Announcement: Theory of Love Anthology

QSFer Dale Cameron Lowry is part of a new sci fi anthology:

In Theory of Love, we wave our geek flag high! Tales from deep space, sci-fi realities, technology, academia, and cosplay are brought together in this collection.

In theory, love is easy.

About the Stories

All ‘Ships May Sail by Maia Strong (https://www.facebook.com/Maia-Strong-Author-129814580435703/)
Lori is new in town and looking to make friends, and maybe more. Hoping to meet people who share her interest in cosplay, she attends a local sci-fi/fantasy convention. Kara is a cosplayer who enjoys moderating costuming panels and hooking up for a con-weekend fling with a sexy fellow geek girl. They connect in their fandoms and in bed, but do the two share enough chemistry to take their relationship into real life?

Captive by Asta Idonea (http://www.nickijmarkus.com)
When the Teludazi take Captain Evander Starr captive, he expects to die. Instead, he finds himself drawn to their leader, Kaname, whose strange eyes hold him prisoner in a way far stronger than any bonds.

A Symposium in Space by K.S. Trenten (inspirationcauldron.wordpress.com)
Centuries after Plato’s The Symposium, another symposium is taking place—in space. Fleeing from the space pirate, Alkibiadea, Sokrat and her protégé race to attend a dinner party at Agathea’s intergalatic cluster. It’s no ordinary gathering. What you say is what you eat, as each guest forms a theory or tells a story about love, to sate the bizarre hunger of their host. Join Sokrat, Phaedra, Pausania, Aristophania, and Eryximachia as each of them expresses what love means to them—unearthing buried secrets, passions, and fears within their hearts. For love means something very different to each guest, making every meal unique.

Being Jake by Lila Mathews (https://lilamathews.wordpress.com/)
The summary that appears prior to my story in the pre-galley is: For the first time in years, socially awkward Jake Moran finds himself crushing on another man. Not just any man–tall, muscular, intelligent Drew Harris. Jake is consumed by thoughts of Drew. It’s distracting. So much that Jake’s grades are suffering, and he’s worried he’ll lose his perfect GPA. As Jake sees it, there is only one way he’ll be able to focus again and get his grades back on track–he must have Drew. If only Jake were charming and attractive, like Drew, instead ofclumsy and quirky. Winning Drew definitely won’t be easy.

Meat Space by Lynn Townsend (https://www.facebook.com/LynnTownsendwriter)
Reality is cold, harsh, and strange. But one man will learn that there is more to love than dreams…

Far from Home by Dale Cameron Lowry (www.dalecameronlowry.com)
Rajiv met and fell in love with his husband, Mateo, when they were both members of the scientific team responsible for transforming Mars into a home suitable for humans. But the planet isn’t big enough for the entire population and, years into their shared mission, Rajiv is ordered back to Earth for four years to restore the barren lands of the American Midwest.When the distance threatens to weaken their bond, Mateo gets creative with technology, adapting it in sexy and innovative ways to keep the flame burning.

Shattered Space by Alain Bell (http://www.facebook.com/author.alainbell)
The space battleship Claymore is a floating hulk. Destry must survive its destruction and save her love, the medic Valentine, using only her training and an advanced computerized medical bed.

Unexpected Dilemmas by Jessica Payseur (http://pgofcups.blogspot.com/)
Chantal boards a space flight from Earth to Europa with the intentions of taking the long distance out of her relationship with Nessa. But when an attempted hijacking halts the flight and a quake strikes Europa, will it mean the two were never destined to be together at all?

Beta Tester by Charles Payseur (http://quicksipreviews.blogspot.com/)
Noah is a tester of fully immersive video games, and one of the best, though his personality doesn’t exactly endear him to many people. In fact, his only friend is Malik, his manager, and when Noah suspects that Mal has been working with another tester, he crosses a line that might lead to him losing the only person he cares about, unless his hasty action are actually the key to moving his relationship with Malik to a whole new level.

Medic to the Hivemind by Kayla Bashe
A stranded student is saved by a mysterious voice with secrets.

Torn Apart by D.C. Juris (http://dcjuris.blogspot.com)
Love provides the will to survive. 

Trash and Treasures by M.D. Grimm
A deal made in interstellar space could be more than either party bargained for.

Excerpt

From Far from Home by Dale Cameron Lowry

Rajiv looked out his telescopic skylight into the night sky. As always, its lens was focused on Mars and its colorful patchwork of fertile green loam and sterile red dirt intersected by bright blue rivers arising from beneath the planet’s surface. He’d met Mateo up there at breakfast his first day at the Valles Marineris research station. The tangerine sunlight streaming through the mess hall windows had made Mateo’s light brown skin glow a coppery orange. Sometimes Rajiv missed that Martian light almost as much as he missed Mateo. “Mars is so pretty,” Rajiv said, his eyes falling back to Mateo. “It would be a shame to abandon it now. Besides, I’m pretty sure the refugees who’ve already built their homes in the green zones wouldn’t be eager to relocate again.”

“Ah, so you’re saying want me to stay up here terraforming forever, millions of miles from you?” Mateo furrowed his brows together in the false-angry expression he used when he was teasing. (When he was actually angry, his face would go expressionless and cold. Rajiv hadn’t seen that look in seven or eight years, when a bioengineering intern miscataloged the vegetable seeds from one of Mateo’s planting trials.)

“Not at all, and you know that. I miss being with you.” The last time they saw—and felt—each other in person had been during a two-week holiday aboard the Paradise civilian space station seven months earlier. It was seven months too long.

………….

From Trash and Treasure by M.D. Grimm

Some of the coldness left Ronan’s eyes. He seemed confused again. Why did Tucker seem to confuse Ronan so much?

Then it happened. Ronan nodded. “Deal.”

Tucker barely stopped himself from gaping again. It worked? He was going to have sex? He was going to have sex! He didn’t let himself think about how long it had been since his last partner. It would only depress him. He knew what to do… mostly.

Tucker tossed the ball underhand to Ronan, who caught it with a startled expression.

“What?” Tucker said. “It’s not like you can go anywhere. Your ship’s caput and even if you tried to hack into my navigation system, you wouldn’t get far. My ma designed it and she was the best there was. Just letting you know in case you had a thought of bashing me over the head and commandeering my ride.”

Ronan looked insulted. “I would never do such a thing. I am not a thief or vagabond.”

“Then what are you?”

Ronan’s mouth pulled into a thin line. Tucker shrugged. “Fine. Keep your secrets. Come on, follow me. Let’s both take a well-needed shower.” A blush suddenly crept up his face. “I mean, a shower separately. Let’s take a shower—oh, never mind. Just come on.”

He turned his back on Ronan and called himself an idiot. He dearly hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake. But he wouldn’t go back on it now. He really, really wanted to have sex.

Buy Links

Torquere Books: Click Here

Amazon: Click Here