Some of you may remember that, for most of 2023, I was in what I called The Great Editing. It was a phase where, except for the occasional short story, I did nothing but editing. Mostly stuff related to Hannah and Other Stories‘s first time out, but a few other stories I was editing. When it was done, I hoped to do nothing but write original stories for a long, long while.
Well, man (or whatever entity I am) plans, and God (or whatever entity runs this universe) laughs.
Because I did write a few original short stories last year. And then I wrote The Shape of Evil, which took up half the year. And then I did another couple of stories. Then I did an edit of The Shape of Evil, followed by edits of the stories that were going into Symphony of Walpurgis. Followed by one original story, and then another edit of The Shape of Evil in time for StokerCon. Then I edited stories for Hannah‘s re-release. And then I edited a novella while also writing an essay (which I will likely have to edit soon before I can submit it).
So yeah. I’m in the Second Great Editing. I thought the first one was the editing to end all editings, but I guess a second one was just inevitable! I set myself up for that with the choices I made. And now I’m suffering through it. And it will likely set up the future of my career for decades to come.
Okay, enough with the World War II joke. Point is, I’m stuck in this Second Great Editing. And with two more novellas, that essay, and a short story to edit (plus another novella which needs serious rewrites), I’m likely going to be stuck in it for a while. Possibly till next year, if you can believe it! (Some of these stories will need to be edited again once I have beta readers look them over, after all.)
I’ll hopefully have news to share about this soon.
But you know, it’s not the worst thing. Yeah, except for that essay, I’m mostly putting original works on the back burner until I can get through editing all of these stories that I’ve let sit for so goddamn long. And I really have some new work I want to throw myself into!
But like I said in the WWII joke, I think all this editing is going to have an effect on my writing career. And unlike WWII, the effect will hopefully be positive:
I can’t really get into it right now, but I’m making progress with finding a home for The Shape of Evil. People are reading and enjoying Symphony, and people are getting excited for the return of Hannah and Other Stories. And I hope these four novellas will be published together as a collection. I think this essay, once edited, will make a great entry into a magazine or essay collection. And that short story is rough, but I think it’ll be quite spooky once it’s ready for readers’ eyes.
So, I think I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing: working on these stories so I can get them to you and, if I’m lucky, maybe write full time someday. I’m working hard to make those goals happen.
That being said, once I’m out of this Second Great Editing, I’m going to dive headfirst into some new stories. You can bet your ass on that!
(I’ll also finish my mummy novel Crawler and that witchy novella I was working on at the beginning of the year. I hate leaving things unfinished. Especially when I think they’ll be amazing once they’re done.)
One last thing, my Followers of Fear: this weekend is the Columbus Book Festival. This annual festival is full of amazing writers, vendors, and entertainers, and my fellow Ohio HWA members and I will have a booth there as well. So, if you’re in central Ohio this weekend, July 12 and 13, 2025, please head to the Main Library and Topiary Park in downtown Columbus. I would love to see you.
And if you can’t stop by but still want to support me, you can check out my work. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, there’s something for every horror fan, so why not grab a book and take a look? There’s even some free stuff. I’ll include a link to my books page below.
And if you like what you read, please leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and other readers in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
These past two months have gone by so quickly, it’s hard to believe we’re already in July. Not surprising, given how busy I’ve been lately. I mean, I just got done with another con, and I’m preparing for another one the weekend after this!
And yet, two months have indeed passed, and that means that Symphony for Walpurgis is two months old now.
Now, if you don’t know (though at this point, you’re probably so familiar with Symphony, you’re sick of it), Symphony for Walpurgis is my newest collection. It is a collection of nine novelettes that include tales of cryptids, malevolent spirits, and even a Jewish exorcism, and has plenty of LGBT, Jewish, and disabled representation.
And I’m very happy to say that it’s slowly growing a readership. Just the other day, I received fan art from my fellow horror writer and Follower of Fear, Louise C, for one of the stories, “Disillusionment and Trauma Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand.” It’s of the Akolouthos, the main villain of the story (or one of them). Isn’t it awesome?! I mean, look at it!
