Sapphic horror about love, monstrosity, and the increasingly questionable distinction between the two.
P.N. Riott
Author of the upcoming Banished series
Equal parts love, bloodshed, and terrible decision making.
A dark & steamy slasher romance. In book form.
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About P.N. Riott
Travel, Write, Repeat
I write darkly chaotic, character driven stories where love isn't simple and monsters aren't the worst thing in the room. My reading genres of choice are urban fantasy, cyberpunk, and of course romance.
By day: charts, airports and questionable coffee.
By night: fictional worlds with even worse choices.
When I'm not writing I'm travelling, reading, or watching campy 80s slashers.
Home to me is the Pacific Northwest. I have an honours degree in English Literature, accidentally became a cat person, and survive on iced coffee regardless of the temperature outside. I'm exceptionally lucky to travel the world for my career, even if the actual job is a necessary concession. I'm thrilled to have finally found a story determined to tell itself, and can't wait to formally introduce Kayla to the world.
Kayla the Banished
A dark & steamy slasher romance. In book form.
Book One of the upcoming Banished series follows Kayla, a monster and gleeful serial murderer (of bad guys, when she can help it) as she falls for the recently widowed waitress Bethany. The problem: Kayla kind of killed Beth's husband.
Kayla is emotionally blunt, casually violent, and deeply offended by the suggestion that any of this makes her difficult. She feeds on emotion, hunts people she believes deserve it, and has spent most of her existence pretending that solitude suits her.Beth is newly widowed, perceptive, and far less fragile than Kayla assumes. She knows something about dangerous relationships, failed exits, and the difference between understanding someone and forgiving them.
Love, Bloodshed, and Terrible Decision-Making
Kayla the Banished is sapphic horror with slasher camp, dark comedy, graphic violence, romance, immortal grief, and morally indefensible women making emotionally sincere choices.This is not a redemption story. Kayla is not secretly harmless. Love does not make her safe.
Beta Reader Program
If you would like to be notified when applications for the Kayla the Banished Beta Reader Program open, subscribe below for Beta Reader Opportunities.The program will run in three phases: Notification, Application, and Beta Reading.
Phase One: Sign Up to Be Notified. Anyone who joins the Beta Reader list will receive an email when applications open, currently projected for late 2026 or early 2027.
Phase Two: Apply. A short application form will be available to anyone interested in joining the program. Applying will not guarantee selection, and no previous beta-reading or editing experience will be required.
Phase Three: Read and Respond. Selected beta readers will receive the manuscript, a clear completion window, and a feedback questionnaire. Readers will be asked to finish the book and share honest reactions before the stated deadline.
What Beta Readers Will Be Asked to Do
Beta reading is about the experience of reading the story, not proofreading or line editing. I will be looking for reactions to the characters, Kayla and Beth’s relationship, pacing, horror, humour, emotional impact, and any moments that feel confusing, repetitive, rushed, underdeveloped, excessive, or incomplete.Specific examples are especially helpful, including moments when you became deeply invested or when your attention began to drift. Readers will not be expected to address every category, suggest solutions, or soften criticism. Honest reader-level feedback is the goal.The manuscript will be unpublished and confidential. Selected readers will also be asked not to share, distribute, publicly discuss, or upload any part of it to generative AI or other third-party analysis tools.Questions about the program can be emailed to [email protected]
Beta Reader Program: Live Late 26 - Early 27
