been overwhelmingly positive! And if more people read the book and leave reviews, with any luck we’ll get a paperback edition soon. Yeah, BSC Publishing is waiting until we’ve reached a certain threshold in sales and reviews before giving the okay on a paperback. I’ve been working since well before the book came out for this, and I’m hopeful the first anniversary will bring it about.

Anyway, if you would like to read Hannah and Other Stories, I’ll post links below. And if you like what you read, please leave a review somewhere so that I, as well as other readers, know what you thought. Plus, reviews help me out so much in the long run.

Thank you, my Followers of Fear. I’m so grateful for all the support you give me everyday, and especially over the last year. I hope the next year brings plenty of amazing things for my career, as well as Hannah.


One more thing, Followers of Fear: I know I’ve already said this, but this Saturday, September 28th, is the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo! If you’re in or around Marietta, Ohio this weekend, stop by the Washington County Fairgrounds. There will be psychics, ghost hunters, and me, doing Tarot readings and selling books. More information can be found on the website here.

Hope to see you there. Until next time, good night (or morning) and pleasant nightmares, my Followers of Fear!

It’s that time again. I have to post about events I’m going to be doing in 2024! Or at least ones that haven’t happened yet. It would be weird if I posted about ones that have already happened.

So, first off, this coming weekend, on Saturday, September 28th, 2024, I will be attending the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo. It’s going to be at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Marietta, OH, so if you’re in the area, stop by. It’s a really amazing expo in a beautiful and historic town, and I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readings while I’m there. If you can stop by, please do. I would be happy to see you. Here’s the website if you would like to learn more.

Next, I have two events in Columbus on October 26th, 2024. The first is Scary Saturday, which is being held in collaboration with the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Me and my fellow writers at HWA Ohio will be hosting events all day for folks of an adult age who would like to have fun with the library without kids in tow! We’ll be selling books, doing fun things like Horror Haiku Writing, readings, and lectures. I’ll be posting more about it as we get closer, but if you want to come, it’ll be at the Columbus Metropolitan Library in downtown Columbus.

Later in the day, the Thurber House, a local museum and creative arts hub named after local writer James Thurber, will be hosting fun Halloween themed events on the same day. That includes some adult-themed events in the evening, including some of our writers doing readings of their work. I’ll be hustling over from the library to the Thurber House for a reading myself. If you would like to stop by too, please come! You can find more information on their website.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I hope to see you at some of these events. And in the meantime, there will be a very special blog post tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, hope to see you at some of these events, and pleasant nightmares!

I did say in a previous post that I would be doing something to celebrate all these big book anniversaries in the near future, didn’t I?

So, as you’ve heard, my novel The Pure World Comes was published as a paperback and ebook nearly two years ago. The Pure World Comes (or TPWC for short) is my Gothic horror novel and love letter to Victorian England and the horror stories released back then. It follows a maid named Shirley Dobbins who gets a job working for a mad scientist. Think Frankenstein and Crimson Peak had a baby together, is how I describe it, and that’s not a bad description. I mean, it’s got a crumbling old house, a mad scientist, a young woman getting into a situation where there’s more than meets the eye, and even an appearance by Jack the Ripper.

If that’s not Victorian Gothic horror, I don’t know what is!

Anyway, since it’ll be two years since the release, I’m going to do a special promotional sale for the book. Starting on May 10th, when the book came out, and through May 17th, The Pure World Comes will be sold at a discount on ebook and paperback. In addition, the audio book will be on sale from some retailers (I can only do sales from so many platforms in that format). So if you’re looking to get a copy at a lower price, this would be the opportunity to do it!

And if you get a copy and read it, I hope you’ll leave me a review so I know what you thought. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me develop as a writer.

So, in one week, my Followers of Fear, get ready! We will be enjoying the company of a maid and her employer, the latter of whom is researching new frontiers in fringe sciences, and the consequences of those actions. It shall be quite the thrilling pastime, believe me.


One more thing, my Followers of Fear: right after the last event post, I found out I was accepted back for the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo in Marietta, Ohio! This year, it’ll be occurring on September 28th, 2024 from 11 AM – 5 PM at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Marietta. There will be ghost hunters, psychics and Tarot readers, and horror creators like me. I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readers, so please stop by if you’re in the area. I would love to see you.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope to have something not-related to the sale between now and the 10th, so hopefully I’ll come up with something by then. Until next time, good night (or good morning) and pleasant nightmares!