And at Big Ohio Book Con this past weekend (which went better than any event I’ve done before, which is even more amazing when you consider that this was the first year this event happened and nobody knew how it would go, but I digress), I sold so many copies, I even sold out on the first day! The same day, someone bought a copy online, which means they were interested enough to get it for their Kindle.
Given all that, plus some glowing reviews and some authors I admire with copies of the book, I’d say that’s been a good first two months. And it makes me hopeful for month number three (especially with the Columbus Book Fest just around the corner). I mean, who knows? Maybe I’ll get to that goal of five-hundred sales and fifty reviews by May 1st, 2026, the one year release anniversary.
And if you enjoy or are curious about scary stories involving cryptids and giant bats, spirits plaguing families with parasites, mermaids, untold masses of spiders, mutating viruses, and, again, a Jewish exorcism, then you should check out Symphony for Walpurgis. It’s nine amazing and terrifying novelettes, and I’m working hard to make sure as many people discover it and enjoy it as possible. And I would love it if you were among those people who discovered and maybe even loved it.
I’ll include links for the book below. And if you end up getting a copy and read it, I hope you’ll let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ve got a busy couple of days ahead of me, but I hope I can have a few more blog posts (including a few I’ve wanted to write for a while now) out soon. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and I hope you have a great month of July. It’s what I’m planning on.
Back in 2023, I released a collection of short stories called Hannah and Other Stories. It contained tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and even carnivorous horses. Yes, you read that right. Carnivorous horses. And they were terrifying, as were the rest of the stories. In fact, the book was really well-received by most of the people who read the book.
Sadly, as of New Year’s, the book went out of print, due to Hannah‘s publisher, BSC Publishing Group, and I going our separate ways (don’t worry, it’s not because of bad blood). But the good news, the book’s rights were returned to me, so that meant I could re-publish the book whenever I wanted.
And I decided to do just that. Not immediately. After all, I had Symphony for Walpurgis to put out, so there was no way I was going to work on two collections at once! Instead, I decided to wait till after Symphony was released. Once that was done, I would go over the stories in Hannah one more time, and then proceed with releasing the book one more time.
I’m happy to say that I’ve finished going over the stories in Hannah, correcting any errors or missing pieces I missed from the first release, and making some additions or changes to the story to make them a bit closer to my original vision. I also went and got this unbelievable new cover, which is located…
…RIGHT UNDERNEATH THIS PARAGRAPH!
What do you think? Since the carnivorous horses were such a memorable part of the collection, I made sure they were on the front cover this time. And the cover artist, Carin, really brought out how terrifying they were. At least, that’s my humble opinion.
So, if you’re still with me right now, and you’re at all interested in reading Hannah, you’re probably wondering, where do I get this new edition? Well, it’s currently available for preorder, and will be releasing on September 23, 2025, two years to the day of the first release. You can preorder a copy using the links below.
And guess what else? This time, Hannah and Other Stories will be available in paperback as well as ebook! Yeah, for reasons I’m not going to get into, the first time around, Hannah was only available in an ebook format. But this time, a paperback is going to happen, and it’s currently available for preorder on Barnes & Noble. (Why Amazon doesn’t do preorders for paperbacks from self-published authors, I’ll never know.)
So, if you’re at all interested, go preorder a copy by clicking on any of the links below. And, after the book comes out in September, if you end up reading it, please let me know what you think! Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Plus, leaving reviews for books help other readers decide whether the book is for them or not.
I hope you’re as excited as I am for the re-release of Hannah and Other Stories. I’ve been planning this since around October last year, so I’m glad I can finally come out and say, “Hey, this book is on its way again.” And I have a feeling it’s going to do even better than it did last time!
Who knows? It may even get an audio book this time around. Wouldn’t that be cool.
