Extraterrestrial First Contact: How Scientists Could Lead the Gatekeeping Effort

High information contact with an extraterrestrial civilization would provide many challenges for humanity. As usual, I am not suggesting that any such contact has occurred. I have seen no evidence that intelligent extraterrestrials even exist. However, on this blog I examine the issues that could be raised if the event does occur. I operate on the assumption that this hypothetical extraterrestrial meeting occurs in our Solar System, making high information contact possible, and that any extraterrestrial representatives we meet can communicate in at least one of the human languages, and have had time to research the basics of our society. I know those are a lot of assumptions on my part. Narrowing the topic is the only way to have this discussion.

In such a situation, human governmental leaders would need to take charge of diplomacy and communication. But there would be an important role for scientists, aside from the front end of operating observation and communications technology. High information means that extraterrestrial representatives share what they know about science and technology, to whatever degree. This would require a cautious approach by humanity. Not only could alien information be tough for us to understand, but it could cause major disruptions to human society. So, I have proposed in past blog posts that:

     A. Humans would need to go to school, starting with the alien basics, looking for commonalities as a starting point.

B.  Humans would need an information firewall with a system of gatekeepers to decide what information can be shared with the general Earth population.

I know this is a controversial proposal. Many people would call for unfettered access to alien information. I have two responses to that way of thinking. First, unless the aliens have already processed such communication, so that we can understand their information, it would not do us much good. We would have to develop ways of understanding what they are telling us. A small group of academics would need to be chosen in specific fields, to learn and synthesize. Second, alien information could undermine the foundations of human science. It would need to be handled carefully.

I want to go into more depth about how this could be done. I suggest that humans could utilize the non-profit organization, Science International, for building the framework for information review and dissemination. Science International is an initiative by three largest international science organizations:

International Science Council (ISC)

Forty international scientific Unions and Associations and over 140 national and regional scientific organizations including Academies and Research Councils.

The Inter Academy Partnership (IAP)

A global network consisting of over 140 national and regionals academies of science, engineering, and medicine.

The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)

A merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries.

These groups have each experienced several changes in the last 10 years. There has been a movement towards consolidation of international science organizations. Science International is the effort to connect the three largest organizations on joint projects. Initiatives thus far have included a program to help displaced scientists and a push for open data to aid in research. The development of a gatekeeping framework for alien information review would be a huge leap in responsibility for Science International. The entire structure of such a project would have to be created from scratch. Science International is simply a starting place for such an effort.

I propose that an independent panel be formed by the three organizations that make up Science International, with representatives from the major areas of science. The group should be independent of the United Nations, but in consultation with the UN and, in particular, the Secretary General and the UN Security Council. Science International should develop the framework with input from professional science organizations from across the globe. The final vote on the framework should be conducted in the General Assembly. Nations need to ultimately decide how things move forward. The goal would be to make such an organization as efficient as possible, and to avoid in-fighting and gridlock.

There would be many dynamics at work in such a situation. China, Russia, and the United States would probably try to control things, perhaps through the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, UN professionals would be trying to exert influence and grow their mission. Corporations and other groups would try to exert influence. It will be a cacophony of demands and requests. Science International would have to build a bubble of sorts to shut out that din.

The humans who are learning about alien information and making the decisions about how it should be shared would need to be carefully insulated from the rest of the world. Each representative would need to temporarily resign their professional positions and agree to decide matters objectively. They would need to be paid for their work and not receive outside money from any other group or organization. The potential for leaks and other types of corruption would be incredibly high. A great deal of effort would be required to keep the process free of influence from governments, corporations, religions, and other human groups.

Is that too big a job for an organization as new as Science International? Perhaps. It would be up to the three parent science organizations to provide the expertise, funding, and other support to build the new system from the ground-up. But Science International would be a great place for the process to start.

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

Extraterrestrial First Contact: Thresholds

Are humans ready for high information contact with an extraterrestrial civilization? The question can be asked and answered from one of two different perspectives- our perspective and their perspective. There is the question of whether we humans think we are ready for contact with intelligent aliens. Then there is the question of whether intelligent aliens think we are ready for such contact.

I have no evidence that aliens exist anywhere in the universe, let alone in a location near enough to Earth to allow for high information contact. The point of this exercise is to consider humanity from an alien perspective. Since we have no idea how such aliens might think, we have to consider humans- in particular the organization of human society and the state of our science and technology.

