Posts Tagged ‘novel’

Review: “Japanese Gothic” by Kylie Lee Baker

Posted: May 13, 2026 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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I think this has been my most anticipated new book of 2026. I mean, a Gothic horror novel set in Japan and featuring Japanese history and culture (specifically samurai)? Be still my horror and Japanese culture loving heart! As soon as my library ordered copies, I was the first on the reservation list, and I started reading it almost as soon as I picked up my copy of Japanese Gothic.

So, here’s the plot:

In October 2026 (ooh, the future), Lee Turner stays with his American father and the latter’s Japanese girlfriend in a house hidden behind sword ferns in the historical town of Chiran in Kagoshima, Japan. Lee holds many secrets, some of which threaten to tear him and his life apart. As he struggles to figure out what to do, he sees a strange girl with a samurai sword outside his room.

Meanwhile, in October 1877, Sen is the daughter of a samurai, the last survivor of a failed rebellion. As she trains under her tyrant of a father for a new rebellion to reinstate the samurai, she feels the inevitable coming with both excitement and trepidation. That is, until she sees a strange foreign man in the window of her bedroom in a house hidden behind sword ferns in the former samurai town of Chiran in the Kagoshima domain of Japan.

Japanese Gothic was worth the wait.

First off, the language was so vivid and evocative. From the setting to abstract concepts to the characters, the way Baker uses words is powerful. And speaking of characters, wow! The main characters felt so damn real! Sen felt like she came right out of the best of anime, with a fully rounded and complex character, and Lee…well, Lee felt like he was less of a person and more of an amalgamation of problems and personality quirks. And at first, I really didn’t like him. In fact, I’m still not sure how I feel about him, though I have to admit, his own character arc is as compelling as Sen’s.

As for the story, freaking phenomenal! Reading as Lee and Sen encounter one another, then get to know each other, and then try to solve the mysteries that occupy their attentions, made the book hard to put down. It was also really touching to see them get to trust each other. They’re both very broken people, but watching them grow through their relationship and what they discover through it made my heart go out to them. And I did not see many of the twists coming, which was really welcome. The last fifty pages or so just kept me in shock and on the edge of my seat!

If I did have a criticism, I would have to say that when we finally do get explanations of what the hell’s been going on at the end, it was rather abstract and might be hard for some readers to understand. As someone used to understanding the wilder episodes of Doctor Who and who understood most of the science in the Godzilla anime series, I think I understood it well enough, but I can imagine the frustration another reader might experience.

Still, I am in love with this book and cannot wait to meet the author at StokerCon next month. It’s definitely not the sort of novel I could write (and I’ve written books with the same elements before). On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker a 4.8 out of 5. Surprising, powerful, and enthralling. Grab your copy now, sit back, and prepare to be sucked in with the force of a hurricane. Preferably with some gagaku music played on the biwa in the background.*

*If you don’t know what those are, Google it. It’ll make all sorts of sense.

“The Pure World Comes:” Four Years Since Release!!!

Posted: May 10, 2026 in Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Run into all the creepy houses! Summon a lightning storm! Uncover terrible family secrets that will haunt you as much as any ghost! The Pure World Comes is officially four years old!

Well, technically it came out as a story on an app in 2021, but I always count May 10, 2022, when the paperback and ebook were released, as TPWC‘s real birthday/release day.

Now, for those of you who don’t know, The Pure World Comes is a Gothic horror novel I wrote in 2020. It was the very beginning of the pandemic, and I had had this idea for a novelette about a maid in Victorian England who goes to work for a mad scientist rolling around in the back of my head for a few years now. In fact, I’d spent several years just researching everything I could about the Victorian era just so I could bring the novel to life! And then suddenly, I was working from home and I had all this time to myself. I dove in, still thinking it would be a novella, and two months later, I came out with a novel that came to me in a frenzy.

A year later, the novel was published on the app, and another year later, it was out in paperback and ebook, followed a few months later by an audio book. A beautiful and creepy love letter to the Victorian era and all the scary stories that came out in that period.

