Happy Halloween, my Followers of Fear. I hope you have a day full of spooktacular fun and wonderful scares. And thank you for all your support of this writer’s career. It means the world to me.
And until next time, good night and pleasant nightmares.
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?
Well, here we are. A month has passed. And is it just me, or did it pass by fast? Must be because so much happened in that month.
Anyway, you’re here, so let’s get to the meat of this post. As you know, last month I re-released my collection Hannah and Other Stories after it had gone out of print at the beginning of the year. The collection contains seven stories of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses, among other things, and now has a gorgeous new cover and edit, too.
And I’m happy to say, people have been showing interest in the collection. At my most recent event, in Chardon, I sold nearly half my copies of Hannah. I’ve also heard from several people who have bought copies or plan to buy them in the future. To know that people are reading and enjoying my books just makes my day. Especially since it’s October!
And now we’ve reached the one month mark. Honestly, after the book went out of print, I wondered what it would be like when I reached this point. Hell, since this the first time the book is out in a paperback edition (don’t ask, it’s a long story), I’ve been dreaming about where things would be once the paperback came out. And while not everything is the same as my daydreams (no dragon/motorcycle hybrids to ride around, for one thing), some of the details are right.
Like the smiles on people’s faces when I sign their books. And the photos I get from people who are excited when their copies come in the mail. Those moments mean the world to me.
Anyway, there’s still a little bit of October left, and I have a few events left before the end of the year (more on that later). So, if you would like to check out Hannah and Other Stories yourself; if you would like to support me; or if you’re looking for gifts for family and friends this holiday season, I’ll leave links below. After all, what horror reader wouldn’t love a book full of carnivorous horses, cosmic beasts, and the Paris catacombs, to boot? Especially around this time of year!
And if you end up reading the book, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and your fellow readers out in the long run. Plus, it’s just a nice way of letting authors know their work is being read and appreciated.
And what’s not to love about that?
Also, one more thing, Followers of Fear: in two days, my friends in HWA Ohio and I will be holding another Scary Saturday event at the Columbus Metropolitan Library! From 12p-4p on Saturday, October 25th, 2025, at the library’s Main Branch, me and my fellow horror writers will be doing readings, playing silly games, and even giving away a prize basket! And costumes are heavily encouraged.
You can register for the event using the link below.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to work, and later to drink in celebration of the big anniversary. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 8 days till Halloween! Have you met the carnivorous horses yet?
Once again, another post about Hannah and Other Stories being out. Once again, I hope you’re not sick of hearing about it.
But if you’re unaware, today marks three weeks since my collection, Hannah and Other Stories, was re-released. It was originally published in September 2023 through BSC Publishing Group, but it went out of print after the company and I split ways. I decided to re-release it on the two-year anniversary of the original release, complete with a new cover and a new edit. And, because BSC Publishing Group did not have a paperback edition the first time around (they had this whole publishing strategy regarding paperbacks and ebooks I’m not going to get into), it’s now available in a paperback edition.
Thus, I re-released Hannah and Other Stories on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025.
And I’m happy to say, in the three weeks since it’s come out, it’s been doing nicely. That might have something to do with it being October and the number of people looking for something spooky to read for the season. Or it might be me just giving a good pitch. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read a collection of short stories full of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses for the month of October? Even one of the supervisors at work was interested enough to download a copy to his Kindle!
And we’ve even gotten our first review of the new edition. Longtime Follower of Fear Priscilla Bettis left a five-star review of Hannah on Amazon a couple of days after it released, titling her review “Scary and Creative.” Which, obviously, I appreciate. Hopefully, that review encourages a lot more people to read the new edition and maybe leave reviews of their own. I know I would like that.
And if you are at all curious to check out Hannah and Other Stories, I’ll leave links below. As I said, it’s currently available in both paperback and ebook this go-around, and I hope to add an audio version if things go well. In the meantime, if you end up reading the book, please leave a review letting me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and your fellow readers in the long run.
And that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I will give you a slightly longer break between Hannah posts, as the one-month post will be coming out not next Tuesday, but on the actual one-month anniversary, October 23rd. But don’t sigh in relief just yet; if you don’t get a copy of Hannah or leave a review, I will find other ways to torture you. I’m evil that way, after all.
Anyway, until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 17 days till Halloween. If you’re not sending Halloween-themed cards to your loved ones, you’re doing something wrong. Believe me on that one!
These past few days, I haven’t done any writing. I haven’t done any editing. I’ve only done some blogging, but that feels more like a mix of writing, therapy, advertising, and socializing. It’s not the same as pure writing or editing. Instead, I’ve been watching anime, the new Ed Gein miniseries on Netflix, and a couple of scary movies.
Now, you might be wondering reading this, “Is something wrong with Rami? Did he get burnout?” Don’t worry, I’m not burned out. If anything, I’m just practicing balance to prevent burnout.
