Brand
New World
Embarkment 2577, novella 1
Embarkment 2577, novella 1
Maria Hammarblad
Genre: Scifi Romance
ISBN: 1456338366
ISBN-13: 978-1456338367
ASIN: B004HO630G
Number of pages: 128
Word Count: 29477
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/FWMObuBulXc
Book Description:
When Alexandra wakes up in an unknown environment,
populated by a cat-like woman with a tail and a hologram of a rockstar, she
knows she has to be hallucinating. Maybe she hit her head, or finally suffered
that nervous breakdown. It doesn't get any better from finding out she died and
was taken into the future by the elusive Adam, whom she can't remember, or from
people telling her she's on a spaceship.
The last year or so is gone from her memory, and she has no choice but to try to adapt. As days go by, her new environment becomes more and more unnerving. She finds herself helpless, and completely dependent on a man who isn't even human.
The last year or so is gone from her memory, and she has no choice but to try to adapt. As days go by, her new environment becomes more and more unnerving. She finds herself helpless, and completely dependent on a man who isn't even human.
"Brand New World" is the first novella
in the "Embarkment 2577" series.
Short Excerpt:
I was a real asset in a stressful
situation: I slept through the computer coming back online. I woke from Adam
stroking my hair and saying my name. It felt good. “Mmm, hi.”
“It’s a shame to wake you, but we need to
go.”
“This is a very comfortable floor. You go
save the day, and come back to get me when you’re done.”
He laughed softly. “I’ll find you a chair
on the bridge that’s even more comfortable.”
“You’re not getting me coffee?”
“I wish I could. Here, put this on.”
He held out a peculiar visor to me. It
resembled some futuristic scuba gear. “What? We’re going swimming?”
The man was the epitome of patience. When I
didn’t take the visor, he put it on me. “We need to go to the bridge now, and
you will need air on the way there.”
Wearing the breathing device was awkward,
and the air had a peculiar taste. I could breathe though, so I didn’t complain.
He paused just inside the door to the
corridor. “Stay right behind me, just in case. Are you ready?”
As ready as I’d ever be.
I squeezed my eyes shut when he opened the
door to the corridor. No harm in delaying whatever horrors might await for a
second or two, right? When I opened them again, Adam crouched next to three
motionless bodies. “Are they… Are they
dead?”
“They’ll be fine, but they’ll have
wonderful headaches when they wake up. Come on.”
My plan didn’t seem all that great anymore.
What about people who might be sick, or pregnant, or something. Would they die?
“Alex, I pumped in a mix of sevoflurane and
nitrous oxide. They’ll be out for a while, but they’ll be fine.” His words woke
me from my paralysis.
Strewn with bodies, the beautiful corridors
turned into a nightmare. I kept trying to peek over my shoulder to see if a
monster might be sneaking up on us, but the visor wouldn’t turn that far.
There was an unconscious Logg in the lift.
I shifted my weight from foot to foot, unwilling to go in, and Adam pulled the
furry body out.
“Do you think the others made it to the
bridge before…?” My mental image of everyone falling to their deaths, put to
sleep during the long climb was too horrendous.
He took my hand and led me into the
elevator. “I think they picked up masks just like yours, and I think they’re
waiting for us.”
Waiting? How could they be? We only had to
climb eight floors, and they needed to go thirty-three. Oh no… “You didn’t let
me sleep, did you?”
“Just for a little while.”
Great. The entire rescue operation stalled
because I needed a nap.
Adam squeezed my fingers. “No matter what
happens, it’ll be a long day.”
The top floor was almost empty. It would
make sense to empty the ship from there down, and only a few stocky, furry
bodies hindered our way. I stepped over one, hoping it wouldn’t wake up to grab
my ankles.
Author Bio:
Born in Sweden in the early 1970's, Maria
showed a large interest for books at an early age. Even before she was able to
read or write, she made her mom staple papers together into booklets she filled
with drawings of suns and planets. She proudly declared them, "The Sun
Book." They were all about the sun. She also claimed, to her mother's
horror, that her being on Earth was a big mistake and that her alien family
would come and bring her home at any moment. This never happened, but both the
interest in space and the passion for bookmaking stayed with her.
As an adult Maria's creativity got an
outlet through playing bass in a number of rock bands, and through writing
technical manuals and making web pages for various companies and organizations.
She did write drafts for a few novels, but the storytelling muse was mostly
satisfied through role playing online on Myspace. It was here, while writing
stories together with people from around the globe, she stumbled onto Mike.
They started talking out of character, and she moved over to Florida to him
late 2008. Today the two are married and live in the Tampa Bay area with three
rescue dogs.
Besides writing and playing bass,
Maria enjoys driving off-road, archery, and Tameshigiri.
Upcoming releases
Flashback, to be released by
Desert Breeze Publishing June 2013
Operation Earth, to be released by Desert
Breeze Publishing August 2013
Borealis XII, to be released by Desert
Breeze Publishing November 2013
Fun Facts
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite food: Chicken with cashew nuts
Doesn't eat: Mammals
Favorite TV Show: Star Trek TNG and Leverage
Favorite animal: Border Collie
Quotes: "Full
Speed Ahead" and "Caffeine is good for you"
Find Maria on the web
Website: http://www.hammarblad.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad
Twitter: @mariahammarblad
Thank you for featuring me on your blog! I appreciate it. :-)
ReplyDelete