Anyway, that’s all for now. I’ll be sure to remind you all periodically that Hannah is on its way again. And until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!
The folks of StokerCon waiting for the Final Frame competition to start.
Here’s a riddle for you: what took place in Connecticut last week, had nearly 800 people in attendance, and I was among the attendees? StokerCon! Yes, last week, horror writers from around the world descended upon Stamford, Connecticut. There, we had panels, a short film competition, and our annual awards show, the Bram Stoker Awards, noting superior achievement in horror from the previous calendar year.
(There was also apparently dripping goo and weird liminal spaces out of the Backrooms in the hotel, and somehow, I missed both! I’m annoyed about that, especially the weird liminal space. That would make a great YouTube video!)
As I said in a previous post, my goal for this StokerCon was to level up my writing career and get that much closer to writing full time. This would be achieved by going to panels that I thought would help me reach that goal, being on my first ever panel, and, of course, pitching The Shape of Evil to agents and editors. (Plus meeting new people whom I could network with, but I try to make that more about making new friends than trying to make new business connections.) Did I accomplish my goals? Well, let’s talk about the con and we’ll see.
Hanging with Logan Johnson, one of the organizers of this year’s StokerCon, the moderator on my panel, and a new friend, at the banquet cocktail hour.
Seeing all my friends (meeting new ones). One of my favorite things to do at StokerCon is just to see all my horror-writing friends. Many of us only know each other through social media, so it’s nice to meet in person or to catch up with one another when the last time we saw each other could be a year or two ago. So, of course, I did plenty of that. The hotel had a lobby and a restaurant/bar, so outside of panels, we would gather there or on the second floor (that was where most of the con stuff happened) and just talk. We catch up, discuss our lives and our projects, and just shoot the shit. It’s lovely!
Plus, there’s always new people to meet. I actually got to know quite a few people whom I’d never met before, and it was fun to ask how they were enjoying the con and what they were working on or up to with their horror writing careers. Obviously, some were already well-known within the community, but most were just like me: working stiffs who enjoy horror and hope to make our marks in the genre. I’ve connected with a lot of these people now, and I’m hopeful we can continue to be friends and support each other as we work on our stories.
Going to panels. As I said, with a few notable exceptions, the panels I went to were ones I thought would be helpful for me as I move forward in my writing career. This included a panel on getting your stories adapted for film (it nearly happened once to me, so I thought I’d get some tips in case it happened again), and on how to get along with others as a professional. This one was particularly important to me, because being on the spectrum, I often feel like everyone but me was given a rule book on social interaction at birth and I have a lot of catching up to do. I actually brought this up during the Q&A section at the end of the panel, and what I should do in case I made a mistake. The answers I received were very reassuring. Not just to me, but, as I learned afterwards, to others in the audience who also were neurodivergent and felt the same way. I even got thanked a few times for bringing the topic up, which surprised me but also made me glad I asked.
As for the other panels I went to, one was about a Jewish writer who, while not a horror writer, had some dark themes in some of his work (I’m going to have to read that at some point), and a panel on using public domain characters and stories in horror (as someone who’s seen the Winnie the Pooh and Steamboat Willie horror films, I couldn’t resist). All in all, they were very educational, and I’m glad I went to them.
The signature scavenger hunt. As you might expect, I went a little crazy in the dealer room and bought way too many books. One of the books was The Rack, edited by Tom Deady, which is pictured above. It’s an anthology of stories inspired by those vintage horror paperback covers from the 70s and 80s. I bought it directly from the editor, Tom Deady, in the dealer room, and he signed it. And then I ran into one of the writers in the anthology, Erick Nunnally, a little while after. On a spur of the moment, I asked him to sign the book where his story began, which he did. And then he suggested I get the other authors in the book who were in attendance at StokerCon to sign. Which I did.
