Posts Tagged ‘reviews’

“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.

“Hannah and Other Stories:” Six Months Since Re-Release!!!

Posted: March 23, 2026 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Wait, six months? It’s only been six months? Let’s see, this released in September, and it’s March…holy crap, it has been six months! So much has happened since then, it feels like a lot longer.

Anyway, if you’re not familiar, back in 2023 I released a book called Hannah and Other Stories through BSC Publishing Group. It was a collection of short stories that featured tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses (among other things). Sadly, however, BSC and I went our separate ways at the end of 2024, and the book went out of print as well (these things happen). I decided to re-release the book on the two-year anniversary of its original release, September 23, 2025, with a new edit and a new cover.

Now, we’re celebrating six months since the book was re-released. And I’m happy to say that people have been reading the collection and enjoying it. Hell, one of the supervisors at work even read it and enjoyed it. As he said, “I wasn’t bored with any of the stories.” Honestly, I was floating on air for the rest of that day!

And here are some of the other reviews that have come out since the book released:

Ended 2025 & Started 2026 with a good one! I had been waiting a while for “Hannah & Other Stories” by Rami Unger to be available in paperback & when it finally happened… hurrah! It was as good as I had hoped! Unger has such unique ideas & executes them wonderfully. Will definitely picking up more of his work as I am able.

Pamela A Parish, Amazon

I have read Ungar’s other books and enjoyed reading this one while on vacation. Each story is quite different, but the author has a real talent for setting up a believable scenario and characters to care about. I wished some of the stories had been a little longer!
My favorite was Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah. Nothing supernatural, just real creepy.

Gefilte, Barnes & Noble.com

4.5 stars out of 5.

I always love reading about a new type or creature or monster, and this collection has a few new ones, but this is not just a one horse book (pun intended) there is a wide range of horrors and story types, It’s got creepy ghosts, unnerving budding serial killers, carnivorous horses, and something that was once human, something for everyone.

The writing is smooth and easy to read, with well-developed and diverse characters, I liked how some of the stories had layers to them, giving them a complexity and depth that you don’t often see in short stories.

blatdriver, Barnes & Noble.com

Talk about some positive feedback! And from some people with some fun usernames off Barnes & Noble’s website.

But most of all, I’m glad that people are enjoying these stories. They were all originals when I first published them, and ran the gamut from ghost stories (“Hannah”) to cosmic horror (“The Red Bursts,” “What Errour Awoke,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls”) to just plain old psychological with hints of splatterpunk/slasher (“The Autopsy Kid and Doctor Sarah”). Oh, and there’s one with carnivorous horses. Can’t forget about that one. It tends to be popular.

Anyway, I’m really hopeful that, during the next six months, I’ll be able to get more people to read the book. After all, that’s why I wrote it: so people would read it! Of course, I’ll be selling it at events, but I have some other avenues I’m exploring that will hopefully lead to more readers. If they lead to anything, I may or may not announce it here on the blog.

And then, when we reach the three-year publishing anniversary/one-year re-release anniversary, I’ll be able to celebrate lots of good news with you. I would love that more than anything else.

Anyway, if you’re at all interested in reading Hannah; if you’re looking for a book of spooky stories; or if you want to support/celebrate with me, I’ll include links to where it’s available down below. And if you like what you read, please leave a review online. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and your fellow readers out in the long run.

Plus, doing so might keep the carnivorous horses at bay.

And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ve got a full day ahead of me and I’m planning to do a little celebrating tonight. So, until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and LOOK OUT! THERE’S A CARNIVOROUS HORSE BEHIND YOU!!!

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

“The Wild Hunt:” One Month Since Release!!!

Posted: December 2, 2025 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Wow, how quickly a month can go by. Are we already in December? Hold on, let me check outside….yes, it’s December. The chill and decorations confirm it!

Anyway, if you don’t remember, early last month I released my Christmas short story, “The Wild Hunt,” as an ebook from the major retailers. Originally published in Hellbound Books’ 2023 anthology Happy Hellidays, the story follows two sisters who run away on Christmas Eve, only to encounter something ancient and mythical in a blizzard. And no, they did not encounter Krampus. There are enough Krampus stories out there to begin with!

Anyway, during this past month, several people have taken an interest in this little story. In fact, it’s been a bestseller in some of Amazon’s subcategory lists, and a few people have even been kind enough to leave reviews! Considering it was kind of a whim to release this story as an ebook, this is more than I could have asked for.

