Interview with Author Karina Fabian

Karina Fabian

Karina Fabian is hard at work promoting her latest release, Mind Over Mind. As part of a month-long blog tour, she's making three stop here at InkSpotting. First up is my interview with her. She'll also be my guest blogger next week, and you can expect my review of Mind Over Mind later in the month.

IS: What motivated you to start writing?

KF: The need to do something other than play with toddlers and clean house! I've always loved writing and telling stories, so when the kids were very young, I took it up after a long hiatus of college and career.

IS: What is the primary source of inspiration for you?

KF: Ack! Tough question, 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 WritersChat Room is an excellent way to meet a group of writers. In fact, TWC helped me come up with the title for the Mind Over Mind books.

IS: Do you write when the muse strikes, or do you follow a writing schedule?

KF: I don't believe in waiting for the muse. I start writing, and she usually comes over to see what's up. So I write, not necessarily on a schedule, but each day for as much as I can--stories, novels, marketing, interviews, blogs... In the Fall, I have set word count goals for my work-in-progress, but in the summer, I just do the best I can with what I have.

IS: Please describe your process.

KF: Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard. From there, it differs by book. Usually, I'm a pantster, which means I know the beginning, the ending and a couple of points on the way, and I let the characters do the rest. If I get stuck, I might put ideas on Post-It notes and play with them until the next scene comes to mind, or I chat with a friend. This summer, however, I had to do the plotter method to revise a manuscript that refused to work. Even then, the story threw a curve ball--in this case, an asteroid-sized curve ball--so part of the outline went out the window. Made for a better story, though.

People can usually see my process on my Thursday blog posts, "My Novel's Journey." I usually write about whatever manuscript I'm working on.

IS: What have you done to promote yourself as a writer?

KF: What haven't I done other than a nationwide tour? I've done everything from magazine ads to tweeting.

IS: What's left to do?

KF: Make enough money to hire someone to do it for me.

IS: When did you discover your unique voice? How long did the process take?

KF: I don't know that I ever "discovered" my voice. It's grown over time and practice. I don't think it took a million words, but it did take learning to be comfortable with who I am and what I like. I also think (hope) my "voice" changes with the story. My quirky humor of Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator, would be totally out of place in Mind Over Mind, a fantasy, for example.

IS: What do you consider your greatest achievement as a writer?

KF: In 2006, I started a novel for NaNoWriMo. I loved the characters and the basic idea, but I couldn't finish it. For five years, I've struggled to finish it. I realized the plot was too small; then that I needed to make the story more sci-fi. Then the case got HUGE--31 named characters--and I'd never done that before. The computer ate the manuscript twice (yes, even the backups; I cannot explain that). Other things, from family to new assignments, got in the way just as I was getting my groove...

This summer, I set aside my novel I was working on and determined to revise Discovery. The first feedback I got from my beta reader was, "Wow. Just...Wow." I knew at last I'd achieved what this story wanted to be.

IS: What's the most recent book you read?

KF: [As of July,] Jabberwocky by Daniel Coleman. A very fun little book based on Lewis Carroll's famous poem. Looking forward to his next book.

IS: Who are the writers you admire most?

KF: Terry Pratchett for his humor. Madeleine L'Engle for bringing in spirituality to her fiction. Dean Wesley Smith for his extreme prolificness.

IS: What's your best piece of advice for novice writers?

KF: Don't make excuses. Write. Learn. Submit. Accept rejection and write some more. Otherwise, find something else to make you happy and clear the field for those of us who love to do this.

IS: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

KF: I have several exciting things coming up over the next six months, including more books coming out, serial stories on my website, classes and more. Please visit my website or register for my newsletter to get more info.