So, if you have been here a while, you know I’m in the middle of editing a lot of stories, with the occasional new works sprinkled throughout. I’m calling this the Second Great Editing, as the original Great Editing was back around 2022 and 2023.
And you’re probably not wondering how that’s going, but I thought I would update you on how the Second Great Editing is going. And, to put it simply, it’s going well. Actually, it’s going very well.
The last time I talked about this, back in August, I mentioned that I had two novellas I needed to work on, plus a few new stories here and there. After that, my plans were open, but I had a feeling, of course, that there would be much more editing involved.
It’s been over two months since then, and I’m happy to say I edited those two novellas. One of them, by the way, I’d been putting off for ages due because it required a lot of rewrites. I’m still traumatized by having to rewrite two-thirds of Rose during one of the later drafts, after all. But once I started working on the novella, it came out wonderfully! I had such fun writing the new scenes and even finding a way to slide in Mothman! And as of last night, when I finished the edits on the novella, I couldn’t help but feel it was twenty times stronger than it was before!
Plus, Mothman. He’s a classic cryptid. You got to love any story he’s in, even if it’s just a silly cameo (though whether or not that’s what’s the case here, I’m not telling).
So, what’s next? Well, I wrote three short stories and one academic paper this year, and they need to be edited. So, I think I’ll do that next. I’ll also be sending the novella with the Mothman in it to a beta reader or two to see if they have any feedback for me.
And, I heard about an amazing anthology opportunity that I’m eager to participate in. It’s a long shot that I’ll get in, but I’ll write a story and send it in when the submission window opens. Who knows? I might get in.
And after that? Well, we’ll see what’s what then. But I have a feeling, the kind that usually comes true, it’ll involve editing. Though what I’ll be editing is up for debate.
Just a reminder, Followers of Fear: I’ll be at the Columbus Witches Ball this coming Saturday, November 1st, at the Ohio Brewing Company in Columbus, Ohio. In between the rituals and lectures, I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readings. If you’d like to join me, I’ll include links to buy tickets below.
And if you’re not able to come but would still like to support me, or you’re looking for a spooky book for Halloween or for someone’s holiday presents, then I’ll include a link for my books page. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have something for every horror fan to enjoy!
And if you end up reading something of mine, please leave a review online so I know. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback. And it helps both me and other readers out in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and only a day and three hours till Halloween. Am I the only one salivating from excitement and bloodlust? Or are you salivating as well?
The detective arrives at the crime scene and finds the body is nearly identical to another murder. A soldier is walking through a swamp, when they are warned by their sergeant that mines are buried underfoot. The bride leaves her groom at the altar, looking to find herself after years of being told what she should do with her life. The singer comes across Robert Johnson’s guitar, thought to be long lost, and finds there’s more than just history attached to it.
All of these could be the beginning of a story that starts in media res.
Latin for “in the middle of things,” a story that begins in media res is one that starts midway through the plot, rather than at the beginning. And believe it or not, a lot of stories start like this. Hell, you’re probably familiar with most of them. The Star Wars movies arguably all start in media res, as they all start when a conflict is well underway. The novel Gone Girl begins with the protagonist’s wife being discovered missing. Wicked, from novel to musical to movie adaptation (love those last two) always start with the Wicked Witch being a well known figure and with several events implied as having happened and being common knowledge.
That last example brings up something important: how do these stories start in the middle when there’s who knows how much backstory we’ve missed? Often, this is accomplished through dialogue, flashbacks, and exposition. Flashbacks are especially popular, with the majority of Wicked being flashbacks, and the Deadpool films using flashbacks to explain why the film starts off with Wade Wilson getting into some insane shit.
And in horror, in media res is also quite popular. From the classics like Dracula, Frankenstein and Jekyll & Hyde to modern entries like Firestarter and Nightmare on Elm Street. Many of my own stories also start this way: Rose begins with Rose Taggert waking up in a greenhouse with no memory of how she got there or of the past two years, “Queen Alice” begins with my main character Joshua Blumfield already giving his report on the urban legend, and “The Dedication of the High Priestess” begins with Annie Hummel going to a gallery after already serving as a model for three paintings.
