On the Mating Habits of the Giant Squid

On the Mating Habits of the Giant Squid by Peter S. Steele

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Thomas has a boring job, a boring life, and he just got dumped by his girlfriend.

When the opportunity to be the caretaker for a robotic research ship bound for the South Pacific offers, Thomas jumps at the chance to change everything.

Guided by the ship’s always-helpful computer, Archie, Thomas bumbles and stumbles his way from island to island trying to be helpful to the people he meets.

But when they arrive at the mating grounds of the giant squid, Thomas struggles to help Archie collect data and even to escape with his skin intact.

On the Mating Habits of the Giant Squid is a humorous tale of adventure and growing up when you’re already a grownup.

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Excerpt

The dinner progressed pleasantly. Thomas was polite, but somewhat distracted, when introduced to Veronica. He thought her attractive, and would have been interested at another time, but he was feeling seriously unsettled inside. His growing dissatisfaction with his life crowded out any room to consider romance.

Thomas was tall, friendly, and handsome in an unmemorable way. His wavy, dirty-blond hair gave him a tousled, boyish look. He was, although he had not read enough to know it, very similar to the amiable, inoffensive male lead of an Austen or Wodehouse novel, although he lacked their greatest recommendation: wealth. Veronica attempted to carry the heavy weight of one-sided conversation for a while, but gave up after Thomas refused to be drawn out of his distracted melancholia.

After the other guests had gone, Thomas remained with Todd and Catherine, washing dishes in the kitchen. They chatted for a few minutes about Todd’s travails with his most recent project and Catherine’s struggles with her grad students. As Thomas dried off the last plate, Catherine turned and slapped him on the arm with her towel.

“Why were you ignoring Veronica? She’s sweet, smart, pretty. She’s just your type.”

Thomas looked a bit sheepish. “She is my type; you’re right. I don’t know. I just can’t focus on that kind of thing right now.”

He rolled his shoulders. “My whole life is just….okay.” Catherine and Todd shared a significant look but waited for him to continue.

“I mean, everything is fine. My job is fine, my apartment is fine. You guys are great. But I feel like there should be something more in my life. Something more important.”

“Are you looking for a new job?” asked Todd.

“I don’t know, maybe. It would be nice to know I was making a difference, but I’m not really qualified to do anything with actual responsibility. Plus, the stress. I’m not sure I could handle being in charge of people’s lives.”

Todd nodded sagely, “Yeah, that doesn’t really seem like your thing.”

About the Author

Peter S. Steele is an author, archaeologist, and father. He lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah with his wife, Mary and two sons. Find him on Twitter at @pg2berlin or follow his writing on Utah’s history at www.historicutah.net.