Here is the blurb on the back cover:

Shirley Dobbins wants nothing more than to live a quiet life and become a head housekeeper at a prestigious house. So when she is invited to come work for the mysterious baronet Sir Joseph Hunting at his estate, she thinks it is the chance of a lifetime. However, from the moment she arrives, things are not what they seem. As she becomes wrapped up in more of the baronet’s radical science, she realizes something dark and otherworldly is loose within the estate. And if left unchecked, it’ll claim the lives of all she holds dear.

Funny story: last weekend, I was at Columbus Horror Con, and this young woman came up to check out my books. She picked up a copy of TPWC and let me know, not without some shock, that her last name was Dobbins, and her grandmother’s name was Shirley. Coincidence? Yes, but still a wild coincidence! Almost like fate. Anyway, she bought a copy, and when I signed it, I wrote that I hoped that she and her grandmother enjoyed the book.

And the nice thing is, lots of people have enjoyed The Pure World Comes since it came out. Here is what some people have said reading it:

This book kept you on the edge with its many twists and turns. Really haven’t read anything like it. I will follow this author 

Amazon Customer, Amazon

I love it when I’m pleasantly surprised by a book. Rami Ungar is not a debut author, (according to the back of the book, this is his fourth novel), but his work is new to me and so I went in not knowing what to expect.

What I got was a short novel so perfectly Victorian and utterly Gothic that it made my old-fashioned self giddy as a schoolgirl.

Heather Daughrity, author of Secrets My Grandmother Told Me, Goodreads

There were quite a few things I liked about this book – the attempt to make it historically accurate (required a lot of research), the author’s take on a possible Jack the Ripper scenario (no spoilers!), And the Big Reveal itself. I quite like the idea. I think it has many possibilities and potential uses as a plot device for future (possibly non related) stories…Exceptional work.

Ronald W. Gillepsie Jr., author of Inside My Nightmares, Amazon

I’m very glad that these people have loved this book so much. And there are several more reviews where that came from, if you care to look. (More on that below.)

So, what’s next for my little Gothic horror novel? Honestly, all I want is for more people to read it, so I’ll keep trying to make that happen. Thankfully, I’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future to find new readers. Hell, I managed to find a woman named Dobbins who’s grandmother’s name is Shirley just the other day. I’m sure there are other people who will want to read it. And if they do, I hope they let me know what they thought. Not only do I appreciate feedback from my readers, but leaving feedback in public spaces like Amazon or Goodreads helps other readers as well.

And if you would like to read TPWC, I’ll include links below. It’s one of the most widely available of my books, if not the most widely available, so I’m sure you’ll find a bookseller that you use. And if you like what you read…well, you know.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to celebrate the anniversary and maybe get some more writing work done. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and is that the ghost of Jack the Ripper behind you? Careful, he’s got a knife!

Amazon
Apple Books
Audible
Barnes & Noble
BingeBooks
Chirp
Fable
Goodreads
Hoopla
Kobo
Libro.Fm
Palace Marketplace
Scribd
Smashwords
Spotify
Storytel
Thalia
Vivlio

Conversations with Neil Sater

Posted: May 6, 2026 in Author Interciew, Novel, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Hello, my Followers of Fear! It’s been a minute since I’ve done an interview with a fellow author, hasn’t it? The last one was with Shaun Hamill in 2024. Well, I decided to bring it back, and I have a special interview to bring back this feature. Today’s guest is not only a fellow horror author, but a friend of mine whom I’ve worked with closely for the past several years in the Horror Writers Association. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my friend, Neil Sater.

Rami Ungar: Hello Neil, and welcome to the show. Tell us about yourself and what you write.

Neil Sater: Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been drawn to creepy things. Scary books, movies, houses, music, imagery, you name it, I love it all. I have also always enjoyed writing, but for my career, I followed my father into engineering and later, business. I was lucky to retire early, allowing me to write full-time. So, these days I’m having a blast writing creepy stories and learning a new business, which is completely different from what I spent my career doing. My stories involve the supernatural. My four books are stand-alone, but they are all set in Homer County, Ohio, a fictionalized place that reflects parts of Ohio’s Tuscarawas, Coshocton, and Holmes Counties. This is a beautiful region that I love to visit. It’s filled with history, interesting places, and genuine, salt-of-the-earth people. But as a guy who has always lived in the city and the suburbs, I sometimes feel a certain loneliness and eeriness when I visit the region. This is a very powerful feeling to me, and I try to capture that unsettling emotion in my stories.

