Infinite Space, Infinite God Virtual Book Tour Schedule

If you read my last post, you know my computer died, taking about a week's worth of info with it. (Third time for this computer. I have sworn off HP laptops and encourage folks to stay away from them.) I now have a new Toshiba, and am working with Circuit City to get a refund on my HP Lemon. We're on the road to Minot, ND tomorrow, but if we get time between packing, Rob is going to load all my info from my back-up drive, and I'll have only lost a week of work. In the meantime, I can only blog on my MIL's computer, which has dial-up. Very Slow dial-up.

Here's the schedule of the ISIG virtual book tour. Some folks have gotten excited and posted early. Please leave a comment; bloggers are getting a prize for most comments, and anyone who comments gets a chance to win either a copy of our Christian SF eBook, Leaps of Faith, or a gift certificate at Twilight Times Books.

LEARN MORE ABOUT INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD ON ITS AUGUST BOOK TOUR:

1: www.doylebooks.com (summary) www.kaleidosouls.info, Day 1 (summary)

2: www.kaleidosouls.info, Day 2 (interview)

3: www.thewritingjungle.blogspot.com (interview)

4: www.freewebs.com/mary-andrews (interview)

5: http://writeurthoughts.blogspot.com (interview)

6: www.catholicfiction.net (interview) (interview)

7: http://timewithtannia.tripod.com/ (interview) www.writeandwhine.blogspot.com/ (interview)

8: http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/artisticblogger.shtml
http://www.shoutlife.com/jillelizabethnelson
http://www.myspace.com/jillelizabethnelson (interview)

9: http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/ (interview)

10: http://cmwforum.blogspot.com (review)

11: www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com(interview)

12: www.thedarkphantom.wordpress.com (interview)

13: www.lostgenreguild.com (review) http://gloriaoren.blogspot.com (interview)

14: http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/dragons-of-the-pyramid-book-reviews.html (review)

15: http://beverlyjean.livejournal.com (interview) www.virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com (trailer)

16: http://cfvici.blogspot.com/ (review) http://catharsys.wordpress.com/ (interview) http://cdrippe.wordpress.com (summary)

17: http://www.annmargaretlewis.com/ (interview)

18: 12 Noon: Live Chat: http://jolinsdell.tripod.com
http://blog.myspace.com/grace1979

19: http://blog.myspace.com/grace1979 (review)
7:00-9:00 PM: www.writerschatroom.com (Live Chat)

20: www.marilynmeredith.blogspot.com (interview)

21: www.snoringscholar.blogspot.com (review)

22: http://solshine7.blogspot.com (review and interview) http://scifijournalist.blogspot.com (review and interview)

23: www.jamiesonwolf.blogspot.com (interview)

24: www.authoralley.blogspot.com (interview) http://www.karenee.blogspot.com/(interview) www.disturbingreviews.blogspot.com (interview)

25: www.thebookpedler.wordpress.com (interview) http://worldsapage.blogspot.com/ (interview)

26: www.livejournal.com/~paulinebjones (interview)

27: http://penelopemarzec.blogspot.com (guest blogger) http://aspiringauthor.blogspot.com/ (interview) www.disturbingreviews.blogspot.com (interview)

28: http://www.myspace.com/happywriter (guest blogger) http://zyphe.blogspot.com (review) http://360.yahoo.com/raeshylle (review)

29: 12 Noon: Live Chat "Infinite Space, Infinite God and the Infinite Possibilities of Book Marketing" http://www.virginiajennings.zoomshare.com/5.html
http://writetype.blogspot.com (guest blogger)

30: www.noveljourney.blogspot.com (interview)

31: http://afrankreview.blogspot.com/ (review)

Infinite Space, Infinite God Virtual Book Tour

The Infinite Space, Infinite God Virtual Book Tour started August 1st. We have 43 posts with interviews, reviews and more. To find out who's saying what when, check out the calendar at www.myspace.com/infinitespaceinfinitegod or at http://isigsf.tripod.com.

Sadly, my computer has chosen tonight to die or at least go comatose, so I cannot bring you any more information. (I'm on my mother-in-law's.)

Bum luck and blessings

Sorry--no beige jokes tonight.

It has been a long and busy and none-too fun week. It started with painting half the house beige or white (including covering over the chili peppers and kids' painted hand prints on the wall) and ended with the three-hour mad dash to totally clean a messy house in time for an surprise open house. We'd left the house Friday night with paint cans, paint splatters, three loads of junk to take to the dump, dirty bathrooms, etc. We thought we would have all day to clean, then we discovered at 9:30 am Saturday that our realtor had scheduled an open house at noon. Since she said the ad was in the paper, we hustled to get it done. By 1:00, we were just finishing up and she came in from where she'd been sitting in the front yard to apologize--the ad never went in the paper.

Our great luck did not end there--that evening, bringing two of the kids home from a birthday party, we got hit by a drunk driver. No one was hurt, thanks be to God, but Rob's car (2007 Honda Ridgeline with 2100 miles) needs a new back panel, wheel and alignment--possibly the frame straightened. All before we leave Monday morning. Somewhere in this time, we also need to get the tonneau put on so we can carry our junk.

So the beige jokes I was promising got tossed in with all the other junk I was trying to hurriedly get out of the house for the open house that wasn't, and in light of all the other stuff going on, from getting the car fixed to finding a new realtor, I haven't had time to dig them back out.

So what are my blessings? Our neighbors--wife, husband and kids--all pitched in to help clean up. we'd have never gotten it done if they hadn't. My mother-in-law helped repair and clean, and picked up the kids after the accident when the police took so long to arrive. When we were hit, one person in the neighborhood was already calling 911 to report the drunk driver and stuck around to make his statement to the police and make a copy for us. The EMT folks were there within minutes and stayed with the lady who hit us because they were afraid she was going to run. They came by every few minutes to check on us and reassure the kids. The accident happened on a residential street at a very low speed; had she not hit us, she would have turned onto a high-speed busy road and could have killed herself or someone else.

So tonight, I'm offering up a cyber-prayer of thanks to God for giving us such great friends and neighbors, for protecting us, and for making what could have been major tragedies into merely major annoyances.

BTW--for those who asked, Alex's arm is in a cast now and he feels much better. They think we can take it off when we get to Minot.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel...

...is Beige! House is painted, new carpet installed, yard work done, house half-cleaned, child in cast, and a whole slew of beige and realtor jokes have been thought up. I'll share those with your Tuesday, promise. In the meantime, we need to shut down the computers, pack up the last of our stuff and head over to Grandma's. Tomorrow, we finish cleaning our former dear home, and I kiss it good bye and declare it "That House We're Selling."

Anyway, Rob found a great article for those Catholics who wonder about evolution, science and faith: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19956961/
One last thing: I'm celbrating because my mom, who was looking at heart surgery in August, has responded so well to her medication that they are waiting six months before re-evaluating her. She may not need surgery after all. God is so good!

Tuesday: Embracing Your Beige-ity!

Broken Arms and Billboards

Movers packed out everything yesterday. Then, in the evening, Alex fell of the back porch and broke his elbow! He's fine, but four hours in the hospital put a cramp in our schedule. Over the next 4 days we need to paint the house, clean the house, put in new appliances, and shampoo the carptes--all befor ethe Sunday open house!

Just in case anyone's reading this blog--and if you are, pray for Alex's elbow--here's a cut link Ken Pick (co-author of "Mask of the Ferret" in Infintie Space, Infinite God) sent me.

Billboards Discuss Church

Robots and Movers!

Movers called and want to pack us out tomorrow instead of Monday! So, here's a cool article to read instead of my blog. I will say that I wish I could have one of these!

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/robot-love/mitsubishi-hiring-out-robots-as-receptionists-278291.php

My Dragon Story Won an Award!

Almost a year ago, I started writing a silly fantasy noir serial for the North Dakota Mensa publication, the Prairie Dawg. Shirley Starke, the editor, had done a translation for me for another Dragon Eye, Pi story, and we'd gotten to talking about Vern and Sister Grace and came up with the silly idea of the two chaperoning the Faerie at a Mensa convention. No heavy mystery, but a lot of fairy and Mensa in-jokes.

This year, even though it wasn't finished, Shirley entered it in the Mensa Publication Recognition Program contest. I got a rather..yellow..certificate of participation, so I figured nothing came of it.

Imagine my surprise when I received a trophy in the mail today! Stunned silence followed by much whooping and jumping and happy dancing!

