Thursday, July 21, 2016

Inside the Writer's Mind with

Welcome to another edition of Inside the Writer's Mind with Rami Ungar, 
author of Reborn City, and Snake.



From a young age, Rami Ungar has known that he’s wanted to write, and from his teens he’s known that he’s wanted to write scary stories. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Rami writes and blogs nearly every day. He’s published two novels, the sci-fi epic Reborn City and the terrifying thriller Snake, as well as a collection of short stories, The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones. In addition, he’s written and published many short stories, and is constantly working on something new. 
In addition to blogging and writing and publishing horror fiction, Rami is also a writer and administrator for the blog Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors, where he gives advice to authors on writing and publishing. His bucket list includes collecting lots of weird and nerdy stuff, meeting his idols Stephen King and Anne Rice, and going ghost-hunting with the Ghost Adventures Crew.
Want to catch up with Rami? Check him out via his social media sites:

You can also purchase his books via Amazon (Affiliate link)



Same DiNamics Books: Writing can be a daunting prospect, what made you decide to share your story with the world? 

Rami Ungar: For me, it was never a decision. It just felt like what I was supposed to do. I write the story, and then I let others read it. Besides, I love it when people read my stories. It gives me a warm smile, and lets me know that all those hours in front of the computer are worth it.

SDB: Who has influenced you as an author?
RU: I like to think every author I’ve ever read, good or bad, enjoyable or otherwise, has influenced me in some way or another. Though there are a few major influences. Stephen King and Anne Rice, definitely. I’ve devoured their books at various times. I also think James Patterson has had an influence, and so has Dean Koontz. But of course, JK Rowling made me want to write in the first place, so there’s definitely quite a bit of DNA in my writing style.

SDB: What is your writing method? Do you outline first or do you purge your brain on paper until your story is told?
RU: I’m not sure I really have a method, truth to be told. I just write wherever and whenever I can (which isn’t as often as I’d like, seeing as my new job keeps me busy), usually with music or something else in the background. If I’m lucky, I can get a few pages out a day. But yeah, I definitely outline before I write. I feel like it’s easier to figure out my story if I know where I’m going before I write it. So far, it’s served me better than writing by the seat of my pants. 

SDB: How long does it take you to write your story, from getting it down on paper to publishing?
RU: Well, with novels it’s usually around two years. The first draft usually takes about six to eight months, after which I take long breaks between drafts so I can work on other projects and then return to the book with a fresh mind. After around three or four drafts, I get the story looked at by an editor, and then move onto the publishing process. It’s a lot of work, but I love it. And the high you get from getting the book out compares to nothing else.

SDB: Can you tell me a little bit about your book(s) without giving away too much? Why should I read it? 
RU: I’ve got four books out right now. The Quiet Game is a collection of short stories that are pretty creepy and weird. Reborn City and its sequel, the recently released Video Rage, is a science fiction saga about street gangs in a dystopian future. And Snake is a thriller about a serial killer hunting members of a mafia family.

I also have three books in the works. Laura Horn is about a girl with a dark past caught up in a terrible government conspiracy, while Rose is about a young woman without any memories whose body is changing, and Teenage Wasteland is a collection of short stories centering on teenagers. I’m looking forward to getting those out as soon as possible.

SDB: How much of yourself is in your character(s)?
RU: Depends on the characters. Some I base slightly on myself, or I imagine myself as the character. Others are as different from me as can be. More than a few have my interests or my morals, and occasionally some of my characters’ experiences are based on mine. I feel like my characters are kind of like my children, so it makes sense that they take after me to some degree.

Of course, that fatherly love never prevents me from putting my characters through a difficult situation. Especially in the horror stories.

SDB: What advice would you give to an aspiring author? 
RU: Well, besides the usual stuff—read a lot, write a lot, et cetera, et cetera—I’d say don’t be afraid to try new things. Whether it’s reading in a new genre or taking a class on a subject you know nothing about, traveling to an unfamiliar place or hearing stories from people you just met, just do it. You never know what will inspire the next great story, so go out and try it.

SDB: Is there anything else that you'd like to share? 
RU:  I like good scares and fun, exciting and unique stories, so if that’s anything like what you like, then you might enjoy my stories. Also, if you do enjoy reading my stories—any of my stories—please let me know. I love feedback from my readers, and it makes me a better writer, too.