RU: Tell us about your new novel, Ungodly, and why people might be attracted to this “Amish horror” story.

NS: In a nutshell, The Ungodly: The Curse of Forgotten Valley is about an Amish Witch. A teenage girl named Emma takes her brothers backpacking on the Buckeye Trail, and they unwittingly stray into the wrong place, where crazy stuff soon starts to happen. Readers say it’s a unique story with plenty of twists and high tension. Although I’ve been calling my books supernatural mysteries, my editor, who writes thrillers, said I should call this one a supernatural thriller.

RU: The book sounds fascinating. What inspired this story? And what research did you do before you wrote it?

NS: I took my nephews backpacking on the Buckeye Trail when they were teenagers, and we experienced some spooky things that stuck with me. So that adventure planted the first seed of inspiration for the story, and I wove some memories of our trip into it. (As a side note, the main character of this story is named after Emma ‘Grandma’ Gatewood, a legendary founder of the Buckeye Trail. I recommend reading her fascinating story, well-documented in several biographies!)More recently, I read a few non-fiction books about corruption in Amish communities, and found them all riveting. These books were about Amish men who built a cult within their Amish community and started doing bad things. I found it fascinating to see how the broader Amish society responded, which sparked my imagination. The even darker scenario I conjured up became the main storyline for The Ungodly.

I always try to do a lot of research for my stories. For this book, most of my research focused on two areas: witch folklore and Amish culture and practices. Although I have some familiarity with Amish culture and practices, some further research helped me fill in the blanks. Katherine Kerestman, one of our Ohio horror-writing colleagues, shared an article she wrote on the history of witch folklore, which I found to be a helpful complement to other material I read.

RU: Yeah, witch history, folklore, and culture is always fascinating. Speaking of which, your antagonist is an Amish witch. Why did you choose a witch from an Amish community, instead of a traditional witch? Or maybe a witch from a different sect, like the Puritans?

NS: It started with the setting I use for my books. As depicted in my previous books, the rural Homer County is in Amish country. Since the setting of my books was already established in Amish country, I thought, Why not?

When I came up with the idea of an Amish witch, I thought it was a novel notion. But a few weeks after the book’s release, a reader told me that she practices witchcraft and she knows some Amish women who do, too. I was a bit taken aback to hear a reader practices witchcraft, and a bit disappointed to hear my idea might not have been as novel as I thought! <belly laugh> Oh well, there are other original elements to this story.

Now, I don’t know anything about real-life people who practice witchcraft in this day and age, but obviously, that’s a real thing. Regardless, the story I wrote leans more toward the historical folklore of witchcraft.

There was something else at play, as well. Many people are curious about the Amish. The Amish live in very close-knit communities and choose to forgo many of the modern conveniences that the rest of us center our lives around. Some find the Amish culture and practices mysterious, and perhaps people are intrigued by them because, in many ways, they live as our own forebearers did. Regardless, I thought that if I could portray this culture with some degree of authenticity, readers might find the idea interesting and perhaps somewhat informative. So, I went with it.

RU: Speaking of your other novels, why not tell us about them?

NS: My books are all stand-alone stories, but because they’re all set in the same fictional Ohio county, there are some loose interconnections between them.

Phantom Realm: The Haunting of Misery Mansion is a ghost story, but it’s a different kind of ghost story that includes a time-travel twist.

Mercy Killing: The Haunting of Ghoul House leans a bit more into psychological horror, involving terminal illness.

And Atrocity: The Haunting of Moravian Village is inspired by true events involving Native Americans. The story centers around a haunting related to the tragic Moravian Massacre, which occurred during the Revolutionary War, in what is now Ohio.

RU: Your books tend to be geared towards the Young Adult crowd. What is it about YA horror that makes you gravitate towards those stories?

NS: I’m glad you asked this. The reality is, I try to write my stories for both adult and teen/young adult readers. My stories are what I call “soft-core” horror. Sometimes people use the terms “gentle horror” or “cozy horror.” I avoid explicit sexual content and heavy gore, and I consciously seek to close my stories with an uplifting ending, which isn’t all that common in the horror genre.

