The Shadow That Writes Back
Why I Won’t Leave Revenge of the Past Behind
It’s been six years. Six long, winding, transformative years since Revenge of the Past first carved its name into my path as a writer. What started as an attempt to tell a single story has evolved into something far deeper, something that whispers still, even when my hands are too tired to type and the world demands I be everywhere but here, in front of the page.
Four main entries, and one that sits in the Casefiles subseries. A psychological thriller, yes, but it has always been more than that to me. These books have grown with me, darkened with me, and in some strange way, they have matured alongside the life I’ve led. The last installment, A Call for Help, was released in 2022. Three years ago. And for three years, nothing new has been released within this world.
Not out of abandonment. But necessity.
Life has its own tides. And writing, for all the fire it carries, doesn’t always find a place in the hours that pass too quickly, in the spaces where responsibility overtakes desire. Still, Revenge of the Past has remained with me, not as a burden, but as a presence. A quiet voice in the margins. A ghost in the corner of the room. A part of myself I never laid to rest.
Why haven’t I let it go?
Because stories don’t die just because we look away. They wait. They shift. They morph into memory and longing. And for those of us who write, they remind us, finish what you started. Don’t let your characters rot in silence. Don’t bury arcs in drafts and let their screams become echoes. If a story haunted you enough to write it once, it deserves to be exorcised through its conclusion.
This series has shaped the way I write, the way I understand trauma, darkness, morality, and redemption. It’s shown me how the past doesn’t stay where we leave it, and neither do the stories born from it. Revenge of the Past is, in essence, my shadow. And shadows don’t vanish in the light - they stretch, they follow, they evolve with us.
So here’s my promise to you - and to the version of me that began this journey: this story will be finished. Whether the crowd is loud or the room is empty, the next entry will arrive this December.
Because some stories don’t ask for attention.
They ask for closure.
And Revenge of the Past will have its ending.
For updates on the December release, behind-the-scenes development, and reflections on writing psychological thrillers, subscribe here and follow me on X @LozinaStipe.