Lunar Shadows Re-release Tour:
Witcheskin and Rough Sleepers, both set in the Lunar Shadows verse, are two very different but closely entwined stories set in the lush wilds of rural Wales and the harsh gritty inner city of South West England. Two very different main characters and two very different mysteries to be solved. Both are a blend of horror, urban fantasy and LGBTQ+ romance, with colourful supporting casts and complex villains whose motives are driven by their basic human natures.
They have own-voices trans and queer representation, and both books are standalones, but set in the same universe.
Witcheskin by Nem Rowan:
Series: Lunar Shadows #1
Original Release Date: February 25th 2018
Subgenre: LGBTQIA+ Horror Fantasy Romance
Synopsis for Witcheskin:
Following the disappearance of his father, keen photographer Owen returns to the Welsh village where his parents grew up to live with his mother and her boyfriend. Despite being born in Wales and having been raised in England, Owen feels like an outcast, and the villagers are unfriendly. He soon discovers an epidemic of cattle mutilations that have been spreading through the countryside like a rash and, determined to discover the cause, he takes up his camera and starts snapping pictures.
While pursuing the mystery, he meets Maredudd, an old friend of his parents of whom they had never spoken, and Owen can’t help but feel drawn to him. Maredudd seems to know more about the mutilations than the other villagers are willing to admit, and even more about the supposed death of Owen’s father than his own mother does. Maredudd shows Owen things he never thought possible, and Owen soon finds himself at the centre of the kind of folk tale only his father could dream of.
Order here:
Witcheskin Excerpt:
I washed my hands at the sink, the white shape of the telephone on the wall just within my peripheral vision, taunting me until I turned my head to look at it. No one was here to listen to me if I chose to make a call, which was also one of the major reasons that had put me off calling before. The thought of mumbling sweet nothings down the phone while Mum or Geraint were listening made me want to puke. It was now or never, and I didn’t know when I would be getting another chance to be alone here. I picked up the receiver and leaned against the counter as I peered down at Mum’s address book, dialling the number quickly before I had a chance to change my mind, then the dial tone started to beep as the call went through. My heart began to pound, and I felt my body starting to sweat with anxiety. On, and on it went. I could put the phone down now, and he would never know I had tried to contact him. But what if it went to an answer-machine? I bit down on my lip, my fist clenching at my side. This was so horrible!
You can put the phone down, I told myself. Put it down, he’s not home…
“Hello?” he suddenly said, and my mind went blank. My mouth opened, but no sound came out.
“Hello? Who is it?” he asked, waiting for a response.
“Maredudd… It’s me,” I stammered. Hearing his voice in my ear caused a nerve to shoot down my neck, straight into my heart like Cupid’s arrow, and all of a sudden I was red-faced, and nervous like before. Even my hands were shaking.
“Owen,” he breathed. It was the most beautiful sound. I realised I was biting my tongue.
“I—I just want to call, and… and tell you that I finished the Witch’s Ladder,” I chirped, trying to keep my voice level. Reminding myself that he couldn’t see me blushing, and trembling.
“That’s great. Is it working?”
“Yes, I think so.” I was grinning so broadly that my jaw was aching. The joy I had initially felt though was gradually dissolving into neediness, and my heart was hurting for him, hurting so uncontrollably that nothing would make it stop.
“Have you put it somewhere hidden yet?” he asked, and I slapped my forehead, realising I had forgotten the final step of the spell.
“No… I will now, though. He’s not home. I’m going to put it under the floorboard outside his work room. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“It’s perfect. I knew you could do it. Just like your dad.” He chuckled, and the sound of him breathing was like the rushing of waves on a sundown beach.
“I miss you,” I blurted, not knowing how else to get my feelings across.
“Don’t worry, Owen. I’m working this weekend, but maybe we can meet up during the week?” he suggested thoughtfully.
“Oh… I can’t at the moment… I’ve been working a lot, and I’ve been pretty tired out…” I mumbled, disheartened. Suddenly, the idea of having to go to work with Geraint again filled me with dread.
“Oh… Well, how about next weekend? I’ll keep it free for you,” he mused, and although it was a logical solution, it wasn’t good enough for me. I didn’t want to make a fuss though, so I agreed. It was the best I was going to get for now.