My books also tend to be shorter than many novels, and my stories usually feature teen/young adult characters. These things all add up to making them well-suited for young adult readers, but I’m not intentionally targeting this demographic. In fact, as far as I can tell, the vast majority of my readers are adults, not young adults. Either way, I’m just thrilled people are reading my books, because there’s no greater satisfaction to an author!

RU: Tell us what you’re working on now and if you have any future plans.

NS: I’m already working on my next supernatural mystery, which will also be set in Homer County, Ohio. I expect to have it published by early 2027.

It’s anybody’s guess what happens after that. I’ve never been much of a long-term planner!

RU: Time for some questions I ask every author I interview. What is some advice you would give some other authors, regardless of experience, genre or background?

NS: Get to know other writers through writers’ groups and other organizations. For me, joining the Horror Writers Association helped me build my network. I’ve gained new, valued friendships, including you, Rami!

Work with other writers to improve your writing skills through critique partnerships and critique groups. Don’t approach these things seeking affirmation; instead, seek out all the constructive criticism you can get from others and always err on the side of following their advice rather than ignoring it. Building this network will also help teach the business practices that help establish authors for success. Writing is a solitary endeavor, but learning how to become a writer is not.

RU: Aw shucks, you’re making me blush! Now, final question: if you were stuck on a desert island for a while and could only bring three books with you, what books would you take?

NS: For some reason, I shy away from long books, so I’ve never read Stephen King’s IT. Yeah, I know, I should be ashamed of myself, but I’ve seen the movies; does that count? Stranded on a desert island, I would finally have plenty of idle time to read IT!

I seldom read books more than once, but I’ve read Lord of the Flies by William Golding many times over the years. So, I’d have to include that one.

Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite authors, and his recent book, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, unseated my previous favorite among his books, which was Mapping the Interior.

So, those would be my three choices: IT, Lord of the Flies, and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.

RU: All great choices, Neil. And thank you for joining me here on the blog.

If you would like to check out Ungodly or any of Neil’s other books, you can find them on Amazon. And if you would like to follow Neil and find out more about his writing endeavors, you can find him on his website and his Facebook page. I’ll include links below.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you have a good night, pleasant nightmares, and watch out for Amish witches in Homer County, Ohio. From the sound of things, they can be totally freaky.

Neil’s Website
Neil’s Facebook Page

Review: “Coffin Moon” by Keith Rosson

Posted: March 12, 2026 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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Recently, Coffin Moon has been getting A LOT of mentions in a Facebook group I’m part of. What I’d heard sounded very interesting. Like that movie Near Dark, but good. So, when I had some saved credits on Audible, I got the audio book. And boy, was I not prepared for what I got.

Set in the mid-to-late 1970s, Coffin Moon follows Dwayne Miner, a Vietnam veteran who is trying to stay sober despite both PTSD and working in the bar owned by his in-laws. He’s also trying to be a good guardian to his wife’s niece, who is living with them after her own family is torn apart. And he’s holding onto secrets that could ruin more lives than just his. All this changes, though, when a couple of bikers try selling drugs through the bar…with Miner’s mother-in-law’s permission! When he objects, it sets off a chain of events that will change the course of Miner’s destiny, and throw him headlong into a world he never knew existed.

So, if you’re familiar with Near Dark, you’re aware that this is about vampires. Though honestly, the vampires feel closer to the ones from Sinners than from that weird-ass film. The main vampire, John Varley, is pure evil. He’s impulsive, incredibly selfish, and enjoys the violence and the chaos he causes. Even when he feels love, it’s twisted on so many levels. You’re at once both fascinated by him and repulsed by him, which, from a writer’s perspective, I just admire.

I also like the other characters. You really come to feel for both Dwayne and his niece, Julia. Both have been through the ringer during their short lives, and the events of the novel do not help. It really helps you empathize and want to root for them.

As for the story, the best way to describe it is twisty and unexpected. Several times, especially during the first third of the novel, I was surprised by the directions the story took, which I did not see coming. I think at one point, while I was listening in the car, my mouth fell open and I literally shouted, “What?!” I was that surprised.

Plus, the worldbuilding is done very lightly but effectively, and the stakes remain epic in a number of scenes (pun not intended).

My only criticisms are that when we finally find out the full details of the dark secret Dwight’s been holding onto the whole book, it’s told more as a story than as a flashback, which I would have expected. That, and I thought the final battle could’ve been drawn out a bit more. It just went too quickly for me.

