TITLE: In Enemy Hands
AUTHOR: M.A. Church
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
COVER ARTIST: Anne Cain
LENGTH: 73006 words / 214 Pages
RELEASE DATE: December 30, 2016
BLURB: Two very different civilizations—one bathed in bright sunlight and the other veiled in shadow.
Bad decisions,
declining resources, and a king on the brink of madness force Prince Varo
Kutchif, third son of the royal family and a starship captain, to attempt the
impossible: barter for Black Phospolrock, an energy source the mysterious
Helkan Kingdom has in abundance. Varo opens a line of communication with Adlar,
an intriguing Helkan who seems to reciprocate Varo’s interest. He hopes so,
because if negotiations collapse, Varo has orders to attack.
The Helkans preside
over a planet shrouded in perpetual darkness. Several species have tried to
exploit its natural resources through trade with them, but all have failed.
Adlar Mondur is the older brother to the Helkan ruler. An assassin of the
highest order, he’ll do anything to protect his king and his people—including
tracking down the Yesri prince who crash-lands on their planet, leaving an ugly
scar across its untouched beauty.
Thus begins a journey where
two men from disparate civilizations grow from enemies to lovers. 
Hey everyone, my name is M. A. Church, and I’ve stopped by Book Lovers 4Ever to talk about
my latest release, In Enemy Hands.
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Excerpt:
“Artan!” Varo snapped. To finish that
sentence could lead to a charge of treason. “We were given orders, do you
understand?”
“Are we obeying that order?”
“We don’t have a choice. The
alternative is…. Well, a court-martial would be the least of our worries. The
effects would reach as far as the families of crew members.”
“Are you saying our king threatened our
family members?” Artan asked, dropping his shoulders in defeat.
“Take it as you will. Set our
long-distance scanners to monitor how the Helkans’ satellite surveillance
network handles such a large group of asteroids hitting it. Make sure the helm
knows to stay at maximum range. We certainly don’t want to get too close. After
the asteroid field has passed, we attack.”
“I’ll tell the helm to be aware of distance,
Captain,” Artan said. “Shall I inform the helm of our directive?”
“No. That’s my responsibility. Now
return to your station.” Varo waited until the door silently closed, then made
a shipwide announcement with his orders.
He didn’t say it, but he probably
didn’t have to. His crew was well aware of the rumors surrounding the Helkans.
The odds were good that once they attacked, the Helkans would blow them out of
the air.
He hoped, in what little time they had
left, his crew would set up subspace messages to be sent out after they failed
in their attack— and yes, he had no doubt they’d fail. He returned to his port
window and the study of Helkan. Too bad he had no one to send a message to.
Bedamned irrational Helkans.
“Animals,” he whispered as he stared at
the planet.
Lost in thought, he jumped when the
reminder beep alerted him that the asteroid field was close. Where did the time
go? He opened the door to his private office and stepped out onto the bridge.
Settling in the captain’s chair, he
glanced at the ship’s floor-to-ceiling screen. “Update.”
M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!
When not writing, she’s on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two grown children.
She is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
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You can also email the author at - nomoretears00@hotmail.com
Winner’s Prize: $5 Amazon GC.
The book sounds really good I love to read Sci Fi after spending many hours watching Star Trek re-runs when I was young.
ReplyDeleteI think this will be a great book. I love her writing.
ReplyDeletehavent read it
ReplyDelete