DELETED

by Amanda Ruzsa

47 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 13, 2026

About the author

Amanda lives in Minnesota with her husband, three children, a dog and two cats. When she isn’t buried in a spooky book, she enjoys baking and spending time with her family— usually watching creepy movies or playing outrageous board games. In her free time, she enjoys collecting Halloween decor, writing macabre poetry, reorganizing her books and coming up with ways to surprise and amuse her friends and family. It has been a lifelong joke among her friends and family that Amanda is a member of the ‘grammar police.’ Writing and reading have always played a huge part in her life, stemming from growing up idolizing the talents of her Mother: a novelist, artist and journalist. Amanda began creating stories and crafting poems at a young age and never stopped. Now, reading and writing is still a huge part of her everyday life, and she feels blessed to be able to share her love of spooky stories with so many.

Reviews

[Breanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg

I will never understand how Amanda manages to make so much power and pain happen in these smaller books. This is absolutely brutal. This is the definition of a prank gone wrong, and it keeps getting worse!

[Brandon Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was only a joke

"The worst thing about April Fools’ Day is that it comes back every year."

Man, this is probably the greatest thing Amanda Ruzsa has ever written. This was so much more than a horror story about April Fools Day, this had a whole lot of heart, a whole lot of emotion, and yes...there was still a whole lot of gore and carnage that one comes to expect from a Ruzsa story.

One innocent text, one innocent April Fools Day joke, led to a night no one will ever forget. This felt like reading a novelization of a Final Destination movie where one small thing snowballs into total chaos. Amanda can do in a short story what a lot of authors struggle to do in their full novels. She gives each character heart, makes you feel for them, and then rips your heart out. This April Fools Day, pick up Deleted now. You will love it.

[Jon Naumchik · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a great story. this won't be the last story I read from Amanda Ruzsa.

[S. Policar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great April Fool's horror. Just when you think it'll be something simple, some predictable horror story that centers around a prank done in poor taste, absolute chaos errupts quite literally.

I'll admit, I didn't see this story unfolding the way it did. I can usually tell the way a story will go, but this one went in a completely different direction that left me picking my jaw up off the floor. I really need to stop underestimating Ruzsa 's ability to derail the obvious outcome to anything because she always seems to turn the simplest scenario into a wtf just happened moment.

Needless to say, Amanda Ruzsa remains one of my favorites for those short tastes of horror that keep me clamoring for her books every time a new one releases.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

April fools!

Wow, an anxiety attack is EXACTLY what I wanted today. Thanks!

Very fast paced anxious story that really makes you question every practical joke you've ever made.

[Dawn Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. Perfect April Fool’s Day story for April Fool’s Day…..or any day.

[Andrew Wilkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if one small action caused a catastrophic event? Dean and his girlfriend, Kayla, have been off and on again for a long time now. Breaking up on a whim, and getting back together shortly after. This had to be exhausting for Dean, because, it is even exhausting to our main character, though they laugh ot off most of the time. They recognize the puppy dog like devotion that Dean has for Kayla, and that she basically has him wrapped around her finger. So, here Dean was, bitching about Kayla to our main character, as she is texting at almost three in the morning on April Fools Day. Dean ignores the buzzing of his phone, and gets up to use the bathroom. And, that small amount of time was all it took. It started with a prank text to Kayla from Dean's phone, and ended in one of the wildest, and most fatal events imaginable. But, what damage could a silly April Fools prank really do, right? This was very well written, and makes you wonder about the chaos theory, or butterfly effect. They say that the flapping of a butterflies wings across the world could cause a tsunami on the other. It really makes you think about how even the smallest actions can cause such an impact, even if we don't think it may. This was well worth the read, and I highly recommend it!
5⭐️/5

[Peter Stead · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest strength is the descriptive style which really puts you in the moment.
The biggest drawback is the micro length chapters and the habit of one sentence paragraphs, it really interrupted the flow. Along with characterisation which could have been more fleshed out, it made It difficult to stay engaged at times.
I would suggest a redraft and taking out the first chapter so the story starts at the beginning. Then a deeper characterisation which connects directly to the theme would make for a richer, less mechanical and more human experience.