Posts Tagged ‘reflections’

My First New Story in a While

Posted: October 29, 2023 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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I actually wanted to write this post days ago, but you know how life gets. It gets crazy, and my life has been especially crazy lately. Still, it was nice that last week, on Wednesday, I started a new short story. And on Thursday, I finished that story. It’s been my first new work in…God, I don’t know how long.

So yeah, it’s safe to say The Great Editing has ended. However, because of that crazy life I mentioned above, I wasn’t able to start writing for several days after my last editing project. When I did, when I started working on that story, it was such a release! Like something that had been building up inside of my brain and in my fingers was released in the course of eleven-hundred words. And the next night, I wrote the rest of the story in one glorious sitting. Again, there was that sense of relief and release. Like, after so many months of editing and promotion, telling a new story that had been rattling around in my head for months was exactly what the doctor ordered.

So, how is the new story? Well, as the writer, it’s hard to tell. “White Leaves” involves the strange events occurring in an apartment complex on a chilly Halloween morning (hey, that’s coming up!). It’s also told in the second person, which is something I’ve only done once before. (If you’ve read The Quiet Game, you probably remember the story.) The reason why I did is because I read a horror story recently that was told in the second person, and it was awesome. When I formulated “White Leaves,” the idea of telling the story in the same method as that other story just seemed to make sense.

And, somehow, it’s under three thousand words, which is a surprise for me. Normally my short stories are at least seven-thousand words. I even said on my social media, “Who am I and what have I done with my normal writing style?”

Anyway, it’s weird and fun and I think my critique group is going to get a kick out of it. Perhaps, with their feedback and a bit of a polish, I’ll even be able to find a home for it that will enjoy the strange tale and what I’ve included. That would be nice.

As for my next story, I already have the idea and I’ve done the research necessary. It’ll be a Jewish horror story, so hopefully it becomes a great addition to that growing catalog. I’ll keep you guys updated on it, especially if the story gets published.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ve had a long day and I’m going into the office tomorrow, so I better wrap up my night. Especially if I want to watch a scary movie. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

One last thing, my Followers of Fear: tomorrow night, at the Bexley Public Library in Bexley, Ohio, me and my fellow Ohio horror writers will be doing a flash fiction writing workshop. If you can come by, please RSVP and show up. We’ll have a good time, we’ll write scary stories, and you’ll see my new author costume in person. Trust me, it’s awesome.

Until next time, another good night and more pleasant nightmares to you.

Halloween Flash Fiction Workshop with HWA Ohio

What is the Future of this Blog?

Posted: October 16, 2023 in Living and Life, Reflections
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I’ve been writing this blog for over twelve years now. Several lifetimes in Internet time, if you think about it. Through college and my first publishing successes, job searching and travel and back pain, getting a decent paying job and learning to drive. Past getting a car and getting more books out there, as well as a pandemic and all the changes that brought about. Then having a collection accepted and then buying a home.

And now, Hannah is out and I’m out of the Face of Horror contest, and I wonder to myself: what is the future of this blog?

Understand, I’m not going to shut it down. No way, this blog has always been and will always be important to my life and my plan as an author. It’s how I met so many wonderful Followers of Fear, after all. Nor am I going to change the focus of my blog. It will always be about me, my writing, and my love of horror, as well as me trying to spread those last two to other people.

But I have noticed that, despite a high number of visitors since last month (I believe a certain contest was behind that), this blog needs some sort of change. I’ve actually felt this way for a while. Maybe it’s because nearly half the posts I’ve published lately have been about Hannah, and more than a few were about the Face of Horror.

And of course, some posts on those subjects are to be expected. Like I said, part of this blog is spreading word about what I’m doing and getting people interested in my stories. But I feel like I’ve been doing too much of that. That maybe this blog is slowly becoming just a giant ad, rather than a place for me to interact with my Followers of Fear. And I don’t want that!

So, what am I going to do? Well, I’m still figuring that out. I may try to do more posts where I reflect on the nature of horror and on writing, but those have to come from a real place of wanting to write those posts. I can’t write them just because I feel I have to. The point is, I want to put out posts and content that I feel passionate about putting out there, and that you all will want to read. Not just ads.

