Author of the Week: Karina Fabian

Karina Fabian writes Christian science-fiction. You can find more about her on her website: http://www.fabianspace.com.

Hello and welcome to our blog, Karina.

Hi, and thanks for hosting me.

Let’s start with getting to know you a little better. List five things you feel define you as a person.

Family, Faith, Fiction, Fun, Workaholic. (Couldn't think of a word for that that starts with F.)

Tell us a little bit about what you do with writing. What motivates you?

Usually the characters in my head. I'll come up with an interesting idea for a character, and pretty soon, they are living their lives out in my mind--and telling me all about it or making me live it with them. I've often said that I write in order to stay sane.

Where did the inspiration for your story come from?

Which one? I have so many, and they come from a wide variety of sources. However, I'd never say my stories ideas come "from life." "Snakes on a Spaceship" has nothing to do with my life--and I'm so grateful! (Incidentally, despite the title, it did not come from the movie, either. I refuse to watch the movie. I hate snakes.)

My Rescue Sisters stories (Infinite Space, Infinite God and Leaps of Faith) came from conversations my husband and I had while on a date. We're very good at communicating around chaos, so we don't really go on dates to have serious discussions. Instead, we take a notebook and hash out stories. We came up with the Order of Our Lady of the Rescue in 1999, while I was doing a series of articles on religious orders and Rob was very involved with Artemis Society. (Artemis was looking to put a commercial presence on the moon.) As we combined those interests, we came up with a near-future universe where humankind has populated the solar system in a rough but plausible way. The Rescue Sisters perform search and rescue operations in space, everything from safety evaluations to daring rescues of ships and people in distress. As for individual stories, either I read something that sparks an idea, or Rob and I sit over dinner and say, "Let's explore this! How can we do that in space?"

My DragonEye universe (Firestorm of Dragons and the soon-to-be-published novels Magic, Mensa and Mayhem and Live and Let Fly) came directly from an anthology and comedy television. I wanted to write something for Firestorm of Dragons and wanted a character no one had ever seen before. After racking my brains, I gave up and went to watch Whose Line is it, Anyway? with the kids. The comedians were doing a film noir spoof and they had such fun with the snappy, sarcastic dialogue, that I thought, "I can do that with a dragon!" Thus Vern, a Faerie dragon working as a detective on the wrong side of the Interdimensional Gap was born. Vern is hilarious fun to write, because I can twist clichés, make snide comments and shoehorn two completely disparate legends or myths into a noir-style mystery: elf war and the Plague of Locusts; 007 and Ragnarok; amusement parks and fairy tale creatures (OK, not a stretch, but wait until you see what I did with them!)


What are your dreams for your writing? Where do you see yourself in five years both as a writer and as a person?

I'd like to see DragonEye develop a following like the Myth, Inc series. (In my wildest dreams, I'd say, "like Discworld," but can anyone compare to Terry Pratchett?) I'd also like my Miscria trilogy published. I'd like to be publishing a book every 12-18 months with stories in between.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have been given/learned in your life as a writer?

Don't take rejection personally. It's not always about the writing or the story. Evaluate any advice they have, then send the manuscript elsewhere.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers here (advice, website, etc)?

I'm pleased to announce Leaps of Faith, an anthology of Christian sci-fi I edited with my husband Rob, is coming out in November from the Writers' Café Press.

Find Karina on-line at:

http://www.fabianspace.com: You'll find links to my published works, articles, tips and even a free workshop for writers, and other goodies. You'll find my e-zine, Faith-Filled Fiction, there. In my blog, I post funnies having to do with sci, fi, fantasy, writing or family life. Plus, every Friday, I blog about my writing journey. These posts contain personal experience and general advice, a progress report (word count, etc) and a snippet from the current WIP.

http://www.dragoneyepi.net: If you like dragons, detectives and twisted humor, check out the DragonEye, PI website. In addition to information about the characters and the universe, Vern blogs on the home page once or twice a week.

http://www.virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com: Here I post information about books, from self-published to national best sellers. It's a good place to discover a new author or (if you are an author) to give your work some exposure. (Look for Suzanne's book there!)

I also have separate websites for my anthologies:
http://www.isigsf.com: Infinite Space, Infinite God--thought-provoking sci-fi with a Catholic twist!
http://www.firestromofdragons.com: Dragons as you've never seen them before
http://leapsoffaithsf.com: Leaps of Faith: Christian Sci-Fi, because faith and science can support each other.

Thank you very much for coming by this blog. we wish you great success!

Thank you!