horror | Rami Ungar The Writer

Posts Tagged ‘horror’

Is This Story Scary Enough? Thoughts About What Makes a Strong Horror Story.

Posted: May 29, 2024 in Reflections, Scary Stuff, Writing
Tags: 3D printer, 3D Printer from Hell story, authors, entertainment, fantasy, fantasy authors, horror, literary authors, literary fiction, living and life, novel, ParaPsyCon, ParaPsyCon 2024, reflections, romance authors, romance fiction, scary stuff, The Shape of Evil, tropes, writing

The other day, I posted about my frustrations with the progress I was making in my career and how ParaPsyCon helped me realize what successes I was having and what progress I was actually making (you can check it out here). Now, I want to post about a revelation I had regarding one of my writer anxieties.

Every writer wonders about their work and worries the same thing: am I good enough? For fantasy writers, they’re wondering, is my work fantastical and exciting enough? For the romance writers, it’s something like, is my work enough to make your chest flutter and make you root for my characters? For the literary types, they wonder, is my work saying something profound about the human condition? (At least, I think that’s what they think. I could be wrong.)

And for horror writers, the majority of us wonder if our work is scary enough. And sometimes, that thought can be crippling enough to make us wonder if what we’re working on is even worth continuing with.

I almost had a moment like that last night. I’d just finished making excellent progress on the 3D Printer from Hell story* and was thinking of the scenes that were to come later. And then I had a thought: is this really that scary?

That thought made me pause. And yeah, I wondered if maybe it wasn’t scary enough. That maybe as I had it planned, it would be really weak sauce. That’s what I thought at that moment: could this story be weak sauce? Will it really leave a reader afraid like my early brushes with horror left me?

That thought scared me. But then I remembered something: horror isn’t just about scaring the pants off your reader. Sometimes, it’s about what you include in the story that makes it horror.

For example, there’s this one story I read in an anthology about a year or two ago. I can’t remember the title, but let’s call it “The Worst Vacation.” The story follows a family who go to this island for vacation, and just about every horrible thing imaginable happens while they’re there: they get ticketed for something rather minor, they watch a waiter get arrested because some blowhard didn’t like how he was being served and then have to watch the waiter’s kid, the daughter loses her eyeball when she tries to feed the local animals at the beach, etc. It’s just an escalation of bad events, and not once was I as a reader ever scared. I’m not sure many readers would be, though they might be appalled and grossed out at certain points.

However, it was still horror. The family was experiencing all these terrible things, and their reaction was definitely one of horror. A strong sauce horror story that was quite memorable to me. And this one tale isn’t the only example. Hell, there are entire subgenres like this! Quiet horror and grief horror, for example, don’t always aim to scare people, but to explore really dark issues of human life. And cozy horror, while it is a subject of debate, is still horror, even if it is keeping the horror at a safe distance from the reader.

So maybe my 3D Printer from Hell story won’t leave people shaking in their shoes. Maybe it will. However it turns out, it can still be strong sauce if the tropes are used right and the horror is conveyed in the right way. And while I’m writing it, I’ll be aiming to make it both entertaining and maybe even very scary. So long as people enjoy it and think at the end of the day, “Damn, that was a good horror story,” I’ll be satisfied.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you’re having a wonderful day, and I’ll be seeing you all again very soon. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

*Which, BTW, I’m now calling The Shape of Evil on the suggestion of another writer. Given the subject matter, it fits. And it’s going to look awesome on a book cover someday!

A Very Active Evening at the Ohio State Reformatory

Posted: May 22, 2024 in Living and Life, Scary Stuff, Tales across the US
Tags: ChatterGeist, dowsing rods, ghost hunting, ghosts, haunted, haunted locations, haunted Ohio, haunted prisons, horror, James Lockhart, Jeff Ignatowski, Killers the Card Game, living and life, Ohio State Reformatory, ParaPsyCon, ParaPsyCon 2024, reflections, scary stuff, YouTube, YouTube video

All videos should be listened to with headphones on and the volume turned up.

As I said in my last post, I was recently at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, OH, one of my favorite places on Earth, for ParaPsyCon. And as you probably know, it’s one of the most haunted places in the nation. Of all the times I’ve been there, only once have I not experienced something strange or spooky. And that one time was not this past weekend!

