Christian Fiction and NOT Writing Just What You Know

I've had some interesting comments on Rob's and my latest anthology, Leaps of Faith. This is a collection of 14 stories of Christian science fiction. While I didn't fully itemize each faith represented, there are Anglican, Catholic and Christian stories and one Old Testament Biblical.

However, I've gotten a couple of comments to the effect that Leaps is a Catholic exclusive book. "written by Catholic writers" "a Catholic anthology" "I'm not Catholic but I enjoyed it." And the one that, frankly, insults the non-Catholic Christian contributors, the Christian publisher and my husband and me: "My only problem with this anthology is that uncomfortable feeling that the Catholics are the only people of God."

I'm not going to argue that here--you can check out the reviews on Amazon to see what people think about the mix of Christian and Catholic themes. What I want to talk about today is the ironic fact that many of the "Catholic" stories in Leaps--and some in Infinite Space, Infinite God, for that matter--were written by non-Catholics. In fact, we never asked anyone their denomination when we read the stories, and sometimes have been surprised ourselves to find out who practices what faith.

I'm always ticked at how that amazes and even scandalizes some people, even fellow writers. We think nothing of a housewife writing a detective novel or a computer technician writing a chick lit. Guys write romance with female protagonists while women write military sci-fi with predominantly male characters. Yet a person writes honestly about a particular faith, and people immediately assume the author practices that faith. Why is that?

I'm sure some people believe that to do anything different is to blaspheme in some way. I don't agree. To me, writing the faith that is right for the story is staying true to the creative talent God gave me. As long as I'm not glorifying a heresy or encouraging a sin, I feel safe in exploring other ideas, whether it's an atheist being pursued by a vampire or nuns living in outer space.

So what about writing what you know? I think writers that limit themselves to that do not go very far. There's such a wealth of adventure out there, some of which we will never know about first-hand. But we learn. I don't know asteroid mining--but I'm learning about it as I write Discovery. I didn't know Norse mythology until I started writing Live and Let Fly--and as I learned more, I had to change the story. That's what I love about writing. That's why I do it, even when I don't make the big bucks or get yet another rejection letter.

One person e-mailed me that he believed I preferred Catholic stories because that's what I'm more "comfortable" with. That's not true, not for me, not for a lot of writers I know. I'll stick with me, however. First off, I don't read a lot of Catholic fiction. (Yes, my fellow Guildies, I have not yet read Chesterson or Flannery O'Connor. They're on my list.) I read about wizards and aliens and serial killers and all kinds of non-comfortable things. I've written a story about a psychic teen who was mentally tortured. I've tortured one of my favorite characters while her best friend was forced to watch, and I have a scene for an upcoming book where the main character has to fight off a rapist. Think these were comfortable? Not at all, but they were disturbingly interesting to write and necessary to the story.

If I were to write what I "know" and what is "comfortable," I'd be putting out stories about how my kid didn't want to wear his jacket in the blizzard. That's about as much angst as I get in my life and believe me, I like it that way!

So it is with writing faith--not all my stories are Catholic. In one trilogy, the alien planet is Deist, and the other has its own odd mix of faith. They each had their own salvation stories, too. My Faerie world has what is called a Catholic Church, but "catholic" means "universal" and while it's similar to the Roman Catholic, there are enough differences that it is a unique religious organization. I could have (and maybe should have) called it the Faerie Church; I'm betting I take some heat from both Catholics and non-Catholics for it as time goes on. But if I do, I know it's because I've written a convincing world.

I'm starting to ramble here, but my point is that writers with real talent do not need to be limited by their current knowledge or beliefs. Imagination can take us to many exciting--and sometimes uncomfortable--worlds, and writing talent can help us share those worlds convincingly with others.

That's what the writers of Leaps of Faith and Infinite Space, Infinite God did. That's why I'm proud to have edited these anthologies.

Best of the CFRB Tour

It's been a fun week, and for the last day, I wanted to thank the crew on the Christian Fiction Review Blog roll for hosting me. Here are some highlights from the others:

From the Lost Genre Guild: http://blog.lostgenreguild.com/

All of the ISIG short stories are well-crafted and entertaining—the latter a real surprise for me considering that I do not number among the millions of sci-fi fans in this world. The range of intensity in this volume kept me reading because I couldn't predict what I'd discover when I turned another page. We see the teenager Frankie off to evangelize to alien beings; we sit with Saint Francis of Assisi as he ministers to the needs of a mannaro; we make the pilgrimmage alongside an IRA 'terrorist' as he makes his way through the stations to enlightment. The three described above: "Interstellar Calling," "Canticle of the Wolf," and "A Cruel and Unusual Punishment" were my favourites. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories included in Infinite Space Infinite God and liked the fact that they forced me to ponder and question. And one more thing, it is pretty darn refreshing to read good fiction that does not haul out the fictional stereotypes of manical monk or preying priest or nasty nun.