Hmm. Now that I think about it, that’s kind of like writing, isn’t it? What you put out there only has real meaning if you have passion about it. If you do that, you’re sure to find someone, maybe a lot of someones, who will want to read your work. Hopefully this new path will lead to new Followers of Fear finding this blog.

But like I said, I’m still figuring out some of the changes I want to make, so if you have any suggestions, let me know. I’d be happy to hear what you think. And don’t be surprised by a certain Hannah-themed post on Monday. After all, that’s the one-month anniversary since its release.

Well, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to read and then dream dark dreams. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

What changes should I make to this blog? What would help keep this blog interesting?

Events in 2023

Posted: October 12, 2023 in Living and Life, Writing
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Hey folks! Told you I’d be doing a non-Hannah or Face of Horror post at some point soon.

Anyway, it looks like I have two final events for 2023 (and that’s deliberate so I don’t tucker myself out). On October 30th, 2023, I’ll be at the Bexley Public Library with my friends in HWA Ohio for the Halloween Writing Workshop. We’ll be teaching some tips and tricks for writing flash fiction and then writing flash fiction together. It’ll be from 7 PM – 8 PM, and if you want to, you can join us! Just use the link below to RSVP.

Halloween Writing Workshop with HWA Ohio

And this is exciting, because I’ll be doing an event with Hidden Marietta in Marietta, Ohio! Yeah, I’ll be doing a reading and book signing at their location, the Anchorage Mansion. You know, the one I found was really haunted (see this post to get all the spooky details)? I’m looking forward to working that into my reading!

Anyway, it’ll be happening on Saturday, November 11. Details such as time and whether you need to RSVP prior will be announced as we get closer. And there may be someone else there doing something cool, like reiki healing or Tarot reading, so look forward to it.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to make dinner. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

The End of the Great Editing?

Posted: September 28, 2023 in Living and Life, Progress Report, Reflections, Writing
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It’s almost October, meaning we’re three-quarters of the way through calendar year 2023.

Before 2023 started, I announced that I would be doing something called The Great Editing, where I would spending several months deep in editing stories, mainly drafts of Hannah and Other Stories, plus a couple of novellas and novelettes. Every now and then, I’d take breaks to work on original work, and hopefully it would be done in a couple of months.

Somehow, the Great Editing extended through the summer, and in recent months has been very revved up as I go through stories I wanted to get edited back in the spring. Sure, I still worked on original stories, such as the story I wanted to submit to the grimdark anthology* and a weird fiction story, but for the most part, I’ve been doing a ton of editing.

And promoting for Hannah and the Face of Horror contest. But mostly editing.

Now, I think I’m close to finishing this insane process. I’ve got one more story I’m definitely editing, then another I haven’t decided if I want to edit or if I want to put it in the proverbial trunk. After that, unless beta readers or publishers have notes for me (and usually those edits can be done in less than an hour), I plan to end the Great Editing and work on some original stories. In fact, I have five or six shorter works I want to work on, because they just intrigue me and seem like a ton of fun.

And after those are done, I want to get back to Crawler, the mummy novel I started last year, then put on the back burner, and then entirely off the stove. I’d like to go over what I’ve written once more, apply all the learning and experience I’ve gained since I last worked on the book, and then get to the end of it. I absolutely hate that this book is unfinished, especially when it has such potential. Perhaps by this time next year, it’ll be finished. I would like that.

Well, before that happens, I need to get some edits done. Wish me luck, my Followers of Fear. If I can, I’ll finish The Great Editing done by Halloween.

*Unfortunately, the story I wrote for the anthology wasn’t exactly grimdark, so the anthology rejected it. However, they did say it was a great story and really enjoyed it, so I was happy to hear that. I’ve already resubmitted it, and will hopefully have news soon.

How about that, my Followers of Fear? I only mentioned Hannah and the Face of Horror without trying to get you to buy something or take part. But don’t worry, I’ll do plenty of that in later posts.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 33 days till Halloween! Release the scary clown army!

“Hannah and Other Stories:” Only One Month Till Release!!!

Posted: August 23, 2023 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Run for your lives! Light a magic candle! Pray to the Great Old Ones to be left alone! Hannah and Other Stories releases in just one month!