And speaking of which, on Friday night, the Reformatory had a mini ghost hunt for the vendors (the mini part meaning it was only three hours instead of the entire night). And you know that I had to participate in that! So, I did. And my friend Jeff Ignatowski, owner of Scorpion Lair Games and Killers the Card Game, whom I’ve mentioned here before, was there too with a new ghost hunting device called a ChatterGeist. So, we teamed up for the ghost hunt and to see if we could get anything.

And oh boy, did we get something! In fact, nearly the whole night, the prison was jumping with activity! And I got a ton of it on camera!

Our first stop was James Lockhart’s cell. If you didn’t know, James Lockhart was a prisoner who, in 1960, immolated himself and died soon after. He was 22. His spirt is said to still haunt the cell he died in. I’ve always had good luck speaking with him using the dowsing rods (he’s got a reputation for not being very talkative), so we headed there first.

And I should just mention, the moment we were about to start, the birds started freaking out! You can’t avoid the birds, they make nests in holes in the building and in the windows and you can always hear them. But when I sat down in Lockhart’s cell, they just freaked out! It was weird. And as it turned out, it was very relevant.

After this session, Jeff and I set up the ChatterGeist device. And the results we got were quite relevant to where we were.

Weird about that “melting” comment, right?

After wrapping up in James Lockhart’s cell, we headed to solitary confinement, where I’ve interacted with the spirit of a dead guard before. However, that night, I learned about a very different story that occurred in the solitary confinement cells. When they used to double people in solitary (which kinda defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?).

Damn, that’s spooky! Who knew Jeff had a dark connection to the prison like that?

After solitary, we were going to head to the attic, but then we found out that the subbasement, which is usually left off the tour and which is supposedly filled with very active spirits, was open for the ghost hunt. So, guess who went down to a place I’ve only seen on TV? We did. And boy, did we get results!

Man, of all the things that I experienced that night, the subbasement sticks with me the most! I mean, you heard those sounds, right? And up until we were trying to leave, we were the only ones in the basement. What made those noises? We may never know.

But as you saw the end of the video, we had some guests and one of them, Daryl, is a volunteer at OSR studying to be a tour guide. So he told us some very dark stories that actually put some things from the last video into context.

Damn! That prison was not run very well back then. 0/10, would not recommend.

After the stories, Jeff and I went up to the attic. Sadly, we didn’t get any good proof on camera, so I did not upload any footage from there. So, we headed to the library. And it was actually kind of peaceful. Here’s what happened.

With that, we went downstairs to the infirmary, where we hung out with some other ghost hunters who were talking to a very smarmy ghost (I wish I got that on video, but oh well). After that, they left and we got out my dowsing rods out for one last time. And it’s probably the second-most memorable experience for me for that night.

I want to think that maybe that ghost just wanted someone to know how he died, and maybe telling someone allowed him to pass on. I hope we at least brought him some peace.

Anyway, after that, it was close to eleven, so we packed up and left so we could get some sleep before the convention in the morning. But man, was it a great night! The prison was more active than I had ever seen it, and we got some amazing stuff on video. I hope plenty of people find the videos informing and entertaining, and maybe makes them want to explore the beyond as well.

Or maybe it’ll scare them silly. I would be happy with that.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you enjoyed my breakdown of my ghost hunt at ParaPsyCon. Be sure to check out my YouTube channel by clicking here and maybe giving me a subscription. And be sure to check out Jeff’s Channel, Route 666, as well.

Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

A Very Good Weekend for this Writer

Posted: May 19, 2024 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
Tags: entertainment, horror, living and life, novel, Ohio State Reformatory, paranormal, ParaPsyCon, ParaPsyCon 2024, reflections, reviews, Rose, scary stuff, Snake, The Pure World Comes, The Shawshank Redemption, writing, YouTube, YouTube video

The Ohio State Reformatory at sunset. Isn’t it beautiful?

Can you believe it’s been more than a week since I last posted? I’m almost disappointed in myself!

So, this weekend was ParaPsyCon, which for those of you who don’t know, is a paranormal convention held every year at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, OH. The Reformatory was once an active prison, but is now the state’s designated prison museum, a film set (it was the filming location for The Shawshank Redemption, among other movies), and one of the most haunted places in America.

