Cloud Hands Blog Tour

Guest Post:

I’ve actually seen UFOs!

Because I write science fiction, people often ask whether I believe in UFOs—and whether I’ve ever seen one. The answer to both is yes!

A few months ago, I paid $90 to attend a UFO-spotting event in Sedona, Arizona. We gathered in a park at the edge of town—ideal for sky-watching since Sedona is a “dark skies” community and the stars shine amazingly clear in the high desert. The organizer, Melinda Leslie, handed out military-grade night-vision goggles, told us where to focus—behind a mountain deep in Coconino National Park—and briefed us on what to expect.

The goggles intensified any light but didn’t provide clear outlines. With the naked eye, we could see nothing. Through the goggles, we saw shifting blobs of light—it was like looking at a drop of water through a microscope and seeing the swarming of amoeba.

Melinda explained how to identify what we were seeing by the strobe patterns: commercial planes flash differently from military ones. (There were plenty of military aircraft that night, but no commercial ones.) The lights weren’t satellites or drones, and she told us to watch for the steady, unblinking ones that suddenly “powered up,” glowing brighter for 15–30 seconds before dimming again, sometimes shifting to amber, red, green, or blue. Sometimes their movements made it look like whoever was flying them had figured out anti-gravity.

Sedona also has other strange stories. It’s a hiker’s paradise, but some hikers report being stopped by armed men in fatigues on certain trails—only for the same path to be clear the next day. Lockheed Martin recently bought a local cement plant and installed unusually tight security, and Blackhawk helicopters are often seen overhead.

Melinda believes all this points to a DUMB—a Deep Underground Military Base—in the area. She admits it’s hard to know whether these craft are extraterrestrial or advanced military technology, but at least three people have claimed to have worked there and claimed that humans and aliens operate side by side.

Personally, I hope that’s true. It would mean we’re not alone—and that the universe is full of other civilizations waiting to be discovered. But if it’s only the military, that means anti-gravity tech exists and is being kept from the rest of us.

Either way, it gave me great material. I even worked a secret underground base into my third book—so I’m pretty sure the $90 I paid is tax-deductible.

Excerpt:

Prologue

 

I used to think this story was about me. After all, isn’t everyone the

star of their own life? It was only later that I realized we are all just

bit players in some ever-repeating, cosmic pattern—a fractal pattern

made up of love, hardship, desperation, joy, sorrow, and hope.

Let’s never forget about hope.

—Victoria Heywood

Excerpt from address to the UN

 

There was a little cluster of forget-me-nots arranged in a vase on the table in front of Vicki. They had been Beth's favorite flowers. Small and vibrant, so cute they made you smile. Just like Beth herself.

 

The waitress put a cup of coffee and a pastry before her, and the same in front of the man seated across the table. Kurt Martinsson—she had called him Professor Martinsson when he taught her senior business seminar a decade earlier—added some sugar to his cup before he took a sip. Well-built, dark hair with a touch of gray at his temples. He had aged well. His bespoke sports jacket, manicured nails, and expensive haircut suggested he was also doing well.

 

“It was kind of you to look me up, Professor Martinsson, especially after all this time. To be honest, I haven’t been getting out much.” She hadn’t been getting out at all. What was the point? Their parents had died in a car accident several years back, and now Beth was gone too. Per her request, there had been a closed casket; the chemo had ravaged her body and taken all her hair. There was no amount of makeup, no wig good enough, that could have fixed that.

 

“I heard about your sister, Vicki; I’m so sorry. I understand you left your position at the Department of State to look after her.”

 

Beth had argued against that. “I’m young and strong; I’ll be able to beat this—there’s no reason for you to leave the job you worked so hard to get. Mom and Dad were so proud that you became a diplomat—they wouldn’t have wanted you to give that up.” She had been wrong about being able to beat the cancer, but right that their parents had been proud. They would have been just as proud to see their youngest open up her own flower shop in a prime location in downtown Los Angeles.

 

“I took a year’s leave of absence when it became clear my sister’s illness was terminal. I have another four months before I either return to work or submit my official resignation.”

 

“So, you haven’t decided what you'll do?” Professor Martinsson cocked his head to one side and looked at her. He had finished his croissant. She hadn’t even started on hers.

 

“No, I haven’t. Every time I start thinking about it...” She looked down at her coffee cup. It was too hard to think. Too hard to think about the future or anything else. She had officially shut down Beth’s flower shop the week after her sister died, although it hadn’t been in operation for a couple of months before that. At Beth’s urging, her two part-time employees had both found other jobs, and the shop sat dark and shuttered. She supposed she should do something—make arrangements to sell the building or rent it out —but she just didn’t have the bandwidth.