From David Brollier on www.cfrblog.blogspot.com:

About "The Harvest": This was one amazing and complex story of the unfolding of truth, the revealing of evil and the emergence of love. Lori… did an absolutely superb job in answering a universal question about what it means to be human. This carries with it so many other lessons that it could easily have been the only story in the book and I would have loved it none-the-less. Thank you for helping us to see a universe a bit larger than the one we had believed in beforehand.

About "Hopkins' Well": The feeling of “being there” in this story is powerful. No writer could ask for a better portrayal.

About "Interstellar Calling": I truly loved this story...because the story spoke to my heart.

About "Mask of the Ferret": It's the complexity and drive of the story that gets to you… Excellent. Truly wonderful.

About "Little Madeleine": I enjoyed the story, especially since accepting the truth was in itself another battle that she needed to fight… “Little Madeline” is one of those rare stories that takes you smack dab into the center of life's problems and then shows you the choices you, or rather that of the heroine in this case, have.

From Caprice Hokstad on www.shoutlife.com/capricehockstad:

I always want more, more, more. Just as I was starting to get to like a character or a setting, BAM, the story was over!

From Grace Bridges at http://www.gracebridges.blogspot.com/:

Are you ready to have your imagination expanded beyond what you thought possible, while doing some serious thinking? Then this is the book for you...

This anthology blows classic speculative fiction out of the water time and time again with amazing twists on the eternal question: “What if…” while giving you just enough time… to ponder a little along these lines for yourself…. “What if” really is a much bigger question than I ever thought…

I believe good science fiction should, among other things, always stretch your brain – and that’s just what this collection has done for me…fifteen times over. Watch out world – the Fabians are coming! And it looks like they're bringing their friends...

Oh, yes, we are, Grace! Watch out for the arrival of Infinite Space, Infinite God, coming to Amazon, B&N online and by order from other fine bookstores starting August 15.

Title: Infinite Space, Infinite God
Author: Karina and Robert Fabian, editors
Category: Science Fiction
ISBN: ISBN 1-933353-62-7
Format: Trade paperback
Publication Date: August 15, 2007
Pages: 288
Price: $18.95 US
Available from: Twilight Times Books, www.twilighttimesbooks.com
For More Info: http://isigsf.tripod.com

Marketing ISIG--The Real Work Begins

You'd think the real work in compiling and editing an anthology like Infinite Space, Infinite God would be in the gathering of stories, the copy-editing, the research in the introductions, and the selling it to a publisher.

Oh, no. That's the easy part.

The hard part is finding the readers who will want to lay down the $18 for a copy--or convincing potential readers that your book is worth $18.

I didn't know a thing about marketing, but fortunately, my publisher Lida at TwilightTimes Books is full of ideas. She also directed me to the MuseOnline writers conference. And I got bit by the bug.

Since that fateful October, I've been a marketing hound--media releases, websites, networking, workshops… You name it, I'm doing it or trying to learn about it. About the only thing I can't do is wander around town with a book in my hand and a sign saying--"Did Work for Fame--buy my book." And I'm having a great time.

The things that have been the most fun:

--The website: http://isigsf.tripod.com. I've got interviews, photos, events, summaries and reviews--and I'm glad to add anything else I can. It took several hours and a lot of hair-tearing to get it done, but now that it's up, I love it. I update it at least twice a week, too, so go check out what's new.
--FabChat. This started out as a separate thing. I'd seen another conference buddy make a chat on her site and it seemed like a great way to give authors a chance to talk about their works. I also attend the Writers' Chat Room author chats. So I decided to add that for some of my friends, too. It grew so fast, I finally had to select a regular day and time or it was going to take over! FabChat meets Thursdays at 8 PM EST. go to www.fabianspace.com and click on FabChat. (There's a list of guests so you can see who's guest of honor. I'm booked into August!)
--The Book Trailer. Here's another hair-puller, but one I enjoyed and am eager to try again. With Window's Movie Maker and some cobbled-together graphics and royalty-free photos, I actually made my own movie! That is so cool! (Look on March 31st's entry to see it.)

