Happy Halloween, my Followers of Fear. I hope you have a day full of spooktacular fun and wonderful scares. And thank you for all your support of this writer’s career. It means the world to me.
And until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
So, if you have been here a while, you know I’m in the middle of editing a lot of stories, with the occasional new works sprinkled throughout. I’m calling this the Second Great Editing, as the original Great Editing was back around 2022 and 2023.
And you’re probably not wondering how that’s going, but I thought I would update you on how the Second Great Editing is going. And, to put it simply, it’s going well. Actually, it’s going very well.
The last time I talked about this, back in August, I mentioned that I had two novellas I needed to work on, plus a few new stories here and there. After that, my plans were open, but I had a feeling, of course, that there would be much more editing involved.
It’s been over two months since then, and I’m happy to say I edited those two novellas. One of them, by the way, I’d been putting off for ages due because it required a lot of rewrites. I’m still traumatized by having to rewrite two-thirds of Rose during one of the later drafts, after all. But once I started working on the novella, it came out wonderfully! I had such fun writing the new scenes and even finding a way to slide in Mothman! And as of last night, when I finished the edits on the novella, I couldn’t help but feel it was twenty times stronger than it was before!
Plus, Mothman. He’s a classic cryptid. You got to love any story he’s in, even if it’s just a silly cameo (though whether or not that’s what’s the case here, I’m not telling).
So, what’s next? Well, I wrote three short stories and one academic paper this year, and they need to be edited. So, I think I’ll do that next. I’ll also be sending the novella with the Mothman in it to a beta reader or two to see if they have any feedback for me.
And, I heard about an amazing anthology opportunity that I’m eager to participate in. It’s a long shot that I’ll get in, but I’ll write a story and send it in when the submission window opens. Who knows? I might get in.
And after that? Well, we’ll see what’s what then. But I have a feeling, the kind that usually comes true, it’ll involve editing. Though what I’ll be editing is up for debate.
Just a reminder, Followers of Fear: I’ll be at the Columbus Witches Ball this coming Saturday, November 1st, at the Ohio Brewing Company in Columbus, Ohio. In between the rituals and lectures, I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readings. If you’d like to join me, I’ll include links to buy tickets below.
And if you’re not able to come but would still like to support me, or you’re looking for a spooky book for Halloween or for someone’s holiday presents, then I’ll include a link for my books page. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have something for every horror fan to enjoy!
And if you end up reading something of mine, please leave a review online so I know. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback. And it helps both me and other readers out in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and only a day and three hours till Halloween. Am I the only one salivating from excitement and bloodlust? Or are you salivating as well?
Well, here we are. A month has passed. And is it just me, or did it pass by fast? Must be because so much happened in that month.
Anyway, you’re here, so let’s get to the meat of this post. As you know, last month I re-released my collection Hannah and Other Stories after it had gone out of print at the beginning of the year. The collection contains seven stories of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things, and now has a gorgeous new cover and edit, too.
And I’m happy to say, people have been showing interest in the collection. At my most recent event, in Chardon, I sold nearly half my copies of Hannah. I’ve also heard from several people who have bought copies or plan to buy them in the future. To know that people are reading and enjoying my books just makes my day. Especially since it’s October!
And now we’ve reached the one month mark. Honestly, after the book went out of print, I wondered what it would be like when I reached this point. Hell, since this the first time the book is out in a paperback edition (don’t ask, it’s a long story), I’ve been dreaming about where things would be once the paperback came out. And while not everything is the same as my daydreams (no dragon/motorcycle hybrids to ride around, for one thing), some of the details are right.
Like the smiles on people’s faces when I sign their books. And the photos I get from people who are excited when their copies come in the mail. Those moments mean the world to me.
Anyway, there’s still a little bit of October left, and I have a few events left before the end of the year (more on that later). So, if you would like to check out Hannah and Other Stories yourself; if you would like to support me; or if you’re looking for gifts for family and friends this holiday season, I’ll leave links below. After all, what horror reader wouldn’t love a book full of carnivorous horses, cosmic beasts, and the Paris catacombs, to boot? Especially around this time of year!
And if you end up reading the book, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and your fellow readers out in the long run. Plus, it’s just a nice way of letting authors know their work is being read and appreciated.
And what’s not to love about that?
Also, one more thing, Followers of Fear: in two days, my friends in HWA Ohio and I will be holding another Scary Saturday event at the Columbus Metropolitan Library! From 12p-4p on Saturday, October 25th, 2025, at the library’s Main Branch, me and my fellow horror writers will be doing readings, playing silly games, and even giving away a prize basket! And costumes are heavily encouraged.
