Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "Kidnapped"

Thank you so much for supporting Maria during her spotlight week. Leave a comment today, tomorrow and Sunday on the Excerpt post and included your email. Maria is giving away a PDF copy of her story, Kidnapped. One lucky winner will be chosen on the following Monday, 11 JUN. Enjoy the Excerpt!

Moderator Steph

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Something poked Patricia, awakening her from a deep sleep, and she yelped, thinking it might be a rat. When she focused her eyes, she stared at Travis's legs right in front of her. He had nudged her with the toe of his boot. She still held the soft little cup clutched to her chest, and didn't let it go even as she fought to sit up. "Oh no."

He answered dryly, "Yes, I'm happy to see you too."

It took a couple of seconds for reality to sink into her mind. Offending him would be bad, maybe even lethal, and she tried to talk her way out of the slip, "I was hoping it was a dream."

His next words weren't at all what she expected. "You wouldn't cause any trouble for me if I were to let you out, right?"

The prospect of seeing something besides the bare walls of the cell felt almost intoxicating, and she shook her head eagerly. Travis smirked, "You wouldn't, say, try to overpower me with that really dangerous cup or anything, would you?"

Had he seen her? Had he been watching her? All night? She felt herself blush, but still clutched the cup harder. It was hers, the only thing she had, and she wanted to keep it. She still dropped it when he reached a hand down to pull her up. Accepting the offering seemed dangerous, but rejecting it even more so. Putting her hand carefully in his, half expecting pain and death, it surprised her to find it warm and human.

"It'll take us a few days to reach Central. Any mischief and you get to spend all that time in here, do you understand? If you try to contact William, try to steal the ship, sabotage it, anything, it's back to the cell. Am I making myself clear?"

She nodded obediently and glanced down at her hand still holding his. It surprised her she wasn't as afraid of him anymore. He almost seemed like a real person. Looking up, she found herself staring at the ruined part of his face. That too seemed less frightening and revolting now. If anything, it looked painful and filled her with sympathy. "Why are you doing this? Being nice to me, I mean?"

He made a dismissive gesture, "I don't know. I should kill you and get it over with, but I guess you're harmless."

Dropping her hand and turning abruptly, he walked out with long strides, and she hurried to follow. As soon as she got into the corridor her head started to spin, trying to take in all the unfamiliar sights and smells, and she had to jog to keep up with him to the elevator. If she'd still had doubts about where she was they evaporated. This thing, whatever it was, couldn't have been made on Earth.


*****

Review snippets:

"Kidnapped will hold your attention from beginning to end. You MUST read it."
Paula L. McElwee

"I highly recommend "Kidnapped" to anyone who enjoys, action, romance, sci-fi and a spectacular read!"
Mrs. Michael

"With taut, escalating action, Kidnapped is a thoroughly intriguing read."
Chelsea Perry, Apex Reviews

"In a genre where minutely-detailed descriptions of nanorobots in the blood stream make quite a few appearances, Maria Hammarblad makes her traditional narrative refreshing -- not cliché. The jury approves."
The Scattering


Book trailer link: http://youtu.be/GDmhI7c69iM

Website: http://www.hammarblad.com
Blog: http://www.scifiromance.info
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mariahammarblad

Buy-link Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00825645A
Buy-link Desert Breeze Publishing: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-292/Kidnapped-Maria-Hammarblad/Detail.bok