Posts Tagged ‘reflections’

Conversations with Tamika Thompson

Posted: June 24, 2026 in Author Interciew, Novel, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of reviewing The Curse of Hester Gardens by Tamika Thompson (see my review here). To say the least, it was quite the read. And since I’m lucky enough to be friends with its author, I thought I would pick her thoughts and see what she has to say about her book. So, ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary nobility, please welcome to the blog Tamika Thompson!

Rami Ungar: Welcome to my blog, Tamika. Tell us about yourself and your new novel, The Curse of Hester Gardens.

Tamika Thompson: I’m originally from Detroit, and I grew up about a mile away from a public housing project called Herman Gardens, which is a strong architectural inspiration for Hester Gardens. At eighteen, I left Detroit to attend Columbia University, where I studied Political Science. I went on to the University of Southern California to study journalism, and it was there that I reported on gang violence in Southern California. After graduation, I worked for several years as a journalist, and eventually spent two years researching gun violence in America. The lived experience, studies in global and national politics, and journalism background all came together in this debut novel.

The Curse of Hester Gardens is a gothic novel set in a public housing project that follows one mother, Nona McKinley, whose oldest son is shot to death and whose husband is in prison, as she faces the twin specters of a supernatural curse and gun violence while trying to keep her remaining sons alive in their high-crime neighborhood.

RU: Tell us about your main character Nona McKinley. I find her quite the compelling lead.

TT: I am the first to admit that Nona has flaws. Having grown up in a public housing project and then attempting to raise three boys in another public housing project on the other side of the fictional town of Medford, Michigan, she is parenting in the worst possible circumstances in a high-crime neighborhood. She still tries to find joy, pleasure, and some semblance of normalcy in a terrible system of oppression and predation. She is strong and God-fearing, but she’s also having an affair with the married church pastor!

I see her on a continuum with Peter, the leader of the local Hester Boys gang. Readers believe Peter to be a villain, and I believe both Nona and Peter are capable of tremendous love and tenderness and also tremendous hatred and violence.

RU: I would describe Hester Gardens as “unflinching,” especially in its exploration of gun violence, urban violence, and urban neglect. What was writing a novel that explored all of that, and was also a frightening supernatural novel, like?

TT: It was an emotional journey, and it was years in the making. This story was being written inside of me before I was even a writer. The book is dedicated to my late uncle, who was shot to death when I was young. I mine a lot of my personal experience to tell this story. I also spent two years researching the epidemic of gun violence in America. When I sat to write, it took me five years to bring it together before I ever let an agent read it.

I’m happy when a reader tells me the novel made them cry because I cried a lot when I wrote it. I love all of my characters. None of them are villains to me because they’ve all been traumatized and oppressed by this country.

Balancing the social with the supernatural was a manageable task because I stuck with Nona’s story, her grief over losing her oldest son and how that colored every experience she had and every decision she made after. Her panic about keeping her remaining boys safe drives the narrative, as well as her personal isolation and terror over not being believed by those around her. I let that carry the story, and I think that naturally creates the balance.

RU: You also explored gun violence as a theme in your short story, “The Creak in the Attic.” Which, coincidentally, was the first story I ever read by you. What was it like to work with that theme in a novel versus a short story?

TT: “The Creak on the Attic Stairs” appeared in The Rack Vol. 2, edited by Tom Deady, and it not only deals with the American gun violence epidemic, but it also is set in the same story world as The Curse of Hester Gardens. Tackling gun violence in a short horror story is in some ways harder because you have to showcase the haunting of grief, the perceived supernatural remnants of the dead, as well as let the reader in on the shock and outrage that gun violence creates with fewer words. Guns hurt people, and there is less space in a short piece to make that point and get around to the hope at the end. Because I believe the hope is necessary for the conversation on ending gun violence to continue.

RU: Can you tell us about some of your other works?

TT: Short stories are my first love. I’ve had works published in Interzone, Andromeda Spaceways, and Prairie Schooner, as well as turned into audio on the Creepy podcast and translated into Italian.

My first book-length publication was a multi-genre anthology that I co-edited called Graffiti. It included essays, fiction, and poetry, with works that were speculative and real. It won a Foreword INDIES Award for anthologies.

I also gathered my published short stories with original works and brought them together in a single-author collection called Unshod, Cackling, and Naked, which won the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Horror.

