Today I am so pleased to welcome M.D. Grimm to Joyfully Jay. M.D. has come to talk to us about her latest release, Jade: First & Last. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Good day lovely readers! Thank you for joining me. I am M.D. Grimm and I am here to promote my newest release, “Jade: First and Last.” This is the latest entry in The Stones of Power, and the structure became a quest story, much the same as the first book in the series. I kept making it worse for my guys as they searched for the jade stone of power. And I had a bit too much fun doing so. I only have four books left before I wrap things up for Lord Morgorth and Aishe, and I am both excited and saddened. They’ve been with me for a decade, and it will be an end of an era when I let them go. If you like magic, surly, anti-hero mages (wizards), their loyal, long-suffering mates, and a fun setting with quirky supporting characters, this series might be for you!

I wanted to share a few fun facts about the series that was either information I couldn’t put in organically, or simply behind-the-scenes setup of characters and places. Writing a fantasy series like this will always mean there are “director’s notes/scenes” that won’t see the light of day. But this is information that I, as the author, need to know so I can remain consistent with details and plot arcs.

So… ready for some fun facts? Here we go:

1. Morgorth’s appearance was accidently modeled after Neo from the Matrix and Morpheus/Dream from The Sandman graphic novels. I am not even joking about this. The funniest thing is that my first book, Ruby: Lost and Found was published in 2012, and I think I might have seen the first Matrix movie once by then? And I never heard of The Sandman until years later, and I only read the graphic novels last year. So I couldn’t explain why Morgorth is a strange cross between Neo and Morpheus. When I was designing his outfit, I wanted it to have the illusion of “wizard’s robes,” but because he’s a rebel, he modified his clothes. At least his personality is all my own invention… though I think he might lean a bit more toward Morpheus in that score, regardless.
2. Aishe’s appearance is absolutely modeled after Legolas. The “dialen” are my own invention, and my own take on “elves.” Look, I’m a huge fan of everything Tolkien, and the first book of the series was only my third book ever published so… I was still finding my own voice… by “borrowing” from others.
3. …and following that, Morgorth’s name is also inspired by Tolkien’s Satan-figure, Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. He appears in The Silmarillion, and Sauron was his lieutenant.
4. The name for Morgorth’s forest, Vorgoroth, is inspired by Gorgoroth, which is land inside Mordor. Yes, LOTR again. Sue me.
5. The name for Morgorth’s castle home, Geheimnis, is actually the German word for “secret.” In hindsight, I probably should have made up another word or named it something else, but again, it’s one of those things newbie authors do. At the time, I also wanted the name to connect with his fascination with the human world (Earth) and the few times he traveled to it. But as the series progressed, that idea never expanded so now it’s just an odd quirk.
6. Yes, payshthas are dragons. But I didn’t make up that word, actually. I found it in a fairie encyclopedia, and it’s an Irish water dragon that hides hidden treasure.
7. Yes, the big cosmic baddies, the Formoryans, are based on the Fomorians/Fomoire in Irish mythology. They are monstrous creatures, one of the first races to ever live on the island, who were eventually conquered/driven off by the Tuatha de Danann.
8. I was originally going to use words like “elf” and “dwarf” but my first editor encouraged me to create my own creatures and names for them, to own my world. I am forever grateful for that suggestion.
9. I never give the ages of my characters… but in my notes, Morgorth is around 100 years old. Yeah. Let me explain. I wanted my characters to be long-lived (again, like Tolkien), but there just wasn’t a way at the time for me to insert that info without making it awkward. I was still honing my writing skills and anything I tried just came off as too explain-y, and I just gave up and realized it didn’t matter, ultimately. Aishe is a bit older than Morgorth, and Master Ulezander is over 500 years old.
10. I created a calendar for Karishian. I honestly couldn’t say where it is now, but while the type of seasons remain the same (winter, spring, summer, fall), the names of the months and days of the week are different. Even when I received the rights back for the series, and I went through to modify and tweak things for smoother reading, it just never felt quite right to include all that. But, as I said earlier, these are things that I need to know so I can correctly indicate the passage of time and have the seasons change.

The Stones of Power 1-9 are available for purchase at Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. I have a newsletter that I send out monthly with all the goodies you can expect in the future. That’s the best way to find out about my current and future projects.

I’m currently working on the next Shifter Chronicles book, as well as the first book in a duology concerning two sisters and their love lives with dragons and wolves.

More information on my catalog can be found at my website.

I hope you stay safe and healthy, and may dragons guard your dreams,

M.D. Grimm

Blurb

Morgorth and Aishe must contend with a deadly threat that could spell disaster for their world.

Payshthas were the first of the Mother’s intelligent children. It is rare for true friendship to form between them and another species—which makes Morgorth’s bond with Enfernlo unique. And it is due to their friendship that Morgorth doesn’t hesitate to answer Enfernlo’s plea for help.

A thief has stolen something vital from Enfernlo’s colony—a stone of power.

Their hunt for the stone leads them to a war torn kingdom, and Aishe can hardly stomach what he sees. The devastation urges him to assist however he can, no matter the risk. Meanwhile, Morgorth is faced with reminders of the monster he used to be, and contemplates how far he’s come, and yet how far he still has to go. And when his estranged mentor joins them on their search, Morgorth is forced to confront his resentment and sense of betrayal, and use Master Ulezander as a tool to save the payshthas.

Forced into a deadly quest where trust is in short supply, and faced with challengers for the stone, Morgorth must put his faith in those he loves and in himself… and become a champion not just of the Mother but for Karishian itself.

Warnings: magic violence, dragon violence, war-torn country

• Universal Buy Link: https://www.mdgrimmwrites.com/the-stones-of-power-series
• Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com) Link: https://www.limfic.com/book/jade-first-and-last/
• QueeRomance Ink Link: https://www.queeromanceink.com/book/jade-first-and-last/

Bio

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 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.

• Author Website: https://www.mdgrimmwrites.com
• Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001710645622
• Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4574220.M_D_Grimm
• Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/m-d-grimm/
• Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/m-d-grimm/
• Author Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/M.D.-Grimm/e/B00I0KZMY6/ 

Giveaway

M.D. is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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