It's funny the coincidences life brings your way. As it turns out, we're moving to North Dakota in 3 weeks, and I already have a friend and several acquaintances there thanks to the Prairie Dawg and MM&M. Also, It was such for to write, that I've novelized it and it may be my first Dragon Eye Mystery.

If I can ever find the cable for the camera, I'll put up a photo of the trophy.

To Tickle Your Funny Bone

The movers come the 23rd, and we have someone coming to look at the house today, and I have interviews to write for the August virtual book tour for Infinite Space, Infinite God. (Official announcement coming Tuesday.) In the meantime, here are a couple of things to tickle your funny bone.

2001 Things I'm No Longer Allowed to do in Role-Playing Game: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=608704&styleid=74

20 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity
(Thanks to my friend Rhonda for sending me this)

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that.

4.. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In."

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "For Smuggling Diamonds"

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."

8. Don t use any punctuation

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."

12. Sing Along At The Opera

13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.

16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"

18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!"

19. Tell your Children over Dinner: "Due to the Economy, We are Going to Have to Let One of You Go"

Websites and Presentation

Do you hate websites that are hard to read? Are you concerned yours is the same?

I've run across some great information about websites and presentations that I want to share. The first is a posting on the MuseOnline Yahoo group. (Incidentally, if you have not signed up for the MuseOnline Conference in October--DO IT! It's free and totally via the Internet.)The other is a hilarious video about PowerPoint presentations. It's parody and applies to speeches, but the principles are sound and apply to websites as well.
On Website Design, by Jan Verhoeff

I often have multiple pages up and music pulls band width, so when I pull up a site with music on the page - it slows my computer and I'll actually not stay as long if there's music on the page.


Another thing I absolutely hate is a bunch of motion on a page. Flashing lights belong on cop cars and Christmas trees.

If you want me to stay on your page long enough to see what it's about, use great copy and high quality graphics that capture my attention.

As a designer, I've learned that if the colors aren't pleasing and coordinated in some fashion, the page ultimately doesn't get the attention it deserves either. So be aware of the colors you select on a website.

If your colors are subdued don't splash in neon Yellows and Greens that slap your reader senseless.

Opposites on the color wheel compliment. Split complimentary is good for a tri-color scheme.

Focus on white space to rest the eye.

While a dark background with white lettering can be read, they eye strains to read it because it isn't "normal" so even if your page needs a reverse color appeal to stand out against the crowd, you might consider a white background inserted behind LARGE amounts of text. I rarely read dark mystery online because it is so difficult to focus on the black backgrounds. If it isn't something I value reading enough to copy and paste into a document, I struggle through a few lines and skip to the next page.

Those who spend a lot of time on the computer are significantly more aware of eye strain than others... so you might want to consider who your audience online will be.

Centered EVERYTHING on the page SCREAMS amateur and unless I find something in the first couple of lines that captures my attention I exit fast. This is another style that is extremely difficult to read.

Font sizes matter.

If the page is a professional page with business information, you'll want to stay in the 10 - 12 font size range (2 or 3 on some design formats). This also applies if you have a lot of text. In print, use a serif font, such as Times New Roman. Online use a block font - sans-serif, such as Arial or Verdana.

Save the large clunky text for headlines and sales letters.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER (did I say never?) write large amounts of script in ALL CAPS online. It is difficult to read, and feels like you're screaming at your reader.

(Think about how you felt reading the last paragraph even... )

Whether you write your website using style sheets or not, organize your pages into 'expected columns' to keep your reader from having to search for specifics.

~Primary site links across the top just under the header graphic or logo.
~Links on the Left.
~Body of text in the middle.
~Ads and Alternative content on the right.
~Banners, Ads, and Important Data lower on the page - center column.

When you use a banner across the header of your page - be sure you label the graphic with the title of your page and your most accessible keyword to maximize the SEO on your page.

Maximize keywords in the page (at least to a 3 - 6%) to optimize search engine placement of your pages.

NOTE: For more about web page development, be sure you've signed up for my ezine at http://brandyourmarket.com because I'll be giving tips for site development all week this week in that ezine.

Jan

Video on PowerPoint "Tips"

http://www.davidairey.com/how-not-to-use-powerpoint/

It Runs in the Family...

Today, my 13-year-old Steven took a "test" where he was shown some photo and asked to make a story about them. I have no idea what the evaluator will say about his answers, but as a writer and his mother, I was quietly rolling in the waiting room. (In fact, once I had to leave the building to laugh.) With his permission, I present you some of the snippets from Steve's storytelling. (And I'm sure anyone who knows me will know where he got it):

Picture (as described by Steven): A man and woman sort-of embracing. He has dark circles around his eyes. She has her hands on his sides. (I don't think he was hugging her back.)

Story: The man has been protecting something precious. A sacred artifact like the spear that pierced Jesus. Even though the girl is attractive, she wants to steal the spear. She's not hugging him. She's searching him.

Picture: Short man at an operation. There's a man on the operating table and surgeons around him. There's a gun in the picture.

Story snippet: The midget is an assassin for a rival gang. He shot the guy dead, but they had to remove the bullet because the bullet has a spacial marking because the gang leader gave them to him. The operation was a success (Mom: I'm thinking, "even though the patient was dead..") but little did they know there was a secret eyewitness. The eyewitness told the police and they all went to jail.

Picture: Boy sitting in a cottage doorway in a thinking pose.

Steven: This boy has been grounded for eating all the cookies and he's thinking of a way to get out of it so he can go to his friends' bachelor party--no, slumber party...

One character was described as "works in a factory making Sunshade retractable awnings." The evaluator had to make him repeat that a couple of times slowly.

Another character was described as "a guttersnipe most of his life. He spent his time dodging the gangs who wanted to force him to do crimes, waiting in line at the temple for his daily bowl of soup, doing odd jobs, lemonade stands and such..."

One story ended with "Knott accidentally kills the wizard by taking it a little too far with the rage thing, so they get the reward for his head--literally. They bring back the wizard's head on a stick..."

Vacation Wrap Up

Hooray! Finally, we're on our way home from vacation. I'm typing this as we're doing our best to make it to St. Louis before quitting for the night.

We'd spent the last two weeks in Colorado. It was definitely a working vacation. Rob has a squadron commanders' course to attend at Peterson AFB, and I attended the squadron commander's spouses' course. My parents live in Pueblo, just south of Colorado Springs, so we stayed there and Grandma watched the kiddies while we went to the classes. The class was interesting; for us spouses, it was mostly about the different services on base that we can refer folks to should the spouse of the spouses of our husband's troops came to us with a problem.

On Sunday, we had a fundraiser book signing for our old Parish, St. Paul the Apostle of Pueblo West. The congregation had overflowed the parish building, and they have been trying to raise funds for a new church for nearly a decade. They have $2.5 million raised, but cannot begin construction until they raise 3.2 million. We sold every book we brought, which, even if it was a drop in the bucket, was still exciting. (Incidentally, if you'd like to contribute to a very worthy cause, please contact me and I'll send you information on how to help.)

The second week, Rob had the second part of his class, so I played with the kids, visited some old friends, and finished the manuscript for Magic, Mensa and Mayhem! This is my first novel in the Dragon Eye, PI universe, and I'm pretty excited about how it turned out. It's always fun when a character surprises you, and several of the Faerie decided to surprise me: Valkyrie Brunhilde falls in love; Coyote gives good advice. Vern considers becoming a Floridian "snowbird." Lots of laughs and of, course, twisted clichés. I've already read it to the kids. That's one of the great thrills of writing for me--reading my stories. My mom stayed up to listen, too. English is her second language, so she's not much of a reader, so that was an extra treat for me.

Rob prefers to drive, so I do a lot on car rides. I've been working hard on the interviews for my August virtual book tour, and am thinking of my next story. It's been a terrific vacation, but I'm glad to be home and ready to gear up for our next adventure--moving to Minot AFB, ND.

But that's another blog.

Steam Trek!

Tomorrow, we're on the road to Colorado for Rob's Commander's course, my Commander's Wife course (yes, they have a course), and the booksigning/fundraiser for St. Paul the Apostle Church in Pueblo West.

If you are near Pueblo, CO, on June 24, drop by Pius X church in Pueblo between 8 am and 2 pm. We'll be signing books. $3 of each book goes to the church building fund.

In the meantime: what if Star Trek was written in 1903?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6Y39gHihP74

The Value of Life

Busy week--getting ready to go to Colorado for a Commander's Course, a booksigning, and vacation with my parents. Have to get the house ready for a open house, not to mention writing Magic, Mensa and Mayhem, the media room class, and the virtual book tour...