RU: What are you working on now? And what are your plans for the future?

TT: I am working on a standalone second novel, which is still squarely in the horror genre and tackles a social issue, but with a cast of characters and setting that couldn’t be more different from The Curse of Hester Gardens.

I am also working on a sci fi fantasy novella, and another all-speculative story collection.

I’m still also writing short stories. That part of my writing practice never goes away.

RU: What advice would you give other authors, regardless of background or experience?

TT: Persevere on behalf of your stories! I’ve met a lot of extremely talented authors who could write circles around me, and their work doesn’t make it into the world because they don’t make it to the finish line on their manuscripts. I believe the author’s first job is to persevere in completing a manuscript. Both drafting and revising. Revision is where the author earns readers, so keep going. Persevere!

RU: Final question: pretend you’re stuck on a desert island for a while and you can only bring three books with you till you’re picked up. What books are you bringing with you?

TT: Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison. It is arguable that Beloved is Morrison’s magnum opus, but I have always been drawn to the characters in Song of Solomon, particularly Pilate and Guitar. Morrison’s prose is intricate across all her books, but Milkman Dead’s journey of self-discovery is a powerful one, and the idea of Guitar’s Seven Days mission haunts me even now. Movements for civil and human rights by black people have only ever sought equity in America, but what if we decided to seek revenge? An eye for an eye? I shudder to think.

Middle Passage, Charles Johnson. I had the privilege of having a conversation with Johnson during a class I took early on in my writing practice and his tutelage on story and plot was foundational in my own practice. Middle Passage is not only brilliant, but a master class in creating work that is subversive.

Giovanni’s Room and The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin —I know I cheated on this one, but it is impossible to choose just one text by Baldwin. So, I went with my favorite of his fiction and non-fiction works. (To further cheat, may I suggest after reading The Fire Next Time to check out Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, as the latter is in conversation with the former?)

RU: I’ll allow it, since I remember Song of Solomon from college and considered it quite the powerful novel. Thank you for joining us, Tamika. I hope I can have you back here on the blog someday.

If you would like to find out more about Tamika, you can check out her website and social media, which I will link to below. And make sure to check out The Curse of Hester Gardens, which is definitely one of the best new novels of the year.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you enjoyed this interview and will tune in for more. And until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Tamika’s Website
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Updates on What I’m Doing

Posted: June 22, 2026 in Progress Report, Writing
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You know, the last time I did one of these posts, I had barely anything to say other than I’d done a new draft of The Shape of Evil. I just wanted to let people know all the things I was juggling at that time.

Well, eight months have passed since then, and things are moving faster than a cheetah running from a shoggoth (or seem to be). So, since who knows what might happen from day to day, I am going to give you guys some updates on what I’ve been up to lately.

First, The Shape of Evil. As I said in my last post on the book, I rewrote the book to be a Young Adult novel and undid some of the changes I made in the fourth draft. Now, this crazy little novel about a 3D printer from Hell has been sent out to publishers and agents, and hopefully I’ll get a bite. I won’t say if there’s been any interest or not, in case that somehow jinxes me. But I will say that I have lots of reasons to hope. Who knows? Maybe by the end of this summer, I’ll be able to announce something regarding the book.

In the meantime, I have some short stories to work on. As some of you may remember, I finished a new story back in April about a guy who thinks his stepdad is Sweeney Todd. I got some feedback on the first section of that story from my critique group, so I’m going to go over their feedback and make some edits based on what they say. Then I’ll edit the rest of the story before getting some beta reader feedback. Hopefully after the beta reader has given me some feedback and I’ve done another draft, I can find a home for this story.

My writing life lately.

I also have a science fiction story that I literally just finished last night. It’s focused on alchemy and homunculi, and even though it’s the first draft, I feel like it’s really strong work. I’ll probably give that an edit and then find a beta reader for it as well fairly soon. Hopefully after going through taht process, I can find this story a home as well.

Of course, that might be difficult. Both stories are novelettes, and the Sweeney Todd one is close to short novella length. I just can’t help but want to write epics, it seems. Still, I want to try. I’ve found homes for stories that I never thought I would find homes for before. Maybe I can do it again.

