Can you, for those of you who don’t know already, tell us
something about yourself and how you became an author?
My name is Rami Ungar, and I’m a horror novelist from
Columbus, Ohio. My first short story was published in my senior year of high
school, and I self-published four books in and after college. My latest novel, Rose,
about a young woman turning into a plant creature (and that’s just the start of
her problems), is my first book with a publisher, Castrum Press.
As for how I became an author, I guess the appropriate answer
is to say I did it one word at a time, until I got decent at putting those
words together into a story. I like to think said stories are compelling and
even scary at times, but I’ll let you decide on that.
Tell us something really interesting that’s happened to
you!
As I said before, my novel Rose has come out. This has
been a dream of mine for years, and I honestly wasn’t sure at times it would
come true. I wrote this as a college thesis about five years ago, and I’ve
swung between thinking “this is a brilliant novel” and “this is absolute
bonkers garbage. I mean, a woman becoming a plant?” over the course of those
five years. And during the numerous edits, it often seemed impossible.
But it’s out now, which just goes to show that hard work and
persevering over doubt can lead to extraordinary things.
What inspired you to write this book?
I wish I remember. It just came to me one day in the middle
of Science-Fiction and Fantasy literature class (yes, that was a class they
taught at my school. I hope they’re still teaching it). It just popped into my
head, the story of a woman in a Misery-like situation but with a
supernatural twist. I brainstormed a bit, and when I decided to do a thesis project,
this is what materialized.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in the
book?
Of the four main characters, the two leads are Rose Taggert
and Paris Kuyper. Rose is pretty practical about her situation. She’s shocked
by it, obviously, but once that wears off her goal becomes to deal with it as
best as she can.
I don’t want to give too much away about Paris, as he drives
a lot of what happens in the novel. He’s a young man with a magic book who
desires love and to be loved, and it’s with that book and that goal he turns
Rose into a plant creature to save her life. Let’s just say he’s full of
secrets, and they will change your perception of him as you continue to read
the novel.
Did you learn anything from writing Rose?
Oh, I learned plenty from writing this book. It was a
challenge in every draft. I actually had to start over a few times because the
opening scenes were crap. And last year, I had to do extensive rewrites to fix
major problems with the story. Even with the final draft, which I finished
about a week before the book was due to be released, I was learning things.
Like how badly I need a thesaurus.
All in all, though, I think it made me a better writer. And
hopefully it’ll serve me well for the next book.
If Rose was made into a movie, who would play the
lead?
I’ve only thought about who I want to play Paris’s father Mr.
Kuyper, another major character in the book. That actor is Willem Dafoe. I
modeled Mr. Kuyper on some of his performances, so I’d like to see him in the
role.
What books are you working on next?
I’ve a couple of projects on the horizon. I have a novel
partially inspired by Dante’s Inferno that a few friends are beta-reading for
me. Once I have their feedback, I’ll edit the novel and see if my publisher is
interested. And I’ve a Gothic horror novel I plan to write in November for
National Novel Writing Month. That, and a bunch of short stories novelettes,
and novellas in the works. Some of them will be terrible, but a few will
hopefully turn out well.
What are you currently reading?
I just finished a book by one of my college professors, Joy
by Erin McGraw, and a horror novel on audio book called The Shuddering
by Ania Ahlborn. Both I recommend. I’m also listening to a lecture series on
Victorian England by Stephen Fry and tomorrow I’m starting a new sci-fi novel
by an acquaintance of mine named Paul Falk. After that, a little Terry
Pratchett and some more sci-fi, most likely.
What advice would you give new authors?
Write the stories you want to read. Constantly try new
things. And don’t give up, because eventually all that struggle does lead to
something.
What is a book everyone should read?
I’m not sure one exists. Perhaps everyone should read a book
that hits home to them one important fact: that we’re all human and deserve a
chance for life and love. It’s probably different for every person, but I’m
sure one exists for everyone out there.
Rose
Taggert awakens in a greenhouse with no clear memory of the
past two years and, to her horror, finds her body transformed into an
unrecognizable form.
Paris
Kuyper has convinced Rose that they are lovers and as Paris
could not bear for her to die, he has used an ancient and dark magic
to save her from certain death.
But
the dark magic Paris has used comes at a price. A price which a
terrible demon is determined to extract from Rose.
As
Rose struggles to understand what is happening to her, she must
navigate Paris’s lies and secrets; secrets that Paris will
do anything to
protect.
Rami
Ungar knew he wanted to be a writer from the age of five, when he
first became exposed to the world of Harry Potter and
wanted to create imaginative worlds like Harry’s. As a tween, he
fell in love with the works of Anne Rice and Stephen King and, as he
was getting too old to sneak up on people and shout “Boo!’ (not
that that ever stopped him), he decided to merge his two loves and
become a horror writer.
Today,
Rami lives and writes in Columbus, Ohio. He’s self-published three
novels and one collection of short stories, and his stories have
appeared in other publications here and there. Rose, his first novel
with Castrum Press, released June 21st, 2019.
When
he’s not writing your nightmares or coming up with those, he’s
enjoying anything from the latest horror novel or movie to anime and
manga to ballet, collecting anything that catches his fancy, and
giving you the impression he may not be entirely human.
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