He told me he had to go as he was about to head out when I called, so we said goodbye, and he put the phone down. I leaned against the wall, hating this overwhelming yet unrecognisable emotion that was welling up inside me. It was like what I had felt after Dad died, that clawing, gnawing need to see him again, only this was different, because it was a different kind of love. I had come to admit to myself that I was falling in love, but actually coping with it was proving difficult. Did I fall in love too quickly? Is that why I couldn’t handle it? But more importantly, was he in love with me? I covered my eyes with my hand, unable to even entertain the thought that he might not be.
Rough Sleepers by Nem Rowan:
Series: Lunar Shadows #2
Original Release Date: October 23rd 2018
Subgenre: LGBTQIA+ Horror Fantasy Romance
Synopsis for Rough Sleepers:
Leon, drag performer and club owner, is attacked by a werewolf one night and loses an arm—and more, after massacring his club guests. Now homeless and tormented by nightmares, he runs away from everything he knows.
Eventually, he meets Ceri, who invites Leon to live with him above a shop owned by a woman who lost her husband and son to a werewolf attack. She and Ceri are still hunting the unknown perpetrator, and Leon gladly lends his own assistance, eager to atone for his bloody past in the hopes he might one day be able to have a home and family again…
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Rough Sleepers Excerpt:
Ceri fiddled with his cigarette packet, the fag hanging from his lips letting off a trailing wisp of pale smoke. He cleared his throat.
“So, umm… You still sleeping downstairs?” he asked, his voice barely a murmur.
“What?” I was unable to stop myself from grinning as I stepped towards him, standing in his line of sight so that he was forced to look at my skirt and the heels on my feet. He looked up at my face begrudgingly before taking his cigarette from his mouth and blowing a puff of smoke through his teeth.
“You still tamping with me?”
“Tamping? What do you mean?” I made a small frown.
“Are you still mad with me?” he rephrased. “I just wanted to know, that’s all. Since you found out that I’m not so bad and all that.”
“No, I ain’t mad at ya.” I shook my head.
“So, like I said a minute ago.” He tried to shepherd me into answering his previous question, but I wanted to hear him say it again. When I didn’t speak, he sighed and tapped some ash into his near-to-overflowing ashtray. “Well, are you gonna go sleep down in the living room with Christine tonight?”
“That depends. When did you last shower?” I grinned as I bent at the waist, my hair creating a shimmering curtain as it slipped from my shoulder. He grumbled as I bowed to his level and brushed the end of my nose against his.
“Yesterday,” he told me grumpily.
“Oh, that’s not so bad then. You must just normally smell bad,” I jested as I stood upright again. “I suppose I’ll stay up here and keep you company, then.”
“Thanks.” He smiled at last, and I thought I saw a brief glimpse of misery in his eyes. He blew out some more smoke and gestured to me, patting one of his legs, so I carefully moved to sit down on his lap, my arm going round his shoulders to keep my balance.
“What?” I tilted my head as he turned to look at me.
“I just want you to know, I’ve never cheated on anyone my whole entire life. I might have done some terrible things in the past, but cheating wasn’t one of them,” he told me, allowing me to take a drag from his cigarette as he spoke. “I was loyal to one woman for twenty years, even when she went off with another bloke. She wasn’t for me, as it turned out. So you know, if you’re wanting to go with me, it’s for long term.”
“Who said anything about me going anywhere with you? All we did was kiss,” I retorted as I let the smoke plume from my nostrils, my tone mockingly cynical.
“Leon…” he grumbled.
“I was just joking! No, it’s nice to actually hear you say something about yourself when I don’t know jack about you as it is.”
“There’s a reason for that. I just wanna let go of my past. I don’t want what happened to me to cloud your judgement of me,” he mumbled, unable to look me in the eye again.
Nem Rowan lives in Sweden with his wife and their girlfriend. He loves reading non-fiction and is fascinated by True Crime and unsolved mysteries, especially missing persons cases and serial killers. Nem is also well-read in mythology and folk tales, particularly British and European folklore. He is a huge fan of Horror movies and Retrowave music.
Nem started writing when he was 11 years old and since then, he’s never looked back. Romance has always been his favourite genre after inheriting a box of Mills & Boon novels from his grandma, but being a Horror fan, there is always some way for him to work in a bit of that to make sure things don’t get too mushy.
Author Links:
https://instagram.com/nemrowan
https://twitter.com/MrNemRowan
Win one of two e-book packages of Witcheskin & Rough Sleepers by Nem Rowan!