And guess what? After leaving it on the back burner for so long, I am finally going to get back to working on Crawler! Now, if you’re unfamiliar, Crawler was a mummy novel I started in 2022 after moving into my condo. And then working on Hannah and Other Stories put it on the back burner. And then other stuff kept coming up, and The Shape of Evil became a novel when I thought it would be a novelette, and the next thing I knew, four years had gone by!

That has always been a thorn in my side. I have this novel that I think would make a great story, but it’s sitting there, halfway done, and still unfinished! Well, this summer, I aim to change that. I’m first going to edit the Sweeney Todd story, and then I’ll work on Crawler. Maybe if I need a break, I’ll work on the alchemy story and other short works, but Crawler will be the priority. And maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll have another novel written by the end of the year.

Or not. Something could come along that upsets this schedule and forces me to change gears or priorities. There’s always a possibility of that. You never know. Life is constant change, after all. But for now, this is the plan I’m sticking to.

Oh, I’m also applying for a grant next month. With any luck, that will help with some new projects in the near future. But that will have to wait until next month.

Like a cheetah from a shoggoth, I’m running towards my goals.

And in the meantime, as you are no doubt aware, the Columbus Book Festival is next month! If you’re in the Columbus, Ohio area on July 11th and 12th, stop by the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s downtown branch and the adjoining Topiary Park for a festival featuring authors, merchants, dancers, food trucks, and so much more! Me and my friends in HWA Ohio will have a tent there again this year, and we’re looking forward to meeting so many readers, both new and familiar. So, if you can, please stop by. We would love to see you.

And if you can’t stop by and would still like to support me, or you’re just looking for a scary book to read, you can check out any of my books! From strange gods and plant/human hybrids to carnivorous horses and Mafia-hunting serial killers, I have something for every horror fan, including some free stories. I’ll leave a link to my books page below. And if you like what you read, please leave a review online so I know what you thought.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to enjoy the rest of my evening so I have the energy to do some editing later this week. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Rami Ungar’s Books

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” One Year Since Release!!!

Posted: May 1, 2026 in Living and Life, Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Happy Walpurgisnacht! Today, May 1st, is Witches Night (and day, apparently), as well as the Feast Day of Saint Walpurga. It’s a day where witches are at their most powerful, and where a saint with a reputation for fighting wishes gives people her protection. And, not coincidentally, it is the one-year release anniversary of Symphony for Walpurgis, my latest collection.*

Now, for those of you who don’t know, let’s do a little recap: back in 2023 or 2024, I could already feel the desire to write another collection of short stories, even though Hannah had just come out. And, because my shorter stories tend to be novelette length and novelettes are harder to find homes for, I decided to create a whole collection of novelettes! (For those unaware, novelettes are stories between 7,500 and 17,500 words.) I gathered some previously published novelettes, wrote some new ones for the collection, and, after changing the name and theme a thousand times, decided to name the book Symphony for Walpurgis and release it on Walpurgisnacht.

And yes, I’m pretty sure I named it that way just so I could release it on Walpurgisnacht.

And since the book was released, a number of people have picked it up, and some of those readers have even left reviews! Here are what some of those readers have said on the book:

All these stories are so very different, but they’re linked (in my mind anyway) by one common theme… that is, all these stories start out a certain way, but a turn of events during the narrative delivers a quite different story.

None of these stories are especially weak, but I have some stand out favourites: The House of Lafayette Square, Mother of Spiders, The Little Goddess of Horror, and Natural Predators. Even those I weren’t so keen on were solid, just a matter of personal taste.

Not my first outing reading this author, and it certainly won’t be my last.

M.G. Mason, author of Residents of the James Hotel, Goodreads

The best thing about this collection of stories is that I couldn’t predict what would happen next. For that, I give the book 5 stars. I enjoyed all of the stories, but it’s the “I didn’t think this was going to happen” fact that pushed them over the top.

Ruth Ann Nordin, author of The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife, Amazon

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.

I absolutely adored the introduction; it creates a spooky atmosphere straight away and is so much fun, putting you in exactly the right mood for the horrors ahead. Each story is creative and the characters are so vivid and well crafted– Rami has done an incredible job of filling every page with witty prose, clever descriptions and emotions which pulled me right into the characters’ minds…100% recommend!