Then again, writing the story in the first place was kind of a whim. I simply desired to contribute to the number of Christmas stories and songs written by Jews. But not only was it published, but people really enjoyed it and even put it on the Bram Stoker Recommended Reading List for that year. So, I guess these whims do turn out some good results every now and again.

Anyway, because I feel obligated to share them, here are the reviews people have been leaving for “The Wild Hunt:”

I felt the cold wind. I felt the biting pain of the snow on Tatum’s exposed face. I thought at any moment the girls’ father would track them down. This is a Christmas story, right? So maybe Santa would come rescue them.

I won’t say exactly what happens, but Ungar cleverly combines Santa with the Wild Hunt legend. So creative, so unexpected, and so Ungar-like. Loved it!

Priscilla Bettis, Amazon

This story is weighty in its themes and definitely not for the faint of heart. That said, it’s pretty fast-paced and has some creative mythology-inspired monsters. If you like having a quick read, this is worth the purchase.

Rose Black, Kobo

It’s always fun to see how an author will work on something familiar in the horror genre. In this case, it’s the wild hunt where mythical creatures are out there, hunting. This was a fun and enjoyable read that is nice for the Christmas season.

Ruth Ann Nordin, Amazon

Incredible, aren’t they? I’m happy so many people enjoyed the story enough to leave their thoughts. And I’m glad they all find it so creative! In a world where nothing under the sun is truly original, that is truly a compliment.

Speaking of which, it’s the holiday season. So, if you’re looking for a Christmas horror story, “The Wild Hunt” might be a good place to start. After all, it’s got Christmas spirit, and some terrifying spirits as well. Plus, it’s a short and affordable read, which is always nice. I’ll include links below.

And if you like what you read, I would be delighted if you left a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and other readers out in the long-run.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be sure to get back with you very soon (probably with my annual reflection of the past year and hopes for the coming year). But until then, good night, pleasant nightmares, and watch out for Krampus. His big day is on Friday!

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” Three Months Since Release!!!

Posted: August 1, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Is it already August? The summer is going by quickly! Soon we’ll be getting ready for Halloween and figuring out what to put on our spooky season reading lists. Good thing there happens to be a new-ish collection of horror novelettes for you to consider adding.

So, if you’re new here and are unfamiliar, “Symphony for Walpurgis” is my latest book, a collection of nine novelettes (stories that are longer than short stories but much shorter than novels), four previously published and five original. They range from stories of cryptids and giant bats (“Famous,” “Disillusionment and Trauma Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand”), to malevolent spirits (“The House on Lafayette Square,” “The Parasite Man”) and even a Jewish exorcism (again, “The House on Lafayette Square”). It came out on May 1st, AKA Walpurgis Night, when witches hold their get-togethers, which means it’s officially three months old.

And I’m very happy with the response so far. Everyone who’s bought a copy and gotten back to me has told me that they’ve enjoyed what they’ve read, and have even enthusiastically recommended it to other readers. Plus, at both the Big Ohio Book Con and the Columbus Book Festival, I sold out of copies on the first day of both events and came close to doing so on the second days. Clearly, people are liking the book!

But don’t take my word for it. Read some of the reviews:

Dipping my toes once again into the world of indie horror. And this, a rare read of single author short story collections.

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.

MG Mason, author of “The Residents of the James Hotel,” Goodreads

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. Mother of Spiders was my favourite tale, and definitely one of the most nightmarish.

Only two stories had plots which I wasn’t so keen on, but even then the writing was still engaging enough to make them enjoyable reads. 100% recommend!

Louise Conway, Goodreads

From the fiendish imagination of Rami Ungar, Symphony for Walpurgis presents nine stories, each with its own wildly imaginative tale to tell. The author’s acknowledged favorite, The Parasite Man, will make your skin crawl. In contrast, the warmth and psychological insight of The House on Lafayette Square made it this reviewer’s favorite above all. An underlying theme, returned to across several stories but never repetitively, is the revenge of the mistreated, wreaking havoc on a world they never made

Ann O’Mara Heyward, author of “Tourtiere: A Culinary Horror Story,” Goodreads

Rather enthusiastic, wouldn’t you say? And so far, I’ve been lucky enough to only have one review that’s not five stars. And even that one was four stars!

And with this sort of response in just the first three months, I’m hopeful for more of the same over the next three. Since before Symphony was released, I’ve been working hard with specific goals for this book, including some milestones I want to hit in the first year. I’m not sure I’ll hit those milestones, but I’ll work like hell to make them happen. And with spooky season creeping up on us, I think now is a good time to strike.

