Quietus: The Final Summoning

Quietus: The Final Summoning co-written by Golden Pen Awardee Marivic Lacuna (Genre: Horror)

About: Is there really an afterlife or are dead souls trapped in this world, trying to plot their revenge.

Zig and her band of radio misfits travel to an abandoned house to reenact a séance that took place there 60 years earlier. Everyone at that original séance died mysteriously while broadcasting live over the airwaves.

After arriving at the house Zig and her crew are met by a sadistic entity that has one question for them:

I saved you why didn’t you save me?

What the author has to say: The genesis of this book took a 10 year journey to become what it is now. In 2013 though some filmmaker friends I was asked to write a script based on the short story The Last Prank by Indian filmmaker ShriYog Wable. The final script was titled Tomnoddy and took place almost exclusively in the basement of an abandoned house and most of the dialog was heard through the houses intercom system. The short of it is a group of friends bring a new person into their friendship fold. This new person suggested they have a drunken night out at an old abandoned house he knew of. The core group had planned elaborate pranks to pull on the new friend but as soon as they get to the house the realize he is not what he seems, he is a pranking entity. Long story long the script did not translate to being filmed in India and was abandoned. I took a very small portion at that script and started writing a new script around that small point. I retitled the script The Quietus. I completed a full outline of the new story and had about 10-15 pages of the script complete when I abandoned the project. Fast forward to 2023 I had the pleasure of briefly talking to Golden Pan Awardee Marivic Lacuna. I had mentioned I had an outline for a horror story all laid out and she agreed to co-write it with me, THEN she took a left turn writing it in the first person! We get to read not only what each character is thinking and saying but also what they are feeling.

Advanced copy review:

The tension and suspense are expertly built up throughout the book, keeping the reader on edge and wondering what will happen next. The numerous time periods and settings keep the reader interested, and the various character’s points of view give the novel depth and richness. The suspenseful book "Quietus: The Last Summoning" will keep readers wondering right up to the very end.

- Elizabeth F