As you’re probably aware, Hannah and Other Stories is my new collection of short stories which is releasing on September 23rd, 2023. This collection contains seven original tales, featuring tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things. My publisher, BSC Publishing Group, and I have been working on this book for two years, so we’re very excited for people to read it. Hell, I’m kind of hoping it becomes one of the most talked about books for the Halloween season this year.

At the very least, I want to get the book in paperback. Right now, it’s only available in ebook, but if it does well, it’ll get a paperback. Maybe even an audio book.

With that in mind, we’re also doing everything we can to get people interested in the book and in maybe preordering a copy. On my end, I’ve been posting YouTube videos where I read sections from the book. A couple of the videos I’ve done are below.

Not bad, right? I tried to create an atmosphere to go with the stories, and I plan to do the stories I haven’t covered before it releases.

And BSC has been doing some amazing excerpts as well, only they’ve been posting these beautiful graphics that they do in-house! I absolutely love them. Here’s some of the most recent.

Pretty awesome, right? And you can see all the excerpts BSC has made on Hannah‘s personal page on this blog.

Anyway, I’m super excited for people to read it. These stories are all beloved to me in each their own way. What Errour Awoke is a story that not only allowed me to tap into my love of cosmic horror, but helped me to deal with world events that were causing me anxiety at the time of writing. Hannah and Queen Alice were both fun to write, with the former being inspired by a ghost story that’s always fascinated me, and the latter being an interesting mashup of Alice in Wonderland with Slender Man. The Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah was a story where I experimented with extreme horror and splatterpunk that I hadn’t done before, while Poor, Unfortunate Souls made for a heartfelt story of acceptance and hardship in the midst of the Paris catacombs. The Red Bursts gave me an unexpected story of finding faith in dark situations, and Fuseli’s Horses allowed me to have fun with a new monster while also playing with some teenage drama.

I can’t wait to see what people think when they read them.

And if any of this has made you want to read Hannah and Other Stories, I’ll include the links to preorder it below. That’s right, “links.” As of this past weekend, Hannah and Other Stories is available to preorder from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers, including a few international ones. I’ll include links for all the shops below, and I’ll be sure to update future posts as BSC lets me more stores are carrying the book.

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

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be sure to post more updates as we get closer to the release date. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bertrand
Booktopia
BSC Publishing Square Site
Kobo
Wook

Thoughts on Writing a Grimdark Story

Posted: August 3, 2023 in Reflections, Writing
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Did I write a grimdark story? I hope so.

The title of this post really should be “Thoughts on Attempting to Write a Grimdark Story,” but that’s not a title that rolls off the tongue, is it?

Anyway, not too long ago I was invited to submit to an anthology. Length of my story, themes and whatnot were pretty much left up to me, provided one thing: the story was a grimdark story.

For those unfamiliar, grimdark is not exactly a subgenre (though I did call it such in my post about what counts as dark fantasy). Rather, it’s a tone or atmosphere that spans across genres. The name comes from the tagline of the roleplaying game Warhammer 40K, “In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war.” Very sci-fi, but as I said, a grimdark story can fall into any genre. What makes a story grimdark? Well, it has a dark, oppressive, bleak tone; characters who are either amoral or just downright awful; and, rather than a focus on hope as in other stories, a focus on cynicism bordering on hopelessness or nihilism. Characters are often antiheroes or villains, or hopeless grunts doing awful stuff, or just the worst ever, and happy endings are few and far-between, if they ever happen.

Now, you may be wondering to yourself: who the hell would want to read that? Quite a few people, actually. The term grimdark has been applied to popular works such as those of George RR Martin, Batman comics from the 1980s onwards, the Spawn comic book series (love that guy, he needs more recognition), and the Walking Dead franchise.

And I’ve heard that if you take out the cheery songs from the musical Chicago, you’d have a very grimdark story. Think about it: two unrepentant murderesses living in Prohibition-era Chicago murder their spouses or lovers and care only about getting off and having careers as entertainers. Their lawyer is a man who only cares if his cases are sensational and getting paid, their warden trades on favors, and the only good person is Roxie’s husband, who gets used and abused by his unfaithful wife throughout the show.

Spawn is a classic example of both a grimdark character and a grimdark series.

If that’s not grimdark, it sounds damn close.