Ann Lewis posted this on her website. Get tissue before you see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th6Njr-qkq0


What incredible parents to strive so hard and see such beauty in tragedy.

What if the Crocodile Hunter Met a Dragon?

I'm 50,000 words into my newest novel, Magic, Mensa and Mayhem, and had a fun idea.

I'd just written the scene where Vern, my sarcastic, sentient Faerie dragon, decides to catch a nap in the Everglades. Little did he know that "Gator Louie" a Deep South twist on Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, was filming a special on the endangered species of the area that day. He comes upon Vern, who's deeply hidden in the rushes, so he only sees the snout. After some discussion, which Vern overhears, they decide to film him. Vern, of course, decides to take this chance to play a practical joke on a human.

I read it to my husband, who liked it, but thought the scene could go differently--and proceeded to have me rolling with his re-write. Let's face it: "Gator Louie Meets a Dragon" has real potential. Don't you hear him already? "Get out your asbestos underwear. danger, danger!"

I want to hear your story!

Go to www.freewebs.com/dragoneyepi and click on Gator Louie & Vern. There you'll find the scene as I wrote it and Rob's suggestion. I'll include my e-mail address on the bottom. Write your own scene (300 words or less, please) and send it to me. Keep it clean and in character. I'll try to talk the publisher into printing the best ones as an appendix, "Gator Louie Outtakes," and I'll post them all in Vern's blog.

Want to try? Come on! Write your own version.

August Virtual Book Tour

I'm planning another Virtual Book Tour in August to promote Infinite Space, Infinite God, which comes out in Print August 15. 31 stops in 31 days is my goal.

I'm looking for hosts. I am glad to do this in one or more of several ways:

You post a blurb and cover art.
You interview me and post it.
You have me as a guest blogger.
I write the interview and you post it.
You review the book.
You post someone else's review.
Any other idea you have. I'm flexible.

If you have a chat room, podcast or newsletter, I'd be glad to be a guest on any of those.

I'll have a give-aways for readers and one for participants as well. I'm thinking a hard copy of the book, and an e-book version, with a coupon to Twilight Times Books for those who already have ISIG but win.

I'll be posting the calendar of sites on my website and the ISIG site and will be sending out media releases, so this is a chance for you to get some publicity for your site, too.

Now the catch: We're moving in late July. I want to have as much of this done as quickly as possible. I'll take participants until Aug 31 if I can, but the sooner you can give me a hosting date and interview questions, etc. the easier it is for me—and the more publicity advantage you get.

Please e-mail me directly at karina(at)fabianspace.com if you're interested in participating.

Guest Blogger: the Coach talks about Magic and Godly Imagination

Busy day for me today--in addition to getting the house clean for showing and massive shopping, I've got to get more written on Magic Mensa and Mayhem. (Vern, the dragon comes up against environmentalists who are angry because he traumatized some threatened subspecies of fish.)

My friend Coach Culbertson posted this on the Lost Genre Guild and I asked to cross-post it here. Coach Culbertson is the Technical Editor of Relief: A Quarterly Christian Expression and Editor-In-Chief for Coach's Midnight Diner, a genre anthology with a Christian slant coming in Summer 2007. The Diner will include Jesus Vs. Cthulhu, hardboiled detective, horror, and more. You can keep track of all of his crazy publishing adventures at http://www.reliefjournal.com.

In which Coach rambles on about magic and God and speculation about
the Universe

I used to hold to some fairly radical notions on the conservative side
of the world. I used to think I had it all figured out. Somewhere
along the line, it seems that after a few strange and odd experiences,
the world became bigger than what I thought, and I realized that I had
a lot of things wrong.

One of my mentors once told me that we don't see the world as it is,
we see the world as we are. I found this to be a scary truth,
especially when I stated reading Genesis over again. Around chapter
six, there are some very interesting passages. What did mankind do to
the earth to fill it with violence? Was it technological, or perhaps
"magical?"

Speculation: As a race we may have known more back then than we do
now. Think about the library of Alexandria and the knowledge that must
have been lost in that great fire. Perhaps, we had greater, even
intrinsic, knowledge of the physics and metaphysics that God built in
this particular system we call Earth. And due to our fallen nature, we
misused the gift of knowledge of how to manipulate these systemic
forces like gravity, harmonics, electro-magnetism, and other naturally
occurring elements that God had given us dominion over, thus injecting
a violence and destruction on the Earth rather than using these forces
as He intended to build and create. Thus, the necessity of flooding
the earth became more and more evident (not to mention the whole
Nephilim thing)to prevent further systemic degradation and perhaps
restore and reverse some of the effects of man's efforts.

As the human genome continues to degrade over time, and the
destruction that was set loose in the garden of Eden continues to work
itself out in the system that God created, it seems to me that
practices that manipulate forces that God created without a full
knowledge of consequences and effects is a really bad idea. But
nevertheless, I find very few who dispute the validity or existence of
"magic" (whatever that may mean), else it would hardly be something to
rail against.

Of course, additional problems come about when fallen angels enter
into the mix, who are more interested in riding us around like shiny
new Buicks and then dropping us off in the scrap yard when they're
done, but if in fact the rest of the angels are here to aid us, then
perhaps at one point in time, requests of angels were perhaps a valid
way of manipulating and learning about the universe as it is. Enoch is
reported to have walked so closely with God that He taught him the
names of the angels. But then, degrading into angel worship rather
than partnership, plus probably listening to the wrong angels, humans
once again screwed up the intended order of things, and brought about
the necessity of discouraging such practices.

Like we learned in the Net boom of the 90's, just because we can do
something doesn't mean we should. But when it comes to speculative
fiction, it is just that- fiction. In the fundamentalist mindset, if
something is in print, it becomes more real, more persuasive than if
someone merely speaks words. And, as always, we fear what we do not
understand, and rail against what does not fit our view of the world.

It is up to us as consumers and readers to be able to filter out truth
from lies, to become critical thinkers, but to also be able to
exercise our imaginations in a way that may actually point backwards
or forwards to a time when things did in fact operate like they
should. God did create a marvelous universe that holds mysteries for
us to uncover and to talk about, and perhaps, eventually, to expand
upon. Who is to say that in the New Jerusalem what will be possible
again? The afterlife will not be clouds and singing all the time
(thank God). Perhaps, when the universe is renewed and there is a new
heaven and a new earth, we may zip along in Enterprise ships exploring
what He has created anew, and used harmonics and telekinesis to create
and produce life-giving structures and truly become partners with God
in creation.

But who's to say we'll need spaceships? Maybe we'll just think it and
zoom off Superman style. But I digress.

We should push forward in our cause despite the nay-sayers, to revive
the Christian imagination and to further extend the reach of Christ by
creating high quality writing that will force people to think in new
ways about life and facets of this universe He has built for us to
discover.

Ten reasons Why I Didn’t Blog About Working At Home Today

In no particular order. From the Home Office of Karina Fabian:

Kids kept interrupting me for help on their schoolwork. (If I have to spell "privacy" one more time...)

Steven was yelling at Liam because Liam hit him, but that was because Amber was kicking him because he (Liam) was in her spot and she couldn't see the TV, and besides, Steven is grounded from TV and Alex even told him so, but he wouldn't move so Liam hit him but...

The toilet backed up, and I'm the janitorial staff.

My friend IM'd about a problem she was having with her latest story, so of course, we worked on that and then we chatted about moving and kids... They should call it Yahoo! Watercooler.

I couldn't concentrate, so I took a long shower to think about it. Had a great idea for a story and wrote that instead. Took another shower to think about the blog.

I went to make a pot of coffee and realized the dishes hadn't been put away. Putting away the dishes reminded me I still had clothes in the dryer, and as long as I was folding them I may as well put another load in…Did those ever get put in the dryer? I'd better check.

Husband came home "frisky."

The dog wanted to play. Who can resist a dog with a squeak toy in her mouth?

It was 90 out and the pool looked sooooo good!

Oh, wait--I just did it! Never mind.

Friendships Bring Energy to Writing

This week, I had the chance to go to New York City to visit some writing friends from the Catholic Writers' Guild, Ann Lewis and Lisa Mladinich. We'd become good IM buddies, and I was thrilled to get to meet them face to face before I moved halfway across the country. We had a real writers' holiday.

On the flight up, I critiqued Ann's latest mystery. It was more of a character-driven story, with the mystery tossed in the middle that helps him answer his own personal crisis, but somehow, the mystery hadn't achieved its purpose. I got an idea for restructure and wrote it down just as we were landing.