Why do horror authors, as well as authors in other genres, begin their stories this way? Well, one thing is the immediate hook. Take Nightmare on Elm Street: it starts with Freddy crafting his claws and then chasing after a teenage girl, only to wake up right on time. We’re immediately left wondering what happened and why, and that keeps our interest.
This oil painting by friend and colleague Iseult Murphy is based on “The Dedication of the High Priestess.” The story is an excellent example of a story starting in media res.
It also makes for great suspense. Take Nightmare again: we’ve already witnessed what Freddy’s capable of in the first scene, and so we wonder what else he can do. Would that have happened if we started with Freddy’s first murders and then getting killed by the parents? That opening violence builds up our expectations and keeps us enthralled.
Finally, you manage to get through a lot of exposition writing this way. Take Gone Girl, for example. Gillian Flynn could have started the story with Nick and Amy meeting, getting married, and the fracturing of their relationship before Amy’s disappearance, but would that have been as fun? It’s more interesting and suspenseful to read about the disappearance and then see how their relationship developed.
Another great example would be my story “The Dedication of the High Priestess” (spoilers for a story that came out in 2022). As I said, that story starts with my protagonist Annie already having modeled for a famous artist. She then goes through the gallery, which then causes her to be caught up in the King in Yellow’s plot to come to Earth. I could have started with Annie taking ballet classes, being scouted for the painter’s new series, doing the modeling gigs, and then going to the gallery, but that would have taken a lot of time and pages, and a lot of effort to keep readers interested. Starting with the gallery showing, using dialogue and exposition to explain how we got to this start, and then getting straight to the horror was very effective.
So, there’s a lot of reasons to use in media res to start a story, no matter the genre. It won’t work with all stories (looking at you The Hogfather, Die Hard, and Kill Creek), but if it works with your story, and you can do all the backstory parts without any issue, I see no reason not to use it. After all, I use it all the time. And look at me now!
Thanks for reading, my Followers of Fear. I’m about to start a new story, and it starts so in media res, some readers might need to read the start again. I thought about starting it from earlier in the events of the story, what I would normally reserve for flashbacks or exposition, but it felt like it would take too long and take up too much of a word count. Thinking about it and weighing my options made me want to write this blog post.
And now, if you need me, I’ll be busy writing what may be the most Halloween-y story I’ve written to date. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!
In recent days and across my social media, as well as on my blog, the number of people following me has grown by leaps and bounds. Why is that? I have my theories, but this post isn’t about theories. Instead, it’s to better introduce myself to my new Followers of Fear, as I like to call the people following me and supporting my writing career.
And since I’m a horror writer, obviously I’m doing thirteen items to get to know me better.
So, without further ado, here’s what will hopefully be a fun introduction to yours truly. And who knows? Perhaps some of my long-time Followers of Fear might learn something that’ll surprise them. It’s happened before!
I’m a writer of horror and dark fantasy with five books under my belt. I’ve been writing since I was a kid, and in college, I started self-publishing books. My first book was a collection called The Quiet Game: Five Tales to Chill Your Bones, which came out in 2013. The next year, I published a slasher novel called Snake about a serial killer hunting mobsters in New York City (think John Wick, Taken and Friday the 13th got smashed into a novel). Both did okay, and continue to get readers today.
Five years later, I published my first novel with a publisher. Rose was released by Castrum Press in summer 2019, and followed a young woman turned into a plant/human hybrid (and that’s just the start of her problems). I followed Rose in 2021 with The Pure World Comes, a Victorian Gothic horror novel about a maid who goes to work for a mad scientist. And last year, in 2023, I published my second collection, Hannah and Other Stories, which was released by BSC Publishing Group.
That’s all five of my books out now. I’m proud of all of them and all I’ve managed to do with them over the years. And I plan to put out more in the years to come.
All five of my currently available books. I love them and am so proud of them (and their awesome covers).
I’m Jewish, queer, and have disabilities. Growing up, my life has been an interesting ride, to say the least. Not only did I grow up in a fairly religious Jewish household, but both my father and mother are rabbis. I went to a Jewish day school for most of my youth, learning Hebrew and Judaic subjects for half the day and then learning normal stuff the rest of the day. I also went to synagogue nearly every week, and attended Jewish teen and college groups until I graduated.