Let’s think like an alien researcher that has been examining our solar system and human society. We need to assume that they wish our civilization well. That means they don’t want to harm our human society or our planet. Hostile aliens are, of course, a very reasonable possibility. That scenario provides different questions to be asked, outside of my area of focus.

Let’s start with some basic ground rules to help define our discussion. We will assume that:

-A group of alien researchers has spent time studying humans.

-They understand that contact with humans could lead to problems for us.

-They have been waiting for certain criteria to be met.

-They won’t make contact until those criteria are met.

This isn’t an original idea on my part. Gene Roddenberry thought of it when he wrote the Star Trek series in the 1960s. The Prime Directive, also known as General Order 1, prevented Star Fleet personnel from interfering in the development of alien civilizations on their home planets. The purpose was to prevent disturbance to the alien culture.

So, what if Roddenberry was correct in his overall concept- just not in predicting that humans were the society being protected from outside influence? If there is a threshold of criteria to be met before contact occurs, what might that criteria be?

Human Criteria:

Most Likely to Have Been Met

Reach of instantaneous global communication networks

Public understanding of basic concepts of extraterrestrial intelligence

Governments accepting of possibility of ETI

Close to Meeting

Understanding critical concepts in advanced physics

Development of SETI research

Tools to find extraterrestrial life 

Tools to find extraterrestrial intelligence 

Space exploration

Ability to send spacecraft outside of the solar system

Ability of humans to track incoming spacecraft and surveil solar system

Mechanism for international cooperation between governments

Acceptance of ETI by largest institutional religious sects

Most Questionable in Meeting

Acceptance of ETI by groups with high level of cultural conflict

Acceptance of ETI by groups with high political conflict

Acceptance of ETI by fringe religious groups

Global cooperation between nations

Stable governments for those with nuclear weapons 

Intelligent extraterrestrials could also have criteria for themselves to meet:

Criteria for Aliens to Meet

Preparation of humanity for acceptance of ETI introduction

Need for intervention in human society

That final question is the big one: why would aliens feel the need to introduce themselves? Perhaps they think we are on the brink of discovering them through our scientific research? Or they could decide that we need help in sorting out our many challenges? Or perhaps they have completed their preparation for the introduction, by flying objects through Earth skies for many years?

I could go into many related discussions, such as the Zoo Hypothesis and Fermi Paradox. For more on those concepts, take a look at previous blog entries and check out my new book: “The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves.” It’s available on Amazon worldwide.

Extraterrestrial First Contact: A New Era and the Three Periods for Humanity

Alien First Contact of any type will bring a major shift in perspective for humanity. Direct First Contact, extraterrestrials visiting our solar system to say hello, would create a new era for humanity. Human history could forever be marked as Before First Contact and After First Contact. I have expressed optimism for what that massive change in perspective could do for humanity. It could cause us to find new importance in our international relations. The realization that we are in this together may increase cooperation between countries here on Earth. If aliens provide us with new information about our place in the universe that too could change our perspective. Perhaps they would also have insight into our climate change issues and clean energy needs?

I don’t think that entrance into a new era will come easily. It seems to me that the impact of First Contact on human civilization would likely occur in three major phases. The first would be the Stunned Period. Humans would simply watch in awe as events unfold. It may seem remarkably peaceful at first. It is simply the eye of the storm. Within a matter of days or weeks the Stunned Period will dissipate.

The Stunned Period is not without dangers. Our world leaders will decide how First Contact proceeds. If they react poorly, the Stunned Period could quickly turn into chaos. One nation taking rogue military action against visiting extraterrestrials is an example. The nations with larger military forces, and better technology, will not only need to keep their forces calm, but be prepared to react to a rogue nation attack, such as the firing of an ICBM. Similarly, there will be a threat posed by every fighter jet or missile battery within range of an extraterrestrial craft. It would take great discipline to keep first responders and members of the military calm and yet vigilant. All militaries, in all nations, will need to be on alert in case of Direct First Contact. Just because aliens say they are here in peace doesn’t mean that is really the case. But we cannot be on a hair trigger alert. It is too dangerous. There must be a level of vigilance that is high enough to protect, while staying well away from imminent action.

