Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)
We’ve moved on to Hostage To The Stars,which released in June. Edited from published version. I’ll do a few more snippets from it and then move on to my NEW book, released this week (details below the excerpt).
“You never know with pirates,” said the woman, ill at ease, but not afraid, “Our line pays the pre-negotiated ransom on the spot, credits transmitted to a bank on New Switzerland. Routine expense of doing business in this part of the Sector.”
She’d arrived at the cafeteria and Sara saw the other passengers clustered at one table in the front of the room.
“You’d better go join them because you can’t sit with the crew,” said the stewardess giving her a not so gentle push, “Good luck.”
Sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach again, Sara grabbed her arm, “Why do I need luck? You said there’s a preset ransom for us. Routine.”
She received a pitying stare now, as the crew woman broke her grip, “For the ship and the crew – you’re on your own. I hope you have good K&R* insurance.”
*Kidnap and Ransom
The story:
He rescued her from space pirates … but can he keep them both safe from the far greater evil stalking a deserted planet?
Space travel without Kidnap & Ransom insurance? Not a good idea. University instructor and researcher Sara Bridges can’t afford it, so when pirates board her cruise liner, she’s taken captive along with the mistress of a wealthy man, and brought to a deserted planet. When a military extraction team sent to rescue the mistress refuses to take Sara too, she’s left to the mercies of a retired Special Forces soldier, along as consultant.
Reluctantly reactivated and coerced into signing up for the rescue operation to the planet Farduccir where he once was deployed, Sgt. Johnny Danver just wants to get the job done. But when the team leader leaves one captured woman behind, he breaks away to rescue her himself.
As Johnny and Sara traverse the barren landscape, heading for an abandoned base where they hope to call Sectors Command for help, they find villages destroyed by battle and stripped of all inhabitants. A lone survivor tells a horrific tale of the Sectors’ alien enemy, the Mawreg, returning after being pushed out …
Searching for evidence to give the military, Johnny is captured. He regains consciousness in a Mawreg cage–with Sara next to him. Death is preferable to what the aliens will do to them… And even if they do escape their captors, can they alert the military in time to prevent another invasion of the Sectors?
Standalone sequel to Mission To Mahjundar (mild spoilers for Mahjundar in this story.)
Buy Links: Amazon Kobo Apple iBooks Barnes & Noble
MY NEW RELEASE!
Trapped on Talonque
The story:
Will an alien sleeping beauty awaken to save him, or destroy everyone around her?
When a Sectors Special Forces soldier and his team crash land on an alien planet, they’re taken captive and given a challenge–win at the violent ball game of sapiche and live. Lose, and they die, sending a mysterious, alien beauty to an even uglier fate. To survive, these soldiers must win the game and find a way to free the dangerous prisoner from her locked chamber.
Nate Reilly and his team are in deep trouble. Prisoners on a backward alien planet, they’re brought before an alien ‘goddess’, sleeping in her high tech seclusion. Nate is astonished when she awakes and establishes a psychic link with him. But her news is not good–he and his men must win a brutal challenge set by their captors, or they will die. She’ll give her aid, but in the end their courage and strength must win the contest.
Bithia sleeps in her chamber, as she has for thousands of years, since her own people unaccountably left her there. Viewed as a goddess by her captors, she must hide her ancient secrets to survive. But only the bravest of men may free her. Can she use her psychic powers to keep Nate and his men alive long enough to help her escape, or will her only hope of freedom die with them?
Amazon Apple iBooks Kobo Barnes & Noble All Romance eBooks
Darn. She should’ve read the fine print on her ticket and clicked Accept to buy the optional travel insurance.
LOL at Ed’s comment. Poor naive kid. Despite that, she isn’t a weepy, clinging damsel-in-distress. Love the excerpt.
Oh dear! But where would be the fun if everything was too easy?
I love the story line of your new release. May it get the response it deserves, Veronica.
Wow, and to think most people these days just worry about flood insurance! Good one! Your new release should do very well!
I can imagine K & R insurance would make kidnapping quite lucrative. Loved this book!
Good to know! Travel insurance, just when you need it, you’ve forgotten to get it. Great hook, Jean.
The stewardess really could act a little more concerned. Sorry about your imminent abduction- sheesh! 🙂
Dear friend, how in the world do you come up with these marvelous stories? Major Hug to you.
Oops! Now she’ll be sorry.
Love the humor in this snippet! Congratulations on the new release.
Well, crap. That kinda sucks for her. But things are looking rosy for you! Congrats and best of luck on your new release! 🙂
Why do I think this is exactly how it will be it if we ever get to intergalactic travel? Can’t afford insurance? Too bad for you! Oh, and I love the new cover.
Well that sounds promising. Looks like she has trouble ahead. Congrats on the new release! 😀
There had to be a catch somewhere – sounds like Sara will need some luck somewhere along the way!
I don’t usually buy trip insurance, however, in this case I think I would not have ventured out without it. I bet she’s thinking that now as well. Great premise for the book! I’m excited to read more.
Sounds like a horrible situation to be in. But, a great way to tease readers! Congratulations on your new release! 🙂
Oh boy, she ought to be nervous now! Looking forward to reading more. Best of luck on the new release. Congrats!
For the ship and the crew … nice twist 🙂
Love that premise! Oh boy, kidnapped without K&R insurance. That’s going to get hairy. Nice snippet.
I love it when sci fi stories speak to modern challenges in humorous ways so we laugh, so it doesn’t hurt so much. Great snippet.
K & R insurance-lol I love it. I do hope she has it, but I’m thinking she doesn’t. I’m curious to know more.
Wooops! She probably doesn’t since she thought it was preset. Great hook! 🙂
She might not have the insurance to rescue her from the kidnap, but something tells me that she is going to have a great adventure, with perhaps a bonus at the end?
I don’t know why, but something about your opening line in this snippet made me laugh out loud. I’m looking forward to reading this book in it’s entirety.
And now the truth comes out. It’s not so safe, after all. If this is such a problem, I do wonder why she didn’t get the insurance–no matter the cost to her budget, it’s better than the alternative.
She’s in for a lot of trouble. Hum, makes me wonder if I should start hiring travel insurance. LOL COngrats on the upcoming release, Veronica!
I hope her insurance is good.
Thanks for the good wishes on my new release! And I’m glad people are enjoying the excerpts from HOSTAGE. Yes, poor Sara was a bit of an innocent at the start of the book. She explains to Johnny much later that she’d never even heard of K&R insurance and that no one had told her she needed it. I’ll do a couple more excerpts from this book before we switch off.
Yes, but will she be in good hands with the K&R insurance? Fun snippet.
That’s a really tough hand to be dealt! I hope she comes through it alright.
Good luck with your new release!
Uh! I went to Amazon to buy it–and I already did, on July 1st. I need to get this to the top of my reading list, Veronica. Your snippets have me wondering how she gets out of this mess–and just what hunky hero comes along to help her do it. 😉
I do that too, go to Amazon and find out the book is already bought and sitting on my kindle LOL! Johnny is the hero in this one (he was the secondary character in Mission to Mahjundar but this story is a standalone.) I just had to give him his own book!