Archive for the ‘yaoi’ Category

One Good Year is here!

Monday, March 12th, 2012

Heh. My title rhymes. XD

And my book is out! Book two of the One Good series, One Good Year, is Ace and Spade’s second story, and is available now at http://www.loose-id.com/One-Good-Year.aspx.

click the pic to learn more about One Good Year

Blurb:

Ten months ago, Spade was won in yet another high-stakes poker game. But Ace Donovan was different from his previous masters–kind, generous, possessed of a playfulness that only Spade could see. His new master was also broken, slowly crumbling under the pressures of undeserved guilt and pain. As Senai–a genetically engineered servant–Spade had the ability to sweep the anguish from his soul, to fulfill his every desire, and to set Ace’s spirit free.

He had not known doing these things would grant him the human’s love, or create an answering emotion within him.

There is no greater pleasure than Ace in his arms, and Spade will hold on for as long as he is wanted. Even when the orders given to him hurt, even when they make him lonely, even when it becomes clear that his master no longer needs a servant. He’s Senai. What he has now should be enough. Yet it’s not. He wants more.

One good hand brought them together. Could one good year entwine their souls?


I hope you enjoy my very first sequel!

Yaoi-Con

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Yeah, it looks like I’m going. XD

I’m even thinking of picking a day and playing Where’s Rowan, so if you’re going to be in San Francisco on Halloween weekend, maybe we’ll have some fun.

You can learn more about the convention at http://yaoicon.com/.

Let’s get ready to ramble.

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Yeah, that New Year’s resolution I made to come up with better blog titles? Not happening.

Last week I participated in an M/M writing workshop at Romance Divas for the Not Going to Conference Conference. I have to admit, I was nervous. I’m still at that stage where I believe 80% of writing is magic, so I was unsure whether I had anything constructive to offer. But as we settled into a groove, I found I had tips to share on characterization, point of view, and even writing sex scenes. Working with the other authors was a lot of fun, and even though I was one of the writers giving the workshop, I also learned a lot.

I also popped in on other workshops. Sasha White’s “Coping With Burnout” thread turned out to be a godsend for me because I was rocketing in that direction. Truth is, I’ve been feeling off my game lately and spending a week talking about writing really helped. Now I’m going to try and take things a little easier for a while, as well as write some stories for fun. And not feel like a slacker when I watch other writers do their thing. Very important.

In keeping with my whole relaxation theme, I finally got to read volumes five and six of Totally Captivated! LOVE it. Recommend and was sad to see it end:

Totally Captivated Cover

The second quarter stats are in for Lone, and it turns out I made the top ten list at Amber Allure:

1) Allergies by T. A. Chase (Gay/Werewolf)
2) Lone by Rowan McBride (Gay/Werewolf)
3) Satisfaction by M. L. Rhodes (Gay/Contemporary)
4) Bottom’s Up: Kinky Orgasm by Amanda Young (Gay/Contemporary)
5) Most Likely To Succeed by Shawn Lane (Gay/Contemporary)
6) David’s Dilemma by Lynn Lorenz (Gay/Contemporary)
7) Bring The Heat by M. L. Rhodes (Gay/Contemporary)
8) Car Wash by Shawn Lane (Gay/Contemporary)
9) Carey’d Away by J. M. Snyder (Gay/Contemporary)
10) Betrayed by Cassie Stevens (Gay/Contemporary)

How cool is it that the top two slots are filled with werewolf stories?

Jumping to another subject (this is a ramble, after all), if you’re like me and enjoy bishies and muscle, please check out Yayoi Neko’s art at http://thundertori.deviantart.com/. I love the way she combines power and beauty in her work.

In totally random fun, Katrina Strauss has posted a vid from a Japanese game show on her blog: Bloggin’ it with Katrina Strauss. As a result, I’m currently trying to find a way to work the term “acrylic kiss” into a story. Lol.