And if this post has made you at all interested in reading Symphony, I’ll include links below. It’s currently available in paperback and ebook, and if things continue to go well, an audio version might not be out of the question. Until that happens, you can buy a copy using any of the links below.

And if you like what you read, please leave a review online. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Plus, reviews help other readers find books and figure out whether or not they want to read them. So you’d be helping both me and your fellow horror fans by letting your thoughts be known!

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be back very soon with another post (believe me on that promise). So, until next time, good night, happy reading, and remember, we’re only 91 days away from Halloween. You better be getting ready to have some pleasant nightmares this fall!

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” One Week Since Release

Posted: May 8, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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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.

Thank you, and welcome to Symphony for Walpurgis.

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

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.

Rami Ungar’s Books

That’s all for now. I’ll see you all very soon. Until then, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” Two Weeks Till Release!!!

Posted: April 17, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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It’s finally getting warmer here in Ohio. Or, at least, more and more days the weather is above fifty degrees instead of below it. Honestly, Ohio weather is a bit of a lottery sometimes.

But on the bright side, something’s coming that isn’t so hard to predict: my new book, Symphony for Walpurgis: A Collection, will release on Thursday, May 1st, 2025! Which means it’s exactly two weeks from release day!

Now, if you’re unaware, Symphony for Walpurgis is a collection of nine novelettes, some previously published and some original, that I am releasing in one big book. The stories include “Blood and Paper Skin,” about several college-aged kids who wake up locked in a jail by a very strange man and who slowly start to disappear; “Trauma and Disillusionment Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand,” about a teen girl who gets wrapped up in a revenge plot after her best friend is murdered, and ends up summoning creatures from ancient times in an occult ritual; “The House on Lafayette Square,” about a Jewish exorcism (yes, we have those); “Mother of Spiders,” about a small town in Ohio that comes to a reckoning with its sordid past one Halloween night; “Famous,” about a Las Vegas wannabe starlet who will do anything to achieve fame, including making a deal with a mysterious creature; “The Little Goddess of Horror,” where a podcaster interviews an old man about a famous actress he knew, and gets way more than he bargained for; “The Parasite Man,” about a rich man whose family finds itself under assault by a mysterious entity using parasitic organisms; “Cressida,” about a man keeping a mermaid who looks like his daughter in his basement; and “Natural Predators,” about a summer camp that becomes ground zero for a terrible pandemic.

That’s a lot of words, but it does give you some idea of the stories inside, doesn’t it?

Anyway, I’m very excited for everyone to read this book. I’ve already gotten a few advanced reviews, and they’ve been very positive, which makes me hopeful that plenty of people will hear the buzz and want to read the book. I’m working hard to make that happen.

As part of that effort (and as a special treat), here are the latest graphics with quotes from the book. I’ve been posting them regularly, and I think they’re getting people interested.

What did you all think? Any of it get you intrigued? You want to read the book now?

If you do, I’ll leave links below. Right now, Symphony for Walpurgis is still only available in ebook format from the below stores, but more stores and a paperback edition are on the way. I’ll also leave a link to the Goodreads page, where the advanced reviews have all been posted.

And speaking of reviews, if you like what you read, please consider leaving a review somewhere. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Plus, it helps other readers figure out whether or not they want to read the book.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I hope you’re as excited for this book as I am. And until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and I can’t wait to welcome you to Symphony to Walpurgis.

Amazon
Apple Books
Goodreads
Kobo

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” Only A Month Away!!!

Posted: April 3, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Was that an unseasonal chill in the air? Nope, it’s the warning that Symphony for Walpurgis will arrive in T-minus four weeks!

If you’re unaware, Symphony for Walpurgis is my new collection of novelettes, featuring stories of cryptids (“Famous”), malevolent spirits (“The Parasite Man”), and even a Jewish exorcism (“The House on Lafayette Square”). Yes, Jews have our own exorcisms, too. My parents tried to do them on me on and off throughout the years, but it never worked, so far as I can tell. Anyway, the new collection comes out on Thursday, May 1st, 2025, and today’s Thursday, April 3rd, 2025. Meaning we’re a month away from the book’s release!

I’m super excited for people to read this book. I tend to write stories that fall into the novelette range (around 7,500-17,500 words), but finding them homes are a challenge. Only so many presses and magazines accept novelettes, usually on the shorter side, and then the places that do accept them either only have so many slots available that competition is fierce, or they’re invite only. Hopefully this book brings out a bit more interest for novelettes. At the very least, people will be able to read a lot of them at once. Some of them have even been previously published, while the rest are original.