Louise Conway, Goodreads

That’s some lovely praise! And I’m especially touched, because these stories were a lot of fun to write and I feel they represent some of my best work. One of the best feelings I get as a writer is knowing people are reading and enjoying my work, and seeing the proof here just makes me want to write more and entertain those readers even more. With any luck, I’ll be doing that with new releases and acceptances this year.

Speaking of which, for the coming year, I’ve got high hopes for between now and May 1, 2027. Not only to get more people reading Symphony, but also to maybe produce an audiobook. Nothing concrete at the moment, but there might be an opportunity for it in the near future. I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, if you’re curious to check out Symphony, I’ll include links below. Like I said, it’s a collection filled with some of my best work (including a story featuring a Jewish exorcism, of all things), so I’d be really happy if you chose to celebrate with me and got a copy. And if you like what you read, I would be most honored if you wrote a review online somewhere. Positive or negative, I appreciate reader feedback. And not only do your reviews help me, but you help out other readers as well!

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

Also, be sure to check out the book trailer for Symphony for Walpurgis. I worked really hard on it and think it totally gets to what I was going for with this book.

*Hannah and Other Stories was re-released last year in September, but it was originally released in September 2023. So, it’s not the latest, even though at times it feels like it. Just saying.

One more thing before I sign off, my Followers of Fear: tomorrow starts Columbus Horror Con! This is looking to be a fun con right here in my hometown, with celebrity guests, a film festival, and plenty of vendors. Plus, a scary karaoke afterparty on the first day! I will be there signing books and doing Tarot readings (as well as singing at the karaoke party). So, if you’re free and in Columbus tomorrow and Sunday, please stop by. I would love to see you.

You can purchase tickets here.

I’ve Written My First New Story of 2026!!!

Posted: April 28, 2026 in Novelette, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Pour a celebratory drink–in my case, a rum and cherry cola–and ululate in terror and excitement! It may have taken nearly two months, but I have written my first new story of 2026!

“He Always Comes Back” is a novelette about a guy who says his stepfather is a real-life Sweeney Todd. Sitting in a police interrogation room, he tells his story to his defense lawyer, leading to a horrible and very bloody conclusion. (With a story like this, though, is there any other kind?) It’s told in the first person, with the narrator/protagonist addressing his lawyer as he tells his story.

Honestly, it’s been a while since a story challenged me this much. Most stories I write feel like I’m a god who has set the whole story out and I’m just putting it down to paper. Perhaps the characters will change things around a bit, but usually everything stays the way I intended. However, while this story followed the basic plot I outlined, it felt more like a collaboration with the main character, and I was working with him to record his story in a way that would satisfy us both. In fact, at the very beginning, I heard him shouting at me through the story to turn the police officer interrogating him into his defense lawyer. And you know what? I’m glad I listened!

Between that and how busy I am these days, it took me much longer than expected to finish this story. But thank God, I’m done with the first draft at 51 pages and 16,693 words (plus seven for the title and byline). And how is it? Well, I think it’s quite rough. Which is a first draft in a nutshell, isn’t it? But I think with a few more drafts, I think it would make a great story. Hell, I think it would also make a great two-act play. Maybe I should make that a future project. Write the script and then see if I can find a company who would adapt it.

Well, for now, I’m going to put the story aside. I’ll let my critique group see an early part of it and get their feedback in the near future. After that, I’ll hopefully get some more feedback and then I’ll have what I need to get it in a state ready for publication.

For now, though, I have another project I need to work on (more on that in another blog post that I’ll write and review very soon), and then I’m doing another draft of The Shape of Evil, AKA the 3D Printer from Hell novel. Also, I want to take a day to just relax and restore my creative energies. You know how it is. (Plus, I have a movie or two from the library I need to watch before they run out of renewals.)

But for now, I’m heading to bed. After all, I would like to go into work tomorrow feeling somewhat well-rested.

So, until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and are you sure the meat you’re eating is actually animal meat? After all, stranger things have been found inside a bit of beef or chicken.

That Time I Was Accused of Using AI

Posted: April 22, 2026 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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I’ve already written posts about this across my social media, but I know everyone doesn’t follow me on Facebook and whatnot. So, I’m writing this blog post to update you all. Plus, let’s face it, I can do the long-form thing a bit easier here than on Threads or BlueSky.

So, not too long ago, I posted an ad for Hannah and Other Stories on social media. And someone commented, basically saying, “Because of this and that, I think this cover is AI. I bet the stories inside are AI-generated as well.”

