Video Rage: The Outline Is Finished

So I spent most of the day working on that outline. And I finished it. Plotline, character bios, all done in a day. I have to say, the sequel to Reborn City looks pretty exciting, just from reading the first draft of the outline. There’s conflict between characters, even the best of friends, some pretty nasty battles and plot twists, and a Native American healing ceremony (Lakota, to be specific). All in 36 chapters (I guessed 37 chapters when I started, so I wasn’t too far off).

I’ll probably take a break from writing tonight to recharge, but the beginning of this 2-novel writing project is off to a great start. I’m not sure when I’ll finish VR, but I’m excited for it and I can’t wait. I also feel I’ll finish VR before I finish Laura Horn. Don’t ask me why, I just have this feeling.

Now, to make dinner! I’m hungry.

Writing The Video Rage Outline

With RC there weren’t many photos I could use. Not so with it’s sequel!

Recently, I read the novel Misery for the first time. At a certain point, Annie Wilkes says that when dealing with a cliffhanger, the resolution has to be “realistic” and “fair”, but she also wants this to apply to all literature. What does she mean? Well, if you’re on a plane and it’s about to crash, pull a parachute under the chair. Somewhat fair, pretty realistic. If a character with several broken bones suddenly is able to get a doctor and do experimental blood transfusions in the 19th century, then it’s not fair or realistic at all.

Paul Sheldon had a hell of a time getting the balance right, especially since he was being threatened with missing limbs if he didn’t deliver. And although I’m not in any danger of losing any limbs, I feel the pressure to make things realistic and fair with Video Rage, the sequel to Reborn City. My philosophy with sequels is that you have to build up, do something better than the first book. To do that though, I find myself having to think really hard about how I plot the story as I write the outline, and I’m wondering if what I’m writing down for each chapter is any good.

I’ve often preached about sequels and how people just don’t know how to make good ones, but I have to admit that it’s hard. Most of the action of VR takes place on the road, and besides normal conflict, there’s also the conflict of relationships which I’m trying to insert. And when I add certain elements–a hunting cabin to hide in, a Lakota village with a hospital–I wonder if people will buy this or if they’ll call BS. I’d have someone critique the outline, but there’s only one person in the world besides me who’s even read RC, and I don’t want to spoil it for him by having him critique the outline.

Well, this is why I advise taking a break after writing the outline to creatively recharge those batteries. Perhaps after the outline’s first draft, I’ll be able to figure out if things need to be changed. However at this point I don’t intend on changing much…except possibly making one of the antagonists much more involved with the fighting instead of using drones and soldiers.

Wish me luck. I’ve got more work to do in the morning, where I’ll try to finish this outline. Honestly, VR could potentially be longer than RC, the way I’ve been writing the outline.

The Quiet Game: One Month To Publication

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.

Review: Man of Steel

I’m going to say this now: I’m about as much of a Superman fan as I am a Trekkie. He has a superpower for every situation, and the worse his problems seem to get is when Lois looks at another man or gets kidnapped. It’s a difficult task to bring Superman to the big screen, and an even bigger challenge to make him seem more relatable.

Sadly, this latest run at the silver screen didn’t pan out for me. The filmmakers take too long to get to the conflict, instead explaining how Superman becomes who he is through an in-depth look at Krypton and sometimes jarring flashbacks. When we do get to the conflict, we see Superman (thankfully with a defined set of powers) played by Henry Cavill, only he seems kind of wooden and with little to say, meeting up with the most expressive (and angry) character of all, Zod (played by Michael Shannon). Although the native Kryptonians have trouble adjusting to Earth, they prepare to beet the living snot out of Cavill, only for Cavill to fight back in fight scenes that I zoned out of most the time. There is one scene near the end where we get a real sense of conflict where good ol’ Clark has to make a tough choice, but that’s about the only time I get that sense that Supe’s as troubled as he’s supposed to be.

There’s also Amy Adams’s Lois Lane. Spunky, definitely not a damsel in distress. Will abandon her common sense if it means getting a photo of alien technology and is the only one who is able to make the connections between Clark Kent and Superman well before he puts on the suit and cape. I’m not sure why though, apparently he wasn’t as good about covering his tracks as he should’ve been. She’s basically important to the story, but her performance isn’t exactly spectacular enough for an Oscar.

