Rami Ungar, Author of “The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones”

Hi, Rami. Good to talk to you! What is your book called?

It’s “The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones”, and it’ll be available later this year as an e-book.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

At least since I first read “Harry Potter”, though I didn’t realize it till I was around ten or so. At that age you want to be a scientist, a superhero, a firefighter, President. But at ten I realized I wanted to write, and I’ve been writing since.

What writer influenced you the most?

I’d have to say Anne Rice, Stephen King, and James Patterson. I discovered the first two when I was in junior high and high school, and they blew my mind. I knew after reading them, horror was what I wanted to focus on. I discovered James Patterson shortly before graduating high school, and I think he was the one who taught me how to write thrillers. To this day, I think of Alex Cross and James Patterson when I think about how I was able to write my thriller novel “Snake”.

How long did it take you to write your book?

I spent about a week for every short story, so about five weeks. Each story had its own challenges in writing it, but I enjoyed writing each and every one of them. I hope people enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

How long had the idea of your book been developing before you began to write the story?

I basically collected a bunch of ideas that popped into my mind all of the Fall 2012 semester, wrote them down, and then picked the five best ones out of those ideas and worked on them over winter break. I was really surprised how easily some of these short stories came to me, like “Addict”, which is about a guy trying to recover from a sex and porn addiction. I managed to get that one typed out in a day, a record for me with short stories.

Does writing come easy for you?

That really depends. Some days I can really write out several pages of work, and some days I can barely get one page down. I’m still looking for a pattern as to why some days are better than others. If I ever figure it out, I’ll let you know.

Have you written any other books?

I’ve written a science fiction novel called Reborn City and a thriller called Snake. RC is in the middle of its final edit before I put it out online, and Snake’s first draft is done, so I’ll get to looking at it soon. I’m waiting till March to edit Snake though, because I want to look at it with fresh eyes when I edit it.

Do you have mental list or a computer file or a spiral notebook with the ideas for or outlines of stories that you have not written but intend to one day?

For short stories, I usually write them on sticky notes or note paper and put them on the tackboard in my dorm room before I write them. For novels, I wirte down all my ideas on a list on my flash drive. Otherwise they’d be whizzing around my head and they might get lost in that dark abyss of a mind.

How many stories do you currently have swirling around in your head?

Too many to count!

What, in your opinion, are the essential qualities of a good story?

I’d say, make sure it’s something you’d want to read. Don’t write thinking, “This’ll be popular” or “This’ll sell well.” Write a story that makes you think to yourself, “I’d like to pick this up at a bookstore or library and spend all day and night finding out what happens.”

Where can people learn more about your books?

If you really want to know more, I’d recommend checking out my blog, Rami Ungar the Writer. http://ramiungarthewriter.wordpress.com/ It has all my writing updates for the past year and a half, and you’ll find links to short stories that have been published in magazines. I write at least three posts a week, so you’ll learn a bit more about my work if you just keep visiting and reading.

Thank you for talking with me today, Rami. Best of luck with your books!