However, as far as vampire stories go, this is definitely one I’m glad I read. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson a 4.5. Unexpected, full of pathos and masterful storytelling. Grab your red wine or tomato juice, and sit down with it today. You might find yourself, like a vampire, staying up all night long with it.

Something New is in the Works

Posted: February 15, 2026 in Progress Report, Writing
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So, for a couple of years now, I’ve had a few novellas lying around. Half of them were edited extensively and had even been sent out to publishers. The other half had only been edited so much and needed a lot more. And on-and-off, between The Shape of Evil and multiple short projects, I’ve edited and rewritten these novellas and even sent them off once or twice.

When did I decide to just turn them into a four-novella collection?

Honestly, I can’t remember. All I know is, I find something very special and prestigious about four-novella collections. It’s not a collection of multiple short stories or a full-length novel, but something in-between. Not to mention there’s been some really good ones over the years, like Four Past Midnight or Different Seasons, both by Stephen King. Or Ronald Malfi’s Ghostwritten (that one is so good!). And the idea of taking these novellas and making a collection out of them just took hold of me.

And some time last year, I started editing the two novellas that needed more editing with the goal of getting them edited to the point where I wanted to show them to others. I gave each of them another draft, then sent them off to beta readers. Once the beta readers finished with the stories and sent me their notes, I gave them both another round of edits. Which I finished doing last night.

So, now the collection of novellas is complete. And I’ve already sent it off to a publishing house. With any luck, they’ll want to publish it. If not, I’ll try elsewhere, though I have a good feeling about the place I sent it to in the first place (why else would I send it there?). Whatever happens, I’ll keep you guys posted. After all, you know how much I love letting people know when I have stories coming out.

For now, though, I have a couple of short stories to edit before I send them off to potential publishers. And after that, I’ll do something short and new for my critique group, followed by another draft of The Shape of Evil (still trying to find a home for that, but I think there are some ways to improve it while I’m waiting to hear back from a few places). In other words, I’m going to be busy.

But hey, I feel like all this is leading me closer to being able to write full time, which would be my dream come true. And if my Tarot readings lately are anything to go by, I might be on the cusp of realizing that dream (or opening up the path towards it). So, better keep busy and get it done.

Being busy and getting lots of stories out there is how I’m going to make my dreams come true.

And in the meantime, if you’re looking for something spooky to read, I already have six books and a few short stories out (including some that are free to download). From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have something for every horror fan, so why not give it a try? I’ll include a link to my books page below. And if you like what you read, please consider giving what you read a review online. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and your fellow readers in the long run.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll try to tune in again some time later this week. Until then, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Rami Ungar’s Books

Events in 2026

Posted: January 3, 2026 in Living and Life
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Happy New Year, my Followers of Fear! It’s 2026, and that probably means that nothing is going to change and things are going to be exactly the same as they were a few days ago. Hey, I’m a horror writer. I have to look on the dark side of things.

But there is one thing to look forward to: new events in 2026! While I will probably be scaling back the number of events I’ll attend this year (don’t blame me, blame the economy and those who made it this bad), I will attend a few. Most of them as a vendor. And in case any of you wonderful humans might be in the area and would like to see me in person, here are the events I will be attending.

First, I will be at Akronomicon next month on Saturday, February 7, 2026 from 10 AM – 6 PM at the Emidio Expo Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. I will be signing books and doing Tarot card readings. This is a fun horror convention, with plenty of cool booths from horror memorabilia to independent studio films and actors to even taxidermy, and they even have celebrity guests! So if your interest is piqued, please consider coming. You can find out more on the convention’s Facebook page.

Skip forward a couple of months, and I will be at the 4th Annual Indie Book Bash on Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 1 PM – 7 PM. It will occur at New Leaf Event Center in Conneaut, Ohio. Like before, I will be signing books and doing Tarot card readings. (And get this: technically, this event center is owned by a Methodist church, but they don’t police what kind of events or vendors can set up there based on their religious beliefs. So, guess who’s wearing his shirt about summoning demons if the weather’s nice enough?). This is a big event, hosted by Pretty Good Books and Chelsea Banning, whom I’ve interviewed on this blog before. You can find out more, just like with Akronomicon, on the event’s Facebook page.