For reference, here’s the cover of Hannah and Other Stories.

Now, full disclosure: I did experiment with AI image and story generators when they first became available to the public. Not because I planned to use them for my career, but just to see what the big fuss was about and to see if they had any deficits. This blog has a few posts containing AI images, just to show how overrated and unhelpful AI-generated art is. However, I no longer try out those generators, not even to experiment. They cause too much damage to communities and environments and are usually trained on stolen works.

And I have never used AI to write stories or create images I use for my writing career. Especially not for Hannah and Other Stories! In fact, the stories themselves were written between 2016 and 2021, well before AI story generators were available to the public. And after I got the rights back to Hannah and decided to re-release it, I used GetCovers, a company that designs book covers for cheap, to achieve the vision for the new cover I had in mind.

I explained this all to the commenter, and they seemed to accept that. However, they told me that some authors have raised concerns about GetCovers using AI images as assets. I took it under advisement, but assured them that I didn’t think AI was used in the creation of the cover at all, and left it at that.

Okay, that’s not true. I spent the next twenty-four hours slightly anxious that people would latch onto that accusation, believe it, and things would snowball from there, leading to me being canceled.

Which sounds like a silly thing to worry about, except something similar happened to another horror author. For those of you who don’t know, horror author Mia Ballard self-published a novel called Shy Girl, and it became popular enough that it was picked up for a traditional publishing deal by Hachette Book Group. However, rumors started spreading that AI was used in writing the book. And there was apparently enough to the rumors that Hachette canceled the book’s new US release and stopped printing it in the UK. Ballard herself said that she didn’t use AI to write the book, but that she believes that an editor she used may have used AI instead of editing it themselves. Ballard is now pursuing legal action against the editor in question.

Now, I have not read Shy Girl, so I don’t know if the book reads like a computer wrote it. And while I would like to write a post just on the incident, I have already said enough on social media, so I won’t. However, it did spur me to cover my ass and make sure there wasn’t any AI in the cover GetCovers made for me. I got in contact with them and they sent me the assets they used for the cover.

Here’s the link to the horse asset.

And here’s the link for the background.

GetCovers also assured me that the assets were not made by AI and that all they did was use a common filter and other normal editing tricks with the cover. No AI involved.

That was good enough for me, and armed with the assets, I posted about it on social media. No surprise, everyone found that easy to believe. One friend/colleague even said he ran the cover through an AI detector to help back me up, and it showed as “no AI used.” And another friend/colleague mentioned that since AI programs learned by stealing other people’s work, it’s no wonder someone would think it was AI!

Honestly, I’m just glad that I wasn’t deceived and I’m not going to be canceled over a case of mistaken AI. And now that I’ve gotten through it, I’d like to say one thing: I will never use generative AI in my writing, and beyond what I’ve previously used in my posts to illustrate the failures of AI, I won’t use AI-generated imagery. I love the creative process. I love the sense of accomplishment I get when I finish a new story, and when, after lots of edits and searching, I find it a home. I love collaborating with editors and artists to get the story right and the covers attractive. And I especially love it when readers tell me they read my stories and enjoyed them or even were frightened by them!

Besides, I pride myself on telling weird horror stories with off-the-wall pitches and wild elements thrown in for fun. I doubt an AI program, which looks for recognizable patterns, would be able to reproduce those kinds of stories. Even if it were trained on all my published work! (And if anyone tries, I will consider it copyright infringement.)

So yeah. If you ever read a Rami Ungar story, you can be assured it’s 100% human created (or whatever the hell I am) and not from a computer program.

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

Clawing Through Obstacles

Posted: April 9, 2026 in Living and Life, Reflections
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The Chariot card in my personal Tarot deck.

If you weren’t aware, I do Tarot card readings for myself and (when I’m at events and I’m allowed) for others. For myself, I do readings several times a week. And in today’s reading, in the present position, The Chariot came up. For those of you who don’t know, The Chariot represents obstacles to overcome (among other things).

Honestly, that feels accurate. Lately, everything feels like obstacles. The price of everything is going up (and I will save my rants about that for another day), and finances are keeping everyone in a state of low-grade anxiety. Even if that wasn’t the case, a lot of people don’t feel safe traveling, or traveling certain ways or to/from certain places. Every day we worry about what new headline will cross our screens. What new horror or piece of stupidity we’re going to have to deal with.