Ultimately, I think I managed to get half the authors to sign their stories. Most of those were done during the Mass Author Signing, where you can go around a big room and get your books signed by the authors who wrote them all at once. That was fun, because I also had them sign other books they’d written I’d bought, and then got signatures from other authors whose books I had copies of. The rest were just during random meetings during the con, and they were always happy to sign.
So yeah, I spent a good portion of StokerCon on a bit of a scavenger hunt, but it was still a lot of fun, and I only missed three of the authors who were in attendance (maybe next year?). And now, I have a cool knickknack in my personal library, which I’m currently reading through and loving! So, no regrets whatsoever.
From left to right: Rob Costello, Gaby Triana, Tamika Thompson, myself, Aaron Dries, Rae Knowles, and Logan Johnson.
Being on my first live panel. I’ve done a few StokerCon panels in the past, but they were always pre-recorded on Zoom for the virtual audiences. And while that is great, I’ve always wanted to tackle being on a live one. Not only did I get to do just that last week, but it was on a topic I am passionate about: Authentic Representation in Horror, which was about including marginalized communities and voices in horror and how to do so. And wow, did a lot of people show up! By the end, nearly all the seats were taken. I guess other people wanted to talk about this as well.
To say the least, the conversations were illuminating. I even had a few moments where I was like, “I never thought of that.” Honestly, I want to give this panel its own blog post, so I’ll stop there, but I’ll say this: it was great being on a panel like that. I look forward to doing it again someday soon.
The pitches. I’m sure a few of you skipped ahead just to find out how this went. Yes, during StokerCon’s annual session dedicated to connecting authors with agents and editors, I did get to pitch The Shape of Evil. And you know what? I got results. Three agents and one editor asked me to send them part or all of The Shape of Evil, which I did on Monday after taking a little time to recover from all the travel (and that traveling is worth a blog post on its own).
To say the least, I am beyond happy about this result. It went way better than I thought it would go, even with practicing pitches beforehand (always recommended), and I am hopeful that at least one of them will want to help me get The Shape of Evil published. I’ll likely know something by the end of the summer. And, of course, if it all goes well, I’ll be sure to let you know.
***
Ultimately, StokerCon was an amazing time for me. Sure, this year’s hotel was weird, but I had fun with friends, accomplished my goals, and made sure to celebrate everyone else’s accomplishments with them. And next year, we’re doing it again: at the end of the awards banquet, it was announced that, to control costs and to ensure StokerCon continues to go in a direction that’s as good as possible for as many people as possible, it’ll be in Pittsburgh for the next two years.
Obviously, I’m stoked, since that means I can drive there. In fact, I’ve already bought my ticket! And next year will be the 10th annual StokerCon, so it should be extra special. (Yeah, I thought it’d been around for longer, too. Color us both surprised.)
Members of HWA Ohio at StokerCon. I have a feeling next year, we’re going to have a much bigger showing.
I wonder what will happen. Will I sit on another panel or two? Do a reading? Somehow get on the ballot and get to be a nominee? I guess we’ll see. In the meantime, I’ll work on getting my stories out there and meeting new readers and having plenty to talk about when I drive to Pittsburgh next year.
In the meantime, I’ll have a new blog post out Monday, so keep an eye out for that. And until then, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and have a wonderful start to your summer. I know I am.
I can’t tell if last month went by super fast or very long, but passed by, May has. And with it, that means we have reached the one-month anniversary of the release of Symphony of Walpurgis!
Now, if you’re unaware, Symphony for Walpurgis is my latest book, a collection of nine novelettes. It was released on May 1st, which happens to be Walpurgis Night, the night when witches are believed to come together for parties and are supposed to be most powerful (see my explanation of that night here). I put this collection together because most of my shorter works tend to be novelette length (around 7,500-17,500 words), but it’s hard to find homes for stories of that length, so I thought I might as well publish a book full of them.