Not surprisingly, the prison has plenty of paranormal investigations throughout the year, dedicated employees for that purpose, and ParaPsyCon, which I’ve gone every year since 2021 as a vendor, selling books and doing Tarot readings. And you know what? I really love going (as well as ghost hunting there when I get the chance).

However, last year did not go as well as I’d hoped. Between Pennhurst Asylum in Pennsylvania having their own paranormal convention the same weekend and possible economic worries at the time, many of the vendors last year, myself included, did not make as much as hoped. It was bad enough that I actually considered skipping this year (especially since the amount needed for a table went up). In the end, however, I decided to go again.

I’m glad I did.

I keep a very positive attitude most of the time. But lately, I’ve been frustrated that I’m not closer to my goals of writing full time. Since March, the amount of time I have available to write seems to have been reduced drastically, so I feel like I’m getting through projects a lot slower than I’d like to. And as much as I market my work, it’s not easy to market or get people to read my work, which bums me out because of how much I’m trying to get people to check my books out. Coupled with trouble finding homes for stories I really believe in, stressors in my life (work, finances, etc.), and maybe a tad bit of jealousy over seeing other writers’ successes, I’ve often felt like Sisyphus, rolling that boulder up a hill only to see it fall back to the Earth.

(And yes, these are things all writers deal with at one time or another. And yes, there are plenty of people out there who have it a lot worse than I do. But that doesn’t change how frustrating it can be.)

Which is why I’m very happy I went to ParaPsyCon as a vendor this year.

Besides seeing my friends, being in a place I absolutely love, and even doing a little ghost hunting (more on that in a future post), it was just a balm for my writer’s soul. On the very first day of the con, two people came up to my table to tell me they’d bought a book off me last year, read it, and loved it! Both promised they would write reviews when they can (I hope they remember), and one even bought another book off me after telling me he had hoped I would be there.

And that was only the beginning. A coworker from my day job came to the convention after I told her about it, bought two books for her daughters, and then got a Tarot reading she found very helpful. I woke up this morning to see a new review for The Pure World Comes on Goodreads. One woman bought a copy of Rose because the cover reminded her of a dream she had the night before and she felt it was a sign. One guy who bought a copy of Snake from me said he’d actually seen some of my YouTube videos and that may have been part of his reason for buying a book.

I’m still thinking of that last one. I make those YouTube videos, but it’s hard to tell if those actually lead to book sales. Now, I have some proof that making them has been a productive use of time. (If at all interested, check out my channel here.)

All this and more happened. And all told, I ended the day not just with more than the minimum I wanted to make this weekend, but I felt rejuvenated. Not only are people buying my books, they are reading them and enjoying them. They’re going out of their way to find me and tell me this. And I’m learning firsthand how much my hard work is paying off.

And moving forward, as I work hard on my writing, I’ll keep that in mind so I can keep my frustrations away. I’m not close to writing full time yet, but I am making meaningful progress. And I will continue making that progress. Bit by tiny bit.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m exhausted but happy, and I hope to be back soon (I have some videos from ghost hunting the other night I look forward to sharing). In the meantime, if you’re looking for something scary to read, be sure to check out my books using the button below. There’s plenty there, including free stories you can download, so be sure to check them out. And if you like what you read, leave me a review. Both of those actions help support me immensely.

In addition, the five-year anniversary of the release of Rose is coming up and I’m working on something special for it. If you have a copy of the book, please send me a photo of you with the book and one word you would do to describe the book. I’m planning on putting together a video of the photos, so if you send me something at ramiungar@ramiungarthewriter.com, it’s likely to make an appearance. Wouldn’t that be fun?

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

“The Pure World Comes” is Two Years Old and on Sale!!!

Posted: May 10, 2024 in Novel, Scary Stuff, Writing
Tags: anniversary, audio book, Crimson Peak, ebook, entertainment, Frankenstein, Gothic fiction, Gothic horror, horror, Jack the Ripper, living and life, novel, paperback, ParaPsyCon, ParaPsyCon 2024, publishing, publishing anniversary, release anniversary, Rose, scary stuff, The Pure World Comes, Victorian England, writing

Raise a glass in celebration! Unless it’s before five or you have some other good reason to not be drinking alcohol right now, then instead lift a Diet Coke or glass of orange juice or coffee or something.