To this day, I still practice a lot of the religious practices I grew up with and feel a strong connection with my faith and heritage.
I’m also bisexual. I figured that out in college, and came out about half a year after I came to that realization. Probably took me that long to get comfortable with it because, even surrounded by accepting people and LGBT family members, I still worried about being persecuted. However, I did come out and it was all good, which was reassuring. And then some years later, I realized I was also aromantic (if you’re unfamiliar, it means I can’t feel romantic desire or attraction). Which, looking back, felt pretty obvious, considering I didn’t care about having a relationship all my life. But when I realized it, it was still a bit of a revelation.
And finally, I’m on the spectrum. Have been my whole life. I also have ADHD, a form of albinism, an anxiety disorder, and most recently, diabetes. Yeah, that last one was only diagnosed a couple of months ago, and it sucks! To say the least, it was a shock for me and I miss not being able to eat sweets or have a drink as much as I used to. But, on the bright side, I’ve improved my health by leaps and bounds since finding out, and I plan to keep it that way. Too much to do in my life, after all.
And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve made it a goal to increase representation of these three groups, as well as their intersections, in my fiction. So far, I’m meeting that goal, and hope to release some of those stories soon.
My writing influences. My major influence is, without a doubt, Stephen King. I read IT as a preteen and it was a formative moment in my life! That whole summer, I was transported to Derry, Maine and, when I finished that book at summer camp, I knew what kind of books I would write for the rest of my life.
I’m also majorly influenced by the ideas of HP Lovecraft and the subgenre of cosmic horror, as well as Anne Rice and a ton of anime and manga. All those creators and stories have led me to writing some really insane stories, such as Rose, which I mentioned above, or “Fuseli’s Horses,” one of the stories in Hannah, which is about carnivorous horses.
But I’m not complaining. People seem to like my work, after all.
I love going to the movies and to the theater. It’s rare that a month goes by without me going to see a movie. Usually it’s a horror film or a new superhero film, but I sometimes go see comedies, fantasy and sci-fi films, and anime films getting theatrical releases. I just love going to the movies! I didn’t get to go as much as I wanted when I was growing up, so starting in college, I went as often as possible. And I still do.
Most people are surprised to learn I like ballet. Then they see how much it appears in my stories.
And now that I have a decent day job, I also go to the ballet and to touring Broadway shows. My interest in ballet started probably in college, and as a working adult, I got really into it. It’s gotten to the point where I’m kind of obsessed and look for ways to insert ballet and dancers into the stories I write! And as for Broadway shows, I think Disney movies as a kid primed me to be a fan of those, though the breadth and depth of musicals out there is far wider than Disney can think up, as it turns out.
Now, I have subscriptions to both the local ballet company and to touring Broadway shows that stop in Columbus. And I have to say, I think I would be just as psyched for one of my stories to be adapted into a ballet or Broadway show as I would be for a movie. Maybe even more.
I have several tattoos. To be precise, I have a chest tattoo of a tiger with a blue Star of David, a full back tattoo of one of my favorite ideas from the horror genre, a wrist tattoo referencing some of my favorite anime, and a Tarot card on my right leg that’s about halfway done. However, while I have my tattoos, I don’t normally share photos of them. That’s partially because I just don’t feel the need to. My tattoos are for me to express myself and to have my body reflect who I am. So, their existence on my body is enough for me.
Still, they’re awesome. And I plan to get more as time and money allows.
My most popular work is Rose. I’ve been publishing for over a decade now, but none of my work has done as well critically or commercially as Rose. And I think I know why: it’s the unusual story of a woman turned into a plant/human hybrid. Very weird, very Kafkaesque, and very fantasy horror. Add in that it’s a short but twisty read with Japanese folklore and mythology mixed in, and it’s not surprising that that book does so well.
Plus, you gotta love that cover.
Anyway, if you would like to check out Rose, you can check out its page HERE. I hope you like it if you read it.
