Courage and Retribution: The "Kidnapped" prequels

by Maria Hammarblad

On the outskirts of the ever-present Alliance’s watchful eye, William Reynolds leads a good life as preacher and mayor for a small town. He pays little attention to the iron fist that runs the galaxy, and ignores rumors of a paranoid government using violence to keep its citizens in line. The conflict between the Alliance and its people comes uncomfortably close as a family fleeing oppression seeks refuge in William’s basement. He agrees to help them, but the Alliance is on their heels, and reaching out to the people in need proves to be more dangerous than he could ever have anticipated. Once events are set in motion, there is no going back. Three short stories set in the Kidnapped universe

111 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2020

About the author

Born in Sweden in the early 1970's, Maria showed a large interest for books early in her life. Even before she was able to read or write, she made her mom staple papers together that she drew suns in, and proudly declared them to be the "Sun Book." They were all about the sun. This fascination with books and writing lasted through her teens, but as an adult, her career veered off towards desktop publishing and technical literature.

Even on this winding road through very different employers, she managed to always incorporate writing in her work, making a living by making user manuals and documentations for computer systems. Not until the year 2000 did she find what would be her professional home at SSAB Swedish Steel, where she worked with logistics for the better part of a decade.

During 2008 she felt that it was time for a change, and she promptly enrolled in college and relocated to Florida in November that year. This change of lifestyle gave her the peace of mind and time she needed to pursue her interest in writing fiction, and this far it has resulted in three published novels; "Kidnapped," "Touch of the Goddess," and "Undercover," and several more are on the way.