Up next would be the Initial Reaction Period. In this period, all of the old hostilities and fears inherent in human relations would resurface. I believe that the Initial Reaction could be quite chaotic. Many voices will be screaming to be heard. Many groups will have differing opinions about how humans should act. Those opinions will likely fall on a continuum between fear and optimism. Some groups will want humans to protect themselves at any cost and no matter what the stated intentions of the aliens. Others will be wildly optimistic, wanting as much contact as possible to occur as quickly as possible. Within that cacophony of opinions will be extremist groups, some threatening to take physical action if they don’t get their way. Those actions could be violent. The degree to which the Initial Reaction is chaotic will depend on two primary factors: the responsiveness of governments to matters as they arise and the commonality of those government responses worldwide. If nations come together in a unified response and show the public both strong organization and care for public opinion, the violence could be quelled. If nations react slowly, and without disciplined leadership, the chaos could spread. If nations fight with each other, and have vastly different responses to First Contact, the chaos could be a world-wide phenomenon.

I believe that eventually humanity would be able to rise above the chaos and come to a consensus plan to move forward. Once again- how long that takes depends on the actions of individual nations. If governments are responsive and decisive the chaotic period could be short. When there is an international agreement on moving forward we will enter the third period, which I will call the Settlement Period. In this sense I use this dictionary definition of Settlement: an agreement composing differences. There will undoubtedly be differences in how nations think First Contact should proceed. The Settlement is the airing of those differences followed by negotiation and resolution. Why call it the Settlement Period? This process is likely to go on for many years, with each new situation bringing about a need for the airing of differences followed by negotiation and resolution. The primary sense of Settlement would be that all nations have a common process in place to solve problems and agree that using the process is better than conflict.

International relations are currently problematic here on Earth, to say the least. However, the way we are acting now doesn’t mean that we can’t rise above our differences in the future and provide a strong, unified response to extraterrestrial First Contact. I believe that anything is possible when it comes to humanity. We just have to believe in ourselves and trust each other.

Photo by Sadman Sakib on Unsplash

Extraterrestrial Contact: A Planetary Call to Action

We tend to imagine alien First Contact as a matter of what aliens will do to us. We usually ignore the bigger question: what will we do in response to the aliens? Aside from the Hollywood cliché war spectaculars, there is actually some thought that should be put into the subject. Why? The human reaction is the only thing we could control in an extraterrestrial First Contact event. 
 

I’ll avoid the hostile, self-defense scenarios and instead focus this piece on a particular scenario. What do we do if friendly aliens say hello? There are a myriad of possible ways that it could occur. But generally, let’s say it is high information, direct First Contact. That basically means we have the ability to have a conversation with the extraterrestrials. To do such, in the context of our current knowledge of science, would require that the aliens or a probe perhaps, be in our celestial neighborhood.

I’ve written plenty of blogs on this topic, but I now believe there is one important element that I have left out: the need for a planetary call to action. To prepare for such an event we need to recognize that each and every one of us would have some basic responsibilities in First Contact. You may say, no not me…that’s something for the scientists and politicians to worry about. As important as the role of scientists and world leaders would be in First Contact, your role, as a member of your society, is also quite important. Why? It comes down to the dynamics of reaction. I think that scientists, world leaders, military leaders, the news media, religious leaders, corporate leaders and institutional leaders will all have important roles. But technically, all of those people are supposed to represent you, in one way or another. They will certainly be following public reaction closely and taking cues. Mass hysteria will provoke certain reactions. A calm, thoughtful citizenry will bring about more measured responses.

Each human needs to realize that they would have a role to play in a First Contact event. What would we need to do? Here’s a short list:

Focus on facts: it would be easy for us to be scared and let our imaginations run wild in the initial hours, days and weeks after First Contact. We need to stick to the facts.

Beware of rumors and fiction: even if we can control our own imaginations, there will be those who will not be able to. They will take to the internet, and anywhere else they can spout off, to spread rumors and outright lies.

Beware of scare tactics by fringe groups: some people will spread rumors and fiction to further their own particular agenda.

Beware of inaccuracies. And remember that the most dangerous inaccuracies are the ones that have a grain of truth.

Think critically, act thoughtfully: evaluate the source of whatever information you are receiving. Just because it’s a relative or someone you usually trust, doesn’t mean that they are correct.

Listen to scientists, but realize that scientists have opinions as well. Trust research based opinions.