I go ghost hunting at least once a year. I’ve been lucky to go to several different locations to ghost hunt. From famous places like the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, OH and the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in Fall River, MA, to lesser known locations such as the Anchorage Mansion in Marietta, OH and the Bellaire House in Bellaire, OH, with the hope to visit and revisit many, many more.
Also, I try my best to get my investigations on YouTube and upload them to YouTube. So, if you would like to check out my ghost hunting videos, you can check out my channel HERE. They’re spooky good!
I make my own wine. Most people don’t realize that you can brew your own alcohol at home, but it is, and there are plenty of people of doing it, including me. I’ve made a batch of plum wine, and I just finished and bottled a batch of pumpkin wine (yes, pumpkin wine). And I’ve been making my wines based on colors of the rainbow: plum wine is red, and pumpkin is obviously orange. Yellow will be dandelion wine, green will be mint, blue will obviously blueberries, and indigo/violet will be elderberries. And I can’t wait to try them all!
The pumpkin wine I made, all bottled up. Looks good, doesn’t it?
I bought my first home two years ago. For millennials like me, it’s hard to find an affordable home, let alone a non-fixer upper that you don’t have to share with a bunch of other millennials. However, I was lucky enough to find and buy a small condo for myself two years ago, and I’ve been living in the Haunted Condo, as I call it, ever since.
Sadly, it’s not very haunted by anything except me. I don’t know why, I’ve done voodoo rituals and everything else to make the place haunted, but so far, no otherworldly dice. At least I can make one hell of a Halloween display every October and decorate the inside as I like!
My yard is the spookiest in the neighborhood every October.
I’m the chapter coordinator for HWA Ohio. The Horror Writers Association is an international organization that supports horror writers and helps them network and grow. Ohio’s chapter is about six or seven years old, and I’m the guy who runs it! Which was never my intention: some other members organized the chapter, and I volunteered to find a venue. Somehow, I kept arranging locations for us to meet, and that morphed into becoming the chapter coordinator. And after the parent organization set a formal election process for chapter coordinators for all chapters…well, I ran without competition. I guess people think I’m doing a good job or something?
Anyway, HWA Ohio has its own website, which lists our members and puts out news about us. If you would like to check the website out and support us, click HERE.
So proud to have a story from this collection adapted into a radio play.
I recently had my very first story adaptation. Remember my collection Hannah and Other Stories, which I mentioned above? Earlier this year, I became acquainted with a producer for WCBE 90.5, a local NPR station who interviews local creative types. He also runs a yearly Halloween show, where a short story is adapted into a radio play, with the roles played by local high schoolers.
“Hannah,” the lead story in Hannah and Other Stories, was this year’s story. It was my first time having a story adapted, and it was so, so good! The kids did really well in their roles, and it was amazing hearing my story brought to life on the radio.
And if you would like to listen to it, you can! It’s available to stream online, and you can listen to it in full HERE. Let me know what you think if you listen to it. The more people who listen, the better for future shows and future students. Plus, who knows? Maybe another one of my stories will get adapted. It happened once, didn’t it?
I tend to break out in song at any provocation. I kid you not, this is something I did daily in high school, and which I do quite frequently these days. In fact, I’m part of a critique group with some of my fellow Ohio horror writers, and they say it’s not a meeting if I don’t burst out in song at least once!
Too bad I sing badly, but hey, why should I let that stop me?
What I’m working on now. I’m juggling a few projects at the moment. For one, I’m putting together another collection of short stories, and I hope to have more on that in the coming days and weeks. I also recently finished a new novel, The Shape of Evil, which is about a 3D printer from Hell, and I hope to have that ready for pitching to agents and publishers by June next year. Finally, I also have a collection of novellas I plan to work on at some point, and I have a mummy novel I started but put aside for other projects that I plan to get back to.
Plus some short stories to send out to magazines and anthologies here and there. Yeah, I’m a busy guy, aren’t I? But that’s kind of the way I like it.
Anyway, that’s thirteen things you need to know about me. I hope you enjoyed learning about me, because I enjoyed writing it. And if you did, be sure to follow this blog and my other social media to keep up with what I’m doing and when I have new work coming out.
And if you would like to check out any of my other work, I’ll leave a link to my book page down below. You’ll find all my published works and then some there, including free stories. And if you like what you read, I hope you’ll leave a review online so I, as well as other readers, know what you think.
Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Occasionally, there’s a lot I want to post about, but none of it is enough for a new blog post on its own. In those moments, especially when it’s been a minute since I last posted, I like to do a little (ha ha!) post with quick updates about what I’m working on lately and things going on in my life.
So, without further ado, let’s get to some updates!
Working on New and Shorter Works
As many of you know, I spent most of last year editing various stories, especially those in Hannah and Other Stories. After the Great Editing was over, I wanted to do nothing but write new things, and a lot of them, too. And I’ve done just that, working on one short story, a couple of novelettes, two novellas, and, much as I didn’t expect it to, a new novel (more on that below). In total, I’ve written six new stories. One, “White Leaves,” will be published on an upcoming episode of the Tales to Terrify podcast, another is with an alpha reader, and the others need a second draft.
Looking forward, I have three new stories I want to work on. One, a story set in the Cthulhu Mythos, I’m currently writing an outline for. Once all three are done, I’ll actually edit some of these stories and try to get them published.
Shape of Evil and Crawler
Remember I mentioned above I wrote a novel? That novel, The Shape of Evil, was originally supposed to be a novelette or a novella, but I guess the story had other plans. Otherwise, I would have hesitated before committing to such a long project. Anyway, the story is about a 3D printer from Hell, and I plan to do a second draft of it in December. While the novel took me six months to write, I’m hoping the editing takes only a few weeks to two months.
Afterwards, I plan to get a beta/sensitivity reader to look at it (the protagonist is a non-binary teen, so I want to make sure I’m representing the community in a way that’s positive), and do another draft based on their feedback. After that…well, I want to pitch this story at StokerCon next year. See if I can find an agent or publisher for it right off the bat. We’ll see what happens.
And as for my mummy novel, Crawler, yes, I still plan to finish it. I need to finish all these other stories and then edit some of them, but yes, I still plan to finish it. I hate that I haven’t worked on it for so long, but I will get it done. Just you wait and see.
Upcoming Events
As many of you know, I have a big day on October 26th, 2024, here in Columbus. First, the downtown library will be hosting HWA Ohio for an event called Scary Saturday. It’ll be a big day full of readings, short lectures, fun and spooky games, and plenty of local authors selling their books, among other things. I’ll be there selling copies of Rose and giving a lecture on how horror can be therapeutic to some readers, as well as generally helping out.
And then in the evening, some of us will be heading over to the Thurber House, a local writing-focused organization, for their Halloween celebration to do readings and attend spooky tours. I’ll be reading from Rose and selling whatever copies are left over. Should be a good time.
And while I might be doing fewer events next year (can you blame me in this economy?), I do have a few I’m already scheduled to attend. I’ll be at Akronomicon in Akron, OH on February 1st, 2025, and I’ll be at Halfway to Halloween in Ann Arbor, MI on May 11th, 2025. Both sound like big events, so I’m looking forward to being there for the very first time.
And if other events come up, I’ll be sure to let you all know.
Other Stuff
There are some things I would like to discuss in detail here, but I’m not ready to do so just yet. I will say that I’m doing more to take care of my physical and mental health due to changes in my life. I am working out and eating healthier these days for the former, and I’ve noticed a vast improvement.
As for my mental health, I’m just doing a lot of different things, including finding time for self-care and talking to the right sort of people, to make sure life’s worries and cares don’t get me down. I’ve also noticed a vast improvement on this.
(Though for both, there is still room to improve).
Finally, a big announcement: I’ll be going to Israel at the end of the year.
I know, I know, there’s a war and I disagree with A LOT of what Israel’s government does. However, I do feel that the Land of Israel is my homeland and maybe the last refuge for me and my fellow Jews on this Earth. And it’s important at this time for my people to ensure this country continues to exist, whatever our feelings about the current situation.
Besides, I haven’t been since I was 17 and a friend of mine is getting married there, so I guess no time like the present.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you’re as excited to read the works above I mentioned once they’re ready. In the meantime, if you want to support me, or you’re just looking for a good scary story (and I figure you would be, with only fourteen days to go to Halloween), I have plenty of good stories for you to check out. From plant/human hybrids and strange gods to Mafia-hunting serial killers and carnivorous horses, I have something for every horror fan, including some free stuff. I’ll leave a button below if you want to check out my work. And if you do, be sure to leave a review so I know what you thought.
Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
So yeah, it’s another anniversary! And this one’s very special. It’s the fifth anniversary of my novel Rose!
For those of you who don’t know, Rose was my first novel with a publisher and is my most popular book to date. The story follows a young woman who gets turned into a plant/human hybrid, which starts her on a desperate quest for survival. I first had the idea for the story in the middle of a science fiction literature class in college (yes, my school offered that course). I later wrote the story as my college thesis, and then edited it on and off through the years.
In 2018, I was introduced to the editor of Castrum Press through a friend, who agreed to publish Rose. Fifteen months and several drafts later, Rose was released and has been getting enthusiastic readers ever since. I even got some of my Followers of Fear to send me photos of them with the book for a special video I made. Check it out!
Not bad, huh? It’s been a while since I’ve edited anything like this, so I’m proud of the work I did. And thanks to everyone who contributed a photo and their thoughts about the book to the video. You don’t know how much that means to me.
And really, it means so much to me that so many people have been reading and enjoying Rose. Through the pandemic, and elections, and everything else we’ve dealt with over the past five years, Rose has continued to find readers who have taken the time to tell me how much they love the book. And with so many other great books out there for people to read, I find that frankly amazing.
Be sure to check out Rose this week! It’ll be a frightfully good time.
Anyway, if you’re at all interested in checking out Rose, guess what? In honor of the five-year anniversary, Rose is on sale from today through June 27th! So, whether you prefer paperbacks, ebooks, or audio books, you can grab a copy at a great price till next Thursday!
And if you like what you read, please leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it not only helps me, but other readers in the long run.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you enjoy reading what will hopefully become your new favorite fantasy-horror novel. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
So, if you’re unaware, I’ve been working on a new story about a 3D Printer from Hell. It’s been a crazy work in progress, which I’m currently calling The Shape of Evil. And, after a lot more time working on this story than I normally like (I started this story in March, and it’s now June), I’m now halfway through the first draft.
Honestly, I’m glad I finally got this far. My life has been super busy since I got back from my vacation in March, and so I haven’t been able to make as much progress as I had hoped to by this point. Plus, this story was originally planned to be a novelette or novella. But, like The Pure World Comes, the story had other ideas and decided it wanted to be a novel. And a novel is what it’s become, at 163 pages (8.5 x 11, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font) and 44,584 words.
For the record, the first Harry Potter novel, which is also the shortest, is about seventy-seven thousand words. So yeah, since I’m only halfway through the story, this novel could end up around ninety-thousand words when it’s done. Which will hopefully be by the end of August, if I can get some free time to work on it. The story takes place over summer vacation, so I would like it finished before summer ends.
Then again, you know what they say: “man plans and God laughs.”
Still, I’m excited to tackle the second half of this novel. I’m not sure it’ll be any good (is any author sure of that?), but it’ll be great to get this story finished and then see if I can find it a home. In fact, I’ve already made plans on how I’m going to go about doing that. I won’t say anything now about those plans (see what I said in the last paragraph), but I think a story like this has a good chance of finding a home and maybe even getting a strong following.
I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on the progress and how things go.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for a spooky story, or if you just want to support me, why not check out one of my works that are already published? I’ve got quite a few, and they’re all quite unique. I mean, how many other authors write about carnivorous horses?
Anyway, if you’re interested, head to my Book Links & Excerpts page using the button below. You’ll find all my published works, including some free stories available to download. (Though this month, I highly recommend checking out my novel Rose and my collection Hannah and Other Stories. I think they’re both some of my best work.) 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 in the long run.
Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.
I swear, I didn’t set out to have so many anniversaries between May and July. Most of it is coincidence.
Anyway, as you can see from the title and the above graphic, my novel Rose is marking five years since release next week on Thursday, June 20, 2024. The novel follows a young woman named Rose Taggert who wakes up with no memories of the last two years. She soon turns into a plant/human hybrid, setting off a chain of events that not only threaten her life, but those she loves. It’s a strange, Kafkaesque fantasy-horror novel, and it’s my most popular work to date.