The Anchorage Mansion. Majestic but spooky, isn’t it?

As you know, I was in Marietta the other day for the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo. And while I was there, I signed up for a flashlight tour and short ghost hunt of the Anchorage Mansion, the headquarters of the Hidden Marietta Tour Group, who are also responsible for the expo. And, being me, not only did I bring my dowsing rods, but I filmed some creepy stuff and put it on YouTube!

So, if you don’t know, the Anchorage Mansion is a large, Victorian mansion set on a hill looking over the lovely city of Marietta. It was built in the 1800s and was home to about four different families before becoming a church run rest home. After the rest home was closed, it laid abandoned until the local historical society, and then Hidden Marietta, took over it and started fixing it up. Today, the house’s first floor has been refurbished and the second floor, the servants’ quarters (which is kind of like a floor 1.5), and the attic and its tower will hopefully be fixed up in the coming years.

And Hidden Marietta offers tours and ghost hunts, both public and private, to the residence, because the place has a number of ghosts. Some ghosts include the original owners, a pair of little girls named Henrietta and Clarabelle (nobody’s entirely sure who they are, though there are theories), and former residents of the rest home, the most famous of whom is a prankster by the name of Walter.

I was there for the flashlight tour with a half-hour ghost hunt added afterwards, and my friend/fellow vendor Jeff Ignatowski was there as well (he’s the inventor of Killers; The Card Game, which I recommend you check out). With a group of about a dozen people, we toured the house and learned its history and about its hauntings, of which there were numerous stories. And while I enjoyed supplying my knowledge of Victorian house-planning and customs when appropriate (I knew researching The Pure World Comes would come in handy someday), I was overwhelmed by how active the house was.

Kid you not, early on in the tour, we started experiencing activity. While we were in a side room off the dining room, I saw a blue light flashing back and forth in the dining room. I asked about it, thinking it was one of the tour guides with her phone, but she said it wasn’t her or her phone. Followers of Fear, it was a blue orb! I’d never seen one so clear and close with my own eyes before.

And throughout the night, I would see more and more orbs and light anomalies. In fact, I was able to get some on film in the attic tower.

Crazy, right? Some of those anomalies just flew up into the roof and disappeared. My dad even saw the video and said he saw five. And he’s a bit of a skeptic to this sort of thing (or maybe he’s just a skeptic when it comes to ghost hunting shows).

Anyway, after that the tour ended and we received some equipment to go throughout the house and investigate. I went with my friend Jeff to the attic, where we heard those two little girls Henrietta and Clarabelle are known to hang out. And the results were beyond anything I expected.

Divebombing bat aside, it was quite the moment for me. Clarabelle made the stairs creak, which was something I’d only seen in movies and ghost-hunting shows. To experience it myself was like a dream come true.

After that, Jeff and I went downstairs. We wanted to go into the servants’ quarters, where a very violent ghost hangs out (no joke, they do not allow women to go in there alone). But another group was in there, so we decided to head down to the dining room and try to get in contact with Walter. First, I tried using the GhostTube app on my phone.

Then I used my regular camera, which ended up producing a kind of odd angle to parts of the video.

As you can tell from the end of the above video, the ghost hunt came to an end at that point. And while I had fun and felt satisfied, I wish I could have stayed longer. After all, the Anchorage Mansion is the real deal. I bet skeptics will have a few thoughts if they visit this mansion at night, that’s how crazy active it is.

So, if the opportunity arises, I definitely will visit the mansion again, and maybe do a full ghost hunt. I would love to get plenty of footage and experience more paranormal activity. And, of course, if possible, I would love to go with some friends.

In the meantime, I’ll be at ParaPsyCon this coming weekend at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. As you well know, the Reformatory is one of the most haunted places in the United States, as well as one of my favorite in the world. I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readings there the entire weekend, so if you’re in the area, please stop by! And if something supernatural happens to me there (and it probably will, given my track record), I will try to get it on video.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and make sure to check out my YouTube channel for more spooky videos and updates on my work. Mostly spooky videos, but also updates on my work.


