Alternate Intentions

by A.E. McRoberts

You think you know your world, right? Taxes, traffic, and the everyday routines that shape your life. It's a world where predictability reigns, where the only constants are corrupt politicians and the ever-looming specter of pollution. But then there's Olivia—a brilliant and determined scientist who suspects something else is below the surface. She firmly believes that the reality surrounding all of us is nothing more than an intricately woven computer simulation. Can you imagine? Everything you perceive, merely a complex web of 1s and 0s. Little does Olivia know, her suspicions are about to be confirmed in the most extraordinary way.

When Alaric, an experienced pilot from the future Earth, begins his final shift in the simulation, he anticipates two boredom and donuts. Aware that an eight-hour shift in Base Reality equates to twenty years within the simulation, Alaric prepares for uneventful decades. These simulations were initially devised with a singular purpose—to rescue Earth from impending doom. However, Alaric's expectations of finding a solution to the relentless temporal anomalies tormenting his world are bleak at best.

For eight years, Olivia and Alaric fostered a profound connection as online friends and academic rivals, their bond deepening with each virtual encounter. When their paths finally intertwine at a prestigious physics award ceremony, their connection ignites with an electric spark. As their love blossoms, they must navigate the uncharted territory of their affection, entangled in the shadows of the simulation's imminent demise and the complexities of their unique circumstances.

358 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2023

About the author

I've been writing romance for fourteen years. Started safe—sci-fi meet-cutes, security guys with golden retriever energy, the kind of books your mom would approve of.

Then I gave myself permission to write the story I was too afraid to touch.

Now I write dark romantasy for people who want their hearts ripped out. Morally gray characters. Cosmic-scale destruction. Love stories that cost everything.

I'm neurodivergent and chronically ill. I understand obsession. I understand chaos. I understand the kind of love that doesn't fix you—it ruins you, and you let it.

My characters don't get therapy. They get worse. Beautifully.

If you're here for the cozy stuff, wrong author page. If you want to be gutted—welcome home.