What one piece of advice would you
offer readers who are working on their first novels?
Thicken your skin. You need critique to improve, so be ready to
listen with an open mind to what your fellow writers or readers say about your
work. Also, expect rejection and keep
writing, anyway.
What
is the primary source of inspiration for you?
Ack! Tough questions, because different things
inspire different ideas. However, I
think talking with friends is probably my best source for ideas that turn into
stories. That's why I love my writing
friends, like Ann Lewis, Grace Bridges, Fred Warren, Walt Staples... And the Writers Chat Room is an excellent way
to meet a group of writers (http://writerschatroom.com). In
fact, TWC helped me come up with the title for the Mind Over Mind books.
You've written in a lot of different genres.
What is your favorite genre to write in, and why?
I’m most comfortable in fantasy, but each
genre has its own advantages. Science
fiction lets me indulge my geeky side, and I enjoy learning about science and
technology and figuring out what we can do with it. Devotionals let me talk unabashedly about my
love of God. Horror? Well, I do humorous horror, so I have a lot
fun with it. (I’m not a big horror fan.)
Tell us a bit about your latest bookMind Over Psyche (Book Two of the Mind Over trilogy).
Deryl isn’t crazy; he’s psychic. Desperate to escape the insane asylum,
Deryl teleports to Kanaan, a world of
telepaths who regard him as an oracle.
But freedom comes at a price. The
Kanaan expect their oracle to teach them to use their powers to wage war. Meanwhile, he’s falling in love, but to be
with her means to share his psyche, which could drive her insane. Most dangerous of all, he hasn’t escaped the
Call of the Master, enemy of the Kanaan, whose telepathic manipulations were
why Deryl was committed in the first place.
Now, the Master will forge Deryl’s powers into a weapon to kill all he
loves or destroy his mind trying.
What have you
done to develop your writing craft?
Practice. Get critiques--tough critiques. Take workshops. I learn best by doing and having my mistakes
pointed out to me, rather than reading about theories or methods.
Where do you get your ideas?
All over—from TV, from conversations
with friends, from something on the news (or Facebook), from another book I’ve
read, from a call for submissions for an anthology… There’s actually a psychological term for
it: cognitive disinhibition. People with CD do not organize/file away
information as well as people who don’t have it. As a result, we have a lot of stuff floating
around in our minds, synapses snapping around until they link up with something
else, and BOOM! Idea! Interestingly, schizophrenics also have CD,
but on a more extreme level. So to all
the people in college who thought I was inhibited—HA!
What’s a common mistake new writers make?
Following “rules” too closely. Really, there aren’t rules, just
guidelines. For example, I had a friend
who tried to remove every single adverb in her novel because “the rules” say
“No –ly words.” Those words are a
legitimate part of the English language and used judiciously (Look! -ly word),
they can have an impact.
What is your definition of success?
Fulfilling your worth
as a human being. For me, that means
raising my children to be responsible adults, supporting my husband in his
career, keeping a good home, and writing books that give people a few hours of
escapist fun and/or help them in some way.
 |
| Karina Fabian |
What
do you do when you’re not writing/editing or thinking about writing/editing?
I play Munchkin or D&D with Rob and
the kids, clean house, watch TV, or endure circuit torture—I mean, go to
circuit training. I joined a gym in
January because I was tired of being the general shape and consistency of Jello
pudding in a human bag. It’s also great
for blog fodder, although not nearly as torturous as the first month. You can catch my adventures with the
treadmill and Ryion, Trainer of the Pudding Bags, Wednesdays at http://fabianspace.blogspot.com.
Where can people find out more about you and your book?
Website: http://fabianspace.com, http://dragoneyepi.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karina.fabian
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/KarinaFabian
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