Ann picked me up and on the way to Lisa's house, we talked about my idea. It might work, but still had some flaws, these of a more theological nature-the mystery involves the famous Fr. Brown--so we decided to bring it up to the writer's group Lisa was hosting. In the meantime, Ann noted a flaw in my mystery novel. While the book was a lot of fun, there was no immediate threat to give the book some depth. "Why should I, the reader, care?" Ann explained. I'd sensed the same thing, but had dismissed it as asking too much of the plot. Now the doubts came back.

At the writer's group, we met some wonderful ladies. There were poets, children's book writers, illustrators and even a bookstore owner. We shared our stories, played with verse, and exclaimed over the illustrations. Ann's plot problem was brought up and soon we had a new organization that looked promising. I shared some of the other stories and background of Dragon Eye, PI, and in doing so, came up with my plot complication--and yes, it's so cliche'! Just like the Faerie. I gave a copy of ISIG to the bookstore owner, with some marketing ideas for it, and even sold a copy to another lady in the group.

After everyone had left, Lisa, Ann and I started our brainstorming session for a Catholic cartoon we'd been working on. Later, when Ann had to get home, Lisa and I chatted about books and writing and life (isn't it all one in the same?). I told her my Miscria plot and told her daughter my Witch Androvitch stories. She told me more about her book (Catholic paranormal romance--it's GOOD!), her puppets and her hopes for the Catholic cartoon. We talked about prayer and needing to ask God to guide us in our writing.

The next day, Ann returned, bringing her 3-year-old son, and while he played in the backyard and amazed us with his wit and intelligence, we got the majority of a pilot episode hammered out. There's a real energy from discussing something in person. Would we ever had fallen so in love with Gus the Caterpillar if we hadn't been able to see Ann pinch her glasses and lift them ever so slightly with a funny half smile as she acted out Gus in a moment of discovery? Would Lisa have come up with her lovely song if we hadn't been discussing different hymns? We decided we need to try to meet at least once a year.

As I flew home, I found myself refreshed and inspired. What a great couple of days.

We sometimes think writing is a solitary experience, but there's an energy in working with others that cannot be denied.

Thanks, ladies!

Book Signing and Lessons

We had our first book signing today!

We held it at the Salem Church Library in Fredericksburg. I called a couple of weeks ago, and at the advice of the event manager, agreed to set up with a table at the lobby. I sent out some press releases, forgot about it when my computer decided to run MicroSloth instead of MicroSoft, then scrambled to let folks know the day before.

It was a busy day at our little library, with a used book sale and a quilting show. At about 9:50, we showed up at the library with our books and our paraphernalia and our box of books. The lady at the reference desk asked us what kind of table we wanted, and since it was Rob and me, we chose a long one rather than the card table. She gave us tape to put our sign on the table cloth, taped the poster to the front, and lined up some books along the left with the EPPIE trophy. On the right, we set one book on a stand, and the flyers, post cards, etc. In the middle was the sales flyer and a sign-up sheet for visitors.

So we sat for the next four hours. We greeted everyone as they came in. Usually, they'd smile and make a quick left turn to the quilts or used books. Some would come right to us...only to ask where story time was, or if there were water fountains. After awhile, I got more comfortable and started saying to anyone who would do more than give a distracted "hello" as they stared at the artwork behind us, "If you like science fiction, come look." That drew a little more reaction, even if it was just to say, "Nope, sorry. Don't like sci-fi."

About 15 people stopped and asked us about the book. Some gentlemen sat on the bench and perused it while their wives perused the quilts. A couple of people stopped to discuss the interaction of religion and sci fi. Some signed our guestbook. Some took cards with our e-mail address to check if their friend or relative were interested. We only made one sale and donated one to the library, but it was a good first experience.

Here are some things we learned:

--PR!! Don't just rely on media releases. Put up flyers in areas that attract your kind of readers. Invite your friends and neighbors. Tell them when you make the announcement, a week before and the day before. Ask them to tell a friend. Use your contact list.

--At the library, it's good to have a book signing when they're having other events. Other events draw folks. Our only sale was to a lady who came for the show. She was delighted to go home with quilting patches and summer reading.

--If you have family in the area, tell them. (Can you believe I forgot to tell my mother-in-law? She was not happy with us.)

--Don't expect your title to reveal the genre. We thought "Infinite Space, Infinite God" was obviously religious sci-fi, especially with the cover--a monstrance against a background of stars and earthscape. Nonetheless, we had several people say they couldn't figure it out. Make sure your poster gives the genre.

--Bring a scrapbook. While we had our EPPIE trophy and the sell sheet, there were times I could have generated more interest if I'd shown them the story synopses, reviews, etc.

--Have a sign-up sheet. We made one with name and e-mail, and places to checkmark for the genres we write in and whether or not we could contact them with info about our next efforts. These will add to our contact list. (I'm also sending the thank you e-cards.)

--Make sure they give you an e-mail if they want to be contacted. I have two folks who didn't.

--Take notes. Keep track of how many people you talked to. At our library, the book signing actually counts as a meeting and affects their funding. By giving them the number of folks who "attended" (had extended conversations with us), we were able to help them.

--Bring tape, straight pins (to pin things to the tablecloth) and extra pens. And a cushion. Library benches can get hard on the fanny.

--If you have a laptop, make a little video scrapbook to play on it. You might include your book trailer, read some of your reviews, give tidbits. Don't make it too long, but keep it interesting. If you're going to have sound, ask first--esp. at the library.

--Bring a camera and get a photo!

--If you're working on your next book, bring the manuscript to work on. I've got a couple of folks who are interested in my fantasy novel. Plus, it gave me something to do, so I didn't feel so pitiful.

--Meet and thank the staff. Because of timing, I didn't get much chance to do this, but these are the folks who will market your book for you after the sale. Go early and introduce yourself, bring a treat, donate a copy of the book, and give them a thank-you note. Offer to write a compliment, and give them the stats of your signing--number of folks contacted, number who showed interest, number of books you know you sold.

Done a book signing? Have extra tips? Leave them below!

Forging a place for Faith-Filled Fiction

I have a friend who is working on a novel in which a character who is, for the most part, agnostic, but is marrying a devout Catholic girl. The story takes place in Victorian England, so there are some issues of prejudice, but the real intent of the story is his own personal musings on faith. In the end, the character does not undergo any miraculous conversion, merely the realization that there is more to faith than he’d previously assumed, and that perhaps he needs to give it more attention. Nonetheless, she’s concerned that she’s going to put readers off.

A week ago, a friend tried to get me a book signing at her local Catholic bookstore. The timing is bad (the owner is recovering from the post-First Communion rush), so I suggested a secular bookstore. She said she couldn’t see how she could successfully approach a secular bookstore when my book has a Monstrance—a Catholic symbol—on the cover.

I find it ironic that in a mostly Christian nation, the bookstores—esp. the sci-fi, fantasy and horror sections—are full of pictures of demons, pentagrams, and other occult symbols and books with descriptions of pagan ceremonies and magic, yet Christian writers are certain of a strongly negative reaction against their books that mention faith—either as a characterization, plot sequence or cover art.

I see this as sadly indicative of two things: how hypersensitive we have become to the topic of religion and how many Christian writers have only made the way rougher by writing high-handed, self-righteous works under the guide of fiction. Certainly not all, and perhaps not even most, published Christian writers do this, but enough have done it to give faith-filled fiction a tarnished reputation.

However, much has been said on both of these topics, so today I want to talk about what we as writers can do about it.

First and most obvious is simply to write good speculative fiction. For example, as I explained to my friend, Infinite Space, Infinite God is science fiction first, with Catholicism as its “twist.” When we put out a call for submissions, we judged first the quality of the writing, then the plot as a SF story, and finally the positive use of the Catholic faith. That’s why it’s gotten great reviews, even when most of the reviewers are not Catholic.

Second is to make the faith an integral part of the universe and the characters rather than make the characters, plot and world work for the sake of the Biblical message. In Flashpoint, for example, Frank Creed has a lot of Scripture in his story, but he’s woven it in as part of the cyberpunk universe. If it weren’t for the notations (Matthew 3:16, for example), someone not familiar with the Bible might not even realize that they’re reading the Word of God. Many successful Christian writers I’ve met have told me that they do not force the moral into their books but rather concentrate on the story and let the Holy Spirit weave its way into the writing.