We owe this to future generations. This is a tremendous responsibility for those of us in this bridge generation…those who knew life before first contact, those who witnessed first contact and helped to set the path forward. That path would be critical for the human race in the wake of First Contact.

I also suggest a call to action for the media, scientists, civic leaders, corporations and institutions. It’s quite similar:

Don’t allow speculation to run rampant.

Don’t chase rumors just because it will boost your ratings. This is one of those times that the media will need to realize a role so much more important than the daily competition. It’s a media reaction we often see in the United States in the immediate wake of disaster. We need the sober, cautious and thoughtful media that we saw in the days after the 9/11 attacks in the United States. And in extended First Contact scenario we would need that media for some time.

Explain and provide perspective.

Calm the public and provide reassurances.

Be cautious.

Be thoughtful.

Listen to scientists, but realize that scientists have opinions as well. Trust research based opinions.

Don’t try to control first contact for national or other self-interest.

Am I expecting too much out of humans? I don’t think so. We’re extraordinarily adaptable. If we pull together and use our heads, First Contact could be an amazing experience. If we don’t, the aliens may be the least of our worries.

Extraterrestrial Contact: Elements of an Organized Introduction and Human Response

I’ve proposed various elements of extraterrestrial contact over the years. Perhaps it’s time to combine those elements into one list. This list would apply to dramatic and direct First Contact; that is, contact where an extraterrestrial civilization arrives in our solar system to say hello. I don’t think that this has happened or is likely to happen, but I do think it deserves some consideration. We’ll have to make a couple of big assumptions to get started. The first would be that the aliens in question mean us no ill-will. The second would be that they don’t have any agenda other than saying hello. This would be what I call a “reaction-neutral” introduction, or one that was not designed to provoke a particular response or action on the part of humans. I think this could be best described as a diplomatic or scientific mission. This is a simple scenario and the real thing would likely be more complex. However, these basic actions would still apply to even a more complex situation.

The list begins with alien actions and continues with human actions.

Alien Actions

Introduction: The method of introduction would be critical. To truly be “reaction-neutral” the hello would need to come to all humans and not filtered through a particular government, institution or corporation. There is a multitude of ways this could be carried out. It would seem that some alien consideration of human public relations would be necessary in determining the method.

Allow humans to respond: Once there is an introduction it would be important for extraterrestrials to allow some space for humans to digest this new situation and formulate a response. With any luck, the “reaction-neutral” introduction would not lead to excessive conflict between nations or some sort of hostile reaction.

Communicate with us: Alien communication would depend on their reason for saying hello in the first place. This motive, or more likely complex motives, would likely drive all of their actions. The message communicated to us would have a huge impact on our reaction. Humans will want to know immediately why aliens are saying hello and what expectations those aliens have for a relationship with us. Humans would also need assurances that extraterrestrials would respect our right to determine how contact and diplomacy proceeds and respect our right to autonomy. Extraterrestrials would also need to communicate all physical actions they take on Earth, or in our solar system, well ahead of time, so there is no surprise after the initial introduction event.

Reassure us: As I stated before, human public relations would be important at each step in the alien introduction and eventual diplomatic relations. Primary to this would be issues of public safety and human autonomy. One would hope the extraterrestrials in question had studied us long enough to have a public relations plan that would address these concerns. That plan would need to adapt to changing circumstances on Earth. One could lay out what they might expect from human reaction, but it seems likely unanticipated situations would arise, requiring new public relations efforts. Remember, a public relations effort does not necessarily mean alien spin doctors and salesmanship. At its heart, public relations work is merely a way of communicating with humans to carry out a specific goal. That goal would go back to the alien motives for saying hello.

Move slowly and deliberately: Any action will have the opportunity for confusion and misinterpretation by humans. All alien actions would need to be clearly communicated ahead of time and made as simple as possible to understand, especially in the early days of diplomacy.

Share information in an organized process: If extraterrestrials were more advanced than us in science and technology, there would be a big learning curve if we hoped to understand science and technology from their perspective. This would require some form of education, first for human academics and eventually for the wider population. This would be important for the relationship. It would also be, perhaps, quite difficult to develop. Assuming extraterrestrials had already learned human languages, there would still be issues of biology and culture to overcome. Aliens with a very different biology could have very different senses and thus a unique perspective on the environment and universe. Cultural differences would also likely create a gulf between humans and extraterrestrials. One would hope that extraterrestrials would consider such matters and have a plan of action.