Speaking of Victorian mansions with freaky things going on inside, my Gothic horror novel, The Pure World Comes, will be on sale through Wednesday in honor of its one-year release anniversary. Set in 1894, the story follows Shirley Dobbins, a maid who goes to work for the eccentric baronet Sir Joseph Hunting. While at his estate, the Hunting Lodge, strange occurrences happen at the mansion, and Shirley soon learns that not only do these occurrences may have something to do with the baronet, but they may threaten her and those she holds dear.

The ebook is currently on sale from all retailers, and the audio book is on sale from Chirp, Spotify, Nook Audiobooks, and Apple. If this piques your interest, I’ll leave links below. And if you like what you read, leave a review online somewhere so I know what you think. Happy reading and pleasant nightmares!

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, Goodreads, Audible, Chirp, BingeBooks, LIbro.Fm, Storytel, Palace Marketplace, Hoopla, Vivlio, Smashwords, Thalia, Scribd, Spotify

Life is crazy, there’s a lot going on, so here’s some quick updates on what’s going on in my life and writing career.

Hannah and Other Stories

So, the next draft has already begun on Hannah. Currently, my editor is sending it to me story by story every couple of days, with “Hannah” itself arriving yesterday. (And yes, differentiating the two in email conversations with my editor was a hoot). I actually got the story done in one evening and sent it back, with the biggest change to the story just being that I changed some names of brands and public institutions. For example, YouTube became WeTube, Ohio State University became Aurelian University, and Disneyland in Anaheim because Mueller Land in San Dimas. Fun fact, took me about half an hour to rename Disneyland, but given that they’re a brand I don’t want to owe money to for using in a story, it was a half hour well spent.

I should receive the next story, “Queen Alice,” in a few days at most. When I get it, I’ll get it edited as quickly as possible and get it back to the publisher. With any luck, we’ll be done with this draft by the end of the month.

They Sleep Within the Rock and other projects

I finally got around to doing a third draft of this novella last week. With my beta reader’s help, I’ve been able to improve the story immensely, and have edited about seventy percent of the story. Unfortunately, while working on it, I realized the last thirty percent doesn’t have the oomph this story needs to be great. I mean, it’s a story about giving neo-Nazis some epic karma! You would think the story would have an ending on par with the explosiveness of Die Hard or the finale of The Little Mermaid (say what you will about that movie, but that finale is nothing to sneeze at).

So after a lot of messaging back and forth with my beta reader, I think I came up with a new ending that might be closer to my vision. I’ll be working on it in-between stories of Hannah, so it may take time, but I’ll get it done and back to the beta reader before too long.

After that, I would like to edit “The Underground Kings” and “It Changes You: A Backrooms Story,” as I’ve received some great feedback on how to improve those stories and I want to see what I can do with them. With any luck, they may even find homes!

And as for new stuff…well, I would like to get back to my mummy novel Crawler. And I do have some short stories, novelettes and novellas I might want to work on later this year. But really, nothing definite at this point. Just a ton of editing.

Horror Writers Association news

You may not be aware of this, but I’ve been the Chairperson for the Ohio chapter of the Horror Writers Association, HWA Ohio, since around its inception. I didn’t volunteer for the role or anything in the beginning, I just kept reserving meeting rooms for our meetings, and as we got more organized, I just kind of became the chair.

This year, the HWA implemented a system to elect chairs every two years organization wide. And I can officially say that I’ve been elected to serve the role two more years. I’m looking forward to serving as the Chairperson again, and to growing both the chapter and its members. If anything exciting pops up in that regard, I will let you know.

Anything else?

As you know, this Saturday I will be selling books and doing Tarot readings at the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo in Marietta, Ohio. It’ll be at the Washington County Fairgrounds from 10 AM – 4 PM. If you’re in the area this Saturday, please stop by, because it’s going to be a ton of fun.

I’m also going to be doing a flashlight tour and a ghost hunt at the local Anchorage Mansion this weekend with a friend, so hopefully we come across some spooky stuff. If we do, and I can, I’ll record it so you can see it!

And I finished Every Woman Knows This by Laurel Hightower, and thought it was a strong collection of scary short stories. 4 out of 5, won’t disappoint readers who give it a read.

