Nancy J. Nelson

Yes, I worked for the federal government, but it was for the U.S. Department of State, not for the military or the intelligence agencies. I'm fairly certain (though I could be wrong!) that no one at the State Department was involved with the extraterrestrial issue. The existence (or not) of aliens and advanced technology has historically been treated as a national security concern rather than a foreign policy issue.

Besides, everyone knows that State leaks like a sieve. ;)

That's a good question, and the answer is that I don't know. The story itself is fiction. But the concepts behind the story? All the quotes at the beginning of the chapters are real quotes from real people (with the exception of excerpts from Vicki's speech to the UN and from Melly's television show). Anyone familiar with the issues of ETs, alien technology, and disclosure will recognize these same themes throughout Cloud Hands. I've taken ideas from documentaries, official reports, podcasts, and eyewitness testimony and woven them into my story.

Are they true? Are they false? Trying to answer these questions has led me down several rabbit holes. I have my own opinions. You should form your own.