Human Actions

Develop a framework for diplomacy: Humans are not clear about how we think relations with extraterrestrials should proceed. It has been seriously considered by only a small group of academics and writers and there is no consensus. Who should be in charge of diplomacy? Governments, the United Nations or scientific bodies? How do we ensure that all humans are represented and that the form of diplomacy does not allow a particular institution or government to control extraterrestrial relations for their own benefit?

Support transparency:  This is perhaps the most important element of the human response to First Contact. Any attempt to hide such an event from the public eye would create conflict and mistrust, perhaps to a dangerous extent. Transparency goes hand in hand with objectivity (not favoring a particular nation). Not only does the introduction need to be made to the entire planet, but it also needs to stay squarely in the public eye, with all deliberations and decisions, to the extent possible, made public. This could prove tougher and tougher as many serious matters arise, especially in making decisions about information dissemination from the aliens to humans. Clearly, one could not hope to make decisions about what information was safe to release to humanity, while sifting through that information in public. Even for matters that must remain hidden, the entire process could remain transparent.

Move slowly and deliberately: Any alien action will have the opportunity for confusion and misinterpretation. All actions, alien and human, would need to be clearly communicated ahead of time and made as simple as possible to understand, especially in the early days of diplomacy. This applies just as much to humans as it does aliens. The primary risk in human reaction is some wave of panic brought on by confusion or misinterpretation. Human governments and institutions will need to be on guard for such situations. Transparency is the best way to prevent this problem.

Allow for protection: Any type of First Contact would create a feeling of threat, to some degree. Direct First Contact would create a high degree of concern, due to the close proximity of visiting extraterrestrials. It would be natural for human governments to put military units on alert. Caution to some degree is inevitable and probably quite prudent. However, hostile reactions by humans are possible, especially if there is confusion in the process. Extraterrestrials would need to communicate all actions well ahead of time and humans would need to keep tight control over military units monitoring First Contact.

Determine a framework for information sharing: We will need to carefully consider the impact of sharing information with extraterrestrials. If they are advanced in technology this could pose a real problem for our world economy and our sciences. Perhaps this would be a role for scientific bodies representing the primary areas of concern? A panel could study the possible impact and develop a road forward for disseminating alien information.

Watch the world economy: Direct First Contact could create great swings in world economic markets as investors try to determine what extraterrestrial contact means for various industries and businesses. Careful attention to world markets and possible controls for wild fluctuations would be important.

Monitor fringe groups: Human reaction could come in a range of responses, from calm and thoughtful to frightened and violent. It seems likely that large institutions and governments would be more likely to react calmly due to a balanced nature of power sharing and decision making inherent in such entities. Fringe groups are another matter. Due to their small size and tendency towards radical views, they could react in haste. This could be a real problem, especially if fringe group reactions get extensive coverage in the news media. The reaction of small religious and political groups could eventually have an influence on the wider public, creating all sorts of issues for the human response.

Examine the future of our civilization: High information First Contact would have a big impact on our civilization. There would be a great need for an organized and well-developed consideration of that impact. From that effort could develop a plan for moving forward to ensure that human contact with extraterrestrials is beneficial to humans for generations to come.

What do you think? Join the conversation on the Alien First Contact Facebook page.

Extraterrestrial Contact: Liars

Trust would be an important issue in any First Contact event. It would be especially important in a Direct First Contact event, where we meet the aliens here on Earth or somewhere in our solar system. Why the different in importance? It all comes down to threat. First Contact of any sort brings with it a certain level of threat. Just knowing there are other intelligent beings in the universe would raise the question of threat. The closer those beings are to Earth, the greater the level of threat.

And, as I have said before, the threat doesn’t truly diminish if the aliens seem to be nice and helpful. They could be lying. They may also have a logic system that we don’t understand leaving it hard for us to understand or predict their actions. They might want to keep some things from us, for our safety or for their safety.

So, how do we know if aliens that we might meet in the future are telling the truth? The short answer is that we don’t. That raises many implications, both for our response and preparation. I have a new novel that takes that concern up a level. What do we do if there are two alien civilizations approaching us at one time? Perhaps one group offers certain benefits to starting a relationship? Maybe the other provides alternative reasons for diplomacy?

