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But First, Take Off Your Shoes

Science fiction | Women’s Fiction | Comedy

Crying in H-Mart x Mars Attacks: set against an alien invasion, a biracial daughter and her estranged Vietnamese mother try to reconcile as cities crumble, green laser beams rain down, and old grudges reemerge, giving space to memory, culture and identity, even as their encounter with the matriarchal alien leader (whose relationship with her subordinates mirrors their own) may be key to saving the world. fiction / women’s fiction

AUTHOR NAME Pronunciation:

VIK-ee LAHN

Short Bio:

Vickie Lan is the author of But First, Take Off Your Shoes. She is also an award-winning communicator, short-form filmmaker, and host of the S peculative Sandbox podcast. When she’s not storytelling, she’s fixating on one of many hobbies, including reading, knitting, baking, sketching, voiceover, drinking (tea!), and competitive dog grooming. One of those is made up.

LONG BIO:

Author and podcast host Vickie Lan has sold her debut novel, But First Take Off Your Shoes (title subject to change), a genre-blending work of women’s fiction, science fiction, and comedy, to Union Square & Co, an imprint of Hachette, slated for publication in Fall 2026.

Represented by Ali Herring of Spencerhill Associates, Lan’s novel centers on an estranged mother and daughter forced to reconcile their fractured relationship in the midst of an alien invasion. Combining humor with emotional depth, the story explores themes of diaspora, identity, and intergenerational tension through a distinctly original lens.

Early readers and industry professionals have praised the manuscript as “a blast,” highlighting its “complex, intricate mother-daughter dynamics, whip-smart humor, and hooky apocalyptic plot,” as well as “a lovingly detailed and emotionally rich depiction of diaspora life.”

The project has been described internally as Crying in H Mart meets Mars Attacks for its merging of intimate cultural storytelling with absurd, high-stakes spectacle.

Lan was inspired to write the novel as a serious exploration of a multi-cultural mother-daughter experience against a comedic science-fiction backdrop. “I originally thought of aliens as a way to make my mom laugh,” said Lan. “I asked myself, what science fiction scenario would she find utterly ridiculous?” The result is a surprisingly poignant exploration of intergenerational trauma and forgiveness that has touched readers of many backgrounds.

In addition to her fiction writing, Lan hosts the podcast Speculative Sandbox, an audio “playground” where writers explore the craft of storytelling, tropes, and character archetypes across genres.

But First Take Off Your Shoes marks her debut novel.