And finally, I will be at StokerCon at the Westin Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from June 4-7. As you know, StokerCon is the big horror writers convention. There are panels, a short film festival, an awards banquet, and all sorts of opportunities to network/make friends/discover new reads/etc. I will be there as just a regular guest, though there’s a chance I’ll find a chance to sell some books. And if I can, I’ll be on a few panels, too. Anyway, if you want to learn more, you can check out the website. And if you want to grab tickets, you can buy them here.

And that’s all for now. I’ll update you with any new events that pop up. In the meantime, I’ll try not to inundate you with reminders (though I will mention them right before the events). In the meantime, if you’re looking for a good scary story to read or you would like to support me, I have plenty to offer. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have something for every horror fan, so why not check one of them out? I’ll leave the link to my books page below.

And if you like what you read, please leave a review online so I know what you thought. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and your fellow readers out in the long run.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares. I’ll be back before long.

Rami Ungar’s Books

Review: “Wake Up and Open Your Eyes” by Clay McLeod Chapman

Posted: December 7, 2025 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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“This book is perfect for your conservative relatives. Especially at Thanksgiving.” This is the description I got of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman, a satirical horror novel about a demonic apocalypse. With a description like that, I was intrigued. And this past Thanksgiving, I started the audio book.

To which I say, “Woo-boy? What did I get myself into?”

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes starts with Noah Fairchild, who goes from his home in Brooklyn to check on his estranged parents after his mother leaves a strange, conspiracy-filled message in his voicemail and then doesn’t pick up. When he gets down there, he finds his parents seemingly brainwashed into dementia by their conservative news shows. However, it’s actually the beginning of the apocalypse. And the demons are possessing people through their devices. And what they choose to consume through their devices.

As I said, this is a satirical horror novel, so there are plenty of funny moments that made me laugh out loud. One of the main sources of possession is a parody of Fox News, and it’s so thinly disguised, you can tell immediately which anchor is getting made fun of. In the final third of the novel, the story is actually narrated by a fictional version of a real life news anchor, only he’s a hallucination living in a character’s head to help them process these events!* And even in the apocalypse, people are posting videos to YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, as if they need to share their most intimate moments to make them real.

However, this is a horror novel, and it gets horrifying! The demon-possessed do some seriously fucked up shit when they take over people, and a lot of it is described in excruciating detail. The amount of body horror and gross out elements even borders on extreme horror, so it can be uncomfortable at times (I just barely tolerated it).

Still, it is hard to put down. While at first I could only listen to it in small doses, over time I got so hooked, I listened whenever I could. And the ending, while some may hate it, is definitely quite fitting for such a bleak horror novel.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman a 4.5. It’s bleak, horrifying, and pokes plenty of fun at a nation/world/species that is willing to give up its thinking faculties and let a talking head on a screen do the thinking for you (not just conservatives; liberals and everyone else, too). If you have a strong stomach and are at all interested, give it a read. You may never be able to look at cable news, wellness gurus, or even “Baby Shark” the same ever again, but it might just be worth it.

*And can I say, I find it so bold to put real, living figures in your stories, using their real names? I’ve read a few stories like this, such as Shoeless Joe featuring JD Salinger, or a story by Jonathan Maberry where Kevin Hart and Kelly Clarkson, among others, make an appearance. And ever time, I marvel. I know it’s kind of allowed if they’re a public figure and it’s either parody or their fictional selves are acting in a way that would correlate with their real selves. But still, it’s not something I would consider doing (especially when I put real figures in my stories as a form of punishment for real life bad acts). I would be too worried about getting sued!

“Welcome to Derry” Feels Like Returning to My Beginnings

Posted: November 17, 2025 in Reflections, Scary Stuff, Writing
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I first read IT by Stephen King when I was eleven or twelve: the same age as the characters in the flashbacks. And while I had been reading The Vampire Chronicles and most of Anne Rice’s books up till that point, I didn’t exactly classify it as horror (Anne Rice herself preferred the term “Gothic saga”). So, for me, IT was my first jump into horror since outgrowing Goosebumps.