So yeah, I’m hoping to get a lot of people to read this book. And in the meantime, I’m doing everything I can to get people interested. Just this past week, I’ve been uploading graphics with quotes from the book’s stories, and I like to think people have been enjoying them, and even getting chills from them.

I mean, look at this one.

Brrrr! Spooky! I knew going for shorter, snappier quotes would be helpful.

Anyway, if you’re at all interested in a spooky collection this late spring/early summer, or if you’d like to support me, I’ll leave links below. Walpurgis is available to preorder as an ebook from a certain stores, but more formats and stores will be available as time goes on.

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 out in the long run. In fact, I’ve already received some awesome reviews on Goodreads for Walpurgis, including a new one yesterday, and they’ve helped immensely. I’ll link to those as well.

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

Amazon
Apple Books
Goodreads
Kobo

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” Five Weeks Till Release!!!

Posted: March 27, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Time, for better or for worse, is moving along quite quickly. And that means we are a week closer to the release of my new collection, Symphony for Walpurgis!

For those of you who are unaware (though at this point, given how much I talk about it, I’d be surprised if you weren’t aware), Symphony for Walpurgis is a collection of nine novelettes I’m releasing on May 1st, 2025. The stories include tales of cryptids (“Famous”), malevolent spirits (“The Parasite Man”), and even a Jewish exorcism (“The House on Lafayette Square”). Yes, we Jews have exorcisms. Not often, but we do.

Here’s the blurb I wrote for the back cover:

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.

Neat, isn’t it? I think it gets the mood of the book across quite well.

Anyway, I’m very excited for this collection. Novelettes don’t have a lot of places you can submit to, and the ones you can often prefer shorter novelettes (for those who aren’t aware, a novelette is around 7,500-17,500 words). I tend to write stories in the novelette range, so I’m hoping if this book does well, more people will want to read and write stories in the novelette range, and maybe there will be more publishers for them.

At the very least, though, I would like this book to be successful. I really enjoyed working on these stories, about half of which have originally been published, and I want others to enjoy them. If I can, I would like to sell 500 copies within the first year. I’ll certainly work hard to make that happen.

Anyway, if you would like to check out Symphony, I’ll leave links below. It’s available to preorder now as an ebook, but there will be more formats and stores in time as time goes on. And there are even some early reviews, which you can find on Goodreads, also linked below.

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

Also be sure to check out the book trailer I made. Is it the most amazing book trailer ever designed? But does it include hints of what’s in the book and gets its mood down perfectly like the book blurb? I like to think so.

That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you’re as excited as I am for this new book. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

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Apple Books
Goodreads
Kobo

Some Updates on “Symphony for Walpurgis”

Posted: February 9, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Good evening, humans. I hope you’re doing well. If you’re like me, you’re avoiding the Super Bowl (now if it was the Superb Owl, I would tune in). And I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you some updates on Symphony for Walpurgis, seeing as a lot has happened since I last posted about it. Which was…just six days ago? Damn, it has been a crazy week!

Anyway, for those of you who don’t know, Symphony for Walpurgis is my upcoming book, a collection of novelettes, some of which were previously published and others which weren’t. The book is set to come out on May 1st, 2025, meaning less than three months from now. I’m doing my utmost to get as many people as possible reading it once it releases. In fact, I’m hoping to sell 500 copies and get fifty positive reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads in the first year!

Anyway, let’s get into these updates, shall we?

Walpurgis has two reviews now!

It’s crazy to think, but Symphony for Walpurgis already has two reviews on Goodreads. And even better, both are five-star reviews! Both came from advanced readers and Followers of Fear, but they’re willing to criticize me if necessary. The most recent review, written by Louise Conway, starts with this:

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.

“Best work yet.” I’m flattered. Of course, I aim to put out more and more work as time goes on, and to improve as well.

Anyway, this is good progress on my goal for fifty positive Goodreads reviews. I hope more of the advanced readers let people know what they think of the book, and that leads to plenty more readers when the book comes out. In the meantime, if you would like to read the full reviews, you can click below to check them out.

“Symphony for Walpurgis’s” Goodreads page

The author copies came in this weekend!

One of the most exciting moments for a published author is when the first batch of author copies comes in. That includes self-published books, and I felt that excitement this weekend when my author copies for Walpurgis came in. I designed the cover myself after a lot of trial and error, as well as the book’s back cover and interior. It was nice to see it had turned out so well!