What's great about this, too, is that I can apply the lessons I'm learning now to every book I write--and even those I haven't written yet. I've got a great character and world: a private detective dragon in a fantasy noir universe. Dragon Eye, PI, has a few short stories out, but already I have a website and am starting the publicity train. Check him out at www.freewebs.com/dragoneyepi. Vern (the dragon) blogs once a month, and there's a mystery serial you can read.

I'm still hard at work, with sell sheets and review requests. I'm like a dog with a favorite squeak toy. Last week, when I spoke to my publisher, she told me, "Slow down until June at least! The book isn't even out yet." So I'm trying to calm down some.

Tao of Collaboration

Tuesday, I promised to tell you why I love collaborating with my husband Rob.

Rob and I are truly soul mates. We just seemed to naturally mesh, both in ideals and ideas. So it's kind of surprising that our actual thinking styles are so different.

Rob has the most amazing mind of anyone I've ever known. He's not only got a terrific memory for detail, but he can see how those details--whether the technical aspects of a satellite, the myriad regulations in a military procedure, or the fine points of an complex task--all fit into the big picture. (Remember those logic puzzles that used to be an extra section on the SAT? He maxed the score, and he just did them "for fun.") This has served him extremely well, not only in his military career, but in our writing.

When we go on our dates, we pick around at ideas until we find one we like. For me, that means something I can envision a character for. For Rob, the situation usually grabs him. Then we take off:

Me: What if Sister SpaceCadet did this?
Rob: Can't happen, because of this. But she could do that.
Me: Bit if she did that, she's going to feel like this, so maybe then...

Once we have the story hammered out, it's on my shoulders to write the draft. Then Rob gives it the logic check. Like a precision instrument, he'll hone in on any trouble, from the misapplication of orbital mechanics to the illogic of someone's actions to a misplaced plot complication. He'll also catch my writing flaws, from misspellings to my penchant for front-loading information. Sometimes, that means major re-writes (like in our novel-in-progress, Discovery.) Other times, it leads to exciting new plot complications.

Collaborating on an anthology is a little different, but we still benefit from his brilliance. I tended to judge a story on character and writing style first, and then he evaluated the more technical aspects. When we almost liked a story, he would find on the spots that needed improving. And he was always there to keep me focused on the big picture--like when someone I'd rejected wrote me back that I "didn't understand" his story. Rob reminded me that it wasn't my job to understand him; it was his job to be understood.

Oh, and let's not forget that his style of thinking makes it easier for him to understand and work with computers. He's become very familiar with hearing, "Babe, how do you...?"

Some folks think I'm odd, but I believe the most attractive feature about my husband is his mind. But when writing is your vocation, avocation, and day-to-day pursuit, a good man with a great mind is the very best kind of man to have.

Reading a Book Backward

Gotta do a short post today because I'm proofing the copy of Infinite Space, Infinite God for the publisher. The pre-release promotional copies come out by end of April--if I can get the galley copy to Lida at Twilight Times by Saturday.

I remember the first time I'd seen a galley copy--now called a proof copy by some. I had interviewed Kathleen and W. Michael Gear, and they sent me a copy of their latest book to review. I'd thought it was called "gallows copy," which seemed to fit in my mind. Simplistic gray cover, every error still unchecked--it looked pretty grim to me. I remember being astounded at the errors you found.

Loved the book anyway.

Now it's my turn to put on my editor's hat again, switch my mind to "Anal-retentive grammarian" and read Infinite Space, Infinite God yet again. Only this time, I'm reading it backwards.

Yes, backwards. There's no better way to catch a missing comma, a mis-capitalized word or an awkward phrase than to remove the sentence from its context and look at it in isolation. It's interesting, too, how seeing it in the book form makes a difference. Even though it's been checked twice by me in print and on the computer, by my editor, by a copy editor and again by me on-line, I'm still finding errors, missing words and differences in format. (BTW--you may not realize it from my posts sometimes--I tell folks my Native American name is "Fingers-Stumbling-Over-Keyboard"--but I'm a very good editor when I put my mind in reverse.)

I'm also finding there's no better way to appreciate the terrific writing of some of the contributors. You can tell who writes the great story and who has great writing in the story. last night, as I went over Maya Bohnhoff's "Cruel and Unusual Punishment," I would pause now and then to share a line with my friend over the IM. I paused with Colleen Drippe's "Far Traveler" to write in the margins, "Like this line!" Now, I'm in Rob's and my "These Three," and there are still lines that make me think, "Yeah, got it that time." I'm gaining a whole new appreciation for the talent that shared their stories with me.

