Archive for the ‘True’ Category

New year, new…year.

Tuesday, January 1st, 2019

Okay, I meant to have a more upbeat title, but I honestly couldn’t think of one. O.O

2018 was a wicked rough year for me, and I wanted to share some of what I’ve been going through. Some of you know that I have Schizoaffective Disorder, which is this oh so joyful combination Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed in 2001, but by 2006 (year I published my first novel!) it was pretty well controlled. Last year, though, my brain was like “nah.”

Medication was no longer effective. Went through a whole lot of other meds trying to find one that worked, but I’m medication resistant so that’s been a challenge.

Back in June I had a full-on psychotic break. Shortly thereafter I attempted to kill myself 1 and a half times. I say “half” because the second time I called my local crisis center and was talked down by a very nice lady whose name I cannot remember. It was my first time ever calling a crisis hotline, and if you’re depressed or suicidal or in the middle of a psychotic break or whatever, call yours. If you don’t know yours, call the national hotline at 1-800-273-8255. They are open 24 hours a day. Please please call if you’re in trouble. There’s a good chance I wouldn’t be here if not for the nice lady whose name I can’t remember, and honestly we all deserve a chance to be here.

Also in June, I woke up and found out I couldn’t walk. Two days after that, my mom almost died after a routine colonoscopy (perforated colon). Now I’m walking with a cane, which is good, and my mother is fine, which is better.

But you can see how June was a royal suckfest for me. I’m still recovering.

This month I have to see a neurologist and start tests to see if I have multiple sclerosis. I also have to get screened for 2 separate forms of cancer. I’m choosing not to worry until there’s something to worry about.

Now I seem to be on some psych meds that are helping me want to do things again. Like {gasp} write! Currently the plan is to upload a few of my orphaned stories, update “The Jascian’s Toy,” and work on “True: William.”

Here’s where I need your help. Since all but one of my publishers closed, I am now an actual starving artist. I’m scraping by okay, but I can’t renew my website hosting fees. And I love that website. I learned html over the course of a weekend and created every single page myself. I don’t want to let it go.

So if you could help by donating through my Ko-fi page, I would sorely appreciate it. I’ve posted chapter 1 of a rough draft of “True: William” as a thank you if you do happen to stop by. Ko-fi has rules about linking to and from pages containing adult content, and I’m not sure if this blog would count, but it is connected to the main website, so maybe? But the link is easy enough. www dot Ko-fi dot com/rowanmcbride.

2019 has just started. As of now I’ve updated this blog for the first time in FAR too long, and I’ve posted something new to read. That alone pretty much makes it an improvement over the whole of 2018, and I genuinely feel like I’m just getting started.

How’s that for upbeat? 😉

Not the greatest day

Friday, December 1st, 2017

This morning I had to go to the hospital to have a “suspicious tumor” surgically removed. I find out on the 15th if it’s cancer.

I found out tonight that my main publisher Loose Id is closing. That happens in May. You can read more about it here.

I’m…tired. So I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do. All but one of my currently in-print books are with LI. I could resubmit elsewhere, but LI was rock solid and now they’re shutting their doors. I could self-publish, but I’ve done that twice and hated it both times. I could, well, stop.

I don’t know.

And come to think of it, how screwed up am I to be more upset that my publisher is closing than at the idea I might have cancer?

Maybe I need to step back and get my priorities in line.

Ethan review!

Monday, September 11th, 2017

Serena Yates from Rainbow Book Reviews has read True: Ethan and had a lot of awesome things to say. One such bit of awesome:

“I think it’s an amazing feat to put this much worldbuilding and character development in such a short book, and as a result it felt longer than its number of pages.”

To read the rest, go to http://www.rainbowbookreviews.com/book-reviews/ethan-true-1-by-rowan-mcbride-at-loose-id .

“True: Ethan” is now available!

Monday, August 28th, 2017

W00t!

Blurb:

Ethan is a shapeshifter whose life force is rooted in the ability to love. When he is cast aside by his mate of six years, he has one cycle of the moon to find a new one. If he does, he is reborn. If he doesn’t…

He dies.

Brendan isn’t going to let him die.

***

Pick it up now  at Loose Id for FREE!

 

Ethan’s Excerpt

Friday, August 25th, 2017

I’ve put up an excerpt from True: Ethan. You can read it here

Are you excited the story’s coming out this Tuesday? I’m totally excited!

Good thing I said “tentatively.”

Friday, June 9th, 2017

I changed the series title to my upcoming release. It’s now called True, which is what Ethan’s story was originally called when it was first published. The full title of Ethan’s story this time around is True: Ethan. The next story in this series will be True: William.

What do you think?

Yes!

Friday, June 2nd, 2017

I officially have a short story coming out this summer! Just signed the contract  with Loose Id

{Dances awkwardly but happily}

If you knew me in 2006 you might have read the original version of this story. Back then it was called True, and it was published for less than 3 weeks before the publisher folded. My current working title for the new edition is tentatively called Tales of the Novahn: Ethan. Working on the sequel now, which is a full-length novel, and hopefully that’ll be out later this year.

Holy crap it feels good to be writing again.

Are you excited? I’m excited.

Unexpected praise for a homeless book.

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Note: This blog was originally published on my MySpace blog, July 25, 2007.


I was Googling myself earlier (gaw, that sounds dirty, doesn’t it? I was fully dressed, I swear), and stumbled across a review for True that came out just before Twisted Shift closed. It got 4.5 stars from Ecataromance: Sensual. So bittersweet.

Elise Lyn said I had a “fertile imagination.” Heh, more dirty thoughts. I must be in a mood tonight.

She also had this to say:

Short and Sweet but quite complete, Rowan McBride’s True will leave you satisfied and yet looking for more stories of the Novahn.

You can’t ask for more than that. Except, maybe, a publisher…

I think I’m going to view the shot glass as half full on this one.


If you’d like to read the full review, check it out at http://beta.ecataromance.com/?p=29.

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"True" gets five out of five hearts!

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Note: This blog was originally published on my MySpace blog, May 25, 2007.


Tales of the Novahn:  True

True has been read by Book Reviews by Crystal! Here’s a bit of what she had to say:

I think Rowan wrote this story masterfully! I have honestly never read Gay Erotic Romance and let me say this story was HOT!

Having True be someone’s first foray into M/M fiction is very, very cool. But I gotta tell ya, I am so glad that it was a good experience. Being a first anything is daunting!

If you’d like to read the whole review, go to:

http://bookreviewsbycrystal.blogspot.com/2007/05/true-by-rowan-mcbride.html

And if you’d like to get the book (or read an excerpt) check it out at Twisted Shift.

True Joy

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Note: This blog was originally published on my MySpace blog, April 9, 2007


Man, that’s a cheesy title. {Sigh.} I don’t think of titles so well on the fly. It usually takes hours or days or (in the case of “Lone”) months of agonizing for me to come up with a good one. But here’s the reasoning behind the title of this particular blog:

I have an e-book; it’s called True. Here’s the cover–


Hot, right? It’s just been reviewed by Joyfully Reviewed, hence the “Joy” part in the blog title. Among other things, Cassie had this to say about the story:

I was intrigued by the idea of shapeshifters who have to love to survive, and Ethan was such a sweet, earnest and caring hero that I couldn’t help but root for him.

I loved writing Ethan. He’s adorable. A little suicidal at the beginning of the book, but that’s part of his charm. Besides, Brendan changes all of that right quick, and it’s a hell of a ride.

You can read the whole review here. There’s an excerpt on Twisted Shift, as well as some odds and ends about the story on my own site.

I hope you check it out!

— Rowan