Top 5 Dragon Depictions by M.D. Grimm – Guest Blog

July 12, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Long and Short Reviews welcomes M.D. Grimm who is celebrating today’s release of her newest book On Wings of Passion.

Good day! M.D. Grimm here to promote my newest release On Wings of Passion. I want to give a big thanks to Long and Short Reviews for hosting me today.

On Wings of Passion is the prequel to my surprisingly popular story On Wings of Thunder. It tells the story of the great dragon Asagoroth and his first angel love, Roland. I greatly enjoyed writing this story. It’s probably the fastest I’ve written a story in a very long time.

So let’s get into it, shall we?

Dragons.

They are my favorite creation to spring from the minds of people. I shall always wish they were real and always mourn that they are not. Whether they be depicted as beasts or as having human-like intelligence or somewhere in the middle, I love it all. My home is covered in posters and pictures of various dragon types from a variety of artists. I have draconic decorative items as well, including pens with dragon heads, Christmas ornaments, and several T-shirts. Dragons are my happy place.

Despite the obsession, or perhaps because of it, I am very picky on the look and depiction of dragons. I steer clear of the more goofy-looking types. I enjoy the deadlier dragons, the ones spewing fire or guarding a hoard of treasure.

So, since my latest release features the badass dragon Asagoroth, I thought I’d share my Top 5 favorite dragon depictions, whether in literature, movies, or TV shows. Since there is no way I could actually pick a #1, I will simply list them in no particular order. These are in my Top 5 bunch:

• Toothless (and by extension all the dragons from the “How To Train Your Dragon” universe)
o Need I explain? I feel like those who get it, get it. And those who don’t, well, what are you doing with your lives?
• Smaug (and by extension Fafnir that he is inspired by)
o Yes, I know he’s basically evil but I *adore* him. JRR Tolkien wonderfully captured the brutal essence and dark metaphor of what dragons represented to the Old Norse/Scandinavian/Germanic people. The greed, isolation, and wild violence that was in stark contrast to the family ties and importance of clans/tribes, and the emphasis on being a good host that the peoples of those cultures held in high regard.
• The dragons from The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey
o This series truly started my obsession with dragons when I read it in middle school. I enjoyed dragons before but after reading about the riders I fell in love. Seriously check it out!
• Draco from the movie Dragonheart
o Cheesy? You bet. But it was my first movie that had a dragon and I was a kid so I didn’t “see” the cheesiness until I was older. Still holds a special place in my heart.
The symptoms of whiplash include stiffness of the joints are low priced cialis the main symptoms of osteoarthritis. The professionals also predict the possibility that in this sildenafil viagra de pfizer period the usage of hemp may be legal in as many as 20 states. Weight training helps to push up testosterone levels. cialis india pharmacy 2. There are certain enzymes that stops the egg from meeting the sperm buy tadalafil canada inside the uterus. • Arman from the Russian movie I Am Dragon
o This movie blew me away. It had every single thing I want in a romance movie that involves a dragon. Despite being in Russian, so I had to read subtitles, the move was visually rich, the dragon was gorgeous, and the story was well told. I think I had a smile on my face from beginning to end.

Note: No, I didn’t mention the dragons from Game of Thrones. Why? Well, I don’t watch that show. (I see your shocked face). Seems right up my alley, right? Nope. I watched the first two seasons and decided it wasn’t for me. I enjoy the look of those dragons but I don’t feel comfortable including them on my Top 5 since I didn’t reach the parts where they grow up and starting burning stuff.

So there’s my list. And that’s just scratching the surface.

I hope to eventually write two sequels after On Wings of Thunder to continue Asagoroth and Trystan’s story. Perhaps in a year or two.

Right now I am working on three series concurrently plus a fantasy trilogy I hope to submit next year. I have way too many stories buzzing around in my brain.

Thank you for joining me and I hope you’ll check out my story!

May dragons guard your dreams,
M.D. Grimm

Every story has a beginning….

Dragons. Angels fear them and demons follow them. Formidable beasts of incredible power, they fight each other to the death for dominance. But dwindling dragon numbers cause alarm among the angelic ranks. Surely when the dragons have finished killing each other, the victors will search elsewhere for conquest… maybe even the Upper Realm.

Roland, an angelic artist of significant talent, doesn’t know what to believe. Part of him longs to see a dragon in person, and his peaceful life of contentment is wearing thin. He wants passion, desire, adventure, and love. He gets more than he bargained for when he and his sister are ambushed and captured by demons, and they bring him to a creature who surpasses Roland’s wildest imaginings.