As you know, my life is busy these days. I have a full-time job that takes up a lot of my time and energy. I also have to do all the things a functioning adult does to maintain their existence (e.g. eating, running errands, exercising, etc.). And I have four events this month, the second of which is Saturday.*
And, on top of all that, it’s October. So, you know, I want to do spooky season things! I don’t feel right if I’m not watching all the movies and shows and reading all the books I can!
With all that going on, and keeping in mind that I’m doing several events close to one another, I decided to take a break. Not stop writing altogether, but just not work on it as doggedly as I have. Instead, I’d spend that time doing seasonal things. Allowing myself to do the activities that make spooky season…well, spooky season.
And you know what? It’s a nice break. Honestly, I think I needed it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the story I’m editing right now (a novella involving owls that requires quite a bit of rewriting), but working on it takes up time. But not being able to fit in all I love to do around this time of year was stressing me out! It felt like I wasn’t spending my favorite time of year the way I should.
So, I’ll continue this break through maybe Monday or Tuesday this week. I’ll continue celebrating the season in the meantime. And, when I’m ready and feeling energized while also feeling like I’ve celebrated October properly, I’ll get back to that story. With any luck, I’ll even have it finished before Halloween.
But for now, I’m going to get ready for bed and read some manga before hitting the hay. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and twenty-two days till Halloween. Better start figuring out what your jack-o-lantern is going to look like.
*Speaking of which, hope to see you in Chardon, OH for the Ohio Viking Festival/Cryptid Con this Saturday! I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readings. Should be a blast!
Well, we’re well into October, which means its every horror fan and horror writer’s favorite season. It’s also the season where the latter do our damnedest to get people reading our books, so I might as well keep up the tradition. Specifically, I’ll be promoting Hannah and Other Stories, which has been out in both ebook and paperback for two weeks now!
So, in case you didn’t know, Hannah and Other Stories is a collection of short stories that I originally published through BSC Publishing Group back in 2023. The collection contains seven tales, including tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses. Unfortunately, when my contract with BSC Publishing Group ended, the book went out of print, so I decided to re-release it on the two-year anniversary of its original release. That was two weeks ago, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
And, for the first time, the book is available in both paperback and ebook (we only did ebook last time). Not only that, but it’s got a new cover and a brand new edit. It’s even better than before!
And since we’re in the middle of October, it’s perfect reading for Halloween season, so I’m hoping plenty of people will want to read it. In fact, I’m doing quite a few events this month just to get the book in people’s hands (more on those below). With any luck, people will not only get copies, but read it. Maybe even review it.
And speaking of which, if you’re at all curious and want to read Hannah this Halloween season, I’ll include links below. And if you enjoy what you read, please leave a review or rating online somewhere. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps me out in the long run.
Until next time, my Followers of Fear, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 24 days till Halloween. Has anyone else started growing horns and a forked tail, or is that just me?
One more thing, my Followers of Fear: this Saturday, I’ll be in Chardon, Ohio for the Ohio Viking Festival and the Cryptid Con & Curios Fest (sort of like a double festival or a festival within a festival). I’ll be selling books and doing Tarot readings from noon to 6 PM, so if you can stop by, please do. I would be happy to see you.
It’s the first weekend of October, so you know what that means! It’s time to set up my Halloween yard display!
Since 2022, when I moved into my condo, I’ve enjoyed putting up a new yard display every October for spooky season. This year, I decided to do something a little different: instead of just putting out a bunch of random stuff, this year I put up something with a theme.
Ladies, gentleman, and non-binary/genderfluid people of class, I present to you “Hanging Out in the Graveyard!”
Neat, huh? And every character is special. We have Lizzie Borden (are you surprised that she’s in this?).
We have the kids (these skeletons were a gift for me from a friend. I’ve been waiting since March to dress them up and put them up in the yard).
We have an undead American Revolution soldier.
And we have the Ghoul of the Graveyard. Both are old Halloween costumes on a pair of skeletons. One final hurrah before they become unusable.
No surprise, I had fun planning this one and setting it up. I even filmed a silly little video of the yard. You can watch it here.
Anyway, that’s this year’s Halloween display. Here’s hoping it survives and none of the skeletons or tombstones fall over too frequently. One way or another, I know it’s going to be a hit with my neighbors.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. Good night, pleasant nightmares, and 26 days till Halloween. Ask your doctor if being bitten by a zombie, werewolf, or vampire is right for you.
Wow, can you believe it’s been a week since Hannah and Other Stories was released? And wow, what a week it’s been! Rosh Hashanah, the return of Law & Order, a million things at work, the release of my article “Scary Catharsis” (which you can read here). And now, we’re back at Tuesday.
