Interview with Emma Lai

I am so happy to welcome Emma Lai here today. Welcome Emma, tell us a little about yourself.

I’ve sampled many professions and industries in the last decade or so…administrative assistant, electrical engineer, software designer, and project manager. They’ve all been satisfying in their own way, but nothing has inspired me like writing. I am a student of life and a lifetime student. Since I started school at age 5, there has only been four years of my adult life when I haven’t been taking classes. This month, I receive my Masters in International Relations, and I would love to pursue a Doctorate.

Wow, im-pressive! There has to be more to Emma Lai than work and study though, what do you do for fun when you're not writing?

Right now, my fun is limited to playing toss with my dogs, going to movies with my husband, reading, and preparing for baby. However, I love to travel and can’t wait until I get to brush my passport off again.

I'll bet! So when did you start writing?

Well, I’ve been writing work and school related papers for years, but I only started writing romances last year as a diversion. I’ve always been an avid reader and decided to start using the ideas I have, to write stories for my husband.

Aw, that's so sweet, Emma. I guess a lot of us start of by reading and then just have to write ourselves!What comes first: the plot or the characters?

I always start with a scene, but that one scene tells me a lot about the characters. I’m just a witness recording the events of their lives.

Please tell us about your latest release and what you think readers will enjoy about it.

His Ship, Her Fantasy is a short story coming from The Wild Rose Press on August 12. I think it will appeal to many different readers. Ones who like science fiction; sweet romance; a little mystery; a woman who knows what she wants out of life, but has to fight for it; and a man who knows how to protect his loved ones.

Here's the 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.

It certainly has my interest already. As you know I love science fiction and this sounds fascinating. What’s your writing process? Has it changed since writing your first book?

Most of my stories come to me in the small of night. It’s a struggle to hold onto them as I wake, but if I manage to then I hit the computer and don’t stop typing until I’ve captured the scene and the story that unfolds. I’ve had to do a little more planning since I started writing. His Ship, Her Fantasy is just the first in a series. As I write the rest of the series, I have to make sure I’m consistent. Plus, each successive story requires a little more research as the world of the Guardians unfolds.

Do you have a support system? Did you have a writing community? What valuable lessons have you learned from them?

I have a great support system, starting with my husband, who thought it was a great idea for me to take a year off to write and see where it went. The rest of my family has been supportive as well.

After I signed my first contract, I connected with other Houston area authors of The Wild Rose Press, and we’ve formed a little group…Roses of Houston. We meet at least once a month and talk about promo and story ideas. When I found out I was pregnant, another group of writers had just started MamaWriters. They’ve been great in helping me see how I can write and have a baby. Numerous other authors, to include yourself, have all been great in assisting me in getting my name out there through doing author interviews on my blog.What have I learned from everyone? More things than I can probably remember, at the moment. The most important thing I’ve learned is that you have to keep writing.

What is your personal definition of success?

Success is meeting whatever goals I set for myself. My goals continually change because the one thing I’ve learned is it doesn’t pay to be successful if you’re not happy in the process.

Emma has very kindly offered to give away a copy of my first novel 'Starquest' to someone who leaves a comment today. (If you've already read 'Starquest you can opt for one of my other two books instead.) That's really sweet of you Emma, thank you so much, it's been wonderful having you here today.

Please visit this blog on 12th August, when Emma's book is released, to find out more about ' Her Ship, Her Fantasy'.