“I thought that I would like to create creatures to look however I want them to look, to be however I want them to be, and to tell a story.””

People who said they had had alien experiences proved to be a major inspiration for Raina Smith’s fifth novel, “The Earth Consented.”

Smith, a former news reporter for WPRI-12 and the senior director of public and media relations for Care New England, was at the Cranston Public Library commemorating the release of her newest novel with a book signing on Saturday.

 “The Earth Consented” marks Smith’s foray into science fiction, following a religious thriller trilogy and a novel focusing on supernatural aspects.

Using her reporter skills, Smith did some research before writing. She wondered if people had had experiences with aliens from outer space. She turned to social media to find out. After posting that she was writing a story about aliens and UFOs, she received around ten responses from people who said they had had experiences with aliens. The names of those people remain anonymous but their stories proved to be a major motivation for her novel.

In addition to her reporting and interviews, Smith said that her novel took significant inspiration from watching “Star Trek” with her father as a child.

“William Shatner’s character would visit different places and meet different beings, and they were all different and interesting, and they had different cultures,” Smith said. “I loved that. And I thought that I would like to create creatures to look however I want them to look, to be however I want them to be, and to tell a story.”

“The Earth Consented” features Raquel Quinney, a young naive woman who meets an alien race after her car breaks down and she accepts an offer to travel the universe with them. In her travels she learns more about the true nature of the universe, while also learning about the now-fraught relationship between humans and the Earth, which is regretting its past decision to host humanity. The book’s environmental and extraterrestrial messages mix to create a plot that explores many unanswered questions about the human experience.

“I’d like readers to consider concepts and ideas they may never have before,” Smith said. “I’d like them to consider the possibility that there’s intelligent life beyond Earth’s atmospheric borders, what they would look like, and what their interest in us might be.”

While Quinney’s journey takes her throughout the universe, though, its starting point is the community that Smith grew up in- North Scituate. Smith constantly takes inspiration from Rhode Island and its communities, which have been featured in each of her works so far.

“There’s such a rich history, and it’s mysterious,” Smith said. “No matter what I’m talking about, why wouldn’t I want to try to work Rhode Island into it? There’s just a few scenes set in Rhode Island, but I just love honoring my home state.”

The book signing had special significance for Julie Aponte. Prior to the novel’s release, Smith approached Aponte, a friend and coworker at Care New England, and asked her to be the book’s beta reader, giving her feedback on the then-unreleased manuscript.

Smith knew Aponte wasn’t a big fan of the science fiction genre. However, Aponte said that “The Earth Consented” was a different experience for her than the more traditional science fiction that she has read.

“It allowed my imagination to go to another place, and it wasn’t too far off to actually be possible,” Aponte said. “By reading it, it did open me to other concepts that could be out there.”

Many of Smith’s friends were in attendance to support her.

Ken Iavarone met Smith through a mutual friend around 15 years ago and has been following her career since then.

 “It’s tougher for her because she works full time in a challenging profession,” Iavarone said. “But the passion carries through, [as well as] her willingness to dedicate a lot of her free time to working on this.”

For Aponte, getting to see the positive reception Smith’s book received was a special experience- especially considering her role in helping to create the final product.

 “I’m very proud of Raina,” Aponte said. “I know she put a lot of time and energy into this book, so to actually see the culmination of all her hard work come to fruition- I’m really happy for her.”

Next up for Smith, following a short break from writing to prevent burnout, will be a sequel to “The Vampire,” her fourth book.

Until then, though, Smith was grateful for the outpouring of support for “The Earth Consented” and those in attendance at the signing.

“It means a lot that people trust that I will deliver a compelling story that they’re interested in,” Smith said.

“The Earth Consented” is available on Amazon, at Barnes and Noble and on the author’s personal website, www.rainasmith.com. Paperback copies are currently $25, while purchasing an online copy for a Kindle is $5.99.