Actually, Chicago might be something of an influence on my own grimdark story, “Be Careful What You Wish For,” which follows a Vegas actress down on her luck and trying to find her big break. And I hope this grimdark story, which I finished on Sunday, is actually a grimdark story: I certainly succeeded in making the characters, particularly the lead, really awful people. I also tried to make an atmosphere of hopelessness, greed and cruelty under the glitz and glam of Vegas (not very hard). And I did listen to a lot of music I associate with dark moods while writing this story.

But I don’t have a lot of experience with writing that sort of mood, and this is the first time I’ve ever tried to write a grimdark story intentionally (I may have written them in the past without realizing it). So whether it can actually can be considered grimdark is unknown.

That being said, writing the story was a fun challenge. The MC is such a horrible person, and usually my MCs are likable, so writing someone so self-centered and greedy was a lot of fun. And finding ways to make the story that much more grim and dark was fun, too. I could honestly see myself trying to write more stories in this vein, provided I have the right inspiration.

Anyway, I plan to have this story looked over by someone more familiar with grimdark and then edit it before I send it to the anthology’s editor. With any luck, not only will it fit the anthology well, but they’ll want to publish it. And if it gets a really good reception…well, we’ll see what happens we get there. I’ll keep you guys posted.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for something dark and spooky to read, there’s only fifty days till my new collection, Hannah and Other Stories, releases. This collection contains tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things. It’s not grimdark, but the stories are definitely not sunshine and rainbows.

Anyway, Hannah releases on September 23rd, but you can preorder using the button below. If you’re at all interested, please be sure to preorder a copy. And if you do read the book after it comes out, let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers out in the end.

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

Preorder Hannah and Other Stories

Rami Ungar the Writer: Twelve Years Since Creation!!!

Posted: August 2, 2023 in Living and Life, Progress Report, Reflections
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Happy Birthday to the blog,
Happy Birthday to the blog,
Happy Birthday to Rami Ungar the Writer,
Happy Birthday to the blog.

So yeah, it’s been exactly twelve years since this blog was created. Hard to believe, right?

For those of you who don’t know, I first created this blog a few weeks before I was supposed to start college at Ohio State. I was sitting in the library down the road from my mom’s house, on one of their computers, and signed up for WordPress. I had barely any idea what I was doing back then. I had just heard that having a blog might be a good way to build an audience for when I published my first book (which I always considered an inevitability).

Even so, I consider that moment a turning point in my nascent career. Before then, while I had had one paid publication and some unpaid publications prior to the blog, I was still just writing on my parents’ computers and those who knew me as a writer were confined to my social circles. But beginning with my blog, I was able to start making connections with people from around the world. Blogging opened my world, and was essential in me making the connections that would help me grow as a writer and as a person.

Today, at the time of this writing, my blog has over two-thousand posts, over fourteen hundred subscribers, and gets between fifteen hundred and two-thousand views per month. And over the last year, this blog has seen me through so many things in my life: all the editing on Hannah and Other Stories; the publication of That Which Cannot Be Undone, my dragon bat story, and The Dedication of the High Priestess; the audio book for The Pure World Comes was released; I celebrated my first Halloween, Hanukkah, and Passover in my condo, among other things; I took part in the Face of Horror contest and The Great Editing; I went to my first ever Stoker Con; I celebrated several big publishing anniversaries, including The Quiet Game‘s ten-year release anniversary; and, as I announced the other day, I got a grant from the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

I wonder what will happen in the next year? Obviously, Hannah is due out next month, and I have big hopes for that book. But what else? I was invited to submit to an anthology, but we’ll see if that story gets accepted or fits the publisher’s vision for the anthology. And I have a number of stories I need to edit and start shopping around, so hopefully that goes well. And I want to try and finish writing Crawler, the mummy novel I started last year.

Whatever happens, I know I’ll have the support of so many amazing readers and writers behind me. Reading this blog, reading my books, and leaving their thoughts in comments and reviews.

Speaking of which, if you would like to preorder Hannah and Other Stories, or you would like to check out any of my books that are already available, I’ll leave links 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. Until next time, good night, happy anniversary, and pleasant nightmares!

Hannah and Other Stories: Preorder here

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

Rose: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Audible, B&N

Snake: Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

The Quiet Game: Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

“If You Build It, They Will Come.”

