Posts Tagged ‘The Quiet Game’

TQG cover

Apparently God felt like being nice to me (thank you Sir). I checked the website for the US Copyright Office, and The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones, has been copyrighted. That means The Quiet Game will be coming out in one month!

I’m super-excited and I cannot wait to put this baby online, possibly with a new cover (I’ll let you know later in the week how that goes) and in print and e-book version (hopefully). If you haven’t checked out The Quiet Game book trailer yet, please click below:

You can also like the FB page if you want to, and I encourage you to do so. If you want to, please click here. I hope you check out the page and that you’re as excited as I am for the release.

START THE COUNTDOWN! I have to modify my book page.

Well, Reborn City is off to the copyright office, I hope to have a new cover for The Quiet Game sometime this week, and if God’s feeling particularly nice, the copyright for The Quiet Game will finally come in. I only have a single short story to finish up before I’m free to work on my next two writing projects.

And since you’re reading this post, I’m assuming you’re curious as to what my next two projects are. Well, I’ll tell you: this summer, I’m writing not one, but two novels! Yes, two novels. I plan to switch off between chapters, doing one chapter for one novel and then doing one chapter for the other before switching back to the first novel.

But now you’re probably wondering why I want to do two novels. The reason is that I was able to write Snake in six months. Yes, that’s the reason. That’s the fastest I’ve ever written a novel, and even the first draft was a damn good one. And let me tell you, I have a lot of stuff I wish to write. I want to write the sequel to RC, which I’ll be calling Video Rage. Actually, I kind of have to write that one. But there’s a bunch of other novels that I want to write, and if I only do one book at a time, I’ll never get to some of them in a timely manner.

Then again, if I do too many at once, I may get burnout and my work will suffer. So two seems a fair balance. With that in mind, I’ll be able to get to do more of the stories I want to write in the future. And right now, I’ll be able to work on two very interesting, very distinct stories…though the protagonists are similar in some ways. Not many, but some. Enough that they could be friends if they ever met. But they won’t.

Alright, enough rambling! Let’s go over those two novels! One of course is Video Rage, which is the sequel to Reborn City. RC, as we all know, is about street gangs in a post-apocalyptic future and their connections to a very shadowy organization. VR will pick up where RC left off, following the characters around as trouble finds them at every corner…and there will be some internal conflict that may threaten to tear our group of protagonists apart. How will they stay together? And how will they survive a world that is stacked against them? That’s the excitement of VR.

The second novel, I’ve only spoken about once. Does anyone remember that article I wrote, back around March, about some prominent rape cases at the time and how they related to a novel I wanted to write? If you don’t remember and need a refresher or you’ve never read that post, please go ahead and click this link, but it’s that novel mentioned in the page that I want to write. I feel it’s time to start on this particular story, for a number of reasons, and not just limited to the ones listed in that article.

So what is the name of this particular novel, about a girl who was raped and the travails she goes through in the novel help her heal and confront her past? I decided that it’s be best to name it after the character herself, and as for a name, I’ve decided to go with Laura Horn. Laura will confront her past, and in so doing, she will also save the nation (I plan on setting the story in Washington DC). I think it’ll be a great challenge to write and I can’t wait to see where the story goes.

So Video Rage and Laura Horn. Between the two of them, I’m going to have a very busy summer. But I think it’s also going to be a very productive one as well.

Let’s get started!

On Wednesday, I created the cover for Reborn City out of a photograph and Photoshop. Problem was, I wasn’t completely satisfied with it. So, after much thought and encouragement from the ever-helpful Matt Williams, I turned to CreateSpace. If you don’t know what CreateSpace is, it’s a program through Amazon that you can use to self-publish ebooks, paperbacks, and all sorts of wonderful things. I’d never considered using CreateSpace because I heard it costs money, but I learned that only some services do, while others are very DIY and free-of-charge. And I like those options.

Now check out the old cover:

RC cover

Now check out the new one:

Reborn City

Same photograph, better picture. Sure, there’s no graffiti-esque writing, but this looks better, more professional. And maybe someday, if God is good to me, I can create the cover of my dreams with a later edition.

And guess what? CreateSpace also does print-on-demand paperbacks for no cost to the author, just a small percentage of royalties. Do you know what that means? It means all my books can be someday turned into ebooks and paperback editions! All you have to do is order them from Amazon!

And of course I’ll try to do this with The Quiet Game, get the cover to be customized so that it stays the cover. That’s one I can be satisfied with, I just hope I can get it onto the editions. I hope you’re as happy as I am! If I can, I’ll get the cover loaded up tomorrow, along with sending RC to the copyright office. It’s going to be fantastic!