Here’s the back cover blurb:
What’s the difference between humans and monsters? Is there a fine line, or is it more gray and blurred? Rami Ungar, author of Rose and Hannah and Other Stories, explores this question in his latest collection, Symphony for Walpurgis. From legendary cryptids to malevolent spirits and from Ohio in the 1950s to modern-day California, readers will be treated to nine terrifying stories of the weird and macabre. So settle down and be prepared. For you have bought your ticket to Symphony for Walpurgis.
As I said, I released Symphony just a month ago, and so far, it’s been doing well. Not only have people been grabbing up and reading copies, but the reviews I’ve gotten so far have all been extremely positive. Many of the reviews have gone into detail about what they thought of each story (which is why I haven’t added any of these reviews into this post), and how much they loved the book or how scary they think it is.
Which, obviously, makes me happy. I am the author, after all.
And this is just the first month! I can only imagine what might happen in the next eleven months! After all, I’m aiming to get up to five hundred copies sold in the first year, and fifty reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads. And I’m proud to say, I am making progress towards those goals.
Speaking of which, what’s next for me and for Symphony? Well, in the immediate future, there are a couple of events I’ll be attending over the next few months, including StokerCon and the Columbus Book Festival. HWA Ohio, my local chapter of the Horror Writers Association, have tables at both events, and I know at the latter, I tend to do very well, so I’m hopeful plenty of people will want to check out Symphony during both events.
And, outside of events, I’ll do my best to get more and more people interested. Social media isn’t a great place to advertise, but I’ll keep trying there, of course. And I’ll take advantage of word-of-mouth and other events where I can. And…well, I’ll just see if some things I’m trying will work out before I talk about them.
Anyway, if you’re at all interested in checking out Symphony for Walpurgis, I’ll leave links below. And if you do end up reading it, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Plus, readers get a better idea if they’ll like a book if you leave a review of it online, which is a nice bit of service.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to work on other projects which I hope to be able to talk about very soon. Until then, good night, happy reading, and pleasant nightmares.
Well, it happened. It’s finally done. Took a bit longer than I’d hoped, but it is done. The third draft of The Shape of Evil is finally completed.
To be precise, I finished it late last night. Very late. Like close to three in the morning late last night. You see, I was up in Cleveland visiting family and drove home in the afternoon. I got home in the early evening, grabbed something to eat, and thought to myself, I wanted to get it finished this week! And I only have fifty pages to go! I might as well try!
Thus, I started working on it. And by the time I was done, it was three in the morning.
I regret nothing.
Anyway, if you’re new here and wondering what the hell I’m talking about, The Shape of Evil is a novel I wrote last year about a 3D Printer from Hell. Yeah, you read that right. A 3D Printer from Hell. Think “Word Processor of the Gods” by Stephen King meets Gothic by Philip Fracassi with strong LGBT and disabled representation. And I honestly never intended for it to become a novel–it was originally going to be a novelette–but the story just kept growing and growing, and before I knew it, the story was a novel and I was thinking how I would get it published.
Since then, I’ve done a second draft, and then I had sensitivity readers take a look at the story, because my main character is non-binary and I wanted to make sure that I was portraying a non-binary person well. And after I got their notes back, I started work on the third draft.
All this effort is hopefully going to pay off very soon.
And man, the journey this book has gone on has been something else! Not only has the story grown with every draft (273 pages/72,500 words for the first draft, 283 pages/75,300 words for the second, and 291 pages/78,400 pages for this latest one), but it really feels like it has improved with every go-through. Especially this current draft: as I said in a previous post, I’ve been working hard to make sure the words in this draft bring out the full potential of the story. And I think it does. There were a few times where I looked over the text and was like, “Did I really write this? Just from the word choice, it looks and sounds like something come from a much better, more experienced writer!”
Well, wherever it came from, it’s ready to be pitched at StokerCon next month. If you’re unaware, StokerCon is the big convention hosted by the Horror Writers Association, and they have a session where you can pitch your works directly to agents and editors. I was lucky enough to get a slot to pitch to one of my top choices, so I’m glad I got the book done in time.
Me after my marathon editing session and before my next project.