So, as I said last week, my Victorian Gothic horror novel The Pure World Comes came out two years ago today. The novel follows Shirley Dobbins, a maid who thinks she’s getting the job of a lifetime when she’s offered a position at the manor of the Baronet Hunting. However, strange things are happening at the manor, known as the Hunting Lodge. Things that terrify and bring back things from Shirley’s past that she would rather forget. In addition, the baronet is researching some very strange science and Shirley gets wrapped up in it. All this will have an explosive conclusion that will threaten not only Shirley’s life, but those she loves as well.

It’s kind of like Frankenstein and Crimson Peak had a baby together. With an appearance by Jack the Ripper for some added terror.

Anyway, to celebrate the two year anniversary of The Pure World Comes releasing, I’m doing a sale! From today, May 10, through May 17, the book will be on sale in multiple formats from multiple retailers. Even the audio book will be on sale from select stores (I can only do sales on the audio book from Spotify, B&N, Apple and Chirp)!

This is a great opportunity to check out the book if you’re interested, so why not do so? I’ll leave links below so you can purchase from the retailer of your choice. And if you do, and you end up reading the book, I hope you’ll leave me a review letting me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me grow as a writer as well.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you’re looking forward to this book as much as I am looking forward to you reading it. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

The Pure World Comes: available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, Goodreads, Audible, Chirp, BingeBooks, LIbro.Fm, Storytel, Palace Marketplace, Hoopla, Vivlio, Smashwords, Thalia, Scribd, Spotify, Fable

Two more things, my Followers of Fear:

If you have read and have a copy of Rose, one of my other novels, please take a photo of yourself with the copy and send it to me with a single word to describe the book. I’m gathering photos for a project in honor of Rose‘s own anniversary next month, so if you can contribute one, it would make my day.
Next week is ParaPsyCon! If you’re in or around Mansfield, OH on May 17-19, please stop by the Ohio State Reformatory for the biggest convention of ghost hunters, psychics, and more around. I’ll be there selling books and doing Tarot readings, and I would love to see you there. You can find out more details here.

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

I Need Your Help with a Project

Posted: May 6, 2024 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, Writing
Tags: entertainment, horror, living and life, novel, publishing, publishing anniversary, release anniversary, Rose, scary stuff, The Pure World Comes, writing

I did say I would get a post out between last Friday and this Friday that wasn’t about The Pure World Comes, didn’t I?

So, as I’ve mentioned before, my novel Rose is coming up on its five-year release anniversary. And I’m doing something a bit different to celebrate the momentous anniversary. Specifically, I’m trying to put together a video of people with their copies of Rose, along with one word they would use to describe the book. To do this, I need photos of people with their copies of Rose giving me that one word they would use.

So, I’m asking all my Followers of Fear to help me with this project. If you have a copy of Rose, paperback or ebook, please take a photo of yourself with your book and send it to me with one word you would use to describe the book. You can send your photo and your adjective of choice to ramiungar@ramiungarthewriter.com. If you do, I’ll put it in the video.

Now, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It’s not as if I can force you, after all. However, I need as many photos as possible to make this video longer than half a minute. So, if you can, please take that photo and send it to me along with one word to describe the book. And please send it along by May 31st. That should give you plenty of time, so please send your picture along.

Thank you, and I cannot wait to see what you send me. I’m very excited to be marking this anniversary and to be putting together this video for the anniversary. If all works out, it should be fun.

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

If you haven’t read Rose yet but would like to check it out, the links are listed below. If you end up reading it, I hope you’ll leave a review so I know what you thought. As well as send me a photo and an adjective, but no pressure. Thanks, and happy reading!

Available from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Audible, B&N

Announcing “The Pure World Comes” Two Year Anniversary Sale!!!

Posted: May 3, 2024 in Novel, Scary Stuff, Writing
Tags: Crimson Peak, entertainment, Frankenstein, Gothic fiction, Gothic horror, Hidden Marietta, Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo, horror, living and life, Marietta OH, novel, publishing, scary stuff, The Pure World Comes, Victorian England, writing

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!