I feel like an amazing amount of stuff has happened over the past two weeks. Of course, when I start to write it all down, it starts to get fuzzy. Hopefully, if I remember more, and it’s interesting enough to write about, I’ll think of a better blog title. 🙂

Boy Meets Bishie

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Note: This blog was originally published on my MySpace blog, January 6, 2009.


I have a brand new logo, drawn by the fabulous Anne Cain:

Rowan McBride's Boy Meets Bishie logo

You’re drooling, aren’t ya? Admit it. 

Blood equals Smex

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

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


I like to think most of my characters are pretty sweet. I’ve been told by more than one person that this just isn’t true, so that probably says something about me right there.

But sometimes, gawd, I just want a hardcore blood=smex yaoi that makes my heart race.

Sadistic Seme: 1. A ridiculously hot guy who enjoys putting a little hurt on the love of his life. Said love will usually (eventually) adore him for it. 2. Teh smex.

In my anime, I always go for the sadistic seme. I don’t know what the hell that is—if I ever ran into one in real life I’d either kick his ass or run the other direction, depending on his skill level and mine. But, holy crap, in anime and video games I almost always go for the most psychotic character in the series. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy), Light Yagami (Death Note), and Seishiro (Tokyo Babylon and X/1999), just to name a few.

In my own stories, I don’t think I’ve written a genuine sadistic seme yet. Probably the closest I’ve come so far is Walker Cain. But while he does put a bit of a hurt on Joel, Walker is a little too erratic in his methodology. In my mind, a sadistic seme is deliberate with his actions, hence the scary/sexy vibe they give off.

My all time favorite sadistic seme would have to be Akabane Kuroudo, of GetBackers. Tall, dark, deadly. Rocks an utterly massive hat that only he could make look cool. He’s polite, well-spoken, ruthless. If he doesn’t like you, it’s generally a quick death. If he DOES like you, then you’re in a busload of trouble because he’ll want to play.

I get shivers just thinking about him. There’s something really wrong with me.

Wrong or not, I made an AMV (anime music video) featuring Akabane, as well as the poor shmuck he’s set his eyes on. I had a lot of fun tinkering with this, as well as a heap of frustration since it was my first time playing with Adobe Premiere. But if it turns you on to a certain sadistic seme, then it was worth it. 😉

Note: I don’t own the music, I don’t own the anime. This is a purely fan-made video and intended for fun, not profit.



If there are problems with the above video, check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfabdbHCkFI, but be sure to click the high quality button if you can. Hope you like the vid!

One Good Hand has a cover *and* a release date!

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Note: This blog was originally published on my MySpace blog, December 16, 2007.


I just got news that One Good Hand is being re-released from Loose-Id on Christmas Day. I’m getting all kinds of presents lately, because the story also has a brand new cover:

Nice, yeah? My very first yaoi cover, and Anne Cain did a great job with it. Ace and Spade look like they’re having a helluva time.

In One Good Hand, Ace wins a man in a high-stakes poker game. That’s a first for him, even though he’s been gambling big—sometimes winning, sometimes losing—for years. Right now he’s at the top of the food chain in a sea of sharks, and he’s totally unprepared for Spade’s kindness, his playful and seductive touch. I said a while back that these two are one of my favorite pairs. After starting many (and even finishing a few!) stories since OGH’s first publication, I still feel that way. Ace has a perfect poker face and an attitude to match, but in seconds Spade slips in on him, intent on giving his new “master” everything he wants. It’s… {happy shiver} …so much fun to watch.

If you’d like to read more about One Good Hand, you can on my website at http://www.rowanmcbride.com/stories/onegoodhand/. You can also see how they meet by reading the excerpt there. Ace in his element, Spade getting a handle on Ace. They have chemistry from second one, and it never gets old for me, no matter how many times I visit them.  I guess every writer thinks that about their characters, but I’m so absentminded that I actually blank on the names of mine once in a while.  I’d never forget Ace and Spade. 

A reviewer at Coffee Time Romance said that “One Good Hand will definitely make a nice hot read for a cool fall night.” I’m pretty sure it’ll work just as well for those brisk winter nights as well.