Posted: July 21, 2023 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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Picture about ten years ago. You’ve released a book, but after an initial ten or so sales, no one is looking at your book or leaving reviews. Your blog has barely a hundred followers, and you maybe only get one or two views a day. Sometimes you get more, but those days are rare and they don’t usually get you more than ten. Also, you’re sending out short stories to plenty of publications–non-paying, because you think those publications are easier to get into and you’re working your way up to paid publications–but over and over, it’s just rejection after rejection.

Thoughts about what you’re doing wrong and how are you supposed to become a writer like this flit through your head.

This was me at times during my early writing career, specifically after the release of The Quiet Game. Variations of it, I’m sure, other writers have gone through at various points of their careers, including well into them. Some may even entertain giving up fiction writing, that they don’t have what it takes to become anything in this industry.

Repeated disappointment can be quite the demotivator.

That being said, if you keep trying and can get through the disappointment, perhaps something amazing can happen.

Despite the disappointment, I kept writing and blogging and submitting. I published some more books (two of which I later took out of circulation for reasons I won’t get into), and they got fans. A few even scared people. My blog kept growing and people started rooting for me in earnest. I started working with some other writers to give advice on writing and self-publishing, and it helped increase my influence. I got a lot of rejections on my short stories, but I did get some publications, and that helped me stay motivated.

In 2017, I joined the Horror Writers Association, and not too long after, I joined the newly-formed Ohio chapter. Finally, I’d found my people. And somehow, I ended up becoming the chapter coordinator, which is still my position today (I was reelected by popular vote).

I honestly feel Rose was a turning point in my career, both as a validation of all my previous efforts and a sign of things to come.

In 2018, I got my novel Rose, which I wrote as a college thesis, accepted for publication. I was going to be traditionally published. Thus followed fifteen months of editing and rewriting, during which my anxiety disorder also manifested. Somehow, through all of it, I got the book published and people liked it. To this day, it’s still my most popular book.

Also, in 2019, I had a short story, “Car Chasers,” published in an anthology and was paid five-hundred dollars for it. To this day, it’s still the most I’ve ever made off a single story.

During 2020 and COVID, I kept writing. I met with my fellow writers virtually and we helped each other along. I attended my first event as a vendor in Iowa, and learned a lot. In 2021, I attended events and got more stories accepted and published, including The Pure World Comes and Hannah and Other Stories. In 2022, the former came out in paperback, ebook, and audio book, and I got more work accepted, including The Dedication of the High Priestess, which to this day I still think is some of my best work ever.

Also, after nearly two years of work, my friends and I created a small press and released That Which Cannot Be Undone, an anthology of Ohio horror.

This year, editing on Hannah reached the point we could set a release date. I went to Stoker Con, where not only did a lot of people know who I was, but many people, including my heroes in the horror genre, were eager to meet me. (And they were so nice!) A few even agreed to be eARC readers for Hannah.

Also, I’m working on a grimdark story for an anthology I’ve been invited to, and there’s a chance other stories may be released this year. This past week, The Quiet Game reached its ten-year release anniversary and more people are reading it than ever, especially this week. And I was at the Columbus Book Festival this past weekend and sold more books and made more than I’ve ever earned in four years of vending. I don’t expect the same results this weekend at Gem City Comic Con, but I’m hopeful for good things.

Me and my fellow Ohio horror writers at the Columbus Book Festival. I’m on the end.

And I’ve heard from plenty of people, including an old coworker and my tattoo artist, that they’re reading my work and enjoying it so far.

(Yes, I have a tattoo artist. Surprise!)

All this isn’t to brag. It’s to say that if you keep working hard and working to improve, things won’t stay the same. You can build a foundation for yourself, a catalog of work. And then readers and colleagues and more will be drawn to you. They may even eagerly await your work. You may not be able to write full-time, let alone live the Stephen King lifestyle, and it may take a shit ton of time, but you could become someone whose work people enjoy.

Or, to quote Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.”

And isn’t that what we all want, in the end?

That being said, I do hope I’ll be writing full-time by 2028. I actually asked my Tarot cards if I could be writing full-time in five years, and they said there’s a strong possibility. That’s poured gasoline on the fire under my ass. I can’t wait to see what happens under this level of motivation. Wish me luck, Followers of Fear!