Expect Reborn City November 1, people, and The Quiet Game this summer whenever that gosh-darn copyright is processed. Ooh, I’m so excited. Hope you’re excited with me!

Oh, I am feeling good tonight, ladies and gentle-bloggers! After going at it for hours on end with only a few breaks to eat, use the bathroom, and working with my sister to create the base to the cover, Reborn City is done! It’s been a crazy and long process for this novel to reach this stage, begun in 2009 and finished right before I graduated high school, but I’m happy we’ve reached this stage.

I’d like to thank my sister Adi Ungar, who helped me with the cover (I’ll unveil it tomorrow after I’ve worked on it a little, God-willing), Matthew Williams for his tireless editing and tolerance to my semicolons and prodding (you’ll get part of that prize, I assure you Matt), and to all those who have supported me over the years and given me advice and encouragement.

Starting tomorrow, the easy parts of the publication process begins: I’ll write a dedication, a note to the readers, a letter of acknowledgement. Then I’ll format the novel so that it’s easy to read on e-reader. After that I’ll get the cover done and send it all to the copyright office, giving me plenty of time till November, when RC hit’s the digital stands. During the waiting period, I’ll create a book trailer, do interviews, create a Facebook page, spread the word, and get people excited. Oh, and The Quiet Game will be coming out during that time, so I’ll do some work on getting that out as well.

I’ll also decide what I want to write in the meantime (though I have a pretty good idea of what I’ll be writing at the moment). I’m looking forward to moving on and writing something new, I can tell you that much.

Wish me luck. I can promise exciting things from here on out, ladies and gentle-bloggers.

Have you downloaded a copy yet?

Have you downloaded a copy yet?

It was bound to happen eventually, but I’m glad it did happen sooner rather than later.

On the Smashwords website, I got a review from a David Blake. Giving Daisy a rating of 3 out of (I’m assuming) 5 stars, this is what he had to say:

“An okay story.  The writing’s quite good for the most part, as it takes the trouble to describe things, yet often blending the descriptions in with the action.  The villain is given sufficient character, his background and motivation being conveyed by clues rather than by a less satisfying full-on explanation.
The main problem I had with the story is that Marie’s actions frequently suggest she’s been trapped in the building for a very long time, and yet the story never really gives the reader a proper sense that she has.  There are windows, yet Marie never looks out of them to see where the building is (she’s surprised when it later starts getting demolished).
The thought of a crazy hobo having (or using) an iPod didn’t quite ring true.
And there are some awkward lines too, such as unbuttoning buttons, and the use of the word ‘from’ twice-over (ie ‘from which the music was coming from’).
Overall, an average story with some good points and some not so good ones.”

Well, I guess it’s average because it was a short story from high school. I can only do so much in a short story, and since it dated from that period, it’s not as good as I’d like it to be. Still, I thought it deserved publication, which is the reason I selected it to be the promotional piece for The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones. Hopefully more reviews will come in as time goes by. After all, reviews are a very important way for self-published authors to spread spread their work.

If you’ve yet to check out Daisy, I strongly encourage you to do so. It’s free on most websites and can be downloaded onto your e-reader, phone, or even a laptop or desktop computer. And when I finally get the copyright for it, get psyched up for The Quiet Game, coming out this summer.

All for now. I have a short story to write.

Yes, I have some good news for you, and I cannot wait to share it with you. So I shall not mince words and just tell it to you, in order from smaller pieces of news to bigger pieces of news. Here we go:

1. I finally bought a Kindle. Yes, I finally bought one. It took a lot of saving of Amazon gift cards, taking part in those websites where you fill out surveys for prizes, and more than a little resisting the urge to buy mangas I can’t get at my local library or through interlibrary loan services. But yes, I finally bought one, and it should be arriving sometime next week. I’m very excited, not only that I’ll have my own Kindle, but I can download the books of friends and fellow authors I’ve met while blogging and on Facebook. Heck, I can even download and read my own fiction on my Kindle.

And speaking of which…

2. Daisy has been downloaded 130 times. Yes, the short story I published as a promotional piece for The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones has been downloaded that many times. I’m very grateful to all those who are downloading and I hope that if you decide to do a review on Amazon or Smashwords or B&N or wherever, that you let me know so I can feature it here on Rami Ungar the Writer. And if you haven’t read Daisy yet, please do. Unless you’re easily scared to the point that you soil yourself when you get scared, in which case I don’t recommend reading.

