Posts Tagged ‘Saint Walpurga’

“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.

“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” Has Been Released!!!

Posted: May 1, 2025 in Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Hide in your homes and turn off all your lights! It is Walpurgis Night, also known as the Feast Day of Saint Walpurga, when witches are at their most powerful! And it is the release day of Symphony for Walpurgis, my brand new collection of novelettes!

I am so excited that this collection is finally out! I’ve been working on this project, first secretly and then not-so-secretly, for months now. It’s been a true labor of love, bringing together all nine novelettes–a length of story between 7,500 and 17,500 words that, in my humble opinion, doesn’t get enough love or attention–creating a spooky cover for the book, and doing everything in my power to get people interested in reading it. Including the book trailer you see below.

And I’m happy to say, my efforts have appeared to pay off. Not only did I get a lot more preorders, the most for any book I’ve self-published before, but I’ve already had some reviews from advanced readers, and they’ve all been extraordinarily positive. If things continue to go well, I hope more people will read this book and leave reviews so others can find out if it interests them.

And in case you’re interested, this book contains nine novelettes featuring tales like “Blood and Paper Skin,” about a group of teens who end up in what appears to be someone’s private jail/torture chamber, and learn the dark reason why they’ve been brought to this place; “Disillusionment and Trauma Sometimes Go Hand-in-Hand,” in which a teenage girl gets wrapped up in a plot to avenge her best friend, and ends up having the last laugh; “The House on Lafayette Square,” which is about a Jewish exorcism (yes, we have those); “Mother of Spiders,” about a small town in 1950s Ohio whose dark past comes back to haunt the present; “Famous,” about a wannabe Las Vegas starlet who will do anything to get what she believes is rightfully hers, including a deal with a beast straight out of cryptid legend; “The Little Goddess of Horror,” about the strange and eventful life of a beloved actress and scream queen; “The Parasite Man,” about a lawyer/loan shark whose family gets their just desserts from a malevolent spirit; “Cressida,” about a man keeping a mermaid with an uncanny resemblance to his daughter in his basement; and “Natural Predators,” about the crazy shit that goes down when a summer camp becomes ground zero for the next pandemic.

If that sounds like it might be up your alley, you can now order a copy using the links below. I’ll also include the link for the Goodreads page, in case you want to read the advanced reviews before you decide whether to check out the book or not.

And if you do, I hope you’ll let me know what you think in a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run. Not to mention, it helps other readers out.

Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to get a new tattoo, and then I’m off to celebrate the release of this wonderful new book. Until next time, good night, happy reading, and pleasant nightmares. I look forward to seeing what you all think of Symphony for Walpurgis.

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

What is Walpurgis Night?

Posted: March 1, 2025 in Progress Report, Reflections
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Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century saint who fought witches and whose feast day has inspired plenty of imaginations and plenty of fear.

You may have heard of Walpurgis Night, or a similar name, and wondered what it is, why it gives you such a chill, and how the heck you pronounce that name? With this blog post, I hope to answer a few of those questions.

First, the name. It’s pronounced “Wall-per-giss,” with the hard “g” sound, like “Garfield.” Important to get that out of the way first and foremost.

Second, what is this day? Simply put, it’s the feast day of Saint Walpurga (her name is also pronounced with a hard “g”), an eighth-century saint who was renowned for defeating pests, rabies, and witchcraft. Walpurgis Night, also known as Walpurgisnacht, Saint Walpurgis Eve, May Day, and Witches Night, is celebrated on her feast day, which begins on the evening of April 30th and continues through May 1st.

Celebrations for Walpurgis Night may include bonfires, doing various activities to ward off witches, and visiting Saint Walpurga’s tomb in Eichstatt.

Oh, and that part about witches? Yeah, Walpurgis Night is also believed in many places to be a night when witches meet for their semiannual sabbats. This is why it’s also known as Witches Night. Why? No idea, but I like to think witches either set their celebration day on Walpurga’s night in an act of defiance, or the Church put her feast day on the same date as when witches gather in hopes of weakening and fighting back against them.

And while its prevalence has fluctuated and changed over the years, Walpurgis Night’s influence has remained. It’s no coincidence that the Church of Satan was founded on Walpurgis Night 1966, and the very-separate Satanic Temple considers this day a solemn day to mourn the loss of witches, both real and accused, to superstition. In the movie Fantasia, the final sequence, Night on Bald Mountain, is explicitly stated to take place on Walpurgis Night, and in the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Walpurgisnacht is the name of the most powerful witch in the show’s universe.

And now, the holiday is the inspiration for my latest collection, Symphony for Walpurgis, which I planned from the beginning to release around the end of April/early May. When I remembered a certain holiday occurred right around that timeframe…well, you can see why I did what I did.

And now we’re two months away from the release of Symphony for Walpurgis. This is my newest collection, containing stories of cryptids, malevolent spirits, and even a Jewish exorcism. If you’re interested, you can click on the links below to preorder or, if you click on the Goodreads page, read Walpurgis‘s first couple of reviews. Yes, there’s already a few reviews. Isn’t that awesome?

And if you do end up preordering the book and reading it, I hope you’ll leave a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me and other readers in the long run.

And with that explanation, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I hope you found this explanation helpful and are now interested in reading Symphony for Walpurgis. I, meanwhile, will do everything in the next two months to get more people interested in reading it. So, until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and happy countdown to Walpurgis Night/Witches Night. I hope you’ll celebrate with me when the time comes.

Amazon
Apple Books
Goodreads
Kobo