If there were aliens, would it matter to you? If the existence of other intelligent life in the universe was proven without a doubt, what would that knowledge do to you? Would you be scared? Would you be glad to finally have the mystery solved? What would happen to your long-held religious beliefs? Would you doubt everything you once thought was true? Would you be angry? Indifferent?

When I sat down to write Planet of Eden, I had these questions in mind. In my story, six people from very diverse backgrounds must wrestle with the sudden knowledge that they are not alone in the universe. At first dumbfounded, they struggle to accept newly exposed truth. Through their eyes, we experience that dilemma, asking ourselves how we would react to the discovery of people on other planets.

That is just six people, though. What about everyone else? How would human societies react—nations? What would the confusion look like on a global scale?

And what about the aliens? What would they think about all of this? Would we all look like nutcases to them? Would they treat us like children who cannot grasp simple truths? Did they even want to be discovered in the first place?

Planet of Eden also shows the situation from an alien perspective…in a way that will surprise you.

In this blog, I have been writing about the “What if there are aliens?” scenario for several years. In fact, I think I will make some of those old posts available again for you to read since this topic is becoming more relevant every day. “Relevant today?” you ask. Oh, yes. Consider the July 28, 2023 article titled “If Aliens Are Real, What Would That Teach Us about Our Faith?” by Ryan Denison. I like Denison’s treatment of this subject, and the fact that he likes to cover it frequently. I do not agree with all his conclusions, but I deeply appreciate his willingness to write about a topic that people would have laughed at just ten years ago.

If you have been following the latest news about UFOs, you know there have been some intriguing developments. Some Representatives in the US Congress have been conducting hearings on UFOs (now called UAPs–unidentified anomalous phenomena–by the government) since 2020. In his article, Denison said: “David Grusch, who served for fourteen years as an intelligence officer with the Air Force and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, testified during this week’s testimony. He told the committee that, during the course of his work, he was told of ‘a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program,’ which also included the recovery of aircraft and “biologics” that were ‘nonhuman’ in origin.”

Did you hear about any of this in your favorite news media? I am guessing most of you did not. If you did, the report was probably filled with either subtle or blatant ridicule. If a very credible witness, under oath before Congress, admitted that the US government found a UFO and had been reverse-engineering its technology, and then added that “non-human” matter was also discovered in the UFO crash, should not such a bombshell be the number one story in every news outlet? Yet, if the story received any attention, it was met with a great public yawn.

UFO enthusiasts would say this is the closest we have ever been to exposing the truth about UFOs and government coverups. Meanwhile, everyday people smirk, roll their eyes, and get back to the day’s duties. Which reaction is correct, I wonder?

At least Denison, in his articles, is asking the “what if” questions. I like how he tends to remain neutral while challenging readers to think. I also appreciate that he is tackling the idea of how one’s religious beliefs could be affected by the discovery of other life in the universe. Twenty years ago, when I began writing Planet of Eden, I wove these ideas into the plot, never imagining that we would come to a time when they would not just be entertaining…but relevant.  

If you want to know where this science fictions writer stands on the subject, I wrote about it in a previous post titled “God and Aliens.”

Planet of Eden Update

I have been busy querying potential agents! The last time I did this was in early 2020, just before the looney pandemic hit the hardest. By late Spring, I had received 37 polite rejections and had not heard back from over 63 agents. Before that, it had taken months to research agents and their agencies to find a possible match for my book. If you do the math, I found 100.

Through the pandemic, I watched as the publishing industry was decimated. Business slowed to a halt, and many agents lost their jobs or otherwise moved around to different agencies. Some agents even decided it was a good time to create their own new agencies. Today, the landscape looks just like it did in 2019. The dust has settled, and publishing seems back to the usual.

So…here we go again. I pulled out my old list, compared it to updated lists of agents on the Web, eliminated those who either rejected or ignored me, and still found some agents to query. Let’s see if there is someone out there who’s ready to take a chance on a very different type of sci-fi story.

I would still like to go with a traditional publishing model. Call me old-fashioned if you like. It would be nice to have the weight of a powerhouse publisher behind my work, and I do respect what agents and publishers must go through to produce financially successful books nowadays. Still…I will not wait long.

Many have asked me why I do not just self-publish. For sure, there are many more options available today for getting your work out there. I have looked at those options, and I am keeping a few in my back pocket, including starting my own publishing business. It might happen that way. But before I make that move, I decided to give the traditional route one last chance. So, let’s see how we do from now through Autumn. If I do not get any bites from agents, I will be happy to let my GenX individualism take over and finally start my own business.

Stick with me, fellow Edenites. I am sensing impending success for Project Eden. And I’m so glad you’re with me on the ride. Be tough in these trying times. Be a warrior. Dig deeper. Be you.