I won't go so far as to suggest that you read your favorite book backward, but it is an interesting exercise in writing. And it's very useful when editing.

So, back to the grindstone--222 pages to go and counting down!

The romance of ISIG II

Rob likes to quote Mercedes Lackey, "If you don't have to write, don't." He says that's why I'm the real writer in the family, while he's more of a writing hobby-ist.

Of course, this causes some friction when collaborating. Since this is my vocation and my passion, I tend to be the go-getter, pushing, writing, forging ahead on the next idea--and dragging my poor husband along.

There are days our collaboration goes like this:

Me: (shouting from my study across the hall to Rob in his study): "We got another story for ISIG! It's pretty good. What do you think?"

Rob: (dragging himself from the news he's reading on the Internet, mental gears grinding from paradigm shifting without a clutch) "Did you shoot it my way?"

Me: (holding back my impatience. I've already screened five stories--can't he look at just one?) "Yes! Two hours ago. You haven't looked at it yet?"

Rob: (holding his tongue. In the last two hours, he's gotten home changed out of uniform, played with the kids, eaten, and had just settled down to read his newsgroups.) "I'll get to it tonight."

And he did, sometimes. Sometimes, we replayed the whole scene over again the next day.

Then there were those dangerous nights I'd bring the laptop to bed. "Hey, honey, what do you think of this?" I'd ask, then I'd read a snippet without noticing he was still engrossed in his book. On the flip side, many a time he's started reading me a funny scene from his book as I was struggling with a paragraph from my own scenes.

So we struggle with timing and with where in the priority list our writing belongs.

When it comes to the actual collaboration, however, there's no one better than Rob, but that's tomorrow's topic.

Learn more about Karina and Rob and all the ISIG collaborators at http://isigsf.tripod.com.

The Romance of Infinite Space, Infinite God

It all started with a date.

Rob and I sometimes go out to dinner without the kids. It's one of those thing that the marriage "experts" always recommend as a chance for couples to have time to really concentrate on each other and building good communication.

Except Rob and I have a naturally strong marriage and good communication. Our personalities are such that our goals are in sync, and we'd learned how to discuss our days and dreams around changing diapers and feeding toddlers. So what could we talk about over a private dinner?

We're writers. We talk stories.

This particular date found us in unusual places, interest wise. I'd been researching religious orders for The Wyoming Catholic Register, and Rob was involved in Artemis society, a group dedicated to getting a commercially/privately funded colony on the Moon. For us, it was just one small step to think of nuns in space.

But what would they do? So often, we only think of nuns as teachers or nurses, but they do so much more. Women religious (as they are sometimes called) are research scientists, writers, social workers, pioneers, and businesswomen. They've suffered incredible hardships, rolled up their habit sleeves and done manual labor, and explored the frontier, usually paving the way for more civilized society. They were gentle (jokes about Sister Mary Margaret and her knuckle-breaking ruler aside), but they were tough.

We knew it'd be a long time before families made it to space, and we wanted a presence there earlier. So what could a religious order do that a commercial interest could not? The answer lay with money. We needed a vital service that a company could command a high price for that the sisters could do for "air, supplies and the love of God." Space search and rescue was our choice.

Since that date a decade ago, we've got to dinner armed with a spiral notebook and talked about "our future": a future of spaceships and daring rescues, faith and miracles. As we indulge in our escapist fun, a synergy grows between us. We come back from our dates relaxed and ready for the everyday challenges of life on planet Earth.

So when I say that writing is a romantic venture, I do mean it.

Once we started writing stories of the Order of Our Lady of the Rescue, we naturally wanted to see them published. Of course, there's not a lot of market (in terms of magazines) for Catholic sci-fi, so we began the search that led us to editing the anthology Infinite Space, Infinite God. But that's another story.

ISIG Virtual Book Tour

April 1-7 is the Infinite Space, Infinite God book tour on the Christian Fiction Review Blog! If you look at the navbar on the right, you'll see the links to the places which will have reviews and commentary on this anthology of thought-provoking sci-fi with a Catholic twist. In the meantime, here is the video book trailer:



Each day of the book tour, I'll be adding some snippets for what others have said about Infinite Space, Infinite God and some behind-the-scenes stuff. I'll also take questions--e-mail me at karina(at)fabianspace.com.

Blessings,
Karina