Once we’ve worked our pieces so that they are quality literature with a Godly message rather than Godly literature of dubious quality, we need to promote. Not just to a narrow Christian audience, but to the mainstream. If people want a book to help them pray or learn about their faith, they may go to a Christian bookstore. However, if they want to read something for entertainment, they go to a secular one, whether independent or a big chain. If we want to reach people and sell our stories, we need to go to them. After all, Jesus didn’t just sell his stories in the Temple, nor did he tell the Apostles to preach only to a select few.

We need to go out there, unapologetic and un-apologetic. Promote your books to the secular market as a great read in the genre. Don’t hide the religious nature, but don’t hammer it, either. After all, folks should read our stories because we’re good writers with compelling tales; if they want a “Christian message,” they can go to Church or read the Bible itself.

When I promote Infinite Space, Infinite God to secular stores, I tell them the anthology has all the things that define sci-fi: interstellar and time travel, fantastic futuristic devices based on current and speculative science, utopias and dystopias garnered from projecting the trends of today. There’s even a good-old-fashioned alien abduction. Yet all are done with a twist—a Catholic world view. If I get raised eyebrows or just simple interest, I’ll go on to explain that just the Church has played an active and positive roll in science and technology for thousands of years; in ISIG, we see that roll continuing as the Church and Catholic characters use their faith and ideals as well as technology to handle the conflicts they face. Thus, this is not evangelization but the study of how technology and faith interact—and what is sci fi if not a chance to explore these kinds of questions?

Finally, once we’re out there, we need to build our audience—and we do that by being kind and encouraging, fun and informative to talk with—and by producing more great stories.

Only when we take our place as a rightful member of the mainstream--not defensively feeling like we need a special store or even a special spot in the store, but with confidence that we, too, have something readers will enjoy—will we be able to gain acceptance for our own unique take on a well-established genre.

Tribute and Thanks to Lea Schizas

Today, I'd like to tell you about an amazing woman, Lea Schizas.

Lea is an author, mother, editor and organizer extraordinaire. It seems she's always up to some new scheme, project, or adventure.

I first met Lea when I attended the MuseOnline Writers Conference. As founder and organizer of the conference, she kept over a 1000 convention goers, five chat rooms, and scores of seminars—not to mention a HUGE Yahoo group—coordinated and running. If you were on a chat, she was there. If you had a problem—e-mail her and it was good as solved. But even more, she was always positive, even thrilled to do whatever needed to be done to make the conference a success. And a success it was. When I went to the conference, promoting ISIG seemed like an expensive, daunting endeavor. After the workshop, I saw it as doable and even fun. Even more, I made some good friends.

Lea is not one to rest on her laurels, however. Next, she invited us to attend a website building workshop. I was new to the website world, having hired someone to build mine and thought building one on my own would require a college level course. She taught us how to make one with free services like tripod and freewebs, where she has her own sites. Thanks to her, I have a book site for ISIG, a site for my Dragon Eye characters, and a media room that attaches to the standard website. (HTML still intimidates me.)

So Lea is a great lady for teaching groups and getting folks together, but she's also been a mentor on a personal level. From encouraging e-mails and featuring me on one of her blogs to getting me involved in a critique group, she's done more to help me in my writing than any single person.

This is what Lea does, but it doesn't really tell you what she is: enthusiastic, positive, encouraging, and lots of fun. Lea is a lady as well as a writer. She has undying energy, it seems, and an incredible desire to give. Because of that, she has touched the lives of many writers, and as a future generation of writers comes into its own, several of them—several of us—will have Lea to thank.

We didn't want to wait until that day, however, so we've chosen this weekend, Mother's Day weekend in the US, to tell our Writer Mother Hen, "Thanks."

God bless you, Lea. You're part of the power beneath our pens.

Where I've Been

Haven't blogged in a week, and while there's really no excuse, I do have reasons:

#1. I've been busy sending out copies of Infinite Space, Infinite God to reviewers and those who pre-ordered from me. If you would like a pre-release promotional copy of ISIG, signed, please e-mail me using the Contact button on the menu. I've also been trying to get some book signings.

#2. My computer is freaking out again. I have decided I am indeed some kind of computer jinx. This time, the problem (in addition to a return of the keyboard and DVD door problems) is slow run time. After it took over an hour to do a 10 minute cut-and-paste job on my Virtual Book Tour blog, I gave up. I tried to tackle the problem—cleaning the drive, getting rid of old programs and running virus and other security scans. Each new thing just made it worse, it seems. It's now at HP and I'm on my husband's laptop. Pray I don't "curse" it, too. Of course, this means that, even though my data is backed up, it's not easily accessible until my old computer is back from the shop and everything is re-installed.

#3 and best of all, I got a manuscript request from a publisher. A couple of months ago, I proposed a novelization of my fantasy mystery serial, Magic, Mensa, and Mayhem. The publisher is intrigued by the idea (which I hope means something along the lines of, "ROFLMAO! This is such a riot. I can't wait to see what happens next!") So for the next couple of months, I'm on a NaNo-style typing quest. I need to have the full manuscript done by the end of July and remember, in the intervening months, I'm

--homeschooling the kids
--selling our house
--planning a move to Minot
--attending Commander's Wife school in Colorado

So anyway, life is busy and fun—except for the computer trouble. I can't even come up with a good theme song. Maybe something will hit me later.

Some of the many things I love about Rob

You know, you don't see a lot of door-to-door evangelists lately. I think I know why. They must have run up against people like my husband.

When my husband was agnostic, he had a lot of fun with evangelists who came to his door.

His dog tags said "Druid" and he would ague that Druids were favored by God. After all, how many Druids died in WWII? None! (No practicing Druids were in WWII that he knew of, but that's beside the point, of course...) After other similarly true but statistically insignificant examples, he showed them his potted plant and said he worshipped at the plant and they were welcome to join him. They left quickly and warned all his neighbors.

He also used his dog tags during military survival training. While a "prisoner" in the mock-POW camp, he tried to demand his Geneva convention rights to worship: "Just give me a stone knife and some blue face paint and leave me alone in the woods for a couple of hours. Come on! I'll come back when I'm done. Really, I will. I'll even forgo the virgin." Somehow, the trainers didn't buy it.

They did, however, buy his secret communications routine. Before the training, he and a friend found Tolkein's Elvish dictionary and learned a few phrases. Completely baffled the trainers. They even brought in linguists to try to figure out what they were saying.

Is it any wonder I fell in love with this man?

Ironically, I "converted" him with just seven words: "Want to come with me to Mass?" He came for the love of me and stayed for the love of God.

Homeschool Drop Outs!

We're homeschool drop-outs!

Some of you may already know that next year, we're putting the kids in "regular" school--on-base elementary for the littles and Catholic for the older two. We feel the kids need the experience and I can use the break.

Drop out #2 happened yesterday. It started with a last week's temper tantrums by our youngest (we suspect a food allergy) and ended with a failed Latin test. It was only Monday and I was already exhausted and hating the thought of going downstairs to the classroom. I found myself thinking, "Who cares about Latin, anyway?!" We'd spent five years in Virginia and had hardly seen anything aside from Kings Dominion--and that's an amusement park!

Even more, I thought about how we'd be ending our school experience: Mom stressed out and yelling about proper semicolon usage, kids thinking they're stupid or lazy because they didn't get a good grade on a test, and an incredible opportunity--living in the center of early American History--unexplored.

And, I thought, the kids actually enjoyed our impromptu short hike along the Fredericksburg battlefield, and we got a new truck with GPS navigation. I didn't have to fear getting lost on the roads; "Tecca" (we named the truck, yes) would tell us where to go.

I pulled the kids into the study and lined them up against the wall. I told them how I hated the way things were going and how I really wanted to have some fun and learn about some new stuff. They agreed they, too, were tired of books and papers and tests. So I gave them the proposition: we'd keep reading Bible, mythology, and history. Liam would continue with reading. Alex and Liam would have flash cards for math facts. Otherwise, we'd learn about something in the area one day, go see it the next and tell Dad about it when we got home. Each child has an assignment--the younger had to give some facts and the older have to give a report (oral or written). But otherwise, the curriculum, the textbooks and the assignments all go out the window.

Given the choice between braving a potentially dull museum and doing a potentially dull worksheet badly (and facing the Wrath of Mom), they chose museums.

We came up with a contract specifying behaviors and penalties as well as perks. Each child read it and agreed to it. I carry a copy with us for reference. (I have to--my memory is that bad!) Today was our first day out: a fact-finding tour. We went to the visitor's center, saw the video on Fredericksburg, got flyers on the attractions and took a carriage tour. Afterward, we explored some shops, had fudge and still made it to religious ed with time to spare. At home, the younger boys told Dad five facts and Amber and Steven gave 3-5 minute oral presentations. Overall, a successful first day.