And it expanded my world. Not only did the novel terrify me, but it showed me just what great, mature horror storytelling looked like. From the terrifying and insidious nature of Pennywise and It’s many forms, to how the novel took the time to let us get to know characters both major and minor. I was entranced and enthralled, even as I was terrified, diving deep into the book every opportunity I could get and learning as much as I could.

By the time I finished the book that summer, I knew what sort of stories I wanted to write in the future.

Without IT, I would not be the writer I am today. Or the person. I might not even be blogging to you right now, now that I think about it!

I bring this all up because, if you weren’t aware, there’s a TV show airing on HBO Max called Welcome to Derry. Taking place in the same universe as the movies, the show goes into events during the 1962 cycle, which was the cycle before the first movie. And unlike the movies, which focused on a core group of characters first during their early teenage years and then during their adult years, Welcome to Derry focuses on a wide variety of characters, including school kids, military personnel at the local Air Force base, and the nearby Native American population.

It’s very Stranger Things in its character development and methods of storytelling. And since the creators of Stranger Things were heavily influenced by IT, among other things, I guess it’s coming full circle?

Well, it feels full circle to me, because while watching the show, I feel like I’m getting a reintroduction to the horror genre. Just like I did when I was a preteen and dove into King’s book. It feels like I’m getting lessons in how to do creative and powerful scares, storytelling with large casts, and character development every time I sit down to watch the show.

Which, while being told through a visual medium instead of a literary one, I’m grateful for. While I’ve made strides in becoming a horror author, I still feel like I have a long way to go before I can be at the same level as the authors I admire and regularly read. And while I learn something about good storytelling every time I enjoy a good book, show, or movie, I feel I’m getting a Master Class in the subject from this show.

Hell, I think in the short story I wrote most recently, some of what I gleaned from Welcome to Derry made it into the story. I wasn’t originally going to apply what I learned, but it occurred to me while I was writing, and I was like, “Oh. That’s good. That’s very good. Let’s try it.” And while I haven’t heard back from the alpha reader yet (I only sent them the story last night, after all), I feel like adding those elements gave the story an extra bit of excitement and terror.

So, with only four episodes of the show left (I have my doubts they’ll do a second season, though I would likely welcome one), I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next. And to seeing what I can glean for use in my own storytelling.

In the meantime, I’m going to get to work on some of that storytelling. I have stories to edit and send to the beta readers, after all. Wish me luck!

And in the meantime, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Me writing and editing under the influences of good storytelling teachers.

“The Shining” Hits Differently For Me As I Age

Posted: November 10, 2025 in Living and Life, Reflections
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The first time I read Stephen King’s The Shining, I think I was thirteen or fourteen. And while I was reading at the adult level, I didn’t always understand all the deep stuff that was being thrown my way. I think I understood Danny’s point-of-view the easiest. Sure, he wrestled with concepts usually grasped by brains more developed than a kindergartener’s, but he was still the youngest of the characters, and the one closest to me in age.

As for Jack and Wendy…well, they were adults. And at the age I first read the book, anyone past college age, especially any with parents, were ancient. Hell, some people just past high school age were ancient to me! So, when I saw the movie after I read the book (and I’m in the camp that hates the movie, like King himself does), I saw Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall playing Jack and Wendy Torrance, respectively, and was like, “Yeah, they seem the appropriate age.”

Then, in 2018 or 2019, I read it again. And not only did I understand all the difficult concepts way easier than I had last time, but I was shocked by something I hadn’t noticed before. And that was Jack and Wendy’s ages. Based on hints in the book, I realized they were around my age, in their mid-to-late 20s. In fact, at one point in the book, Jack hints that he’s only 29 or 30. And at the end of the book, Dick Halloran notices that Wendy no longer has any of the young girl he met in September the previous year, but is all woman. Which is something you might think when describing a woman moving out of her 20s (especially after an experience like the Overlook).

Like I said, I was shocked. As I said before, when I first read the book, Jack and Wendy seemed ancient to me just by being parents. So understanding that they were around my age, and had yet done so much more, like having a kid, was more than a bit of a surprise. Plus, the fact that Jack Nicholson, who was clearly in his 40s when he filmed The Shining, threw me for a loop. I mean, he already looks insane, but you also cast a guy who was so much older than the other characters? Boggles my mind.

Jack Nicholson may have been iconic as the character, but he’s at least a decade older than the character in the book.