Updates on What I’m Doing

Posted: April 24, 2024 in Living and Life, Progress Report, Writing
Tags: 2024 events, 3D printer, 3D Printer from Hell story, article, authors, collection, collection of novelettes, collection of novellas, Crawler, editing, entertainment, horror, HWA Ohio, living and life, novel, novelette, novella, publishing, publishing anniversary, release anniversary, Rose, scary stuff, Snake, The Great Editing, The Pure World Comes, writing, YouTube

So, it’s been more than a week since my last post. And I have some things I wanted to talk to you about. Problem is, none of them are enough for a blog post on their own, so I’m doing an updates post. Because let’s face it, those have worked before! Anyway, here’s what I’ve been up to lately:

I’m Writing about a 3D Printer from Hell

You know how after the Great Editing, all I wanted to do was work on some new stories and not edit for a while? Well, I’ve been doing just that, and have so far written one short story, one novelette, and two novellas. Only the short story has been edited and is being shopped around, while the rest are waiting on their second drafts.

The current project is what I hope will be a novella about a 3D printer from Hell. Most likely, it’s going to end up a novel and I’ll be like, “Rami, what did you do?” But if it ends up being that long, so be it. I’m going to care more about the quality of the words instead of the quantity of the word count (though that is important).

Anywho, right now this project, which doesn’t have a title yet, is still early in the first draft. I’m trying to work on it every opportunity I get, and I hope to get further along before too much time passes. After that, I plan on working on a few more (hopefully much shorter) tales. And after that? Well, I think I’ll go through editing all these stories and then finding some of them homes.

Ongoing projects

So, before you ask: yes, I am still planning on getting back to my mummy novel Crawler. It’s just that I wanted to work on a bunch of other stuff and not commit to another huge project for a while. Granted, that might have blown up in my face, with the 3D printer story possibly going the same route as The Pure World Comes (God, I was so naive to think that would be a novelette). But I still plan to get back to it before the end of the year and finish the first draft.

In the meantime, I’m also putting together two new collections. Yes, you read that right: two new collections. All I can say about them is that one will be made up entirely of novellas, and the other will be made up entirely of novelettes. How many in each, and which stories will be in it, I’ll let you know when the projects are a lot further along. But let me be clear: I am working on these, and will update you when it’s appropriate to do so.

Finally, I’ve also started research on a new essay. Won’t say what it is yet, but it’s going to be horror focused, and it’s also going to revolve around one of my favorite things. Like everything else, I’ll keep you updated on any developments.

Important anniversaries are coming up!

So, I realized yesterday that three of my books have anniversaries coming up and these are going to be important ones. First, The Pure World Comes will be celebrating its second anniversary since being released in paperback and ebook on May 10, 2024. Feels like it’s been out a lot longer, but yeah, I counted to be sure. Two years.

Then, Snake will celebrate ten years since release on June 10, 2024. Yeah, the big one-oh. Kind of snuck up on me, didn’t it?

And finally, on June 20, 2024, Rose will celebrate five year since it was first released. I know, I know. Hard to believe, right? It amazes me too that that book came out just before the pandemic!

With all these anniversaries, I’ll be doing something to celebrate each, so be sure to stick around. And if you haven’t read those books…well, if you need some reading material right now, go check those three out. They’re scary and awesome, if I do say so myself. You can check them out using my Book Links and Excerpts page, which is linked to the button below.

Book Links & Excerpts

Anything else?

Well, I’ve been busy with HWA Ohio stuff. As a chapter, we’re really growing and getting noticed in all the right ways, so as Chapter Coordinator, I’ve been busy with that and making sure we all get more exposure and readers. With any luck, some of us may even be able to take our careers to brand new heights.

Also got some events I’ll be going to soon, which I am looking forward to (see my last post about those). Hope you’re looking forward to and maybe stopping by some of those as well.

I’ve been putting up a lot of stuff on my YouTube channel, including some writing advice videos I’m proud of. Definitely check those out and consider subscribing to my channel.

And…that’s about it. I mean, I could talk about work stuff, or the fact that it’s Passover, but I don’t feel like it. Also, it’s getting late, and I have to go into the office tomorrow, so might as well stop here.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares. I hope whatever you’re doing, it’s working out well for you.