Other than that, there’s nothing I can talk about. At least nothing that’s relevant to this blog right now or that I can talk about without getting into trouble. So, I’ll take this moment to bid you all a good night. Until next time, my Followers of Fear, pleasant nightmares!

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve done of these posts. But guess what? We’re coming up on a lot of events, so I’m doing a big post to update you on the various events I’ll be attending as an author and/or vendor. And if you’re lucky, I might not need to do reminders at the bottom of posts right before said events.

And let me tell you, this summer is going to be jampacked with events! First, I’ll be attending the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo on May 6th, 2023 in Marietta, Ohio! I had such a great time the last time I was there, so I’m so excited to be back. This time, it’s been moved to the Washington County Fairgrounds, as the convention is too big for the Lafayette Hotel. The convention is from 10 AM – 4 PM and you can find out more on their website.

Then, on May 20th and 21st, I’ll be at ParaPsyCon at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio! Followers of Fear, you know I love the Ohio State Reformatory and you know I love ParaPsyCon, so I’m excited to come back again, meet readers and do Tarot readings. Saturday will be from 10 AM – 5 PM, and Sunday will be from 11 AM – 5 PM. You can find out more on their website.

One weekend later, on May 27th, I’ll be at the Canal Town Book Festival in Dover, Ohio! This is apparently the Tuscarawas Valley’s biggest book festival, and is held in concert with the Canal Dover Festival. It’ll be from 10 AM – 3 PM and you can visit the other festival while you’re there. For more info, you can check out their website.

Then after that, assuming I haven’t sold out of books, I’ll be attending the Hamilton Ohio Pride Fest with HWA Ohio on June 3rd, 2023 in Cincinnati, OH! A friend in HWA Ohio reserved a booth for us, so I’m looking forward to coming down and supporting both the genre of horror as well as my LGBTQIA+ community (I’m bisexual, if you weren’t aware, as well as aromantic). You can find out more on–you guessed it!–their website.

And then a couple of weeks after that, I’m very excited to be joining so many members of the Horror Writers Association at StokerCon 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA! As you know, this will be on June 15th-18th, and this will be my first ever StokerCon! I’m so excited. Of the people who will be there, many I’ve only interacted with online or through Zoom, so I’m looking forward to meeting people, learning from my fellow horror fans and creators, and just have a good time. And while I won’t be selling books, I’ll be taking lots of photos and maybe even some video! And if you want to learn more, check out the website.

And if you won’t believe it, I’ll have another event in July! This time, I’ll be at the Columbus Book Festival on July 15th-16th, 2023 at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Main Branch in downtown Columbus, Ohio! This is part of the library’s 150th anniversary celebration, and will hopefully be the first of many such festivals. I’ll be there with HWA Ohio, so hopefully we meet horror fans from all over Ohio looking to connect with their state’s local talent. You can find out more at their website.

Yeah, lot of events going on. And if I’m lucky, I’ll be attending a few more. I’m in the process of applying for some, am waiting to hear back from some others, and waiting for some others to open up for applications. But no matter what event I go to, I look forward to meeting new readers, connecting them with books, reading their Tarot (when the venue allows me), and just having a blast.

And if you’re in the area for any of these events, please feel free to stop by. I would love to see you, take a photo and maybe sign a book for you. And if you can’t, you can support me instead by still reading my books. Just head to my Books page to see if anything reaches out to you.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope I get to see some of you. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

I did warn you this post was coming, didn’t I?

So, as you know, I attend a lot of events as an author, usually selling copies of my books and sometimes doing Tarot card readings. This past year of 2022, I attended more events than ever before, which helped to make this my most successful year as a writer since I started keeping track of how much I earned from the craft. And for 2023, I’m confirmed to be going to quite a few events. And in case anyone can attend, I’m listing all the ones I’ll be at.

If one of these is near you, please come by and say hi. If you can’t come by, find a way to come by anyway, because I would love to see you. Just be aware that with Stoker Con, I won’t be selling books and will be mostly socializing with my fellow writers of the craft. But hey, I think that means we can hang out. Provided you’re not my stalker, of course.

