Short Bio

After being a straight-A student, Karina now cultivates Fs: Family, Faith, Fiction and Fun. Winner of an EPPIE award for best sci-fi (Infinite Space, Infinite God) and a Mensa Owl for best fiction (World Gathering), and top placer in the Preditor and Editor polls (Infinite Space, Infinite God and Leaps of Faith). Karina’s writing takes quirky twists that keep her--and her fans--amused. From and order of nuns working in space to a down-and-out faerie dragon working off a geas from St. George, her stories surprise with their twists of clichés and incorporation of modern day foibles in an otherworld setting. Mrs. Fabian is President of the Catholic Writer’s Guild and also teaches writing and book marketing seminars online.

Her personal marketing efforts have built her a reputation for writing faith-filled fiction and gotten her writing contracts as well as book sales. She recently started a business mentoring authors in marking. You can find her business, The Marketing Mentor, at http://karinafabian.com/index.php?name=Content&pid=24.
[url=http://karinafabian.com/index.php?name=Content&pid=2]Read her full bio on Fabianspace.[/url]

Here's what you really want to know: How did I come up with Vern?

Let me tell you a little about myself first. I have an odd sense of humor, the kind that got stares and sneers from the "cool" kids in high school and roars of laughter and friendly one-upmanship from my friends in Speech and Debate.

It's also the kind of humor that won me my husband. A friend had introduced us, and we'd all gone out to eat and to shop. (I thought we were being the Three Musketeers, but Jeff was being Mr. Matchmaker). We went to eat at Shakey's Pizza, in the kiddie room where they played Loony Tunes cartoons. I made a pun. Rob punned back. Soon Jeff was crawling under the table to get away. We've been punning every since.

We have 4 kids. They all like Monty Python, quirky cartoons, puns and satirical commentary. We discovered a funny comedy improve show, Whose Line Is It, Anyway? We would watch for hours as we caught up on missed episodes.

A few years ago, I happened to hear about an anthology called Firestorm of Dragons that was looking for submissions. I loved the idea of a dragon story, but wanted something different. Rob and I brainstormed for half an hour, with him rejecting ideas under "It's been done" or me under "doesn't fire my imagination." Finally, in frustration, I decided to table the whole discussion and go watch WLITA with the kids.

Colin Mackery and Ryan Stiles were doing a noir skit. It was hilarious. I wanted to jump into the TV and join them, and I realized I could--with a dragon! Vern was born.

Vern and I have a beautiful friendship. He tells me great stories and I propose awkward situations. Sometimes, though he won't talk to me--like when it comes to zombies. They creep him out--rotting food comes to life? Ew. The world has grown incredibly since that first story, "DragonEye, PI." Characters walk into my life, pull up chairs and ask if I considered their part in the latest story. (Who knew Cambridge Ramada was a Mensan? Not me until I wrote Magic, Mensa and Mayhem.) As the universe has grown, so have the issues--there's incredible behind-the-scenes maneuvering between Good and Evil that only gets hinted at in the stories. Why? It's only hinting at me!)

I'm a seat-of-the-pants writer, especially when it comes to DragoneEye. Even when I plan out a mystery, something bizarre happens and I throw the outline out the window. I love it! But that means sometimes I don't know the next story any more than you. I do know this, though: I'm having a blast exploring it and sharing it with you.