But the mighty dragon Asagoroth is not all that he seems. Something sparks between him and Roland. Something neither anticipated. Something that will shake the cosmos to its core.

About the Author: M.D. Grimm has wanted to write stories since second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things, actually, but not that!). Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!). After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English (let’s be honest: useless degree what else was she going to do it with it?), she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier. Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain (or else what’s the point?), finding their soul mate in the process.

Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: ,

My Top Five Writing Books by M.D. Grimm – Guest Blog

May 30, 2019 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes M.D. Grimm who is celebrating recent release of Wisdom’s Allegiance, Book Thirteen in The Shifter Chronicles.

Hello everyone! Thank you for joining me. And thanks to Long and Short Reviews for hosting me. M.D. Grimm here and very excited to talk about my new release Wisdom’s Allegiance. This book can be read as a stand-alone, however, so if you’re intrigued and don’t want to start at the beginning, just check this one out.

Today I wanted to share my top 5 writing books—ones that have helped me plot better, describe settings, develop characters, and with all other aspects on the craft of writing.

Let’s start with # 5, shall we?

5) The Chicago Manual of Style is a life-saver, especially since many publishers use those standards. It saves on a lot of time and aggravation if you edit your book to those standards before submission.

4) 13 Steps to Evil by Sacha Black is hilarious and informative. Want to write a great villain? Check this book out. Definitely a good time and the book isn’t too long. Probably the shortest book on this list so it gets right to the point and you don’t have to swim through heavy text to find what you need.

3) The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester is great for any aspiring or experienced writer! The same person who instructed Jim Butcher on how to write (and he got his first book of The Dresden Files, Storm Front –awesome series), now shares her techniques to a wider audience. Basically, keep torturing your characters, especially your protagonist, until the very end. Lots of good stuff with suggestions on how to practice.

2) Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore by Elizabeth Lyon is essential. It’s bulky and touches on everything. It helps writers look at their manuscript objectively and teach them what to look for. So before you send your story to an editor and especially before publishing it, I would highly recommend giving this book a once-through and applying some of their tips.

1) Dynamic Characters by Nancy Kress. This is my bible, no joke. Well-written and helpful with no matter what I need. It does lean toward sci-fi, especially with the examples, but Kress is a sci-fi writer so that makes sense. I’ve read it cover-to-cover several times and probably should again sometime soon. It is a great starting point for writers who are just beginning since it touches on all the parts of a book (plot, character, setting, dialogue, etc.), and a great refresher for experienced writers. I can’t recommend it enough.

Honorable mentions: if you want a quick, accurate way to look at any point in history, I can’t recommend the For Dummies books enough. Seriously, I have about five For Dummies books for info on wars and cultures both modern and ancient. They are a great starting point with recommended further readings in the back so you can laser focus your search once you get a peer-reviewed overview of the time period or event itself. Kind of like a risk-free version of Wikipedia.

Get a thesaurus. Any Thesaurus. Seriously, they will help you stop repeating yourself with that one word you gravitate toward. While I know most words programs have built-in synonym lists, and I use those plenty as well, they are sometimes limited. Nothing beats an actual book.
It’s being the challenge in the medical viagra online mastercard industry for a long time and it the disease which is mainly caused by hypertension and hypercholesterolemia after the operation. When physical stimulation causes local release of NO, inhibition of PDE5 by Check Out Your pharmacy store levitra 20 mg increased levels of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum, resulting in smooth muscle relaxation during sexual arousal leading to a firm, solid erection that lasts throughout sexual intercourse. How you can prevent this condition? Follow these tips to avoid the conditions of both arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. levitra without prescription see these guys Some may fail to erect because http://appalachianmagazine.com/author/AppalachianMagazine/page/64/ viagra no doctor of the fear of intimacy.
There are so many other books I can recommend but I only have so much time and space. LOL. There are so many great books out there that will help you grow on your writer’s journey. I wish you goddess speed!

I am currently working on several projects—an m/m fantasy trilogy, book 7 of my The Stones of Power series, and book 2 of my Saga of the Bold People.

Thanks for joining me and may dragons guard your dreams,
M.D. Grimm

Can a loyal and sensual owl shifter couple woo a human mate who’s convinced he’s an ugly duckling?

When socially awkward Dexter Fortis rescues an elf owl blown off course by a storm, he has no idea the bird is a shifter named Orion. Or that his life is about to change.