ConFusion 2023
Where: The Novi Sheraton Hotel in Detroit, Michigan
When: January 20th-22nd, 2023 (times vary per day)
Description: Michigan’s longest running science fiction convention, with an emphasis on the written word and publishing.
Website: https://2023.confusionsf.org/

Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo 2023
Where: Washington County Fairgrounds, Washington County, Ohio (they kind of outgrew the Lafayette Hotel ballrooms!)
When: May 6th, 2023 from 10 AM – 4 PM
Description: One of the most awesome paranormal conventions in Ohio.
Website: https://www.hiddenmarietta.com/paranormal-expo

ParaPsyCon 2023
Where: The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio
When: May 20th-21st, 2023 (times vary per day)
Description: The most famous paranormal convention in Ohio, held in one of the most haunted spots in Ohio (as well as the filming location for the Shawshank Redemption).
Website: https://www.parapsycon.com/

Canal Town Book Festival
Where: Downtown Dover Ohio, at the corner of Wooster Ave and 3rd St.
When: May 27th, 20223 from 10 AM – 3 PM
Description: Part of the Canal Dover Festival, this is a great opportunity to meet local Ohio authors and discover new books
Website: http://www.doverlibrary.org/about-2/canal-town-book-festival/

Stoker Con 2023
Where: The Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square in Pittsburgh, PA
When: June 15th-18th, 2023
Description: The premier event for horror writers and fans in general. It’ll be my first time attending.
Website: https://www.stokercon2023.com/

And that’s what we have on the calendar so far. I’m going to have a busy May!

Not only that, but there are likely going to be other events to attend throughout the year. I’m hoping to return to Mystics & Marvels and the Columbus Witches’ Ball later in the year, and there are others I’m waiting to hear about. I’ll keep you posted on those.

And, like this past year, I’ll only post about these events when I have new ones on the calendar or there’s one rapidly approaching that I want to remind you of.

Anyway, I hope you’re able to join me at some of these events and that we get to talk. And if not, you can continue to support me by reading my books and leaving reviews online so I know what you thought. In fact, that’s one of the best ways to support your favorite authors. And I hope I rank somewhere close to your favorites.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll see you very soon. Until next time, though, good night and pleasant nightmares.

I wanted to post something before Halloween, but there wasn’t any one particular topic I was passionate enough to write an entire blog post about. So instead, I thought I’d do an update post, because there’s a lot going on right now and you should know about it. How much is going on? Well, let’s take a look and find out.

Crawler and Toyland

So, for my mummy novel with the tentative name of Crawler, I’m making steady progress in it. I’m currently writing Chapter Seven and think I could get to Chapter Eight by the end of the week. Hell, I might finish it by the end of the week, if life is kind! (It’s usually not, but one can hope, right?). After that, I’ll take another break to work on shorter works (more on that below), and then get straight to Chapters 9-12. It may take longer than usual, but I will get this novel done eventually.

As for Toyland, I hope to do another draft of it before sending it out to publishers. I feel that this Gothic novel of a boarding school under attack by a ghost obsessed with a children’s novel has a lot of potential and I want people to read it. However, I want to get Hannah and Other Stories out of the way before I tackle that novel again (there’s a good reason why Hannah needs to be done first, but I can’t tell you that just yet). So hope Hannah gets released soon.

Hannah and Other Stories

Speaking of Hannah, BSC Publishing and I are looking to get that out sometime in 2023. Currently, the publisher is starting its winter vacation a month early in November rather than December, so I’m getting a little break from Hannah to work on more of my other projects. However, once we hit January, it’ll be a furious pace to wrap up the edits on the book and get it ready for publication. I can’t wait to share with you this terrifying collection of short stories featuring ghosts, budding serial killers, and meat-eating horses, among other things, so keep an eye out for news after the new year.

Other Shorter Works

As many of you know, I have one more short story, “The Dedication of the High Priestess,” scheduled to come out before the end of the year. Literally: Tales to Terrify, the podcast that will be reading the story aloud on their show, said it will come out before the end of the year. And with 61 days left, there’s only so much year left, so I should be getting news on that any day now. When I get that news, I will let you know.

I will also, of course, let you know the moment I hear of any other stories of mine getting published.

