Lailo Lema previews her upcoming debut novel, Sick Punt

Lailo Lema is a dark fiction author. Her work blurs the line between
desire and dread. She is a pioneer of mixed genre, her favorite being,
erotic horror and gothic fairytales. Her work masterfully uses
synesthesia and artistic design. She believes the right words can do
more than entice but wreck someone as well.

Lailo’s upcoming novel, Sick Punt, is an erotic horror story with a gothic fairytale twist. The story was teased on her website with hints of its arrival in the upcoming calendar year. The excerpt comes just a month after the teasing, showing us what’s in the works for the upcoming year.

Lailo shares that the story will be a take on the gothic fairytales we loved growing up, with an adult twist.

“Told in a vignette style, this story is gothic fairytale meets erotic horror… it carries the whimsy we miss from childhood but made darker, spicier, and all grown up. Features a living doll, an eboy, shadows, spiders, ecovampires, liminal spaces, blood play, magic… and more.”

There’s been speculation surrounding the opening line of the blurb, Their love language? He bleeds on her shards while she gets high on his nectar… It's possible that the line may insinuate something about the female main character, considering that she is a living doll.

The released excerpt gives us a hint at an intense scene between the female main character, Leera, and the male main character, Enzo Reign. In the excerpt, we see Leera begging Enzo for mercy as he hangs her over a ledge. A very intense interaction between the two characters that fuels speculation of the power dynamic between them.

A snippet from the excerpt;

Before I can finish those words, I am hovering over the ledge. My heart is heavy as I stare at the people below me; they appear as one uniform slug, a block party under the bridge.
“Let me go!” I say.
“As you wish.”
The excerpt marks an interesting trend in dark romance novels. We are used to seeing the woman ravaged by the beast in a paranormal story, but dark romance is taking it to another level of pure hazing. What will the fmc be willing to suffer at the hands of the mmc for the sake of his praise? The growing trend on booktok is a new take on power dynamics in relationships.

A release date for Sick Punt is yet to be uncovered, but the story has gained much attention and likely will continue in the upcoming months. In the meantime, fans are staying occupied with her short stories.

Excerpt and blurb from Sick Punt

Lailo Lema reveals her upcoming debut novel on Tiktok

Lailo Lema is a dark fiction author. Her work blurs the line between desire and dread.