And on a personal note, life is crazy. I have so many ideas and plans and I want to write every day, but I have to make a living to do that writing. And after a long day of work, I may only have a limited amount of time to write. Hell, some nights I don’t have any time! I’m too busy being a responsible adult and getting ready for the next day. And as much as I would love a TARDIS or other time machine just so I could have more time to write, I know that’s not an option, so I end up feeling frustrated when I don’t have the time to write.

Plus, there are the usual worries and annoyances of being an indie author: what can I do to get more readers? How are my sales lately? Is that amount good or bad? Why isn’t this story I really believe in finding a home? What can I do that doesn’t require a million dollars or a whole marketing team? That stuff tends to keep us up at night (especially in months when we may not be doing too well on sales).

So yeah. Obstacles upon obstacles upon obstacles. And I tend to visualize as obstacles as blocks in the road of life that you have to climb over (“overcome,” right?). And right now, the blocks can feel like they’re forming all around us, blocking us in at the bottom of a deep, deep tower or hole. Like the well in The Ring, except we’re the ghost at the bottom, and we’re having trouble getting out.

Maybe that’s why I’m not trying to overcome the obstacles. I am, like a monster out of a horror story, tearing through them. Clawing through them.

Anyone else feel like they’re having trouble getting out of a well?

That’s what it feels like, anyway. If I can’t overcome things as big and as outside of my control, I might as well fight against them. Claw through the obstacles so I can get to the other side. Break them apart with talons and sharp nails and teeth. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Is that the best approach? I don’t know. Is it the one that’s needed in this crazy world? I don’t know. But I like to think is that it’s helping. Especially when so much is out of my control. It’s something I’ll definitely discuss with my therapist the next time I talk to him.

In the meantime, I’m hoping that things will improve with time. My Tarot cards say there’s a chance of that. And I like to think they’re right for the most part. In the meantime, I think I’ll just keep clawing and see what happens.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I wanted to check in and assure you I was alive, and when I cast around for a topic to blog about, this is what came up. Hope you found it interesting, at least. And if not, I’ll hopefully have something more interesting out in the next couple of weeks. Maybe as soon as next week. You never know.

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

Events in 2026

Posted: March 21, 2026 in Living and Life, Progress Report
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I know, the last events update post wasn’t even a month ago. But I’ve already announced the new event on my social media, and it would be wrong of me not to update the folks who primarily keep up with me through this blog. So, without further ado (and so I can hopefully fit in some writing tonight), let’s talk about the events I’ll be at in 2026.

First, in just over a month, I’ll be one of the attending authors at BookBash 2026. This event will take place at the New Leaf Convention Center in Conneaut, Ohio on April 25, 2026 from 1 PM to 7 PM. This is a convention that will be hosting self-published and indie authors from all over the place (a few of my author friends will be there along with me). I’ll be there signing books, doing Tarot readings, and sitting on the horror panel. I would love to see you if you can stop by. You can find out more on the convention’s Facebook page.

(Fun fact: the convention center where BookBash will take place at is owned by a local Methodist church. However, we’re not being restricted on what kind of books we’re allowed to sell or what services we provide in their space. So, as well as doing the Tarot readings and selling books with rather unholy covers, I’ll be wearing my LET’S SUMMON DEMONS tee if the weather is nice enough.)

The weekend after that will be closer to home and just as close to my heart. Columbus Horror Con will be taking place on May 2-3, 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Columbus North-Worthington here in Columbus (times vary depending on which day you’re there). It’ll be a horror convention with celebrity guests, a film festival, and all sorts of vendors. And by the way, I’m among the group of vendors. I know you love me, but I’m hardly a celebrity at this point! Anyway, you can find out more on the convention’s website.

Next, StokerCon will be taking place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Westin Pittsburgh on June 4-7!, 2026 I love going to StokerCon, and I’m looking forward to seeing all my horror writing friends. Plus, there’s the awards ceremony, all the panels, and plenty of chances to find new reads. I’m hoping to be on a few panels and maybe even sell some books, so it’ll be a very exciting time for me. If you can go, you can grab tickets from this website.

