Emma Lai is proud to announce the release of her newest novel, His Ship, Her Fantasy, by The Wild Rose Press.
This is Emma's first release and I hope that it impresses you as much as it does me. She has also contracted, His Hope, Her Salvation, with The Wild Rose Press to be released at a later date.


His Ship, Her Fantasy is coming from The Wild Rose Press on August 12th! It is a sci-fi romantic short.

Blurb:

Ellie Woods is in love…with a ship. When an argument with the ship results in a bump on the head, she finds herself in the strong arms of Alastair. But who is he and where did he come from?

Alastair has loved Ellie from afar for years, but duty has kept him from revealing himself to her. When a grave threat reveals his true identity, he hopes that Ellie will choose reality over fantasy.


Ellie’s character is the primary driving force behind the story. Her difficulties in being the only female space engineer lead to the story.

But, how did I get inside her head?

I pursued my Electrical Engineering degree with a handful of other women. When I started looking for a job, I went where the money was. When you live in Houston, TX, this means oil and gas, specifically a large service company.

The industry has always been male dominated with a healthy dose of chauvinism. My first day at work I had one engineer ask me if my daddy put me up to this…meaning a career in engineering. For the entire five years I was with the company, one engineer outright refused to speak to me…even if we were supposed to work together. However, as with the bad, there is good as well. My manager did an excellent job of helping me grow professionally.

I took the remembered frustrations, grouchy characters, and silent support of the few and used them in His Ship, Her Fantasy. My hope is the reader will see Ellie’s strength and understand her quiet determination. She is a part of me.

As for the question, did my daddy put me up to this?

We’re all influenced by people in our lives, and my dad was a huge reason I went into engineering, but he was still surprised when I told him what I wanted to study. I’m not sure why. After all, he helped me put together my science project on series and parallel circuits, let me take apart his radio to see how it worked, and bought me my first computer, which I promptly used to write a program in BASIC, all when I was eight.

What comes next?

His Ship, Her Fantasy inspired a whole series of shorts that cross over into multiple genres to include sci-fi, fantasy, and time travel. The second story, His Hope, Her Salvation, of the Mates of the Guardians series has been contracted with The Wild Rose Press. It is the story of Judith and Donovan. However, as with all strong, determined women, Ellie has decided her story isn’t done. I’m working on polishing her new story and hope it will become contracted as the third story in the Mates of the Guardians series.



Thank you so much Emma, you are a sweetheart, for joining the Pink Fuzzy Slipper Writers today. We expect to see big things from you in the future. The best of luck with sales, the best of health for you and your family, and the best is yet to come!!

31 comments

  1. Mary Marvella // July 17, 2009 at 12:08 AM  

    Emma, if Mary R brought you here, you must be a cool person. Thanks for visiting us and good luck!

    EE, huh? or Double E, as my Ex and his pals used to say? Interesting. Your nooks sound intriguing, too.

    Mama Mary

  2. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 12:19 AM  

    Thanks for hosting, Mary R.! I really enjoyed doing this particular post. I like sharing my stories.

  3. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 12:23 AM  

    Mary M., Mary R. is a sweetheart. Thanks for the wishes.

    Yes...Double E is what engineers normally refer to it as, but lay people don't usually understand the reference.

  4. Christina Phillips // July 17, 2009 at 4:36 AM  

    Emma, huge congrats on the upcoming release of His Ship, Her Fantasy!

  5. Jennifer Johnson // July 17, 2009 at 6:18 AM  

    Emma, I know you are sooo excited about the release of the book - very interesting premise. And look! A second book, too. Yay! I hope Emma Jr. is doing okay. Pregnancy is the summer is sometimes...well...hot.

  6. Carol L. // July 17, 2009 at 6:56 AM  

    Congrats Emma on your new release. I'm looking forward to reading His Ship,Her Fantasy. I enjoyed your post. Thanks.
    Carol L.
    Lucky4750@aol.com

  7. patrice wilton // July 17, 2009 at 8:32 AM  

    Emma,
    What a fabulous story about you, your working relationships and your father. Love the fact that you were a computer whiz at 8! If you tell a story as well as you did this one, you are sure to sell many books and have a wonderful future in writing.
    Love your strong characters, and as you say, I think our characters reflect a little in all of us writers.
    Patrice

  8. P.L. Parker // July 17, 2009 at 10:05 AM  

    Emma,

    Enjoyed the post. Hope you are feeling well (I imagine ready for the pregnancy to be done). My best wishes in the writing and the baby.

    Patsy

  9. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 10:21 AM  

    Thanks Christina and Carol! I'm very excited. I'd dance, but the belly tends to get in the way! :)

  10. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 10:22 AM  

    Jennifer and Patsy...pregnancy in the heat of summer in the hot, humid city of Houston is a chore. I try and stay in the a/c as much as possible. Of course, this gives me more time in front of the computer, which will hopefully translate into more completed works!