That’s what Alex Morrison needs to weigh in my new fiction novel “The Ashland City Landing”. Alex Morrison has made a new friend on the Internet. It’s a relationship that could drive his wife and friends half-crazy and that’s if federal agents and newspaper reporters don’t blow it wide open before the big moment. Can Alex hold it all together before The Ashland City Landing?

The Ashland City Landing is a sometimes-funny, sometimes-serious, science fiction novel about the practicalities of meeting space aliens and having to save the world from itself and also perhaps those very same aliens. Alex fights to keep his sanity, while concocting an introduction that will change the course of human civilization. He’s being pursued by a journalist desperate for a cover story. Alex’s best friend is a real ass and sometimes his psychologist. Alex’s wife does her best to be the Southern belle, but that’s not going too well. And yet he needs them both to pull it off. Along the way Alex enlists help from a burned-out astrophysicist and meets federal agents who are definitely not amused.

The Ashland City Landing is available in printed and Kindle electronic format through Amazon USA,

Amazon Europe affiliates and through Nook at Barnes and Noble.

Extraterrestrial Contact: Should it beYou?

Let’s say that you’re an alien ready to say hello to human beings. How would you do it? Perhaps, you could email the United Nations? Or you could call Jill Tarter at the SETI Institute? I wonder how that would go over? We know the answer: it wouldn’t go far. In all fairness, Jill Tarter and the SETI folks do have alternative contingencies for contact falling outside of their primary “signal in space” expectations. Still, the primary issue is the signal to noise ratio. How many nuts are already pretending to be aliens and would all of that “noise” make it impossible to sort out the real thing? Aliens, even those who could easily visit Earth, might be best sending a signal from far-off space in hopes of getting our attention, since currently that’s our only organized method for dealing with First Contact.

I know that Direct First Contact is the least likely form of First Contact, but it’s a scenario that has always interested me. I think that my answer to the alien dilemma would be this- contact one person to help you organize a welcome for the entire planet. Clearly, you would have to pick the proper person- someone outside the primary systems of scientific and governmental bureaucracy. However, that person should have the knowledge and skills to help in staging such an event. Michael Michaud, Paul Davies of Douglas Vakoch would be good candidates. They have a solid base of knowledge, proven communication skills and, most importantly, the ability to be creative in problem solving. First Contact would come with plenty of problems.

Why do you need a human? Aliens could simply land a craft in a major city and then come outside to have a news conference. But such an unaided event could easily backfire, leading to misunderstandings and perhaps violent conflict. Aliens could also hijack our communications system, taking over TV channels worldwide. This would be tough to do, but one would assume that aliens able to visit Earth would have highly advanced technology at their disposal. So, why get a human to help you? Humans would be much less of a threat than aliens. Human help could also provide a buffer of sorts, to safely introduce the welcome before aliens actually presented themselves. Finally, humans would best understand and respond to the reactions of other humans. No matter how long aliens had studied the human race, they would still be at a disadvantage in managing the fine points of human interaction. Having a human guide could help.

This may sound nutty, but if you think about it, such a scenario does make sense. There are certainly a multitude of ways aliens could make contact with humans. And aliens would probably have very different considerations in making contact, considerations that could be tough for us to understand. However, it is a scenario worth considering. I decided to explore human introduction in my new novel “The Ashland City Landing”. Alex Morrison has made a new friend on the Internet. It’s a relationship that could drive his wife and friends half-crazy and that’s if federal agents and newspaper reporters don’t blow it wide open before the big moment. Can Alex hold it all together before The Ashland City Landing?

The Ashland City Landing is a sometimes-funny, sometimes-serious, science fiction novel about the practicalities of meeting space aliens and having to save the world from itself and also perhaps those very same aliens. Alex fights to keep his sanity, while concocting an introduction that will change the course of human civilization. He’s being pursued by a journalist desperate for a cover story. Alex’s best friend is a real ass and sometimes his psychologist. Alex’s wife does her best to be the Southern belle, but that’s not going too well. And yet he needs them both to pull it off. Along the way Alex enlists help from a burned-out astrophysicist and meets federal agents who are definitely not amused.

The Ashland City Landing is available in printed and Kindle electronic format through Amazon USA, Amazon Europe affiliates and through Nook at Barnes and Noble.