In the meantime, I plan to do some writing and editing on some other stories over November and December, once I finish Chapter Eight of Crawler. For one thing, I plan to finally edit They Sleep Within the Rock, the novella I wrote last winter where I terrorize neo-Nazis. I have no idea why I put it off for so long, but I have and I want to give it some edits so I can maybe find it a home. I also want to write some more novelettes and novellas that I’ve been feeling passionate about working on for some time. A lot of these stories center around common themes, so I think I would not only enjoy writing them, but maybe putting them into a collection.

I may also write a short story involving bugs, but I’m not sure if I want to. Yeah, there’s an anthology I could submit it to, but I prefer to write stories that I feel I would enjoy writing rather than what I think would get accepted or make some money for me. We’ll see how I feel after I finish those chapters of Crawler.

Anything Else?

Quite a bit, actually. Let’s talk about it.

  • Events: This coming Saturday, I’ll be operating a booth at the Columbus Witches’ Ball. This is an awesome event featuring plenty of paranormal enthusiasts, psychics and mediums, authors, and so much more. Plus, plenty of dancing and ritual (or so I’m told). I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readings there, so I hope you can stop by. The event is November 5th, 2022 from 6 PM – 11 PM at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. I’m not sure you can get tickets at the door, but I know you can buy them from Eventbrite by following this link.
    In addition, I’m already signed up for events in 2023! I’ll be making reappearances at Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo (which will be in May this year and in a bigger venue) and at ParaPsyCon. I’ve also put down a deposit for another booth at Mystics & Marvels and am waiting for confirmation on a few other events, so I’ll keep you posted as those come up.
    And, of course, I’ll be at StokerCon in Pennsylvania in June, so if any of you are planning to be there, I really hope I get to see you and give you a great big hug (if you feel comfortable with it).
  • I saw Dracula the ballet yesterday. As you probably know by now, I’m a huge ballet fan, and I’ve long held that ballet can be a great venue to tell horror stories. I got to see that in action yesterday when my local company BalletMet performed Dracula, which was as amazing and as horrifying as I could have hoped. It was scary, really delved into the themes of Victorian terror regarding sexuality and anything considered aberrant through its choreography, and even managed to surprise me at times, especially with the conclusion. If I ever get a chance to see it again, I will.
    And, of course, if there are any other horror ballets, I would love to see those too. Hell, I have a few ideas for ballets that are both horror and otherwise, so if any companies would like to collaborate, email me. Let’s work together! I’m easy to get along with, and I don’t cost an arm and a leg, so why not?
  • New YouTube video. I’m going to try to post a new video to YouTube tomorrow before my Halloween festivities really get underway (having a friend over for pizza, drinks and scary movies. I can’t wait!). If I can’t, I’ll get it out as soon as possible. In the meantime, please check out and consider subscribing to my YouTube channel while you wait. You can also check out my other social media by clicking on the widgets on the right.
So looking forward to putting this bad boy out on the stoop tomorrow.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. As usual with these sorts of posts, I’ll post links to my published works down below in case you want to support me that way or if you’re just looking for something spooky to read. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and one day till Halloween! Get ready to hop around a bonfire in costume with terrifying creatures from the other side!

The Pure World Comes: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, Goodreads, Audible, Chirp, BingeBooks, LIbro.Fm, Storytel

Rose: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Audible, B&N

Snake: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Barnes & Noble, iBooksSmashwords, and Kobo

The Quiet Game: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooksSmashwords, and Kobo.

The Lafayette Hotel. Definitely worth the trip on so many levels.

As many of you were probably aware, I drove out to Marietta, Ohio for the Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo. The expo took place at the Historic Lafayette Hotel, a beautiful historic hotel that is also purported to be haunted. Since I was going to be at a hotel anyway, I didn’t want to get up early on a Saturday to drive out to the expo, and I knew its reputation, I decided to stay the night before the expo and see if anything happened.

Ladies and gentlemen, I can confirm that the Historic Lafayette Hotel is indeed haunted.

First, let me tell you about the hotel. It is a beautiful place that words can’t do justice. You step inside the building, and it’s like stepping through time: there’s all this gold and bright colors and mahogany and you almost expect to see people in Edwardian dresses and suits smoking cigars and discussing President Roosevelt or something! There’s a giant steering wheel from an old steamboat on the ceiling, a grandfather clock, and so much more scattered around. I was enchanted from the moment I stepped in!