So, now what happens? Well, I’m going to create a pitch sheet, which is sort of an informational sheet about the book, and practice my pitch between now and StokerCon. And in-between, I have a few things to work on, including the version of Hannah and Other Stories that I’ll use when I re-release it later this year. Should keep me wonderfully busy.
And hopefully soon, I’ll be able to share some wonderful news with all of you.
But I think tonight, I’ll just pour a glass of wine and put on a movie. After all, having time to relax is important. Especially when you work hard and you have so many irons in the fire.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to work on a bit more stuff before dinner and wine and the movie. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Well, we’re at another anniversary. Today’s the three-year anniversary of when The Pure World Comes was released in paperback and ebook.
(It’s also the ten year anniversary of when I graduated college, and I will talk about that eventually, but not in this post.)
So, if you weren’t aware, The Pure World Comes is my most recently-published novel, a Gothic horror novel about a maid who goes to work for a mad scientist and what happens once she starts working at his estate. Think Frankenstein and Crimson Peak had a baby together. The novel is my love letter to the Victorian era and the dark stories that came out of that era. It was originally published in 2021 on a book reading app, but then it was released on May 10, 2022, which I count as the real release date.
And in the years since the book came out, TPWC has had its fans, I’m happy to say. Here’s what people are saying:
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…Mixing classic-romantic Victorian elements with early science-fiction, tales of Jack the Ripper/Spring-Heeled Jack, and a bit of the occult, this book gives the reader a truly chilling and also slightly fun little Gothic adventure.
Heather Daughrity, author of Tales My Grandmother Told Me, Goodreads
This was a lot of fun! Shirley Dobbins longs to be a head housekeeper. She is at once (and perhaps in contrast to a lot of period set stories) relatable…She is level-headed, pragmatic, the sort of woman everyone would get on with…This feels like a traditional science romance for the modern age, but much easier to engage with. I listened to the audio version of this and must say the narrator was well-chosen here (even if, at first, I thought it was Jenna Coleman!)
MG Mason, author of Residents of the James Hotel, 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…A little darker, a little more philosophical. Exceptional work.
Ronald Gillepsie, author of Inside My Nightmares, Amazon
Jenna Coleman. I wish a former Doctor Who companion would narrate one of my books. However, the narrator of the audio book, Nikki Delgado, did an extraordinary job with the narration, and I’m glad I got to work with her. And yeah, it took a lot of research into the Victorian age to get it right. Five years, to be exact. Everything from the history of the age, to how to run a Victorian home, to bathroom habits from the day, to Jack the Ripper, who makes an appearance in the novel. I did not skimp on anything.
And I’m happy to say, the results came out better than I’d hoped.
And moving into the book’s fourth year, I hope more people discover TPWC and that they come to love it as much as I do. I’m going to do my best to make that happen.
If you would like to check out The Pure World Comes, I’ll post links below. It’s available in paperback, ebook and audio book, so whatever you’re reading preference, you’ll find it. And if you like what you read, please leave a review so I know what you thought. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to a convention where I hope to put my books, including The Pure World Comes, into the hands of many readers. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Has it really been a week? It feels less like a week and more like a day. Surreal.
So, as many of you know by now, I released my sixth book and third collection, Symphony for Walpurgis, last Thursday, on the Feast of Saint Walpurga, when witches are supposedly at their most powerful. The book contains nine novelettes, with stories ranging from wannabe starlets encountering cryptids (“Famous”), malevolent spirits oppressing the family of a cruel and greedy lawyer (“The Parasite Man”), and even a Jewish exorcism (“The House on Lafayette Square”).
What many of you don’t know is that I got a tattoo and a Tarot reading to celebrate, and I think they’re both bringing me good luck.
