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.