Now, there are a few places in the hotel that are supposed to be haunted. One is the third floor, which is where I stayed. The other is the basement, where the spirit of a little boy named Thomas is supposed to hang out. (There might be more, but I didn’t have a chance to learn about them.)

After getting settled into my room, I went down to explore the hotel. During the course of my journey, I ran Carita and Viva, two of the folks who run Hidden Marietta and the expo, as well as Jeff and Caitlin, two more vendors. The latter two would become good friends of mine over the weekend and we would hang out quite a bit. Anyway, Carita and Viva gave us a short tour of the hotel, starting from the ballroom where the expo would be and going around the first floor. We then all decided to meet in the lobby and do a bit of ghost hunting at 7 PM.

Well, 7 PM arrived and I arrived in the lobby. Carita and Viva messaged to let us know they may not be able to make it due to prepping for the expo, so I ended up hanging out with Jeff, Caitlin and the hotel staff. And yes, the staff had LOTS of stories to tell. They’ve seen shadow figures and other things while working in the hotel.

Around 8 PM, we decided to go up to the third floor and see if we caught anything. Jeff and Caitlin had a lot of their own equipment, including an EMF meter (measures changes in electromagnetic energy), a paranormal puck (has an electronic dictionary in it that spirits supposedly can manipulate to answer questions), and an SLS camera (maps figures like certain video game systems do, so any figure without a person attached to it might be a spirit). So, for the first time in my life, I got to work with paranormal equipment I’d only seen on TV before! The result was the below video.

Pretty cool, right? We mapped a spirit using the SLS camera, and got some interesting answers on the paranormal puck device. Also, if you’re wondering why I said Jeff and Caitlin’s nicknames are “Wolf and Roses,” it’s because the spirits they’ve encountered in the past have called them that for reasons I’m not going to get into.

After that testing session, we kept trying to get some responses. And that’s when things got very weird and very funny.

So the spirit had us call for a dog, which may have been a demon dog; we heard the words “help” and “shit” on the spirit box (you can hear them too if you listen closely), and after we’re joined by that family, the spirit lets us know someone’s ORDER of pizza is on its way; it’s a great DEAL; and it’ll be here in a TICK! Yeah, that was hysterical.

We messed around in the hallway for a little bit longer, and the only thing I remember getting is that the puck at one point said “TOP” and “JESUS.” This will be relevant later.

At some point we moved on to using my dowsing rods in my room, and that was when things got really scary.

Yeah, so whatever we were communicating with in my hotel room was not a friendly spirit. Remember when I said the spirit said “TOP JESUS?” Well, possibly that was the same spirit we encountered in my room, and it would make sense for something malevolent to say it’s stronger than Jesus. And after I stopped recording, Caitlin started laughing uncontrollably. It was kind of scary, and she said later she had no idea why she was laughing! I think at that point I pulled the rods out of Caitlin’s hands to break the connection. Quite possibly, something was laughing through her.

Yeah, after that, we did a cleansing energy ritual to make sure I could sleep that night. And thankfully it worked, because I slept comfortably that night and none of us had any scary dreams that would indicate an evil entity was trying to attach to us. I still needed a beer from the hotel bar and then a few prayers to my higher power before I felt entirely calm, though.

And that’s the last time I do ghost hunting without first creating an energy barrier around myself!

That’s the last video I took that night, and we wrapped up our ghost hunting afterwards. To say the least, it was an experience. We laughed, we got freaked out, and we got some good evidence on camera. I’m glad I was able to do it, and I am glad I was able to do it with Jeff and Caitlin beside me.

Also, I’m going to note here that while we were waiting for Carita and Viva, I did stop in the basement for a brief moment. Let me tell you, that basement may be warm to the point of balmy, but it gave me the creeps! Maybe it was how odd that floor was laid out, but I had chills being down there and quickly went back up.

I’m going to leave it at that, Followers of Fear. To say the least, the Historic Lafayette Hotel is an active location and if you go there, you’re probably going to experience something. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with my video of the Expo. It was a lot of fun and there were plenty of cool booths there, too.

Also, check out Jeff and Caitlin’s game, Killers the Card Game! It looks like a ton of fun, and if you think you can find someone to play with, you should. You can buy it from here: https://linktr.ee/killerstcg

Until next time, Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and remember, ghosts know when your pizza is arriving!