Here’s the back cover summary of the book:
What’s the difference between humans and monsters? Is there a fine line, or is it more gray and blurred? Rami Ungar, author of Rose and Hannah and Other Stories, explores this question in his latest collection, Symphony for Walpurgis. From legendary cryptids to malevolent spirits and from Ohio in the 1950s to modern-day California, readers will be treated to nine terrifying stories of the weird and macabre. So settle down and be prepared. For you have bought your ticket to Symphony for Walpurgis.
Not bad. Other writers find writing summaries of their work exhausting, but I’ve never really struggled with that.
Anyway, in the first week, Symphony has done pretty decently for an author of my reach and the marketing I was able to do. I even put out a video of myself reading from the book’s introduction on my YouTube channel (you can watch that video here). And as a result, not only have I had some great sales across different platforms, but I’ve even received some reviews. And I’m happy to say, they’ve all been extremely positive.
Here’s what people are saying:
Bravo! This might just be Rami Ungar’s best work yet. Offering tales of unearthly retribution, dark mysteries, vampires re-imagined and blood curdling entities, Symphony is a gloriously ghoulish anthology with something for almost every kind of horror fan.
Louise Conway, Goodreads
Symphony for Walpurgis is a collection of novelettes, all horror. There are themes of money-power-arrogance (I should just say “corruption”), abuse of nature and one another, grief, and (my favorite) insects… “Mother of Spiders” still haunts me. In fact, characters like Ingrid (the Mother in this story), Cressida (from another story), and the detestable Bardo (from yet another story) continue to haunt me even now, after I’m done reading…Overall, five scary, creepy, disturbing stars.
Priscilla Bettis, Amazon
Novellettes are a strange beast. Many publishers and readers find them difficult because they’re such an in-between style of writing. They’re too short to build real suspense, some readers will tell you. Others will insist that they’re too long, and that they’re just short stories that need more editing. However, as the novelette is Ungar’s chosen form, he’s done his best to prove naysayers wrong, and what a job he has done!
Joshua Gage, Cemetery Dance Online
It’s reviews like these, so full of gushing and love for the horrors I’ve created, that make me hope that the book will continue to find readers. And I’m going to work hard over the next year so that it happens. Who knows? I may end up getting five-hundred books sold this year, as well as fifty reviews on both Amazon and on Goodreads. I’ve got a few ideas on how to make that happen, so we’ll see if I can pull it off.
And if you would like to check out Symphony for Walpurgis, I’ll leave links below. Now that it’s out, it’s available in both paperback and ebook, so hopefully that won’t be a problem. And if you like what you read, please be sure to leave me a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers in the long run.
One more thing, my Followers of Fear: the day after tomorrow, May 10th, I’ll be at the Halfway to Halloween Expo in Ann Arbor, Michigan from 10 AM – 6 PM. This is an amazing convention of vendors, a haunted house, and more than I could list here! So, if you’re in the area, stop by the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, where I’ll have books and Tarot readings available.
And if you’re not…well, I have plenty of books available online if you’d still like to support me or you’re into scary stories.
Hide in your homes and turn off all your lights! It is Walpurgis Night, also known as the Feast Day of Saint Walpurga, when witches are at their most powerful! And it is the release day of Symphony for Walpurgis, my brand new collection of novelettes!
I am so excited that this collection is finally out! I’ve been working on this project, first secretly and then not-so-secretly, for months now. It’s been a true labor of love, bringing together all nine novelettes–a length of story between 7,500 and 17,500 words that, in my humble opinion, doesn’t get enough love or attention–creating a spooky cover for the book, and doing everything in my power to get people interested in reading it. Including the book trailer you see below.
And I’m happy to say, my efforts have appeared to pay off. Not only did I get a lot more preorders, the most for any book I’ve self-published before, but I’ve already had some reviews from advanced readers, and they’ve all been extraordinarily positive. If things continue to go well, I hope more people will read this book and leave reviews so others can find out if it interests them.