 

“I have an idea that might interest you. I need to do a lot of traveling over the next few months. My two children are more than old enough to stay home by themselves—Brad is sixteen and Jessica is twenty-two—especially since there’s household staff. But I’d feel better if someone was around to keep tabs on them specifically.”

 

He paused, then casually asked, “You do still have a Top-Secret Clearance, don’t you?”

 

Vicki looked up from her coffee and stared.

Writing Process & Creativity

 

How did you research your book?

I didn’t research my book! I’m fascinated with the idea of aliens and UFOs, and have been following the research and news stories for a dozen years. It was logical to take these stories (and facts) and weave them into a science fiction series.

 

What’s the hardest scene or character you wrote—and why?

The most challenging character was Melly, the Galactic Federation representative from an insectoid species. She was much harder to write than other characters, even other alien characters, for a couple of reasons: 1) Melly comes from a species that has had interstellar capabilities for thousands of years. What's the perspective of someone from a species with such a long history? I... don’t know. 2) Melly looks very different from humans. The other alien species in my series—the Suedes, the Pleiadians, and the Alpha Centaurians—all resemble humans to some extent, which made it easier for me to give them human-like emotions and desires. A praying mantis being who is eight feet tall? Not so much.  

 

Where do you get your ideas?

From real life. I got the diplomatic/government background from my 25 years working as a U.S. diplomat. The UFO and alien background are from current events, news stories, and reports from the last few decades. Why invent something when it’s right in front of you?

 

What sets your book apart from others in your genre?

I think my focus on Disclosure—the confirmation by world governments of an ET presence engaging the human race—is what makes my series unique in the science fiction genre. It’s not just the story—although having a good story is essential. I also explore issues such as the nature of power, who profits from keeping secrets, and how ordinary people can choose to walk down a path not approved by society.

 

What helps you overcome writer’s block?

My writers’ group! I started Cloud Hands two years before I moved to Los Angeles, but had only written three chapters. Joining my writers’ group—we meet once a week in a café—gave me accountability. The thought of going to a meeting and admitting I hadn’t written anything since the previous meeting was embarrassing. So I wrote. In six months, I had completed the first draft.

 

What’s your favorite compliment you’ve received as a writer?

It was a Kirkus review that described my story as “fresh, exciting, and often unpredictable.”

 

Your Writing Life

 

Do you write every day? What’s your schedule?

When I’m writing a book, I’ll write five hours a day, five days a week. But I’m retired—I realize that puts me in a privileged position.

 

Where do you write—home, coffee shop, train?

I write in a coffee shop because my L.A. apartment doesn’t have air conditioning. Also, being outside my apartment means I can’t distract myself by cleaning, cooking, reading a book from the shelf, etc. It’s another form of accountability.

 

Any quirky writing rituals or must-have snacks?

Coffee. Seriously, it’s the gift of the gods.

 

Behind the Book

 

Why did you choose this setting/topic?

Because I love the idea of aliens and UFOs, I love the idea that the universe is bigger and more awesome than we have been led to believe. 

 

If your book became a movie, who would star in it?

In the first book of the series, the main character is Vicki Heywood, a U.S. diplomat on leave. In my ideal world, I’d pick Demi Lovato to play Vicki. She’s the right age, practices a martial art (albeit Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rather than Tai Chi), and, most importantly, is personally interested in Disclosure. In real life, Demi has met with Dr. Steven Greer—the UFO researcher who has developed a system that ordinary people can use to directly contact aliens without going through a government middleman—several times to try to establish direct contact with extraterrestrials.

 

Fun & Lighthearted Qs

 

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Popcorn made at home with coconut oil, real butter, and sea salt. Made in a stir-crazy rather than in a microwave.

 

What are you binge-watching right now?

I just started watching the first season of Farscape on Amazon. How did I manage to miss it when it came out back in 1999?

 

If you could time-travel, where would you go?

I would really love to go back in time to visit some of the ancient civilizations—Egypt, Sumeria, the ancient Indus Valley, the Olmecs, etc.—to see how they accomplished what they did. 

 

What’s something that made you laugh this week?

Funny dog videos. When these start popping up on my internet feed, I end up getting to bed a couple of hours late.

Book Review:

I really loved the cover of this book. It's very attention grabbing. This is the first book in a series. It's intense and very attention grabbing. Be prepared to want to devour the whole series. I'll have a more detailed review later! 

Buy the book: https://amzn.to/48rEz4w