So we're not only going to stop homeschooling next year, we're pretty much dropped out of homeschooling this year. I'm cringing when I see the unfinished textbooks, but when I think about the kids comparing the prices of antiques, talking about Hugh Mercer and his healing leeches or giving their dad a concise history of Fredericksburg based on a video and a carriage tour, I'm glad we decided to end on a happy note.

Publishing Pitfalls and Major Messes

I've had a weird couple of days. My mother-in-law had a biopsy (the chance of cancer looks slim, thank you, God!). I started a book I'm promised to review (Flashpoint by Frank Creed) and ended up unable to put it down, which meant the house stayed got messy. (I'll be touring Frank's book when it comes out--stay tuned!) Finally, we have an open house tomorrow, so we had the panic perfection clean-up job to do today.

We finally celebrated my birthday (3 days late) by going out to dinner and the bookstore. I wrote down all the publishers of sci-fi/fantasy on the shelves and looked them up. Of the 13 I'd not already approached, only two did not require agents, and neither is a good fit for The Miscria.

NOTE: Baen, Tor, DAW and Edge do not require agents, but I've already tried them. You can Google them for their guidelines.

http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=698&chapter=0 Luna does fantasy, but with romance/strong female-focus.

http://www.lion-publishing.co.uk/lionhudson/aboutLH/aboutframeset.html Fantasy with Christian perspective--looks like epic legend stuff

Can't find the guidelines, but the book trailer is a riot: http://www.riverheadbooks.com/static/cs/us/602/riverhead.html

And speaking of funny videos, check this one out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEFE3B0Rje0
My own van is a do-it-yourself job: half inch of congealed soda in the cupholders and fries stuck in the tracks of seats, and Hillary Duff in the CD player (shudder), plus pencils and pens, books, napkins and even some space clothes all around. Scratched done by sticks for that au natural look. Oh and let's not forget the ill-fitting seat cover that was a present.

Got one fun birthday present: Home Education Magazine ran the King Kluck Saga as "Mummification Most Fowl." It'll be in the May/Jun issue.

Like so many, I'm praying for the victims (and the murderer) of the Virginia Tech shootings. Please also remember all those who die in obscurity at the hands of violence as well.

Blessings,

Like Seinfeld, the Blog About Nothing

Why is it that I always have hundreds of things to blog about-until blog day comes?

When I'm on Yahoo or chatting with friends, I can go on and on. OK, that's not always a good thing, but sometimes, it is. Sometimes, I'll make a post or have a conversation and think, "Hey, I should fix this up into a blog entry." Then I make a mental note that goes into the circular file of my mind, never to be seen again. I honestly believe that physicists searching for black holes should start by doing an MRI on mothers who write. Certainly on me.

Maybe the problem is this blog is so eclectic. It's about whatever crosses my mind as it crosses my mind. However, I don't want it to be a journal (aka "me fest"). I can't think of anything worse than reading:

"Hi all. S&^%y day. Had cereal for breakfast, but the milk was gross. School was OK, but the teacher is mean. (Oh, wait. I am the teacher.) Gave the hermit crabs a bath… watched Dresden Files and read a couple of books…"

Actually, there is something worse than reading it. Writing it.

So I want to write things that you'll be interested in reading, but I'm also interested in writing. Thing is, I bore easily. So I don't want to start a dedicated blog on, say book promotion or writing. Heaven knows there are enough of those out there, anyway. I could blog about my writing, but that feels too narcissistic, especially given my current level of fame, about 5 on a scale of 1 to 100. I have the feeling plenty of struggling writers do that on livejournal anyway.

"Got another rejection letter today: Dear Writer. Thank you for your submission. We're sorry, but it doesn't meet the needs of our magazine. Got depressed and had a latte. Came up with a better idea--slug farming!--and did the research. Slug farming is fascinating. I may do a novelization--wonder if I can get the movie rights? It's like National Geographic meets The DaVinci Code! I'll post sample chapters…"

So I'm not into that, either. At least not twice a week, every week.

But I promised myself twice a week, every week. Which means blogs like today--would this be whiny blog or just directionless? Whiny. Hopefully, in an amusing way.

So, if you're reading this, let me know what interests you. I'd love some direction. In the meantime, I'm going back over all my yahoo groups and pulling out entries that make good blogs.

Come by the FabChat room Thursday at 8 PM for my birthday party chat. That's probably a narcissistic comment, except that I'm giving away presents.

My New Writing Goal

Got a rejection again on my fantasy manuscript for The Miscria. It happens, I know, but this was the last on my current "To Send" list, and I'm wondering where to send it next or if I should re-write it and how. I was also told by my publisher, Lida at Twilight Times Books, to slow down the marketing of Infinite Space, Infinite God and take a break until June. I've got book proposals waiting for answers and no story ideas eating at my brain. So, I'm taking the week off and reading some books for fun.

Rob belongs to the Sci-Fi Books club, so he buys books by the case, and I usually mooch off him. (Yet another reason I'm glad I married him!) This week, I'm working through The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher. I love Butcher's modern fantasy noir style, his incredible depth of imagination in his fairy characters, and for his bizarre spooky yet humorous scenes.

For example, in Summer Knight, the wizard Dresden meets with Chicago Detective Murphy at a Super Wal-Mart at about 1 am. (Hey, it's public and it's open, right?) They get attacked by an ogre and a chlorofiend (plant monster with a cooler name). After a fight that spans the garden, hardware and automotive sections, they finally kill the monsters with the help of metal shelving, a chain saw, gasoline and a sterno can.

I can imagine Jim Butcher, walking around the Super Wal-Mart at 1 AM, choreographing all this:

Jim (muttering): Weed-B-Gone? Nah, probably take too long… These shelves, though. Sturdy, metal. They hate metal. Won't stop it. What else? Oooo--chain saw!

Wal-Mart Lady: Can I help you?

Jim: Would you mind unpacking that chain saw, holding it next to your leg, wrapping it with that camping blanket and walking a bit? I want to see if it looks convincing.

Wal-Mart Lady: Sir?

Jim: (looking at another shelf) These cans of lighter fluid don't hold enough for engulfing the average ogre--do you keep gasoline in the store?

Now Jim could get away with this because he's a fantastically published (and fantastic) writer. I want to be there some day!

Yes, my new goal: to be well enough known that I can go into a store and plan havoc--and not get evicted by security. Got to have your dreams, right?

Infinite Space, Infinite God Book Review Highlights

April 1-7, the Christian Fiction Review Blog roll hosted Infinite Space, Infinite God. As a part of it, I posted some behind-the-scenes stuff on my own tour blog, www.virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com. 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 pilgrimage alongside an IRA 'terrorist' as he makes his way through the stations to enlightenment. 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 maniacal 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.

Easter Explained, Gen X (or maybe Y) style: http://www.pvponline.com/article/3247/thu-apr-05
You laugh, but when WalMart has a man in a bunny suit ready to have kids hippety-hop onto his lap and tell him their Easter wishes, how far off can it be?
****

Saw this in a poem on ShoutLife: "It's Friday, Pilate's strutting around washing his hands 'cause he thinks he's got all the power and the victory."

I feel sorry for Pontius Pilate. As governor over a Jewish state in the Roman Empire, he was charged with keeping the peace and running an orderly state. Then come these local religious leaders insisting he kill a man that he considers innocent or they'll let it be known he (Pilate) is a traitor to Caesar. Just beating Jesus didn't appease them. Offering to set him free nearly started a riot. They'd rather have a dangerous revolutionary than a gentle man. Then there's the law/tradition that said they--not he--had the right to choose who he'd free that day.

He was manipulated both with political blackmail and the threat of riot--which meant many innocents being injured or killed.

So where's his power here? Where's his victory?

The washing of hands was more than "I refuse to take responsibility." It was a way to say, "I don't want a part of this." Didn't the disciples knock the dust off their sandals when they left a city that rejected them?

I think he was more likely slump-shouldered with what he'd felt forced to do or storming about in frustration than strutting with power and victory.

Of course, in 20-20 hindsight, it was the only decision he could make for the sake of all our souls, even his.

