In a similar vein to the below
I used to frequent an IRC channel some years ago and while there I befriended a budding novelist.

She was in the process of getting a novel of hers published and I had the pleasure of reading it as she sent it to me.

Unfortunately I lost touch with the people I knew from there, but I'd dearly like to get my hands on the book because I remember it being great.

It was a sci-fi job, kind of like Heinlein's Starship Troopers sort of thing.

All I can remember is that it was called The Emperor's Finest (at the time), her user name was Michaela and that the main character was a kind of butch female marine...

Anyone got any suggestions on how I could find it?

edit: anyone see that ninja?
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 16:48, 19 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

sorry
All I can think of now is Vasquez from Aliens!
(Halfy By light alone, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 16:59, Reply)

the character was similar to her
so you're on the right lines

I knew this person probably 9 years ago via IRC, so chances of me finding them are slim

chances of finding the book are less so, assuming it did get published. it was certainly in the process of being published, but whether it got all the way I don't know
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:03, Reply)

I think its safe
to assume her first name probably was Michaela, however with the amount of info, and not even knowing if she / he got publish could be like nailing fog to a wall.

However us b3tans are a bunch of sad old cunts, so im sure someone will find something for you, im just googling various things in pure hope!
(Halfy By light alone, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:10, Reply)

you know the annoying thing?
I'm pretty sure her name wasn't Michaela!
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:12, Reply)

Have you tried googling just those few facts?
Or going back to the original website - if it still exists...
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:17, Reply)

indeed I have tried googling it
no luck unfortunately, which is why I turned to b3ta

it wasn't a website, it was on an IRC server that is no longer running. one of the old MS ones if I remember correctly.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:23, Reply)

Cambridge University Library is a copyright library
ao it owns one of anything ever published.

so if you get anymore wild ideas about authors or titles you can give this a crack

www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/
(Halfy By light alone, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:23, Reply)

I'll give it a bash
she was a septic though, which might hammer the final nail into the coffin of my search
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:25, Reply)

Ah!
You see IRC channel meant nothing at all to me I'm afraid....so I assumed it was some type of website thingy.

I would say that your chances of finding this book or the author are pretty much zero.

However, if you began to write this book because you wanted to find her again...

That would make a great novel plot.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:25, Reply)

feel free to write a novel
about me writing a novel to try and find the original author of the novel :-)

it's a shame, because as an appreciator of fine sci-fi I can say she had some real talent
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:26, Reply)

*Stands still*
*crashes to floor, shuriken sticking out head*
(Himjim died a little more inside on, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:32, Reply)

in that case
knock yourself out

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_science_fiction_authors
(Halfy By light alone, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:39, Reply)

Ninja?...

( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:50, Reply)

For something a little more useful...
www.archive.org/index.php

Use the Wayback Machine at the top to go look at old stuff. Maybe you can find it there.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 13 Nov 2008, 17:56, Reply)

She could kill a man with those thighs

( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 18:02, Reply)

Yeah, but
what a way to go!

(Actually, her thighs are one of her better features. She's got nice legs.)

EDIT: Actually, what she has is a very nice hip-to-waist ratio. What's yours?
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 13 Nov 2008, 18:05, Reply)

Loon
that's a scary looking dame.

Yay me. Waist to hip ratio of 0.71. Do I get a prize? Or do I just not get diabetes, which I suppose is prize enough?
(TheWeeWitch hasn't been here much recently .., Thu 13 Nov 2008, 19:32, Reply)

According to my hip/waist ratio I should be dead : /
.
( girlinthehole, Thu 13 Nov 2008, 19:37, Reply)

It's okay.
No matter what I put in as a guess for myself (I have no idea how big my hips are, being male) I get the same message:

Your shape puts you at reduced risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Frequently referred to as pear shape, you tend to keep fat off your midsection and more on your hips. Your body does not convert this lower body fat as readily as midsection fat, which keeps cholesterol down.

I think they say that to everyone.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 13 Nov 2008, 20:09, Reply)