Events in 2024

Posted: April 14, 2024 in Living and Life, Writing
Tags: 2024, 2024 events, authors, BSC Publishing Group, Columbus Book Festival, Columbus Metropolitan Library, entertainment, events, Hannah and Other Stories, horror, HWA Ohio, Indie Author Book Expo, living and life, Motor City Nightmares, novel, Ohioana Book Festival, ParaPsyCon, ParaPsyCon 2024, Super Saturday, writing

So, I have a few new events I’ll be attending this year, as well as one I had to cancel. Thus, an update post. If you’re able to come out and see me, please do so. I would love to see you, and even sign your books or give you a hug if you want.

The first event on the horizon is actually this coming Saturday! HWA Ohio will be an official partner at the Ohioana Book Festival this Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at 10:30 AM – 5 PM at the Downtown Library in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to having several of our members there as featured authors, HWA Ohio will have a booth where we’ll be telling people about our chapter and what we provide for writers and readers. I’ll be volunteering at the HWA Ohio booth for most of the day, so please stop by if you can. Click here for details on the festival.

After that, guess what? I’m going to jail! ParaPsyCon will be occurring on May 17-19, 2024 at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readers both days, so please stop by and check it out if you’re in the area. Entry fee is the same price as a self-guided tour of a prison (ten bucks, if I remember correctly), and it’s an amazing place, so why not stop by, see the prison and check out one of the biggest paranormal conventions in the Midwest? Further details can be found on the ParaPsyCon website.

June I’ll have the month off, but then July gets busy. First, HWA Ohio will be having a booth again at the Columbus Book Festival. The festival will be taking place on July 13-14, 2024 at the Downtown Library and at Topiary Park in downtown Columbus, Ohio (don’t worry, one’s right in front of the other, so it’s not a long walk). We’ll be having a larger booth this year and likely more authors and books, so definitely come out and check it out. Further details can be found on the festival’s website.

And after that, I’ll have another big festival on the way! Motor City Nightmares will be occurring at the Novi Sheraton in Novi, Michigan on July 26-28. This is a huge horror convention, and has had horror luminaries like Bruce Campbell (Ash in the Evil Dead movies) and Kane Hodder (played Jason Voorhees four times) as special guests! And the lineup for this year is also looking pretty awesome, so I’m very excited to join this convention. Further details can be found on their website and Facebook page.

Unfortunately, I will not be attending the Indie Author Book Expo in Terre Haute, Indiana in August. Something came up, and I won’t be able to travel out that week. Sucks, but sometimes that’s just life. Apologies for any fans of mine in Indiana who were looking forward to seeing me.

And finally, HWA Ohio will be hosting a Super Saturday event on October 26, 2024 at the Downtown Library in Columbus, Ohio. Super Saturdays are events the library holds once a month to bring in more adult audiences for the library’s events. What exactly we’ll be doing is still not finalized, but we have a date and the library is excited to collaborate with us. More details will be available as we get closer.

And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll do another update post when I have some more news to share. In the meantime, if you would like to attend any of these events, please do! And if you can’t stop by, please consider supporting me by purchasing, reading and reviewing my books. I’ll leave a link below for my Books page so you can check them out, including some free stories.

Book Links and Excerpts

I especially hope you’ll check out Hannah and Other Stories, my new collection from BSC Publishing Group. Hannah has been out for six and a half months now, and I think there’s a good chance it’ll finally get a paperback edition, but it’ll need your help to accomplish that. So, if you like scary short stories–especially ones with ghosts, serial killers, or carnivorous horses–be sure to check this book out using the links below.

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

I Published an Article on Being Aromantic!!!

Posted: March 29, 2024 in Journalism, Reflections, Writing
Tags: aromance, aromantic, aromanticism, entertainment, horror, Interstellar Flight Press, journalism, living and life, Medium, reflections, romance, romance tropes, romantic subplots, Sailor Moon, writing

So, I’ve mentioned it here and there, but I am aromantic. I cannot feel romantic attraction or desire, and I frankly have no desire to (though I love writing romantic subplots into my stories) I even wrote about being aromantic in a post on Valentine’s Day last year. And not too long ago, I wrote an article about writing romantic subplots while being aromantic.

That article just came out today!

Interstellar Flight Press is a small science fiction and fantasy press that publishes both books and a magazine. The latter publishes both flash fiction and essays, with the essays ranging in topic from geekery and pop culture to the publishing industry and, as you can see, personal essays on writing. They expressed an interest in my essay when I mentioned it on Twitter, back when I was still on Twitter, so I sent it to them. And today, it’s been published.