And in case you’re interested, this book contains nine novelettes featuring tales like “Blood and Paper Skin,” about a group of teens who end up in what appears to be someone’s private jail/torture chamber, and learn the dark reason why they’ve been brought to this place; “Disillusionment and Trauma Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand,” in which a teenage girl gets wrapped up in a plot to avenge her best friend, and ends up having the last laugh; “The House on Lafayette Square,” which is about a Jewish exorcism (yes, we have those); “Mother of Spiders,” about a small town in 1950s Ohio whose dark past comes back to haunt the present; “Famous,” about a wannabe Las Vegas starlet who will do anything to get what she believes is rightfully hers, including a deal with a beast straight out of cryptid legend; “The Little Goddess of Horror,” about the strange and eventful life of a beloved actress and scream queen; “The Parasite Man,” about a lawyer/loan shark whose family gets their just desserts from a malevolent spirit; “Cressida,” about a man keeping a mermaid with an uncanny resemblance to his daughter in his basement; and “Natural Predators,” about the crazy shit that goes down when a summer camp becomes ground zero for the next pandemic.
If that sounds like it might be up your alley, you can now order a copy using the links below. I’ll also include the link for the Goodreads page, in case you want to read the advanced reviews before you decide whether to check out the book or not.
And if you do, I hope you’ll let me know what you think in a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Not to mention, it helps other readers out.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to get a new tattoo, and then I’m off to celebrate the release of this wonderful new book. Until next time, good night, happy reading, and pleasant nightmares. I look forward to seeing what you all think of Symphony for Walpurgis.
Well, better late than never, am I right? Finally, with just a week out till release, Symphony for Walpurgis is available for preorder in paperback!
So, if you didn’t know, Symphony for Walpurgis is my latest collection. It contains nine novelettes that range in subject from cryptids (“Famous”) to malevolent spirits (“The Parasite Man”) to even a Jewish exorcism (“The House on Lafayette Square”). It’s a very exciting time for me, as the book comes out in seven days, and I can’t wait for people to read it.
Now, since January, it’s been available for preorder, but only as an ebook. That’s because Amazon doesn’t do paperback preorders for books published through their KDP platform, and Barnes & Noble…well, Barnes & Noble took three months to update my vendor account to reflect the address I’ve been living at for the past three years. They only got through that recently, which meant I was finally able to post Symphony to Barnes & Noble’s website yesterday.
And now Symphony for Walpurgis is available for preorder on Barnes & Noble, including in the paperback version! Yay for people who prefer paperbacks!
Now, there is a catch: B&N Press has rules about how many days between submitting the paperback for publication and when it comes out (especially if preorder is an option). And because B&N Press took so long to get my vendor account updated, the Symphony for Walpurgis ebook will be out on May 1st, but the paperback will be out on May 8th.
Yeah, I know, it sucks. On the bright side, the paperback will probably come out on time on Amazon, but you won’t be able to preorder it. Either way, you likely won’t get a print copy of Symphony on May 1st. Which is pretty typical of paperbacks ordered online these days, now that I think about it.
Anyway, no matter which way you prefer, if you want a paperback copy of Symphony, you can now at least preorder it.
And I hope you want to check it out, paperback or ebook. This collection has been a labor of love. I’ve worked hard on each individual story to make it as good as possible, whether that story involved lots of spiders (“Mother of Spiders”), mermaids (“Cressida”), or being locked up in a jail (“Blood and Paper Skin”). I wanted to deliver a collection that would delight all sorts of horror fans, as well as maybe grow the interest in novelettes. Whether or not that’s true, I’ll leave to readers, but I like to think I’ve at least done a good job.
So, if you would like to check it out, I’ll leave links to where Symphony is available, as well as Goodreads where the advanced reviews are located, below the book trailer. And whether you preorder it or wait till the day of, I hope you enjoy what you read. And if you could leave a review letting me know what you think, I would appreciate it. Positive or negative, I enjoy reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers out in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I have a busy day today, but it’ll be full of excitement as I count down the days till Symphony releases. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and why is a little girl come out of my TV and ranting about me stealing her line? Weird.
Rami Ungar The Writer 