Tonight, as I pray for all political leaders, I make a special mention for him.
***
On Good Friday, we went to Confession and part of the Tre Ore. (A Catholic tradition: A three-hour service in honor of the three hours Jesus spent dying on the cross. We sing, meditate, pray and hear the last seven statements. It was a beautiful ceremony.) Also on Friday is the Veneration of the Cross, where we hear the story of the Crucifixion and give honor to the living cross by which we are saved.

I didn't want to go. I'd had a bad day--despite the TreOre--and was way behind on work. At 6:30, I was sill grading papers and hadn't even touched the manuscript that's due this evening. When Rob came home and saw me, he just gave me hugs. But those hugs and the Tre Ore strengthened me, and I reminded myself that I've been feeling my priorities shifting--and not in the best way. So at 7:00, I steeled myself and got everyone ready to go.

I'm so glad we did. Our family had a minor miracle happen at that service. Like Mary, I'm going to keep it in my heart, but I'd appreciate it if anyone reading this would pray that the seed planted at that service continues to bear fruit.

Have a blessed Easter.

Karina Fabian

Reading Your 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!

Code Filk III

Well, what's a major computer accomplishment without a filk on all the trouble I had getting it done?

This week, I got doubly "blessed," as Yahoo had a glitch in its e-mail program that caused it to repeatedly send the same messages time and again. Some folks were mad; some thought their particular group was being attacked. The rest of us took the Douglas Adam's "potted plant" approach. ("Oh, not again.") I'm moderator on two groups, so I deleted the repeats and sent a notice that Yahoo was freaking. Naturally, that message was sent seven times. Yahoo also sent a notice about the problem. I didn't get the message, but I know someone who did.

No more caffeine for you, Yahoo!

As far as the movie trailer, it went fairly easily, though finding royalty-free music is hard! I was stoked to find the extra photos, especially the one of the girl pushing on the fence. It said "Little Madeleine" all over it. The music came from White Beetle and is a Gregorian chant. We has some problems with ordering, too, but the customer service folks at White Beetle got us the download, and the timing on the song was near-perfect.

Then we tried to post it.

I'd saved it as a project, not a movie. I didn't know there was a difference. So when I loaded it onto YouTube, instead of it telling me .mswmm was not accepted, it just sat for hours, "processing." In the meantime, I tried to post it elsewhere, but it had to be in .mpg or .avi to be downloaded. So we downloaded conversion software and tried to change it. It converted about half the time, meaning we got video or audio but not both. The one conversion that did both sped up the slides, cycled through the last four three times and wrecked the timing. We never did figure that one out.

In the meantime, Rob realized YouTube was trying to process the wrong file, and we finally got the movie onto YouTube. Once there, YouTube is very kind in offering .html code. (Later, Rob was playing with the Help files in YouTube and came across "What does .mswmm mean?" Like I would have thought to ask.)

So here's the Code Filk. It doesn't scan as well as I'd hoped, but, hey, it's not like I'm going to make a YouTube movie out of it.

Sing to Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry"

Something is freaking out on Yahoo groups
Messages repeating, by dozens or two
Does this improve e-mails for you?
Need clear communication

Well, I made a trailer for I-S-I-G
Cut-and-paste and music, how hard can it be?
Then I tried to post for all to see
But there's not publication

Give me M-P-G
Give me A-V-I
Give me M-P-G
Why do I even try?

You'd think I was a dumb blond from
Out in the Sticks
When downloading a movie's
Something I can't fix
Tell me now what's wrong with this?
I need good conversion

I saved it as a project
Not a movie yet.
YouTube doesn't bother
To mention it.
It let the file just sit and sit
Give me some clear directions.

Yes, I see the Help sign
But what do I ask?
Why would I think mswmm
Wouldn't do the task?
It's such a pain in the a&%
Without more clear directions.

Give me M-P-G
Give me A-V-I
At least give me a clue
Why do I even try?

Silly little programs
Silly little tricks
I learn the silly secrets, but they just won't stick
Programming makes me go, "Ick!
I need more directions."

I call my techie husband. He's such a card.
He fixes up the problem without laughing to hard
Not bad for a dwarvish bard
He gives good directions

Got my M-P-G
Don't need A-V-I
It's on YouTube now
Happy I can die!

It's Done!

The book trailer for Infinite Space, Infinite God is finally done!

Click here to see it!

Saturday, I will have another code filk about my misadventures; but for today, I'm happy dancing!

The Mandate on Man Dates

Rob just got back from a 10-week joint forces training course. This is a senior officer course about how the different services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines) all work together. It's supposed to be training for taking a "joint" assignment, where you work with the other services.

Of course, thanks to military bureaucracy, you often get cases like my husband, who has been working in his joint assignment for two years. He could probably teach half the classes. In fact, he ended up in a class of mostly Colonels with more experience than some of the instructors--and they did end up teaching some topics. ("I know the regulations say that. Now here's how it really works…") Rob had a terrific time and learned a lot. Even more, this has been the first such course where he really fell in with the group and did a lot of useful networking, which is another reason for these courses.

One of the side benefits, it seems, is for these up-and-comers to relax and enjoy themselves before they have to return to their positions of responsibility. For 10 weeks, they can be college kids again. They had volleyball tournaments. (Rob's crew had T-shirts with the motto "Experience and Treachery Over Youth and Ability!") They had poker games. (Rob didn't participate--he's more of an on-line role-playing sort.) And they partied. Oh, did they party. Relive-the-glory-days and act-like-the-fighter-pilots-we-know-we-are party. (Here, Rob did the "fly-by": show up for a drink or two, then turn in to chat with me on the IM. Love that man!)

They draw the line, however, at going to the movies together.

As you know, 300 is out. (Terrific movie, though it deserves the R rating.) Since it deals with the Battle of Thermopylae, Rob thought they should go see it as a class.

Oh, no! Can't do that. That'd be a Man Date.

Yep. A Man Date. We can't have that--men going to the movies together. Next thing you know, they'll be hugging and sharing their deepest thoughts over mochachinos. And to ask fighter pilots to Man Date? The entire defense of our nation could crumble!

Apparently, there's an unwritten rule that Real Men need a woman in order to attend a movie. Even a movie with excessive violence and gratuitous nudity. I guess someone's got to go for more popcorn.

There is, apparently, some kind of complex code for determining what constitutes a Man Date. As a woman, I'm not privy to the secret, but I've deduced the formula has to do with alcohol, women, stogies, and quite probably bodily functions (you know which ones). Thus, as we've seen, going to the movies is definitely a Man Date. Bar hopping is not--apparently, liquor and the presence of women in the bar (even if all the guys are happily married) make this an approved macho activity. Poker is up in the air, according to Rob. I'm guessing a good rule of thumb is that if you see guys do it on a beer commercial, it's probably not a Man Date.

Well, Rob and I saw 300 tonight. Rob thinks it will become a military classic. He predicts that one day, it may become required viewing at the Air Force Academy.

But you can bet that the male cadets won't be going out together to see it on their own.

Fundamental Truths of Living

Today was a busy day tearing out a bushes, planting a garden, writing a critique and finishing Faith-Filled Fiction. Therefore, I offer up these reflections as my post:

On Moving:

No matter how spotless your house is, there will be a realtor who will tell you to clean it up.

The bush you spent the last five years caring for will die the week the house goes on the market.

The day you soak your lawn, it will rain. Heavily. Non-stop. For 36 hours.

On Writing:

It's impossible to write with a cat on your chest.

The cat will invariably sit on your chest just as you get comfortable with the laptop.

The piece of paper I toss because I don't need it anymore will be the piece of paper I need a week later--for an article that's due!

On Life:

No matter how busy you are, there's someone busier. No matter how awful you feel, there's someone sicker. No matter how bad your luck is, there's someone who's having hard times. Yet despite this, they will be continuing to live their life with love, humor and faith. They can inspire you if you let them.

No matter how many times you explain what you need to someone, that person will get it wrong and at the worst possible time--like right before a deadline. Sometimes, that person will be you.

Writing: You Get What You Give

When I was in high school, I was in a club called Rainbows, and one of the things we impressed upon members is that you only get out of Rainbows what you put in. I tried to live that motto in most of my life, yet it wasn't until the past year that I applied it to my writing.

I'm so glad I came to my senses.

My journey started with the sale of Infinite Space, Infinite God (ISIG). Until then, my interaction with other writers had been occasional e-mails on the Catholic Writers Online and Christian Fiction Yahoo groups. I'd mostly gone to the groups for what I could get out of them, and I did get a couple of writing contracts and some market leads as well as contributors to ISIG.

