Rogue's Angels Present: The Crying of Ross by David Allan Hamilton

Please welcome David Allan Hamilton author of The Crying of Ross

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

The Crying of Ross 128

by David Allan Hamilton 

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GENRE: Science Fiction

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INTERVIEW:

Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?

I don’t think so. I’ve often wished to be more than what I am, better than I am, but not really someone else. That said, I could see myself wanting to be my brother. In many ways, he is living the life I wanted when I was young: teaching at a university, having a large family. Those are things I set my sights on for a while when I was a lad.

What did you do on your last birthday?

I don’t recall what I did on my last birthday. I suppose it was that exciting!

What part of the writing process do you dread?

There is nothing about the process that I dread. I love it all, from developing a story idea to plotting, characterization, writing the first draft, revising, editing and publishing. I enjoy all aspects of the process. There are times where I will get frustrated and bored with some aspects of it all. Revising can be a drag, for example. Writing and discussing my writing with my group can be challenging. But all in all, there is nothing I’d rather be doing (with the possible exception of teaching) than writing.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

No I don’t. Not now. I used to when I was younger and didn’t know any better. But here’s the thing about writer’s block. It’s a real problem with the wrong name. What holds us back from writing is not some kind of arbitrary “block”. It’s not a problem with inspiration. The problem is fear. If I find that I’m really not in the mood to write, it’s not because I’m lazy or lack the muse. It’s because I’m afraid. Afraid of being judged, of being ridiculed, of writing a lot of crap, and so on.

The truth is, there is no such thing as writer’s block. If we can’t write, it’s because we’re afraid. And if we’re afraid, then not being able to write is only a symptom of a much larger problem.

Tell us about your latest release.

The Crying of Ross 128 is set in the year 2085. At this point in our future, America has divided up into several new republics: the Northern Democratic Union in the northeast, the United Confederate States in the south, and the three independent republics of California, Oregon, and Washington. This followed a second American civil war.

Against this backdrop, a 30 something single parent, Jim Atteberry, teaches English at the City College in San Francisco. He is also an amateur radio astronomy, and one night, he is listening to the radio bands to see if some alien signal can be detected. To do this, he’s using a new filter designed by his colleague Kate Braddock. When he uses it, Atteberry discovers that there is, indeed, an apparent cry for help emanating from the Ross 128 dwarf star system. This discovery leads him and his family on a journey of discovery, where they learn about true love, the meaning of trust, and overcoming fear.

BLURB:

America has splintered into various independent republics after a brutal civil war. Against this backdrop, space exploration is on the cusp of new technological breakthroughs. Jim Atteberry, a mid-30s English professor at City College in San Francisco, spends his free time listening for alien signals on the amateur radio astronomy bands. His life as a single parent to his precocious daughter is turned upside-down when he hears an intelligent cry for help from the Ross 128 system and realizes we are not alone. This signal unleashes a chain of events pitting Jim and his brilliant, mysterious colleague Kate against a power-hungry scientist with his own secret agenda. Jim must learn the truth about the signal, the strange disappearance of his wife Janet, and the meaning of true love before it’s too late in this first contact thriller.

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EXCERPT:

"How long does it take a subspace signal to travel from Ross 128 to Earth?" he asked.

The machine responded verbally. “Twenty-two minutes, 13.4 seconds with current subspace technology.”

Atteberry recorded the time on his notepad, then looked at the screen. “Is there any history of alien signals coming from Ross 128?”

“Negative. Although in 2017, unknown signals from that system were received at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo. They were later dismissed as Terran satellites.”

Ghost signals. That happened sometimes due to the multitude of satellites orbiting Earth back then, and now around the moon and Mars. Signals would bounce and echo off them all the time, like ripples in a pond bouncing off rocks and plants.

“Speculate as to the origin of this signal if it’s a ghost.”

“Ready.”

“Proceed.”

“If the signal is a ghost, it is most likely an artifact of the Second American Civil War circa 2070. The Northern Democratic States and the Confederate States often used ghost signals as decoys to confuse enemy communications.”

So that’s it, Atteberry thought, he’s been chasing old civil war ghosts. Yet the question of subspace remained, and, as far as he knew, neither side in the civil war used the emerging FTL technology. It wasn’t sufficiently developed until after the new republics separated.

“What is the likelihood that these Ross 128 signals are satellite ghosts?”

“0.02 percent.”

“What’s the probability the true source is the Ross 128 system itself?”

“74.8 percent.”

Atteberry leaned forward on his workbench and realized the results were inconclusive. “What’s the probability that these signals are naturally occurring... a pulsar or a quasar for example?”

“Zero percent. The signals are artificially produced with slight variations in pattern frequency, suggesting unknown transmission methodology.”

“Human?”

“Improbable. There are no known humans in the Ross 128 space.”

Atteberry feared asking the next question; he swallowed hard. “Alien?”

“99.8 percent probable.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

David Allan Hamilton is a teacher, writer, and multipotentialite. He is a graduate of Laurentian University (BSc. Applied Physics) and The University of Western Ontario (MSc. Geophysics). He lives in Ottawa where he facilitates writing workshops and teaches. When not writing, David enjoys riding his bike long distances, painting, and knitting.

Author Links:

 www.davidallanhamilton.com

facebook.com/davidallanhamilton/

twitter.com/DAllanHamilton

instagram.com/davidhamilton2561

goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=david+allan+hamilton

Buy Links:

Amazon.com

hard cover

https://www.amazon.com/Crying-Ross-David-Allan-Hamilton/dp/1773705679/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529416343&sr=1-1

paper back

https://www.amazon.com/Crying-Ross-David-Allan-Hamilton/dp/1773705660/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1529416343&sr=1-1

kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Crying-Ross-David-Allan-Hamilton-ebook/dp/B07DD7HHKR/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1529416343&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble

hard cover

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crying-of-ross-128-david-hamilton/1128831071?ean=9781773705675

paper back

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crying-of-ross-128-david-hamilton/1128831071?ean=9781773705668

nook

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crying-of-ross-128-david-hamilton/1128831071?ean=2940155275763

Kobo

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-crying-of-ross-128/9781773705682-item.html?ikwid=the+crying+of+ross+128&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Smashwords.com

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/834220

Indigo.ca

hard cover

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-crying-of-ross-128/9781773705675-item.html?ref=isbn-search

paper back

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-crying-of-ross-128/9781773705668-item.html?ikwsec=Books&ikwidx=1

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2751