Winner of the 2010 INDIE for best Fantasy (Magic, Mensa and Mayhem), Karina Fabian has plenty of voices in her head without being psychic. Fortunately, they fuel her many stories, like the Mind Over trilogy. Mrs. Fabian teaches writing and book marketing seminars, but mostly is concerned with supporting her husband, Rob Fabian as he makes the exciting leap from military officer to civilian executive, getting her kids through high school and college, and surviving daily circuit torture…er, circuit training. Read about her adventures at http://fabianspace.com
Hi Karina,
Thanks for joining me today in the Potpourri Parlor. This must be a very exciting time for you with the upcoming release of the second book in this trilogy. How do you feel about that?
Sometimes, people talk about “second book syndrome,” where the second book in a trilogy doesn’t match the energy of the first. The characters refused to let that happen with Mind Over Psyche. In this book, Joshua and Deryl accidentally end up on Kanaan, the planet of Tasmae. Tasmae, you may remember from Mind Over Mind, was in psychic contact with Deryl, demanding information from him to save her world. Now, he’s come to her, live and in person!
Joshua practices a form of psychiatry called neuro linguistic programming. He used it extensively in Mind Over Mind. Will he use it in Mind Over Psyche?
Some, but it really doesn’t work with aliens. He will, however, save a child’s life with it, and will use some techniques to help Deryl and Tasmae out of danger. This book, he also gets to exercise his musical talents.
What’s the challenge about writing about a psychic people?
They don’t communicate just in words, but also images, emotions, and simple knowing. For example, why have a name for a person when you can pass on the knowledge of who that person is? Ditto for places. However, to reach a reader, I have to use words. No one wants to read “the captain of the Kanaan guard” ten times a page, so some characters needed names, and I needed a reason for them to have one. In the end, humans and the Barin (who also have verbal language) name certain things. This will be fun in Mind Over All, because Joshua will joking name a young boy who clings to him, “Axel,” and it sticks, to Sachiko’s ire.
Also, with no written language, there needs to be a way to preserve history. This is vital in Mind Over Psyche, as memories are stored in psychic plants. You experience things as the person experienced them—no sanitizing, no skimming, no skipping the yucky parts (unless the plant allows it.)
What is your personal 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.
If you could have one power what would it be, and what would you do with it?
One of two: The ability to focus more fully, because I’m way too easily distracted; or the ability to separate myself into different parts, do several things at once, then reintegrate. I’d love to be able to clean house and walk the dog while writing my novels!
This is a year of changes for you. What’s happening?
In the past 12 months, Aug 2012-Aug 2013, we lost our beloved dog to cancer, then adopted two others. My husband was deployed to Iraq and came home just in time for our daughter’s high school graduation. Our oldest didn’t do so well his first year of college and is enlisting in the Air Force. Our third born went to Spain to volunteer at an English immersion camp, and Rob and I took the opportunity to fulfill a dream with an Eastern Mediterranean cruise. Our youngest turned 13, so we have four teens in the house.
Rob retired Aug 22, and (as of the time of this writing) is searching for a job in the civilian world, preferably in manned space operations. In September, we moved our daughter and her dog to college. At the time of this writing, I’m not sure if my son will have gone to basic training yet or decided to go back to college, but either way, we’ll be down to two boys in the house. So everything has changed from career to home to family, even pets. As for my writing, I have taken on some nonfiction writing jobs and am exploring some new avenues for my fiction. My hope is to have a more stable writing career, though I anticipate that might be a 2014 goal.
Are you a list maker?
Yes! I make lists all the time. Then I lose them, make new ones, find the old ones, and combine them into new lists. Right now, I have a general To-Do list, a list of blogs I need to write, a list of things to fix to put our home for sale, a list of writing tasks and goals, a list of things my kids need, a list for marketing my books, a daily list…and, of course, this list of lists!
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 dis-inhibition. 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 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.
You can find more about Karina Fabian at:
Website: http://fabianspace.com, http://dragoneyepi.net
Blog: http://fabianspace.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karina.fabian
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/KarinaFabian
A Potpourri of Promos, Book Talk, Entertainment & Articles of Interest from Chelle Cordero 
Thanks for visiting with me today, Karina.