Thanks for reading, my Followers of Fear. I’ve been wanting to do a post like this for a while. I hope many of you found it helpful.

Also, I’ll be in Dayton, Ohio this weekend for Gem City Comic Con to sell books and do Tarot readings. If you can stop by, please do so. And if you can’t, click that button thing below. It’ll take you to my Books page. If you’re looking for new reading material, there’s plenty there to choose from. Just remember to leave me a review if you end up reading something of mine so I know what you thought.

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

Rami’s Books and Book Links

“The Quiet Game:” The Ten Year Anniversary Post!!!

Posted: July 17, 2023 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Pop the champagne! Eat the little hors d’oeuvres! Let loose the death wolves and dragon bats and other monstrosities! As of today, The Quiet Game: Five Tales to Chill Your Bones is ten years old! My very first book, my very first self-published book, and my very first collection of short stories is a decade old.

I still have memories of being a young college student, writing the stories in-between classes and homework and designing the cover. I was looking forward to experimenting with self-publishing, as well as seeing what the reaction to my work would be.

If I could, I might go back and teach myself some important things so I could avoid some mistakes. Not the least of which was the double letter “F” in the subtitle. I mean, I’m fond of that now, but it’s still a mistake that if I could, I’d correct it. Sadly, due to some technical issues, I can’t.

But despite all those little imperfections, The Quiet Game has gotten some positive reception. Perhaps because it’s so short and it’s made of short stories, it’s one of my most popular books. Especially at conventions. And I think people responded to all the weirdness of my style that was evident even in my earlier stories. I mean, death wolves, nurses as ogresses, ghosts and dybbuks, and wacky cures for sex addiction. I think people were surprised by that and enjoyed it.

At least, that’s what the reviews seem to indicate. Check out what they had to say:

A collection of five varied stories that get stronger as the collection builds, with the final being my favorite. Though I fancy myself able to “solve” the stories before the reveals, there were several surprises here, especially the reveal in the Quiet Game and I’m Going to be the Next James Bond. I also liked that Rami pulled no punches with his characters. In one instance, an anti-semite for instances uses words that would be hard for any author to write -though are necessary to his character. There are other examples sprinkled throughout the stories that show Rami’s commitment to telling the story in the way it needs to be told. A good collection for a stormy night!

Joleene Naylor, author of the Amaranthine book series

This is the first time I’ve read any of Rami’s stories. I was very impressed with the wide variety of stories and the way he wove the paranormal into each piece. Paranormal is not something I usually read and I enjoyed this collection very much. The collection reminded me of the Twlight Zone. The descriptions were especially well developed. Keep on writing Rami!

Arthur Siegal, Amazon reviewer

I thought these stories would be scarier than they were, but it was a great read and a good effort from the first time author. These stories were more in the genre of creepy rather than scary, but what I really liked was that it made you think of them long after the book ended. The themes of addiction, of sweet innocence gone bad, and of the sins of the fathers being visited on their descendants were very well dealt with, and caused the reader to think of them even after finishing the book. I’m looking forward to more from this new author!

Anonymous, Amazon reviewer

And these are just a fraction of the reviews, the majority of which are positive. I think twenty-year-old me would be happy to know that. To know that people like and enjoy this book and are continuing to read and review it.

And hopefully, as the years go by, more people will find The Quiet Game, enjoy it, and leave their thoughts about it where I can see it.

Speaking of which, if you would like to check out The Quiet Game, I’ll leave links below. And if you do end up reading it, no matter your thoughts, please write a review somewhere so I know what you thought. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback. And it not only helps me, but other readers as well.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I plan on celebrating tonight with some pizza, some sweets, and a cocktail. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Now Available on Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

Updates on What I’m Doing

Posted: July 11, 2023 in Living and Life, Progress Report, Writing
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It’s that time again. I have a lot going on, so I thought I would list it now right now. Besides, it’s a good excuse to slip in some reminders about things.

So, without further ado, here’s what’s going on in my crazy life. Enjoy!

Hannah and Other Stories
As you are no doubt aware, my new collection Hannah and Other Stories is on its way. It contains tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things, and it’ll be out on September 23rd, while currently available for preorder.