And, being the kind of guy who likes to share every achievement, no matter how small, I filmed an unboxing video. Here it is, in all its cheesiness and beauty. Enjoy!

Hopefully, this is the first of many author copy deliveries. Like I said, five hundred sold copies in the first year, and most of those will likely come from live events. And I plan to find many homes for many copies.

The Book Trailer is Live!

Like with my last collection, Hannah and Other Stories, I sought to create a gripping book trailer for Walpurgis. This time, I wanted to have one out before the release date (that should have happened with Hannah as well, but life had other plans). And with a couple of hours of work this afternoon, I created what I think is an awesome book trailer for a collection of horror. Check it out.

Not bad, right? It’s nothing special, but I think it’s decent and conveys the horror of this collection well. If it gets even one or two people to read Walpurgis, I’ll be happy.

By the by, if you enjoyed these videos, please consider liking/commenting/subscribing. You know, all that usual YouTube shtick. You can find my channel here.

Book Quotes

One thing I learned from Hannah and Other Stories was how helpful releasing quotes from your book can be. Especially when you pair the quotes with interesting and relevant graphics. So, this time around, I’m creating graphics with quotes on them, and releasing them three times a week. Here are the first batch of quotes graphics, one from each story. Hope you find them exciting and interesting. They were fun to make.

I’ll post the next nine in a single post once they’ve been published on my social media. In the meantime, you can find each graphic as they’re uploaded on Walpurgis‘s page on this blog.

Final Word

Anyway, that’s all to say right now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll try not to overwhelm you with Walpurgis-related posts, though I do have to do my necessary advertising for it as we approach May 1st. And in the meantime, if you would like to preorder a copy of Walpurgis, I’ll leave links below. More stores and formats will be made available as we get closer, so keep checking back if you don’t see a store or format you prefer.

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

Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.

Amazon
Apple Books
Kobo

“Symphony for Walpurgis” Got Its First Review!!!

Posted: February 3, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Review, Scary Stuff, Writing
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Oh, happy day! It’s still only three months away, but Symphony for Walpurgis has its first review! And holy crap, it’s a five-star review! Everybody start dancing!

No surprise, this review, which I discovered on Goodreads yesterday, comes from an ARC reader. And not just any ARC reader, but from Priscilla Bettis, who is not just a fellow author, but has been a Follower of Fear for several years now. Since…I want to say before Rose came out? Anyway, she got the ARC of Walpurgis the other day and apparently got through it in a week before leaving a review.

Don’t be fooled, though: just because she’s a longtime Follower of Fear, doesn’t mean Priscilla isn’t willing to criticize a story when she dislikes it or finds something problematic. I should know, she’s beta read a few of my stories. So the fact that she gave Walpurgis five stars means she must’ve really liked it.

Here’s some of what she wrote:

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.

Dragon bats … not a story title, but a thing. One of the best creatures Rami’s ever created. You’ll find them in “Disillusionment and Trauma Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand.”

In “Blood and Paper Skin,” Grey, a college-aged man, and a group of his friends run into deadly trouble when out to buy drugs. It’s scary and tense, and Ungar makes it easy to like Grey and cheer him on. But there are twists. Other characters besides Grey come to the forefront. This is the twisty-ist story in the collection, great fun!

“The House on Lafayette Square” is a Jewish demon-exorcism story with freaky-scary descriptions. The story takes a left turn somewhere, so instead of everything being tied up in a neat bow, I was left DISTURBED at the end, maybe because I am a mother IRL. (Kudos to Ungar for that.)

Wow. I disturbed her. For a horror writer, that’s a serious compliment. Especially from someone who’s a big fan of horror.

And that’s only half the review! You should see the rest of it. In fact, I hope you do. Because I’m aiming to amass fifty (hopefully positive) reviews on Amazon and on Goodreads in the first year alone, so this is a good start! So, if Priscilla’s review gets you even a little bit interested in reading the book, then I hope you read the rest and then go preorder the book.

Here’s the back cover blurb for the book, which is out May 1st:

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.

I’ll leave links below in case you want to check the book out. And if, after the book is released, you read it and like it (or don’t), I hope you’ll leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and other readers out in the end.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be sure to check in with you guys when I have updates on Walpurgis or on anything else going on in my life and/or in my writing career. So, until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!

Amazon
Apple Books
Goodreads
Kobo
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