And in honor of this momentous occasion, the book will be on sale from June 20 – June 27. Whether you prefer paperback, ebook or audiobook, Rose will be available for a great, low price. So if you like the sound of the story, stop by your favorite retailer next week and pick up a copy!
Also, in the meantime, if you’re interested, my novel Snake is celebrating its ten-year anniversary. This one is a slasher, and follows a serial killer hunting mobsters in New York City. Think John Wick, Taken and Friday the 13th got smashed into a novel together. The sale for Snake is going through Monday, June 17, so why not grab a copy? I’ll leave the links below.
And if you read either book, or any of my books, I hope you’ll leave me a review once you have. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run (not to mention other readers).
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll be back very soon with more news very soon. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!
The Ohio State Reformatory at sunset. Isn’t it beautiful?
Can you believe it’s been more than a week since I last posted? I’m almost disappointed in myself!
So, this weekend was ParaPsyCon, which for those of you who don’t know, is a paranormal convention held every year at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, OH. The Reformatory was once an active prison, but is now the state’s designated prison museum, a film set (it was the filming location for The Shawshank Redemption, among other movies), and one of the most haunted places in America.
Not surprisingly, the prison has plenty of paranormal investigations throughout the year, dedicated employees for that purpose, and ParaPsyCon, which I’ve gone every year since 2021 as a vendor, selling books and doing Tarot readings. And you know what? I really love going (as well as ghost hunting there when I get the chance).
However, last year did not go as well as I’d hoped. Between Pennhurst Asylum in Pennsylvania having their own paranormal convention the same weekend and possible economic worries at the time, many of the vendors last year, myself included, did not make as much as hoped. It was bad enough that I actually considered skipping this year (especially since the amount needed for a table went up). In the end, however, I decided to go again.
I’m glad I did.
I keep a very positive attitude most of the time. But lately, I’ve been frustrated that I’m not closer to my goals of writing full time. Since March, the amount of time I have available to write seems to have been reduced drastically, so I feel like I’m getting through projects a lot slower than I’d like to. And as much as I market my work, it’s not easy to market or get people to read my work, which bums me out because of how much I’m trying to get people to check my books out. Coupled with trouble finding homes for stories I really believe in, stressors in my life (work, finances, etc.), and maybe a tad bit of jealousy over seeing other writers’ successes, I’ve often felt like Sisyphus, rolling that boulder up a hill only to see it fall back to the Earth.
(And yes, these are things all writers deal with at one time or another. And yes, there are plenty of people out there who have it a lot worse than I do. But that doesn’t change how frustrating it can be.)
Which is why I’m very happy I went to ParaPsyCon as a vendor this year.
Besides seeing my friends, being in a place I absolutely love, and even doing a little ghost hunting (more on that in a future post), it was just a balm for my writer’s soul. On the very first day of the con, two people came up to my table to tell me they’d bought a book off me last year, read it, and loved it! Both promised they would write reviews when they can (I hope they remember), and one even bought another book off me after telling me he had hoped I would be there.
And that was only the beginning. A coworker from my day job came to the convention after I told her about it, bought two books for her daughters, and then got a Tarot reading she found very helpful. I woke up this morning to see a new review for The Pure World Comes on Goodreads. One woman bought a copy of Rose because the cover reminded her of a dream she had the night before and she felt it was a sign. One guy who bought a copy of Snake from me said he’d actually seen some of my YouTube videos and that may have been part of his reason for buying a book.
I’m still thinking of that last one. I make those YouTube videos, but it’s hard to tell if those actually lead to book sales. Now, I have some proof that making them has been a productive use of time. (If at all interested, check out my channel here.)
All this and more happened. And all told, I ended the day not just with more than the minimum I wanted to make this weekend, but I felt rejuvenated. Not only are people buying my books, they are reading them and enjoying them. They’re going out of their way to find me and tell me this. And I’m learning firsthand how much my hard work is paying off.