Before we get there, however, there’s a bit more work to do. BSC Publishing Group will be sending me the notes for the last draft any day now, at which point I will quickly edit it. We will then send out the eARCs to the ARC readers, who will hopefully read it and provide some helpful blurbs and reviews that will make people want to read Hannah more.

In addition, I’m doing everything I can to make sure this book is successful. I’ve already been booked for a couple of podcasts and shows, some of which I will list below, and I’ll likely be scheduled for more once the eARC is ready. I’m also posting short videos on my YouTube channel about the inspiration behind some of the stories in Hannah, as well as a candlelit reading of an excerpt from one of the stories. I plan to post more videos and excerpts as time allows.

With any luck, these and more avenues I’m pursuing will allow Hannah and Other Stories to be successful once it’s released. It would be amazing if that were to happen.

Speaking of which, if you would like to preorder a copy of Hannah, you can do so here. And you can read an excerpt here. I hope you check them out, because it’s a fucking great collection. Not something horror fans will want to miss.

The Quiet Game: Five Tales to Chill Your Bones
As I’ve said before, The Quiet Game, my first collection and first published book, will pass its ten-year release anniversary next Monday, July 17th, 2023. Obviously, I plan to do a blog post and a YouTube video, as well as other social media posts, to mark the occasion. I’m even doing a giveaway: if you preorder a copy of Hannah and email me letting me know you did before Friday the 14th, you could win a signed copy of The Quiet Game.

My email is ramiungar@ramiungarthewriter.com. I’ll hopefully announce the winner on the 17th. I hope you all take a chance to enter.

Short Fiction
I’ve some good news on this front. I recently wrote a weird fiction short story that I think has potential. And very soon, I’ll be writing a grimdark story for an anthology. I was actually invited to submit a story to this anthology, so I’m very excited to start on the story. And once it’s done, I plan to have it edited and submitted as soon as possible. Same with the weird fiction story.

After that, I have a bunch of short stories, novelettes, and novellas to work on. I want to finish rewriting the ending of “They Sleep Within the Rock,” AKA the story where I put neo-Nazis through hell. I also have to edit “It Changes You,” AKA the Backrooms story before shopping it around, and rewrite/heavily edit “The Underground Kings” and “Forever Young,” two short stories I think have a bunch of potential.

All of them, I feel, have a chance of being published somewhere. And after they’re worked on…

Crawler
For those of you who are unaware, Crawler is a mummy novel I started writing last year. I got about seven or eight chapters in, but then stuff with Hannah started to heat up, and I had to put it on the back burner. And then I took it off the burner and onto a trivet. I’d like to get it back on the stove again by the end of the year. It may not be the biggest new thing in horror, but I would like to get it done.

Fingers crossed that happens.

Upcoming Events
Here are some of the things I’ve got going on in the near future that I think you may be interested in. Hell, maybe you’ll have an opportunity to stop by for some of them:

  • This coming weekend, Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16, I’ll be joining HWA Ohio at the Columbus Book Festival in downtown Columbus. It’s an amazing festival to support local authors, organizations and groups. If any of you are in Columbus this weekend, please feel free to stop by. There’s entertainment for all ages, and I would love to see you.
  • The weekend afterwards, on July 22 and July 23, I’ll be at the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, OH for the Gem City Comic Con. I’ll be selling books and reading Tarot cards there, so please stop by if you can. I believe if you go to their website, you should still be able to get tickets.
  • On August 10, I’ll be joining some members of the New York HWA chapter for their podcast, Galactic Terrors. It’ll be broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube before becoming available as a podcast. I’ll be reading from Hannah and maybe answering some questions from those listening in. Further details, such as links and who else will be on the show, will be provided as we get closer. I’ll be sure to post those details as soon as we get them, so hopefully you can attend.
  • On September 9 and 10, I’ll be with HWA Ohio at Mystics & Marvels at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hilliard, Ohio. At this event last year, HWA Ohio really cleaned up, and I almost sold out! I’m looking forward to returning this year, and I hope more people come by. Including you!

And there will be more events as time goes on, especially with Hannah releasing in September. I’ll be sure to let you know about them as soon as they’re confirmed!

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. If anything else comes up, or there’s something I really want to talk about, I’ll be sure to let you know on this or any of my other platforms (which now includes the Threads app as rami_ungar_writer). Until then, however, good night and pleasant nightmares!

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