And last, but certainly not least…

3. I’ve accepted a new opportunity. Some of you may remember I wrote an article for the blog Self Published Authors Helping Other Self-Published Authors. Well, one of the blog’s writers, Ruth Ann Nordin, emailed me and said she really enjoyed my article and asked if I would like to be a regular contributor to the blog. I had maybe a moment’s hesitation before I emailed an emphatic “YES!” As of today I am now a contributor and will have a profile page and whatnot soon. I already have a few ideas for what I’d like to write, including interviews with other self-published authors and some more articles with tips for writers on how to do this or that for their stories. I’m really excited and I would like to thank Ruth Nordin for thinking so highly of my article and  for giving me this chance. I won’t let you down.

That’s all for now. If I have any more good news, I’ll be sure to share it with you. Wish me luck in the future.

daisy-cover

I just went over the number of downloads on “Daisy”, the promotional short story I published for The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones. Guess what? The number of downloads has passed 100 (107 to be exact)! Thank you all for downloading and for reading. I hope you continue to read and to download, and if you feel so inclined, please write a review online or spread the word among your friends. It means a lot to me if you do.

And while I have you, I’d like to let you know that on the page listing my books, I’ve added Reborn City and Snake to the list, along with projected publication dates. Take a look for descriptions and for projected dates.

I’ve officially passed another blogging milestone on the road to becoming an author, and that is passing the 250 followers marker (in this case though I have 251, so it’s coming a bit late but better late than never, right?). I’m very happy and would like to thank everyone who’s been supporting me and following me up till now.

For most of the first year I was writing this blog, I didn’t have a lot of followers and considered it a good day when I had one view. Yes, I was that desperate at one point when it came to this blog. A few times I thought of giving up the blog because not a lot of people were reading it and authors hate it when their work isn’t read. But, whether through sheer perseverance, stubbornness, or a little bit faith, I continued writing, reading other blogs, and enjoying the simple art of writing to people across the Internet and the world. All that paid off, as this post attests.

Once again, I’d like to thank everyone for continuing to support me on the road to becoming a novelist and that you continue to support me as I await the copyright for The Quiet Game and for the final draft of Reborn City to be finished. Thanks, and I’ll write more later.

As of this evening, I’m only fifteen chapters away from finishing the third draft of my thriller novel Snake. Boy, it’s been a lot of work. I added two chapters, and I cut out a bunch of words and I added a lot more words than I deleted because it was necessary…and I’m starting to worry that it’ll be so long nobody will want to read it. It’s already kind of scary. If it’s long too, will anyone want to read it?

I hope. And I also hope to get this draft done by the end of this coming Memorial Day Weekend. Because once I’m done, I’d like to work on other projects before I decide if I need another draft or if I should go straight to the presses. I want to edit a couple of short stories that have been waiting for their next drafts. I want to finish “Vile”, the short story about coming back from the dead that I had some writer’s block on when I last looked at it. And I want to write a short story that’ll be a homage to Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Premature Burial” (and yes, I love  The Following despite how crazy its story can get). And yes, I want to put out The Quiet Game and get ready for when it’s time to put out Reborn City.

But I do like how this draft of Snake has turned out. With every draft my story is a bit more polished, what the characters do makes more sense. I added a lot of character development and I fixed some things that I’m pretty sure some fanatic will nitpick to death on the Internet. And I’m sure that if I do another draft, give my story to a beta reader, or just send it to the presses, I can at least say this story turned out much better this draft.

So whether or not you like books up to 400 pages, I hope this book finds its niche and a group of fans…and hopefully not any mentally unstable fans. Until that time though, I’m going to finish this draft and keep working on my writing. Wish me luck.

A while back I announced that I was submitting a short story to get a copyright so I could publish it as a promotional piece for my upcoming collection of short stories, The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones. I’m happy to announce that the short story in question, Daisy, has its copyright and is now available on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and other formats as an e-book under the title Daisy: A Short Story. I’m very excited to share this news with you and I hope you’re just as excited to read my work now that it’s available.

I also regret having to inform you that while on all the other formats I was able to make Daisy free, on Amazon they wouldn’t let me make it free, settling for nothing less than ninety-nine cents. Why, I have no idea, but I tried to make up for it by opting for the lesser royalties option, so I’ll receive less of the money from sales. Once again, sorry Amazon users, but that’s the way it is.

Anyway, I’m very excited to share this news with you and I hope you’ll take a look at Daisy sometime soon in the future, as well as anything else I might publish.