You can register for the event using the link below.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to work, and later to drink in celebration of the big anniversary. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 8 days till Halloween! Have you met the carnivorous horses yet?
In previous years, I’ve gone as the King in Yellow.
As Cthulhu.
As Sweeney Todd.
Going up to people in that last one and telling them they could use a shave freaked so many people out.
But now, I go as something even more terrifying. Something even stranger. Something that will outclass all these previous costumes with its power to scare. Ladies and gentlemen, Followers of Fear, prepare thyselves. I present to thee, my costume for Halloween 2025.
David S. Pumpkins.
Not what you were expecting, was it?
So, if you’re unaware, David Pumpkins is a character Tom Hanks originated on an episode of Saturday Night Live some years ago. The character and the sketch, which you can watch HERE, went viral, and has been making people laugh ever since. Truth be told, I’ve wanted to dress as the character for a few years now. However, this year, I decided to finally go ahead and dress up the character.
And I have to say, I like how I look in the costume. Plus, it’s a nice fit! Even the pants fit nice, despite no belt loops for my belt.
And you know I’m going to find all sorts of opportunities to wear the costume, either in part or in full. Hell, that tie might show up at my cousin’s bat mitzvah next month!
Or not. I don’t want to give my dad a heart attack that badly.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be back Thursday with another blog post. But until then, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 10 days till Halloween! Is the condo jumping up and down with excitement, or is that just me?
Once again, another post about Hannah and Other Stories being out. Once again, I hope you’re not sick of hearing about it.
But if you’re unaware, today marks three weeks since my collection, Hannah and Other Stories, was re-released. It was originally published in September 2023 through BSC Publishing Group, but it went out of print after the company and I split ways. I decided to re-release it on the two-year anniversary of the original release, complete with a new cover and a new edit. And, because BSC Publishing Group did not have a paperback edition the first time around (they had this whole publishing strategy regarding paperbacks and ebooks I’m not going to get into), it’s now available in a paperback edition.
Thus, I re-released Hannah and Other Stories on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025.
And I’m happy to say, in the three weeks since it’s come out, it’s been doing nicely. That might have something to do with it being October and the number of people looking for something spooky to read for the season. Or it might be me just giving a good pitch. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read a collection of short stories full of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses for the month of October? Even one of the supervisors at work was interested enough to download a copy to his Kindle!
And we’ve even gotten our first review of the new edition. Longtime Follower of Fear Priscilla Bettis left a five-star review of Hannah on Amazon a couple of days after it released, titling her review “Scary and Creative.” Which, obviously, I appreciate. Hopefully, that review encourages a lot more people to read the new edition and maybe leave reviews of their own. I know I would like that.
And if you are at all curious to check out Hannah and Other Stories, I’ll leave links below. As I said, it’s currently available in both paperback and ebook this go-around, and I hope to add an audio version if things go well. In the meantime, if you end up reading the book, please leave a review letting me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and your fellow readers in the long run.
And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I will give you a slightly longer break between Hannah posts, as the one-month post will be coming out not next Tuesday, but on the actual one-month anniversary, October 23rd. But don’t sigh in relief just yet; if you don’t get a copy of Hannah or leave a review, I will find other ways to torture you. I’m evil that way, after all.
Anyway, until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 17 days till Halloween. If you’re not sending Halloween-themed cards to your loved ones, you’re doing something wrong. Believe me on that one!
These past few days, I haven’t done any writing. I haven’t done any editing. I’ve only done some blogging, but that feels more like a mix of writing, therapy, advertising, and socializing. It’s not the same as pure writing or editing. Instead, I’ve been watching anime, the new Ed Gein miniseries on Netflix, and a couple of scary movies.
Now, you might be wondering reading this, “Is something wrong with Rami? Did he get burnout?” Don’t worry, I’m not burned out. If anything, I’m just practicing balance to prevent burnout.
As you know, my life is busy these days. I have a full-time job that takes up a lot of my time and energy. I also have to do all the things a functioning adult does to maintain their existence (e.g. eating, running errands, exercising, etc.). And I have four events this month, the second of which is Saturday.*
And, on top of all that, it’s October. So, you know, I want to do spooky season things! I don’t feel right if I’m not watching all the movies and shows and reading all the books I can!
