Interview Maria Hammarblad Author of Flashback

Give a warm welcome to Maria Hammarblad, author of Flashback release August 1, 2018.

Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Maria and Flashback a military romance!

What inspired this particular story?

I don’t remember how I got the original idea to write Flashback, but there was a specific incident that had a lot of impact on the book. I lived in Florida at the time, and winters there can be really cold. It’s not cold on the thermometer, but the high humidity just chills you to the bone. I was on my way home, had stopped at the grocery store, and was driving out of the parking lot when I saw the man.

He didn’t look like all the other homeless people you see there. He was clean, had short hair, had shaved, and wore clean clothes. He stood by the wall, holding a sign saying he was a veteran. I stopped and gave him the cash I had. He thanked me, saying he was going to go get a cup of coffee to get out of the cold.

I was on my way home, my dog waited and needed to go out, and I didn’t even think about staying to chat with him. Afterwards I wondered who he really was, and what his story might have been. He might not have told me, but I wish I’d at least asked his name. I went back later in the evening to see if I could do something for him, but he wasn’t there anymore and I never saw him again. This is years ago, but I still wonder about him.

Anyway, it made me think about how hard it must be to be deployed somewhere and come back. The worlds must be so completely different. How do you readjust? Your family and friends might not get it at all. Of course, my imagination blew all these musings out of proportion and it ended up in Flashback.

What secret do you use to blast through writer’s block?

I need to be outdoors. When my characters stop talking to me, I’ve either been too stressed about real life, or spent too much time indoors. If I take a walk, go outside and look at a tree, or just sit on the back porch, the ideas usually start flowing again. I prefer to sit outdoors and write too. That’s not practical during all seasons and types of weather of course, but I accomplish much more when I’m outside.

Who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written and Why?

Parents shouldn’t have favorites, right? Haha! If you don’t tell the other characters, my favorite is Adam from the Embarkment 2577 series. Those are science fiction books, and he is an android. He struggles so hard with understanding both himself and the humans around him. He does well with it most of the time, but sometimes it goes spectacularly wrong.
 

Tell us a little about Flashback.
 
The thing about fighting evil? It keeps coming back.
As the sole survivor of a Taliban POW camp, Steve Petersen is damaged goods. He is convinced that he left his sanity within the horror-filled walls that held him captive for the better part of a year. His mind is trapped in moments of graphic, soul-crushing flashbacks, and his only solace is the momentary reprieve he gains from alcohol and drugs.
 
When he mysteriously wakes in a bright and cheery bedroom that belongs to a woman he barely remembers meeting, he knows he should leave. He should save the widow Anna from his own special brand of crazy. Leaving is not as easy as one would think, and he finds himself drawn into a world of real life problems such as folding laundry, and what to make for dinner.
 
This new way of life eases his need for drowning his pain in substances and offers moments of quiet healing – until Anna disappears. To save her, Steve must face the demons that have tortured him for so long and return to the place where it all began. Afghanistan.
 
 

A peek between the pages of Flashback:

Life outside could sure be exhausting. Anna went into the kitchen, and Steve rested his head back and closed his eyes. Listening to her hum a song, just a little out of tune as she loaded the coffee maker soothed his nerves.

A hard rattling sound made him open his eyes again.

Gunshots, and they were close.

Anna still sang, and she would be an easy target.

He ran through the apartment, making sure to stay away from the windows. Peeking around the corner, his beautiful fiancée was oblivious to the danger.

Women.

How did they survive?

He sprung out from his hiding place behind the wall, shoved her down on the floor, and threw himself over her. After all she did for him, protecting her with his own body was the least he could do.

Anna wheezed, clearly trying to draw a breath.

“Sssh, they’re coming.”

She lay on her back, and the question in her eyes was clear. Have you lost your mind? Of course he had, a long time ago. She should know.

When she opened her mouth, he covered it with his hand, so she couldn’t draw attention to them.

“Don’t you hear them? The shots?”

She shook her head and closed her fingers around his wrist, attempting to pull his hand away.

“I think we’re safe, but be very quiet.”

 

 
About the Author:
 
Maria Hammarblad is an author and bass player whose fascination with books started early. Before she could read or write, she made her mother staple papers together to resemble books. She drew suns in them and claimed they were “The Sun Book.” They were all about the sun.
 
The four-year-old also claimed her existence on Earth was a mistake, the result of a horrible mix-up, and that her real family would come to bring her home to her own planet at any time. This didn’t happen, but her fascination with books and other worlds stayed with her.
 
Besides novels, she also writes award-winning screenplays, enjoys photography, and works with animal rescue organizations.
 
 
 
 
 
 

It was wonderful having you with us today.  Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Flashback!

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