Lawrence Fishburne is underused as Perry White (or perhaps that’s his character in Hannibal as a reporter), and Christopher Meloni plays Elliot Stabler in the Air Force with his usual tough guy act that never fails to kill. Other than that, not much in terms of acting to really make me feel like I’m in the middle of something fantastic.

Also, the swept-back hair look is out for superheroes. They would’ve done better with messy hair, something that rockstars might wear. And don’t stick around after the credits for a look at the inevitable sequel, because there’s not even a hint of what’s to come (though I bet it involves Lex Luthor, Kryptonite, and possibly an arms race).

Though the night wasn’t entirely wasted. That opening sequence gave me an idea on how to modify a certain story of mine and make it better. Who knows what that might lead to.

All told, Man of Steel gets a 3 out of 5. If this film was the beginning of a rival franchise to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then I seriously doubt that such a franchise will ever rival the Avengers, no matter how much money is made.

Reborn City: The New Cover

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:

Now check out the new one:

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!

Reborn City: The Cover

Ladies and gentle-bloggers. I would like you to see the cover to my science fiction novel Reborn City. Behold:

Pretty neat, isn’t it? I had trouble getting the photo onto Photoshop at first, but eventually I got it on with some help. The rest was simple as pie. Once again, I used a photo as the basis for the cover. This time around, the photo was of my hand, with the Hydra symbol inked on (not like tattoo ink. My sister used a Sharpie). The cool thing is, readers will think the hand on the title belongs to male lead Rip, and they wouldn’t be far off, seeing as I intended it to be Rip’s hand. The title was meant to mimic spray paint, as that’s what would be used in Reborn City to mark walls.

Although not what I had exactly in mind (when is it ever?), I think this is a pretty good cover and I hope to create more like it in the future.

I’d like to thank my sister Adi for creating the symbol on my hand and for sending me the photo from her phone. It’s a good piece of work, and it’s going to end up on the “Books by Rami Ungar” page.

What do you think of the cover?

“Hunt in the Slaughterhouse”: Published!

Boy, the good news keeps on rolling! Hunt in the Slaughterhouse, another short story I’ve been struggling to find a home for, has finally been published. It’s the story of an undercover cop investigating a neo-Nazi group. When he gets caught by members of the group, things get crazy!

This was one of my first experiences in writing thriller stories, though near the end it took a slightly slasher-esque twist. Either way, I really liked it, and I wanted to see it published. Unfortunately, a lot of places I submitted to either weren’t interested or never got back to me. But there was some light at the end of the tunnel: I remembered how Horror Zone, the magazine that published Revenge for a Succubus’s Beloved (read here if you haven’t read it yet), had taken a short story that had also struggled to find a home, and published it within a couple of days. I sent them Hunt in the Slaughterhouse two days ago, and they published it this morning. And apparently it’s doing well: sixty-something people have already read it, and four people have given some positive comments on the story.

I’d like to thank Horror Zone for publishing my short story and I wish them success in the future. And if you wish to read Hunt in the Slaughterhouse, follow the link here. I hope you like it and let me know what you think.

Reborn City: The Final Edits Are Done!

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.

Reborn City: The Last Editing Stretch

Ladies and gentle-bloggers (I so have to patent that term), I have wonderful news.  My friend and fellow author Matt Williams (you can check out his work here) has sent me the final chapters of Reborn City, my science-fiction novel. He has also sent me his praise and some great feedback, so I can’t wait to get to work.

In fact, I’m going to get to work now. I’ve got 5 or 6 chapters to edit still, and then RC will be done. Then I will be able to write a dedication and an acknowledgements page, create the cover myself (I already have an idea for what I want the cover to look like), format the chapters for e-reader, and send it off to the copyright office. At this rate, I’ll be ready for publication by November, which is my ultimate goal. I can even create a book trailer for RC in that time. It’ll be great.

Thanks to Matthew Williams for looking through each chapter and giving me plenty of great feedback. I hope you’ll consider looking at RC‘s sequel, Video Rage, when I’m ready for beta readers to look at that. And thanks to everyone who’s been supporting me since I first began to write RC back in high school. I cannot wait to finally hand it to you and let you read it.

Just pay me a $2.99 download fee first so that I can afford to buy groceries, okay?

Off to edit now. Wish me luck!

Daisy: The First Review

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.