And already, the new edition of Hannah and Other Stories is getting a lot of positive feedback. I’ve got a five star review on Amazon just a few days after the release, and, at the time of writing this, there are hopefully more on the way. Hell, one of the supervisors at work said he was going to read it (he preordered a copy a couple of months ago), so he might leave a review!
And with October up ahead, I have some events coming up. I’ll be selling books directly to readers. Hopefully, some of them will be interested in reading Hannah. I mean, a book full of stories featuring ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses? If that doesn’t sound like great Halloween reading, then I’m a tuna fish. And I’m not.
Speaking of which, if you would like to check out a copy or the review of Hannah, I’ll leave links below. And if you like what you read, it would mean a lot if you left a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and it helps both me and your fellow readers in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to a full day of work and hopefully more stories to work on tonight. Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and…31 days till Halloween?!
NOW IS THE TIME, NOW IS THE HOUR. WORDS ARE OUR MAGIC, HORROR IS OUR POWER!
Let the season of spooky fun begin.
Oh, one more thing, my Followers of Fear: I got a surprise event on Saturday! Bite This by Annie, aka The Spooky Bakery, is a goth bakery with a rotating menu, and they also like to help out the local writing community. And, with October here, they’re letting me and my fellow horror writers sell our books outside their bakery!
If you’re at all interested, please stop by the Bite This by Annie Bakery at 3009 North High Street, Columbus OH 43202 from 9 AM – 3 PM. Me and my fellow members of HWA Ohio will be selling books, I might be doing Tarot readings, it’ll be fun. Hope to see you there.
Today also happens to be Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, as well as a predicted date for the rapture. Coincidence? Yes, actually. I had no idea the second anniversary of Hannah‘s original release was the first day of Rosh Hashanah, and the rapture thing was first announced in June, long after I decided to release Hannah on its second anniversary. Still, it’s a hilarious couple of coincidences, and kind of poignant for Rosh Hashanah. Happy New Year (or “L’Shana Tovah,” as we say in Hebrew).
Anyway, onto the meat of this post. As I said above, two years ago I released a collection called Hannah and Other Stories, which contained tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and carnivorous horses. It was out for about fifteen months, until my contract with the publisher ended, and then it went out of print. After that, I decided to re-release it on the two-year anniversary of its original release, with a brand new edit and cover.
And that day is today.
I’m so glad Hannah is finally out again, and in paperback, too! (It was only released in ebook during the original run. Don’t ask.) I was very proud of this collection and the stories within, which were all original at the time it came out. And with this new edit and new cover, I think it’s even better than before. And with a paperback edition, even more people are going to be able to read it! They’re going to see it at events and maybe even want to buy and read it! They’ll even curl up with it on the couch and read it during the Halloween season!
And who knows? Maybe an audio version will be produced as well, if enough paperbacks and ebooks are sold.
If you’d like to check out the book, I’ll include the links below. I hope you’ll enjoy it if you decide to read it. And whether or not you do, I hope you’ll leave me a review. Positive or negative, I love reader feedback, and your reviews help both me and other readers in the long run.
That’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’m off to celebrate both the Jewish New Year and the new release (I have some special wine in the fridge). Until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 38 days till Halloween. Are you enjoying spooky season right now? I know I am.
Time flies when you’re visiting horror museums and editing stories, doesn’t it?
So, we’re one week away from the re-release of Hannah and Other Stories. If you’re unaware, this is a collection of short stories that was originally published in 2023. The stories include tales of ghosts, budding serial killers, and even carnivorous horses. The book went out of print at the end of 2024 when my contract with the publisher expired, but I’m re-releasing it a week from today, on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Two years from the day it was originally released.
And in paperback, no less! Last time, it was only available in ebook (don’t ask). I’m excited to see it in paperback.
Not to mention, with a new cover and a fresh new edit on the story. It looks absolutely beautiful, both inside and out, and I can’t wait for people to read it. Perhaps, if enough people check out the new edition, both physical and digital, there can even be an audio version. You never know.
And if you’re looking for a good collection to read this spooky season, or you’re interested in supporting me, or both, guess what? Hannah and Other Stories will be out in one week, but it’s available for preorder. (Paperback is only available for preorder at Barnes & Noble, because Amazon is weird that way and Kobo and Apple Books is digital only.) So, if you’d like to preorder a copy, I’ll include links to the retailers below.
And if you end up reading it and liking it, I hope you’ll leave a review. Positive or negative, I leave reader feedback, and it helps both me and other readers in the long run.
Anyway, that’s all for now, my Followers of Fear. I’ll see you next week, when the book comes out. May be having a sweet drink, too. But until next time, good night, pleasant nightmares, and 45 days till Halloween. Is that one of the Thousand Young in my front yard? And yours too?
Believe me, that’s going to make more sense when you read the book.
Rami Ungar The Writer 