And moving forward, as I work hard on my writing, I’ll keep that in mind so I can keep my frustrations away. I’m not close to writing full time yet, but I am making meaningful progress. And I will continue making that progress. Bit by tiny bit.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m exhausted but happy, and I hope to be back soon (I have some videos from ghost hunting the other night I look forward to sharing). In the meantime, if you’re looking for something scary to read, be sure to check out my books using the button below. There’s plenty there, including free stories you can download, so be sure to check them out. And if you like what you read, leave me a review. Both of those actions help support me immensely.
In addition, the five-year anniversary of the release of Rose is coming up and I’m working on something special for it. If you have a copy of the book, please send me a photo of you with the book and one word you would do to describe the book. I’m planning on putting together a video of the photos, so if you send me something at ramiungar@ramiungarthewriter.com, it’s likely to make an appearance. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Anyway, until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night and pleasant nightmares.
Raise a glass in celebration! Unless it’s before five or you have some other good reason to not be drinking alcohol right now, then instead lift a Diet Coke or glass of orange juice or coffee or something.
So, as I said last week, my Victorian Gothic horror novel The Pure World Comes came out two years ago today. The novel follows Shirley Dobbins, a maid who thinks she’s getting the job of a lifetime when she’s offered a position at the manor of the Baronet Hunting. However, strange things are happening at the manor, known as the Hunting Lodge. Things that terrify and bring back things from Shirley’s past that she would rather forget. In addition, the baronet is researching some very strange science and Shirley gets wrapped up in it. All this will have an explosive conclusion that will threaten not only Shirley’s life, but those she loves as well.
It’s kind of like Frankenstein and Crimson Peak had a baby together. With an appearance by Jack the Ripper for some added terror.
Anyway, to celebrate the two year anniversary of The Pure World Comes releasing, I’m doing a sale! From today, May 10, through May 17, the book will be on sale in multiple formats from multiple retailers. Even the audio book will be on sale from select stores (I can only do sales on the audio book from Spotify, B&N, Apple and Chirp)!
This is a great opportunity to check out the book if you’re interested, so why not do so? I’ll leave links below so you can purchase from the retailer of your choice. And if you do, and you end up reading the book, I hope you’ll leave me a review letting me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me grow as a writer as well.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you’re looking forward to this book as much as I am looking forward to you reading it. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!
If you have read and have a copy of Rose, one of my other novels, please take a photo of yourself with the copy and send it to me with a single word to describe the book. I’m gathering photos for a project in honor of Rose‘s own anniversary next month, so if you can contribute one, it would make my day.
Next week is ParaPsyCon! If you’re in or around Mansfield, OH on May 17-19, please stop by the Ohio State Reformatory for the biggest convention of ghost hunters, psychics, and more around. I’ll be there selling books and doing Tarot readings, and I would love to see you there. You can find out more details here.
That’s really all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!
I did say I would get a post out between last Friday and this Friday that wasn’t about The Pure World Comes, didn’t I?
So, as I’ve mentioned before, my novel Rose is coming up on its five-year release anniversary. And I’m doing something a bit different to celebrate the momentous anniversary. Specifically, I’m trying to put together a video of people with their copies of Rose, along with one word they would use to describe the book. To do this, I need photos of people with their copies of Rose giving me that one word they would use.
So, I’m asking all my Followers of Fear to help me with this project. If you have a copy of Rose, paperback or ebook, please take a photo of yourself with your book and send it to me with one word you would use to describe the book. You can send your photo and your adjective of choice to ramiungar@ramiungarthewriter.com. If you do, I’ll put it in the video.
Now, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. It’s not as if I can force you, after all. However, I need as many photos as possible to make this video longer than half a minute. So, if you can, please take that photo and send it to me along with one word to describe the book. And please send it along by May 31st. That should give you plenty of time, so please send your picture along.
Thank you, and I cannot wait to see what you send me. I’m very excited to be marking this anniversary and to be putting together this video for the anniversary. If all works out, it should be fun.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares!
If you haven’t read Rose yet but would like to check it out, the links are listed below. If you end up reading it, I hope you’ll leave a review so I know what you thought. As well as send me a photo and an adjective, but no pressure. Thanks, and happy reading!
Rami Ungar The Writer 