The article is on the magazine’s website, which is published through Medium. You may need to create an account to access it, but I tell you, it’s worth the read. Yes, I’m biased, but I get to discuss aromantic representation, writing horror, and even Sailor Moon, all in one article. If that’s not worthy of reading, then I don’t know what is!

Anyway, I’ll leave a link below. I hope you’ll check out the article and let me know what you think. I’m excited to read your comments on it. It’s my first article and my first new published piece of work for 2024, so I have high hopes for it. Not to mention, I hope it’s the first of many pieces released this year (or accepted, I’ll take that, too).

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I really can’t wait to discuss the article with you. Until next time, good night (or good morning, I guess? It is 10 AM my time when this is releasing) and pleasant nightmares!

Writing Romance as an Aromantic Writer

“Hannah and Other Stories:” Six Months Since Publication!!!

Posted: March 23, 2024 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
Tags: Allen Huntsman, authors, BSC Publishing Group, carnivorous horses, editing, entertainment, Hannah and Other Stories, horror, Iseult Murphy, living and life, progress report, publishing, publishing anniversary, reflections, scary stuff, short story, short story collection, writing

A ranch is raising horses with a taste for meat. A creepypasta tale takes on a peculiar life of its own online and in one teenager’s group of friends. Repressed memories brought to the surface during a university English class begin a domino effect leading to something terrifying entering our world. And in one abandoned school, some ghost hunters get way more than what they bargained for during their investigation.

All these stories and more were released into the world six months ago, on a Saturday very much like this, September 23, 2023, when Hannah and Other Stories was released.

Now, if you’re unaware, Hannah and Other Stories is my second collection of short stories and my fifth book overall. It contains seven original short stories, the plots of some of which are up above. But trust me, all the stories are great.

Honestly, it’s been incredible to think that Hannah has been out for six months now. So much has happened since then, it feels like a lot more. And it’s been incredible to see the reader response! Nearly every person who’s read it has responded positively. This makes the nearly two years it took working with the publisher, plus the several months prior writing and editing and double editing the stories, so worth it.

Here’s what people are saying on Amazon and Goodreads, where the book is rated 4.6 on both sites:

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

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” and “7 Days in Hell,” Goodreads

Horrifying stories from Ohio to the Paris Catacombs. This amazing book has 7 horrifying short stories from monsters and ghosts to crazed children. Amazing writing. If I had to pick a favorite story, it would be Queen Alice. But every story was outstanding and creepy. I absolutely loved this book.
Rhonda Bobbitt, Amazon

Budding serial killers, carnivorous horses, and cosmic monsters. This collection has a fun spooky variety all viewed through the weird lens of Rami Ungar’s imagination. I’ve read a few of his books before (The Pure World Comes is a notable one), and Rami has really found his voice here. A couple of my favorites are Autopsy Kid and Queen Alice. Autopsy Kid is visceral and gut-wrenching, a tale about a girl caught in the web of a psychopath. And Queen Alice is truly terrifying in a deep way, a story about the possessive/obsessive power of social media culture. Check it out!
Allen Huntsman, author and YouTuber, Goodreads

Some pretty good reviews. And there are more out there. I’ll include links below if you’re interested. Also, did I mention my mother texted me the other day and told me she can’t look or even think about horses without thinking about the story I wrote with the carnivorous horses? And if that’s not high praise, I don’t know what is!

I also can’t think of horses without thinking about those carnivorous horses, either. I saw a guy cosplaying as a horse at a convention not too long ago (yes, seriously), and could not think of anything else. Too bad he wasn’t into horror. I think otherwise he might have read the book.

And speaking of which, if you’re interested in reading Hannah and Other Stories, I’ll include links below. Right now, it’s only available in ebook, but if more people keep reading and reviewing the book, it could get a paperback and maybe even an audio book edition. So, even if you don’t read ebook, please consider supporting the book and grabbing a copy.

And if you do read ebooks, please be sure to read this one and to leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers along the way. Plus, there’s that whole getting a paperback edition thing.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll probably celebrate tonight with some delicious wine and maybe something sweet. Maybe I’ll also do some reading. Perhaps you’ll have a drink and read Hannah with me? I can hope. After all, it is the six month anniversary. Amazing things can happen.

Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.