Today I am so pleased to welcome Nem Rowan to Joyfully Jay. Nem has come to talk to us about his latest release, The Ruiner. He has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Nem a big welcome!

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Excerpt

I checked the front door to see if it had been broken into, but it appeared untouched, then I checked all the ground floor windows, but all of them were shut and locked, too. I then went upstairs, straight to my bedroom, where I hoped I wouldn’t encounter anyone—I’d fetched a rolling pin from the kitchen to use in my defence—and it was a relief to find that it was indeed empty. David and I had left the bed unmade when we had got up this morning, but whoever had been here had pulled the duvet over it and tidied it up, before lying on it and leaving the dented mark of where his body had been. It made me feel physically ill to think that a stranger had been in here, lying on the bed I slept in every night, desecrating the space I had shared with my lover. I saw that things had been moved around and touched, ornaments turned, wardrobe doors and drawers opened, my clothing pulled out of the cabinet I stored them in.

I went back downstairs and looked in the other rooms to find that they were as I had left them, before eventually finding my way back into the kitchen. If he didn’t come in through the front door then he must have come in through the back; true, the front way meant there was a large risk of being spotted, but at the rear of the house, it was shadowy and blocked from view. The numerous trees and hedges would make it hard for neighbours to notice an intruder, and the proximity to the cemetery would make it easy for someone to make their way to the property without being seen. I unlocked the back door and stepped onto the patio, looking around the garden to see if anything was amiss, and I noticed a flattened pathway across the lawn that looked as though someone had walked there recently. It led right up to the end of the garden.

I followed it, standing on tiptoes to figure out where he must have climbed the fence but I found nothing. Just by chance, I decided to part the bushes that grew at the bottom of the fence, and to my horror, I discovered a hole there. The barrier was constructed from solid planks of wood that I kept repainting with creosote to prevent rot, so I was certain this hole hadn’t appeared through neglect. No, this was a secret entrance created with the use of a saw of some kind.

I stepped back, letting the branches of the bushes fall into place. How long had the hole been there? Did the policeman walk right past it in the dark?

I swallowed deeply and looked at the house, checking that there was nothing an intruder could climb in order to gain access. He wouldn’t be able to enter without smashing the double-glazed windows. My rage was dissolving back into fear again; it wasn’t safe to be here on my own. How many times had he visited my garden without my realising? Did he spy on me through the windows without my knowledge? Had he been in the house while I was home? What if he had come in while I was sleeping? What else was he up to? What more did I need to be afraid of?


Blurb

the ruiner coverThe night Tenny first meets shy, socially awkward David at the Oubliette Club is when it all begins: the feeling of being watched and followed, the lewd adverts posted by an imposter, the random phone-calls, strangers turning up at his house… The tirade against him seems never-ending. He has no idea why it began, and living alone makes it difficult for him to cope, forcing him to rely on his best friends for protection. Someone is out to ruin him, targetting his home, his car, his job, his life…

Despite what his friends say, Tenny is nevertheless drawn to David, who is timid, inexperienced when it comes to BDSM, and reminds Tenny somewhat of his former self. There’s no way he can believe that David is responsible for the frightening goings-on when he’s so sweet and willing to do whatever Tenny wants; it doesn’t matter that troubling evidence points to him as the source.

After all, why would David try to ruin his life when Tenny is so happy to be in his?

THE RUINER is an updated and revised version of Nem Rowan’s previously published novel, ‘The Things We Hide At Home’, only this time, there’s as much terror as there is romance.

Buy Link: Amazon


Bio

Nem Rowan is originally from the UK, but despite Brexit, he still considers himself to be European. He was born in the West Country of England, but later moved to Wales, where he lived for almost a decade before deciding to move to Sweden in the summer of 2019. He shares his home with his wife, his girlfriend, their rapidly-growing triplets, one cat and a demon.

Nem started writing when he was very young. He always loved Horror stories and has an undying fascination with the creepy, the bizarre, the shocking and the unusual. Coupled with his enjoyment of love stories, his writing became a fusion of Horror and Romance, often with characters that have been through terrible hardships but who eventually reach the happy ending they deserve.

Nem’s books were originally published by the now defunct Less Than Three Press, and also by JMS Books for awhile. He is the owner of Gurt Dog Press, where he hopes to bring fresh, new LGBTQ+ fiction into the world.

Author links:


Giveaway

Win one of two prizes! One winner will get a signed paperback copy and one winner will win one e-book copy of THE RUINER by Nem Rowan. The giveaway is international.

To enter, follow @gurtdogpress & @nemrowan on Instagram, tag 3 friends under one of the tour-hosts’ posts. Extra entry by posting a picture with the book in your feed or stories and tagging.

 

  • By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • By entering you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions set out by the contest for entries.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize. In order to facilitate prize distribution, the winner name’s and email may be provided to a third party awarding the prize.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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