Orion falls in love with the kind custodian, but he must convince his long-term partner, Talon, that Dexter is just who they’ve been searching for to establish a permanent ménage. Even if they can gently break down Dexter’s walls, they’ll have to contend with a dangerous cult rising in the shifter community and a hidden enemy determined to keep Dexter from them.

About the Author: M.D. Grimm decided to become an author in the second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things, actually, but not that!). Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!). After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?), she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier. Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain (or else what’s the point?), finding their soul mate in the process.

Facebook | Goodreads | Website

Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With:

Top Five Monsters by M.D. Grimm – Guest Blog

February 11, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Long and Short Reviews welcomes M.D. Grimm who is celebrating the recent release of her newest book Eye of the Beholder.

Top Five Monsters

Good day everyone! Thanks to Long and Short Reviews for hosting me today. And thank you lovely readers for joining me to celebrate my newest release Eye of the Beholder. In honor of my vampire romance, I thought it would be fun to take a trip in the Way Back machine and look at creatures that started as monsters and somehow morphed into misunderstood anti-heroes. Don’t get me wrong, I like the tragic vampire or werewolf as much as the next person but sometimes I miss a good ol’ fashioned monster meant for nightmares.

Vampires used to be terrifying—think undead corpses cursed to drink the blood of their descendants. So basically, zombies on a blood diet… but creepier. And werewolves were said to receive their shape-shifting powers from the devil and an enchanted/cursed fur pelt. Then they liked to go out and eat maidens and children. Yum.

Since my latest release features vampires I thought it would be fun to discuss the creepiest and most nightmarish monsters human stories have to offer. I am defining “monster” in the most primal sense as beasts that prey on humans and often can’t speak. They might be intelligent but they are always hungry and have no empathy or compassion. (Note: I personally don’t consider dragons as monsters but you might disagree… so that’s why they aren’t on my list.)

In honor of the beasts of the night, here are my top 5 favorite monsters of folklore and myth. (Note: there are tons and tons of folklore and mythological creatures out there that I haven’t researched so this list is constantly in flux)

1. Jǫrmungandr aka Miðgard Serpent (Old Norse)
a. Gigantic snake… ‘nuff said
2. Fenrir (Old Norse)
a. The giant wolf fated to eat Oðin at Ragnarök… now that’s the way to go!
3. Apophis aka Apep (Egyptian)
a. Yes, another giant snake… this one of chaos and death!
4. Jiangshi (Chinese)
a. “Hopping” vampire—a reanimated corpse that sucks out your life force. Yikes.
5. Manticore (Persian)
a. Because… bizarre!
Such as-* hormone abnormalities* lumbar disc disease* thyroid disease* multiple sclerosis* trauma* sleep apnea* lung disease* kidney and liver problems If a risk factor can be identified and rated for safety, as part of the ergonomic risk assessment. viagra online sample For mild erection issues, exercises and simple diets can help, but when erectile dysfunction is severe an effective formula like secretworldchronicle.com viagra online stores can help effectively and put an end to erectile failure in bed. It affects nearly buy cialis secretworldchronicle.com 30 million people in the United States. From Lipitor to Prevacid, there are lots of medications that are around cialis generic pharmacy on the online pharmacies.
So what are your favorite monsters? What are the ones that give you nightmares or make your skin crawl? Let me know!

May dragons guard your dreams,
M.D. Grimm

Is it better to risk it all… or never know what could have been?

After surviving an abusive childhood, Vulcan remade himself upon arriving in Los Angeles, California. He became a blacksmith for the paranormal community and strives to earn the respect of the vampire covens and werewolf packs that call LA home. He also prevents the pain of loss by keeping everyone at arm’s length.

But he never planned on meeting a former Roman soldier by the name of Marcus Cassius Vespillo. Something sparks between them and turns into a friendship he never considered possible. He can’t deny his intense attraction to the intelligent, courteous, ancient vampire. And it scares him.

Though Vulcan is wary of seeking more with Cassius, an attack leaves him at death’s door and forces him to reexamine his priorities. But Cassius has his own secret, one that promises tragedy and loss. And if that wasn’t enough, a slayer arrives in the States, one with a bloody connection to Cassius… and Vulcan himself.

About the Author: M.D. Grimm decided to become an author in the second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things, actually, but not that!). Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!). After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?), she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier. Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain (or else what’s the point?), finding their soul mate in the process.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads |

Make sure to subscribe to her monthly newsletter!

Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: ,