Before Delia, Part 1: The Revolution

In the throes of the Third-Wave Industrial Revolution, Edward Ockham finds himself in the most unlikely of places—a woman's embrace. All the while dreaming of a handsome foot soldier.

With a rag-tag band of revolutionaries, his best mate, and a borrowed pistol, university student Edward Ockham has just enough courage to overthrow the hegemony of the bankers. In the aftermath, he's somewhat overwhelmed by societal reconstruction, and utterly unprepared for the attraction he feels toward a comrade in arms.

A new life with his best mate Euphronia in post-revolutionary Newcastle beckons. But what about his new beau Gregory in London? Edward and Gregory not only explore a sensual connection, they share an intellectual affinity.

But revolution has its victors and its vanquished, and often the losers will seek to devastate a dream.

Before Delia, Part 1: The Revolution is a moody prequel of queer-awakening with romantic elements, but without the resolution of a romance. The 10,000-word novelette is the fourth story in The Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles, a queer, polyamorous, Steampunk romance series of nine short stories set in an alternate Victorian world meant to be read in order.

Note: A happily-for-now romance resolution appears in the next story, Before Delia, Part 2: The Partnership.

The Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles

In an imagined Newcastle, England, circa 1878, Professor Edward Ockham toils in obscurity at the Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory, creating unusual machines with his partner Special Assistant Sebastian Broadchurch. Until Miss Delia Bennett joins the Lab, sparking unfamiliar desires and inspiring steamy inventions.

One Cheek Or Two? (Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles 1)

Delia's Heartthrob (Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles 2)

Swing Follies (Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles 3)

Before Delia, Part 1: The Revolution (Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles 4)

Before Delia, Part 2: The Partnership (Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles 5)

A Thrilling Combination (Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles 6)

That Perfect Fit (Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles 7)

[To Be Determined] (Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles 8)

[To Be Determined] (Ockham Steam-Works Laboratory Chronicles 9)