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!)
I’m sharing a snippet from an older book, Misson to Mahjundar today as it’s on sale for $.99 in a big scifi promo (on into July). The heroine Shalira and Johnny, a secondary character, are trying to escape a local temple when they find themselves in the inner sanctum. A reader recently told me the later scenes in the book involving the god Tlazomiccuhtli “seemed almost Lovecraftian” to him (WOW!!! what a compliment), so it was on my mind. I’ll excerpt something else, newer, next week. Edited from the published version.
Johnny seemed locked into position, literally transfixed, either by the dark powers Tlazomiccuhtli wielded or his own memories, or both. Frantic with the need to move, Shalira tugged harder on the paralyzed Johnny but couldn’t rouse him from the trance or traumatic state he was in. Unblinking, he stared straight at the effigy, his body rigid.
Dizziness was overtaking her senses, whether from the smoke or the influence of Tlazomiccuhtli she wasn’t sure. Reaching a decision, she closed her eyes and took off her protective amulet. The end of the chain slipped from her fingers as if pulled and she heard the locket clatter onto the stone floor. Kneeling, Shalira swept the floor with her hands. Frustrated, she risked opening one eye and immediately felt the pull to turn toward Tlazomiccuhtli and worship him. Fortunately she caught a glimpse of her locket, shining with a pale green glow, half-hidden under a table supporting a cage of hissing snakes. Forcing herself to move away from the statue, praying the snakes couldn’t escape the enclosure, she crawled to retrieve the locket and brought it back to Johnny. As soon as she fastened the chain around his neck, he jerked and blinked, rubbing his forehead.
She led him out of the chamber, counting the steps and listening to the echoes, although it was hard to hear over the voices in her head, calling her to return to Tlazomiccuhtli’s embrace.
The story:
An attempted assassination left Princess Shalira blind as a child and, now that she’s of marriageable age, her prospects are not good because of her disability. She’s resigned herself to an arranged marriage rather than face life under the thumb of her cold stepmother. But then she meets Mike Varone, a Sectors Special Forces officer sent to Mahjundar by the intergalactic government to retrieve a ship lost in her planet’s mountains. After Mike saves Shalira from another assassination attempt, she arranges for him to escort her across the planet to her future husband. She’s already falling hard for the deadly offworlder and knows she should deny herself the temptation he represents, but taking Mike along to protect her is the only way she’ll live long enough to escape her ruthless stepmother.
Mike, for his part, resists his growing attraction to the princess; he has a mission on this planet and rescuing the vulnerable but brave princess isn’t it. No matter how much he wishes it could be.
But what should have been an easy trek through Mahjundar’s peaceful lands swiftly turns into an ambush with danger around every turn. Shalira’s marriage begins to seem less like an arranged union and more like yet another planned assassination. The more they work together to survive, the harder it becomes to stop themselves from falling in love. Caught in a race against time, can they escape the hostile forces hunting them and make it off the planet?
A 2015 SFR Galaxy Award Winner
Buy Links for my book:
Amazon Barnes & Noble iTunes KOBO
THE PROMO:
The description of the sensations really drew me in.
You got me with this excerpt – just bought it and looking forward to reading it, although I do have a few others to get through first, but this really intrigued me!
Thanks! I hope you’ll enjoy the book 🙂
Wonderful imagery drew me right into the scene.
The god seemed almost Lovecraftian to the reader- What a wonderful compliment. 🙂
Misson to Mahjundar is one of your *older* books? Wow, how time flies. I remember when it came out; I think it might have been the first book of yours I read.
Time flies LOL!
She a tough lady!
Whoa that was intense! And I’m not even gonna pretend that I know how to pronounce that name haha
It;s a variation on an Aztec god’s name (thoroughly retweaked) and the original is even more of a tongue twister. Imagine my poor audiobook narrator!
Haha I feel so bad for them! I’d probably just skip right over it every time to be honest haha
The thought of rooting around trying to find the necklace near snakes made me shiver. Thank goodness, they didn’t escape.
This is kind of funny since I just finished reading this book yesterday. 😀 this was a great snippet
Thank you! Wow, that is a coincidence!
I love this story! And this snippet shows that even thought Shalira needed to be rescued, she was also able to do the rescuing. Great snippet from a fabulous story! 🙂
Thank you. I was pretty satisfied by the time the book ended that Shalira had done her share of the dangerous, exciting work too.
Just bought this. Anyone brave enough to go near a cage of hissing snakes, I need to read more about. Great excerpt!
Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy the entire adventure 🙂
Another beauty, my friend. What a story, so exciting. You are a wonder. Hugs from me.
I really appreciate all the comments and feedback! Going off to do my rounds of the excerpts for today now…
Scary to know a statue has that my power. I’m glad she got them away.
Wow, the intensity of this scene, the vivid descriptions…the snakes! You’ve got it all! Great job!
I read this one! Evil, evil villains is what I recall.
Wow–great descriptions–I can relate to the dizziness.
That was intense! The snakes made me shiver.
Tense and creepy, with a side of snakes. 🙂
I felt like I was there! Awesome!
That could have gone really wrong! But she saved the day, for now. Exciting snippet!
Wow! Great snippet, very visual and intense. She’s strong!
Oh, what a scene! I’m not sure if I could have saved Johnny. Yikes! Snakes… lol
Good excerpt, Veronica!