And last month, I started the audio book of The Shining as part of my Halloween reading. And I’m 32 now, though I would say everything since 2020–COVID, elections, wars, etc.–has aged me mentally in some ways. Anyway, I just finished it yesterday, and I think I love the book more now than I did the first two times. I mean, I loved it plenty the first two times, but I think with age and getting hopefully wiser with it, my love has deepened. I understand the characters and appreciate how well-written the book is better.

And speaking of the characters, my reaction this time around to Jack and Wendy was much milder. Mostly me thinking, “Poor kids,” whenever they experienced something tough (which is pretty much everything from after their wedding to around the time Jack got possessed). Remember, these past five years have aged me mentally in some ways.

Also, Jack Torrance nearly got tenure in his teaching position before he lost it, and he wasn’t even thirty yet? I don’t know if that was more common in the mid-70s than it is now, but given the average age these days to get tenure, I’m impressed.

Anyway, every time I read The Shining, I get something new out of it. It’s like my relationship with the book, especially with its characters and themes, changes with every read. I wonder how old I will be the next time I decide to check into the Overlook, and what reaction I’ll have when I do. Maybe I’ll post about it after I find out!

What are your thoughts on the book? Has your relationship or reaction to The Shining changed over time? Let’s discuss.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m planning on starting a new short story tomorrow, so I better log off and get some rest. So, until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and–who let that bloated ghost lady into my bathtub?! I’ll have you know, only ghosts I invite in with me are allowed in there!

Review: “Fiend” by Alma Katsu

Posted: October 14, 2025 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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Alma Katsu’s become one of those authors for me that, when I hear they have something new coming out, I immediately want to scoop up a copy and read it. And when I heard that, for the first time, she was releasing a horror novel set in our modern era, I was intrigued. When Fiend finally came out, I immediately went to the library to grab my copy (support your local libraries, kids!) and started reading as soon as I could.

That was about a week ago. I finished the book today. And now, I’m reporting my thoughts.

Set in our modern times and with some flashbacks to the past (which, based on the characters’ ages and context clues, I assume is somewhere between 2004-2015), Fiend follows the Berishas, a powerful family hailing from Albania that rules over a wide business empire. Specifically, it follows the youngest generation of the Berishas: Dardan, an anxious young man being groomed to run the family empire; Maris, who rebels against her father’s patriarchal views and wants to rule while also wanting to please him; and Nora, a wildcard who’s more than she seems. They are well aware that their family, ruled over by the tyrannical Zef, is rumored to be aided by a demon that keeps them rich and untouchable. But after a particular incident, the dominoes start falling. Dominoes that will change the family, and possibly bring down the dynasty, forever.

So, while this book has been marketed or compared to “Succession with a demon” (not sure how accurate that is, having never seen Succession, though I know the basic pitch), I would compare it more with 2015’s The Witch. The focus is on these characters, showing an intimate portrait of a family that is breaking down due to isolation, clashing egos, and external pressures closing in. The demon itself, like the witch in the movie, is just one of the catalysts that hastens the breakdown of the family.

And the way Fiend is written, it is hard to put down or look away. I was breezing through each chapter, just wanting to find out what happened next and how each of these fascinating, unhappy, often terrible people would hurt each other next. We spend the most time with Maris, and you can see Alma Katsu having a ball writing her and showing her trying to achieve what she thinks she wants. After her, we spend the most time with Dardan, who is desperately struggling under the weight of his destiny but too scared to find a way out of it.

My two criticisms are this: one, I would have liked to have spent more time with Nora. As I said, she’s a wildcard who’s more than she seems, and I would’ve liked to get further below the surface than what we got with her. I get why she’s the sibling we spend the least amount of time with, but I still wanted to know her. And two, I honestly wanted to see more interactions with Olga, the Berisha matriarch. She’s mentioned more often than seen, and I think it would have been fascinating to see how she’s weathered being part of this screwy family for most of her adult life.

But beyond that, Fiend is an excellent family drama/horror story. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving it a 4.5. An enthralling deep dive into the world of corporate intrigue and what can occur from generations of abuse and trauma (plus a little demonic magic). If this sounds like it might be up your alley, grab a copy and get ready for one hell of a ride.

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