  11. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 10:24 AM  

    Thanks for the lovely compliments, Patrice! All of my heroines reflect one part or another of my life and my heroes reflect one part or another of my sweet husband. It can be great therapy working out your issues through your characters!

  12. Judith Keim // July 17, 2009 at 10:30 AM  

    Emma, your stories sound wonderful and I love your covers! Good luck on selling the third story

  13. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 10:44 AM  

    Thanks, Judy! I still need to get my covers framed. For now, I have magnets on the refrigerator...brightens my day every time I go get a drink!

  14. Sarah Simas // July 17, 2009 at 10:49 AM  

    Hi Emma!

    I loved your post. I have a great amount of respect for women who a great mind for technology. It took me forever to learn the basics. *sheesh!* My hat's off to you for that, lady!

    I wish you tons of success and you deserve it all!

  15. Beth Trissel // July 17, 2009 at 10:50 AM  

    Emma, I love the story behind the story. And His Ship, Her Fantasy will no doubt be a bestseller.

  16. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 11:16 AM  

    Sarah...I didn't mean to imply I had a great mind for technology! My little sister had to help me set up my Facebook and MySpace pages. My husband had to explain my iPod to me. Now ask me to write a program and I can manage that, but ask me about modern technology trends and my mind goes blank. Probably why I went into Project Management and then International Relations and now writing!

  17. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 11:17 AM  

    Thanks, Beth! I'm just happy to have my story out there. I love science fiction, strong women, and romance. It's just great The Wild Rose Press editors do too!

  18. Mary Ricksen // July 17, 2009 at 12:03 PM  

    Emma,
    Thanks for blogging today. I am trying to get away from the interview questions all the time.
    This was a wonderful change. Thinkin' of you!

  19. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 12:06 PM  

    Thanks, Mary! I actually loved writing the post. It helps me keep up my journal! I'm trying to write down all of the interesting things of my life. I'm still in Elementary School in the chronology though. LOL. I still have a couple of decades to go!

  20. Tanya Hanson // July 17, 2009 at 1:18 PM  

    Hi Emma, what a fantastic plot! And boo to all those chauvinists. Thank God your dad always believed in you.

    Best wishes for tons of sales,
    Hugs,
    ~Tanya
    www.tanyahanson.com

  21. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 2:13 PM  

    Thanks, Tanya! My dad has been a great support during my life. The only thing he ever talked me out of was joining the military, which shocked me since he put in 20 years and convinced one of his nieces to join. But, he was right, I was too sensitive. I would have cried every time the drill sergeant yelled at me. I'm much tougher now...thanks to those chauvinists, but I still don't like negativity.

  22. Nightingale // July 17, 2009 at 3:13 PM  

    Isn't it wonderful that your career challenges can be transformed into something positive in your writing. Hope your first release is a big success.

  23. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 3:23 PM  

    Thanks Nightingale! Fingers are crossed!

  24. Cate Masters // July 17, 2009 at 3:48 PM  

    Too funny, Emma! Well, if your daddy put you up to it, then kudos to him! And kudos to you for persevering, and using your experiences for your stories. I hope they inspire many a young woman to follow their dreams as well. Best of luck with your upcoming release, and congrats on the second contract!

  25. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 3:50 PM  

    Thanks Cate! It would be nice to know I inspired someone somewhere along the way to do what they dreamed. That's the ultimate compliment I think. I try and tell my dad just how much he inspires me whenever I can. It's great to see him blush bright red!

  26. Susan Macatee // July 17, 2009 at 3:56 PM  

    Great post, Emma! I love sci-fi!

    Looking forward to your release!

  27. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 4:04 PM  

    Thanks, Susan and congrats on your latest release!

  28. Scarlet Pumpernickel // July 17, 2009 at 4:45 PM  

    I love StarTrek, so I am sure I will love your story Emma! Mary thanks for introducing us to a new author. I look forward to reading her work.

    Scarlet

  29. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 4:51 PM  

    Thanks Scarlet!

  30. Mona Risk // July 17, 2009 at 8:01 PM  

    Hi from down under. I finally found an Internet connection. Just wanted to say hi. Miss you all so much. Emma Lai, wishing you the best. So far we've been with my sister-in-law eating a lot, talking a lot, and drinking tea. It's very cold in the houses. There's no heating and it's winter here, a mild one, but still winter. Miss my warm Florida. See you in ten days.

  31. Emma Lai // July 17, 2009 at 8:08 PM  

    I'm so jealous Mona! I've always wanted to visit Australia. It's on the list of places to go, but who knows when our next international trip will be.