With all that going on, and keeping in mind that I’m doing several events close to one another, I decided to take a break. Not stop writing altogether, but just not work on it as doggedly as I have. Instead, I’d spend that time doing seasonal things. Allowing myself to do the activities that make spooky season…well, spooky season.
And you know what? It’s a nice break. Honestly, I think I needed it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the story I’m editing right now (a novella involving owls that requires quite a bit of rewriting), but working on it takes up time. But not being able to fit in all I love to do around this time of year was stressing me out! It felt like I wasn’t spending my favorite time of year the way I should.
So, I’ll continue this break through maybe Monday or Tuesday this week. I’ll continue celebrating the season in the meantime. And, when I’m ready and feeling energized while also feeling like I’ve celebrated October properly, I’ll get back to that story. With any luck, I’ll even have it finished before Halloween.
But for now, I’m going to get ready for bed and read some manga before hitting the hay. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and twenty-two days till Halloween. Better start figuring out what your jack-o-lantern is going to look like.
*Speaking of which, hope to see you in Chardon, OH for the Ohio Viking Festival/Cryptid Con this Saturday! I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readings. Should be a blast!
Well, we’re well into October, which means its every horror fan and horror writer’s favorite season. It’s also the season where the latter do our damnedest to get people reading our books, so I might as well keep up the tradition. Specifically, I’ll be promoting Hannah and Other Stories, which has been out in both ebook and paperback for two weeks now!
So, in case you didn’t know, Hannah and Other Stories is a collection of short stories that I originally published through BSC Publishing Group back in 2023. The collection contains seven tales, including tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses. Unfortunately, when my contract with BSC Publishing Group ended, the book went out of print, so I decided to re-release it on the two-year anniversary of its original release. That was two weeks ago, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
And, for the first time, the book is available in both paperback and ebook (we only did ebook last time). Not only that, but it’s got a new cover and a brand new edit. It’s even better than before!
And since we’re in the middle of October, it’s perfect reading for Halloween season, so I’m hoping plenty of people will want to read it. In fact, I’m doing quite a few events this month just to get the book in people’s hands (more on those below). With any luck, people will not only get copies, but read it. Maybe even review it.
And speaking of which, if you’re at all curious and want to read Hannah this Halloween season, I’ll include links below. And if you enjoy what you read, please leave a review or rating online somewhere. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run.
Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 24 days till Halloween. Has anyone else started growing horns and a forked tail, or is that just me?
One more thing, my Followers of Fear: this Saturday, I’ll be in Chardon, Ohio for the Ohio Viking Festival and the Cryptid Con & Curios Fest (sort of like a double festival or a festival within a festival). I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readings from noon to 6 PM, so if you can stop by, please do. I would be happy to see you.
Wow, can you believe it’s been a week since Hannah and Other Stories was released? And wow, what a week it’s been! Rosh Hashanah, the return of Law & Order, a million things at work, the release of my article “Scary Catharsis” (which you can read here). And now, we’re back at Tuesday.
And already, the new edition of Hannah and Other Stories is getting a lot of positive feedback. I’ve got a five star review on Amazon just a few days after the release, and, at the time of writing this, there are hopefully more on the way. Hell, one of the supervisors at work said he was going to read it (he preordered a copy a couple of months ago), so he might leave a review!
And with October up ahead, I have some events coming up. I’ll be selling books directly to readers. Hopefully, some of them will be interested in reading Hannah. I mean, a book full of stories featuring ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses? If that doesn’t sound like great Halloween reading, then I’m a tuna fish. And I’m not.
Speaking of which, if you would like to check out a copy or the review of Hannah, I’ll leave links below. And if you like what you read, it would mean a lot if you left a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and your fellow readers in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to a full day of work and hopefully more stories to work on tonight. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and…31 days till Halloween?!
NOW IS THE TIME, NOW IS THE HOUR. WORDS ARE OUR MAGIC, HORROR IS OUR POWER!
Let the season of spooky fun begin.
Oh, one more thing, my Followers of Fear: I got a surprise event on Saturday! Bite This by Annie, aka The Spooky Bakery, is a goth bakery with a rotating menu, and they also like to help out the local writing community. And, with October here, they’re letting me and my fellow horror writers sell our books outside their bakery!
If you’re at all interested, please stop by the Bite This by Annie Bakery at 3009 North High Street, Columbus OH 43202 from 9 AM – 3 PM. Me and my fellow members of HWA Ohio will be selling books, I might be doing Tarot readings, it’ll be fun. Hope to see you there.
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.
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!
Rami Ungar The Writer 