And finally, the new one. My friends and I at the Ohio chapter of the Horror Writers Association, also known as the Ohio Horror Writers Association and HWA Ohio, will have a booth at the Columbus Book Festival again! This year, the festival will take place on July 11 and 12, 2026 at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Main Branch and Topiary Park (which is right behind the library). This is a major event for us, and we love doing it every year, even when it rains or gets super hot and humid. I hope you can join us there. You can find out more from the festival’s website.

And that’s all for now. With any luck, I’ll be able to do one more event this year, but after that, I’ll probably cut back (God knows these events are expensive enough without all these tariffs and wars and oil prices). Still, I’m sure I’ll enjoy the events I do go to. Especially if any of you Followers of Fear are able to join me.

And if you can’t but would still like to support me, or if you’re looking for a scary book to read, you can always purchase one of my books online. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have plenty for every horror fan (including some free stuff). I’ll include links to my work below.

And if you end up reading my stories, I hope you’ll leave a review somewhere. 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.

Rami Ungar’s Books

I’m Blogging Less Lately

Posted: February 19, 2026 in Living and Life, Reflections
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If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you might have noticed I’m blogging a lot less than I used to. Or you haven’t noticed because you have a life and are too busy to keep track of that sort of thing.

But I’ve noticed. I would. I write this blog. And I’ve noticed that I’m blogging less.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I’m disenchanted with blogging. I love it! I’ve been writing this blog for over fourteen years and I don’t intend to stop now! Besides, I’ve met some wonderful friends and readers through blogging. And it is still one of the main avenues of how I let people know when I have something new coming out.

But life keeps me busy. Not only do I have a day job that occupies a lot of my time, I have a lot of other responsibilities that come with being a functioning adult in this crazy society. And then I have to find time to eat, sleep, and relax. And then, after all that, there’s time to write. And I’m spending a lot of time on those stories so I can get them out there and hopefully get them published.

With all that happening, it cuts down on blogging time. And when I do blog, I want it to mean something. I want it to be more than just advertising for Rami Ungar’s books. I mean, I do want people to check out my books, but my blog should be more than that. It should be a way for my readers and friends to connect with me. So, what I post here should be important.

That being said, I just don’t have the energy to talk about politics or current events on my blog like I did in my college days. I mean, I could. I get angry like everyone else. But I feel like if I try writing my feelings out on my blog like that, I would be doing that every day for the rest of my life! Which would probably be short, because my blood pressure would skyrocket from the constant anger and anxiety and dealing with commenters who may not agree with my views.

So, I try and save those posts for when I feel it’s really needed and it can’t be said in just a Facebook post.

An accurate representation of me considering whether something is worth blogging about. Photo by Athena Sandrini on Pexels.com

And that’s another thing: if it can be said in a short post on one of my social media profiles, I probably won’t say it here. Whether that be politics, or Hollywood adapting the same Stephen King stories for the umpteenth time, or just a moment in my day that felt very impactful. If I can say it in just a short post on Facebook or Instagram or whatever, it probably won’t be said here. It needs to be worth filling a blog post for.

All that conspires to keep me from blogging more often. And part of me is not okay with that, because, as I said, I love blogging. I love the interaction and I love keeping this thing I’ve created going. But I have to accept that, as much as I love to blog, I don’t always have a lot to blog about. And if I try to force it, I will feel burned out and not want to blog any more. And I would hate that even more.

On the bright side, I have no intention to stop blogging. I still intend for this blog to be one of the main avenues for my Followers of Fear to get to know me and hear important updates on my life and career. I just won’t be averaging six or seven blog posts a month, like I used to. (Yes, I did the math.)

But hey, at least you know that when I do put something out there on this blog, it’s because I really feel it needs to be shared on this blog. And isn’t that why blogs exist in the first place? Because we have something worth saying? I think it is.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m sorry if I worried one or two of you by my less-frequent posts. On the bright side, next week, I should have at least one thing to blog about. I’ve been sitting on an announcement since the beginning of the month, and I may finally be able to speak about it very soon.

But until that time comes, good night, my Followers of Fear, and pleasant nightmares. I’ll be seeing you very soon. Possibly by jumping out from under your bed and shouting “Boo!” I mean, would you put it past me?

See you soon.

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

Life is Weird Lately

Posted: February 3, 2026 in Living and Life, Reflections
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Life has been weird lately. And I’m the one saying that!

