Local Author Takes Readers on a Journey into the Unexplained

Carolyn Harmon
From The Cabell Standard

CHARLESTON - (Dec. 2, 2008) - In the mid-1960s summer evenings were commonly spent on porches, in southern West Virginia, taking in the warm mountain breeze, listening to the song of the bullfrog, and connecting stars together in the night sky.

One summer evening, when writer Kyle Lovern was 8, he and his family saw something else in the sky above their Mingo County home.

"It was not quite dark and we saw three Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) right across the top of the mountain - tree-top level," Lovern said. "They just hovered there. No way was it a plane or a helicopter."

That first sighting piqued Lovern's interest and later, in October 1973, when Lovern was attending Williamson High School, he saw another UFO. During this time was a wave of sightings all over the East Coast including West Virginia, with witnesses appearing on national news broadcasts. The events moved then future President Jimmy Carter, on Sept. 18, 1973, to file a report with the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), claiming he had seen a UFO in October, 1969.

Like Carter, based on his two sightings and further research including books, magazines, and documentaries, Lovern's interest in UFOs grew. Lovern drew on that interest, as well from numerous personal interviews to write his first book, "Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters and Unexplained Phenomena."

The book was recently released and includes advice from such heavy-hitters as Stanton Friedman, a UFO investigator, who has long claimed a cover-up took place at Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. Friedman gave Lovern advice on questions to ask during interviews about UFO sightings. And while Lovern put that advice to work, he relies mostly on his gut feelings for reassurance.

"I have to go with the trust factor," he said. "I think you can tell whether you can believe someone or not. Some I got to know and felt they had some kind of sighting or experience."

Lovern said that all of the interviews in his book are incredible witnesses - educated people, not the stereotype. In his book, Lovern interviewed 16 people from West Virginia, beginning with a history of famous sightings in the state, such as Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster, which Lovern claims was actually a UFO and the media was unsure how to talk about the subject.

Out of all the interviews in the book, Lovern said his favorite is one from Wayne County.

"He had a couple sightings or encounters, one when he was a teenager and the other was years later after he returned from Vietnam, which was really incredible," Lovern said.

When asked if the aliens were possibly looking for him since he had two sightings, Lovern said it was doubtful. But he admitted he sometimes wished for an abduction much like the character played by Richard Dreyfuss in the 1977 movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

"I was never abducted," Lovern said. "You always say be careful what you wish for but sometimes I really want to know. It is something I really want to know is true—I think it is."

Since the book came out, a few weeks ago, Lovern has already received many new interview subjects for his next book which is due to come out in another year. For those interested in sharing a sighting or experience contact Lovern at Woodland Press, LLC; Attn: Kyle Lovern, 118 Woodland Dr., Chapmanville, WV 25508, or send an email to Klovern@suddenlink.net

"Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters and Unexplained Phenomena" is available at Amazon.com, Target.com, wvbookco.com, Woodlandpress.com, Borders at the Huntington Mall, Taylor Books and at bookstores across the Mountain State.