I mean, first there’s the weather lately. If you didn’t know somehow, most of North America had a huge snow storm, known as Winter Storm Fern, that covered most of the US and parts of our neighbors in several feet of snow. It was so bad, we actually had to work from home for a couple of days (though I went into the office more days than most of my colleagues)! To illustrate, here’s what my yard looked like before the snow fell.

And here’s what it looked like the next morning.

Yikes! You can see why I didn’t go into work the following Monday. And how much trouble it was to shovel all that snow out of the driveway the night before I had to go back into work. And most of this snow is still there! It’s been shoveled away or to the side in some places, but there are still areas where the snow is still high and even the roads are blocked in areas. And with the temperature constantly below freezing and even into the negatives, I don’t see it going away any time soon.

And then there’s the deer. Last Sunday, the night before I was going to work from home, I looked out the window and saw a family of deer out in my yard. To say the least, I was astounded. I live near some wooded areas, and I’d seen deer walking around before, but this was the first time I’d seen them on my front lawn. I’m guessing that they were walking about because there were fewer vehicles out and they felt it was safe to wander.

So, naturally, I took some pics before they walked off.

So, on its own, that was cool. But then, just a couple days ago, on Sunday, I had an encounter with deer again! And this time, it was in Cleveland! Yeah, I was in Cleveland visiting friends and hanging with my dad and stepmom. And on Sunday, as I was about to leave for Columbus, I look out the window onto their back porch, and there was a deer!

Yeah, I was surprised. There it was, so close to me! Eating from my dad’s bird feeder! In the middle of the day! And three or four more showed up and then walked away. All of them tagged as part of some local tracking program (kid you not, one had a collar and earrings with the number 64 on them). Did not see that coming!

So, two Sundays in a row, I spot deer near where I’m staying. Is that a coincidence because both my home and my dad’s home are near wooded areas? Or is someone trying to send me a message? We’ll see if I spot any this coming Sunday. If I do, I’ll consider it a sign. Hopefully not from Nokotan, though.

Anime fans will get that joke and find it hilarious!

And there’s a whole bunch of other weird happening lately. Just today, I found out Columbus, where I live, is going to be hosting some soccer games for the Summer 2028 Olympics! Columbus, of all places! I know we have a couple of MLS stadiums, but I never would have thought we would be a host city or a satellite host city. Hell, I know we don’t have facilities for some of the events, so I never considered it a possibility.

Still, it looks like it’s happening. And given how many people are likely to show up in Columbus for the games, I think I will get out of town. Hopefully I will be writing full time by then and can leave town as needed. But if not, hopefully I’ll be able to take enough time off from work that I can get out of town for the duration of the games. As to where I’ll go, we’ll see where I am in life when I get there.

And that’s a good segue into another weird thing: my writing. It’s slowed down a bit lately.

I wish I knew why. I’m doing the self-care rituals I need to, and I’m leaving time in the evenings to write. But a lot of evenings I don’t have time to write. And when I do, it moves a lot more slowly than I would like. That might be partly because I’ve had to rewrite parts of the story I’m editing and finding the right way to tell the story takes time. Still, for a guy who’s trying to get a whole bunch of stories submitted for publication this year, this is frustrating.

Well, hopefully that changes soon. All my Tarot readings are showing February to be a good month for me, so perhaps things will speed up for me after Akronomicon this weekend. Maybe it’ll also warm up and the snow will melt, and I won’t get any malevolent messages from local deer populations. That would be nice!

Because let’s face it, life is already kind of mad, and I’m already an eccentric (and I have the stories to match). Making things even weirder in a way that just frustrates me and everyone else does nobody any favors!

One more thing, Followers of Fear: as I said, Akronomicon is this weekend. It’ll be at the Emidio Expo Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, just outside of Akron, on Saturday, February 7th, 2026. This is a fun day-long horror convention with celebrity guests, plenty of cool vendors, and this year, a film festival! If you can, please stop by. I will be signing books and doing Tarot readings, and would love to see you.

And if you can’t make it and would still like to support me, or if you’re in the mood for some creative horror stories, why not check out some of my books? From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have something for everyone (including some free stuff). So, click the link below, and you’ll find all my books, as well as where to purchase them.

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

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to bed so I have energy to function tomorrow. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Rami Ungar’s Books
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