My publisher, Lida at Twilight Times Books, invited TTB authors to join the MuseOnline Writers Conference by hosting a workshop. At this point, I was thinking mostly in terms of "what's in it for me?" In this case, doing a workshop on Faith in Fiction would get some free publicity for ISIG. Plus, I could attend the other workshops, meet authors and editors, and learn more about marketing my book.

Something happened at that workshop that transcended marketing, however.

I discovered a whole world of writers, some with less experience than me, but many with more. Those with more so freely shared what they knew and those with less so gratefully drank it in that I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to share, too! Before the conference was over, I had done an impromptu workshop and committed to creating a newsletter on writing religion in fiction.

Afterward, I got into a website-building workshop--hosted by the conference organizer Lea Schizas--and had such fun with it, I started encouraging all authors to build one. I took a virtual book tour and set up a blog to tour others. I joined some writers' chats, and when Jo Linsdell started a chat on her website, I felt inspired to start my own. As my knowledge and enthusiasm grew, I got more involved in my Yahoo groups and found myself accepting invitations to others.

Six months later, I am the President of the Catholic Writers' Guild, publisher of Faith-Filled Fiction, owner of several active websites and blogs, member of three blog rolls, and have signed up to do three workshops at the MuseOnline Conference in October. I wake up every morning looking forward to getting on my computer, catching up on e-mail, taking care of Yahoo business, growing my MySpace and ShoutLife friends lists, and IM-ing with whichever friend is on-line.

And, true to the motto I learned as a teen, I've gotten so much back: new opportunities, new marketing skills, and even new characters and novel ideas. I've helped others advertise their books or activities and had promoted ISIG in return. Best or all, I've got new friendships: people I can depend on to provide thorough and useful critiques, to commiserate with over rejections, to celebrate acceptances, to plan for the next great project, and simply to enjoy each others' company.

We often think that writing is a solitary activity, but this year, I've discovered just how important a good group of author friends can be. It's not just about sharing the story.

It's about sharing yourself.

Name Game II--Fits to a T

Been another banner week for my name:

Had one e-mail about Karine and Robert Fabian. Two out of three isn't bad.

Had someone (again, e-mail) call me Kariana. I actually like that and plan to save it for a character. Someone sweeter and less snarly than me.

Finally, a good friend called me Katrina--twice! He was so embarrassed, he wrote me this little essay about T and I had to share it with you. Thanks, Alex Lobdell!

Here are some more examples of strange things that can happen when you add an extra "t" to a word:

There was no toilet paper in the bathroom, so I put a couple of trolls in there.
I was just admiring our new bus driver's bust.
We have stale prices at our store today.
John jumped in the pool and quickly stank.
I need to stew my new dress.
This experiment will stimulate a nuclear explosion.
The rich woman hid her jewelry in her stock drawer in her bedroom.
When the old priest died, his nephew was his stole beneficiary.
After Marilyn bought a new brand of bubble bath, she enjoyed having many studs in the bathtub as she bathed.
I saw many people on the beach stunning themselves.
The old fisherman had arthritis, so he went to see a sturgeon.
The spy had many treasons for defecting.
Friends, Romans, countrymen. Lend me your tears.
Song sung by a very poor locomotive engineer: "Listen to the rhythm of the falling train, telling me just what a fool I've been."
Drill sergeant to a group of doomed recruits: "Gentlemen, your M-16 is not a gun. It is a trifle."

EPPIE Winner!

Infinite Space, Infinite God won the EPPIE!
Best Electronically Published Science Fiction for 2007!

I got the news Sunday from our publisher, Lida Quillen. I flew down the stairs shouting to Rob, "We won! We won the EPPIE!" I almost burst into tears with joy.

I'm so proud of and tickled for our contributors. I think the fact that ISIG, an anthology with a religious theme, won out over novels and secular works just proves the quality of their writing and the depth of their thought, as well as their ability to weave stories that appeal to people of all faiths. Please, if you know any of these authors, drop by and tell them congrats:

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
Rose Dimond
Colleen Drippe'
Alex Lobdell
Alan Loewen
Simon Morden
Tim Myers
Ken Pick
Adrienne Ray
Lori Z. Scott
J Sherer

Rob and I are also grateful to Lida, our publisher at Twilight Times Books. Not only did she take a chance on ISIG, but she pushed the publication date so we could compete for the EPPIE.

If you want to learn more about Infinite Space, Infinite God, check out the website: http://isigsf.tripod.com. It comes out in print August 15 and will be available from Amazon.com and directly from Twilight Times Books. In the meantime, if you like electronic books, you can purchase it from Twilight Times or Fictionwise.

7 tips to get your house market-ready

The house goes up for sale on Wednesday. I've got conflicting feelings, house-wise. While I love moving into a new home--rearranging things and making a new space "ours"--I'm very sad to leave this house. This house was lovely when we bought it, and over the years we've redecorated it, so it's gorgeous.

Even so, there's a lot of work involved in putting a house up for sale. Today, I thought I'd share with you the lessons I've learned about getting your house market-ready:

1. Ask a realtor to critique your house in advance. As soon as you know you'll be selling your home, ask a realtor to go through your house and point out things that you can do to improve its marketability. The earlier you do this, the more time you have to budget, change and enjoy those improvements. Last year, we had our realtor walk the home. She suggested everything from putting in tile floors and changing the kitchen counters to tearing out the fake grass carpet on the balcony and putting in a couple of wicker chairs. Because we had time, we could find a good but inexpensive contractor, shop for sales and get the improvements done at about half of what it would have if we'd done it at the last minute. Plus I got to enjoy my gorgeous counters!

2. Fix things. Big or small, a problem in a house implies there are others that can't be immediately seen. Take care of leaky faucets, the toilet that runs, the lock that sticks. Take care of cracks in the ceiling and find their cause. (For us, the upstairs bathtub just needed re-caulking.) If you have doubts about the wiring or furnace, get them checked by a pro, so you can fix them before it becomes an issue in closing.

3. De-Clutter. De-cluttered rooms look bigger and allow people to imagine their stuff in your house. Pack up the knick-knacks and extra linens, remove unused furniture, even box up the books and toys. Use this time to cut the clutter permanently--toss unusable, broken or obsolete items and give the good unwanted stuff to charity. If you don't have a lot of storage space, pile boxes neatly in the garage or even an empty bedroom. People can more easily imagine an empty room with boxes than a messy room with stuff.

4. Spruce up the yard. A friend told me people usually make up their mind about a house in the first 10 minutes. I know I do. Encourage that good first impression with a nice yard. Over-seed the lawn, mulch, plant a few flowers. Trim the trees and bushes (but if you need major trimming, do it early so the leaves have time to grow back.) Re-surface the driveway. Paint the door if it needs it and wash down the front porch. Get a nice Welcome Mat.

5. Clean. I know, "Duh!" It makes an impression, though. Personally, I believe people don't mind a little mess in terms of scattered toys or papers, especially it they are last-minute lookers, but filth like grease on the oven fan and stains on the carpets--things that look like they've been there awhile--say the house isn't cared for. Give your bath a close look--no one wants to imagine themselves in a mildewed shower stall.

6. Touch-up. If you have a truly awful, outdated rug or floor, you may want to replace them. If you have walls that are beyond cleaning, a fresh coat of paint does wonders. However, most of the time, touching up will suffice. Repair holes in the walls, re-caulk along the edges of the tub or shower stall, give the trim or doors a quick coat of paint, and if you have the right colors, touch up the dings in the walls.

7. Station baskets in the busy rooms. When the realtor calls that someone wants to look at the house, you can do a quick tidy by stuffing toys, books, dropped shoes, etc. into the basket and tucking it into a corner.

Is it "Christian" to get royaltes?

A few weeks ago, the Catholic Writers Online got to debating about the attitude that those who are writing Catholic or Christian works should not make money on them. Some have come across the attitude from others that since they wrote their book, article, magazine, what-have-you for the Glory of God, they should give it away. Others struggle with the thought that they should expect royalties.

One person commented, "There seems to be a Puritanical thought among some who believe that money itself is evil."

Now there's an ironic statement--Catholic Puritanism.

I wonder, too, how many people believe that because they are doing something "in the service of the Lord" that they need to passively wait for God to "bless it" by giving them sales, money, etc. I've seen this attitude, not just by authors in book sales, but in everyday living. These people are afraid to promote their works because they didn't do it "for the money," but for faith. promoting it themselves, therefore, would be greedy; getting the book published is enough, and if God is pleased, He will cause others to find it.

This might stem from that "God will provide if we only trust in Him" mentality. There's the feeling that the corollary is true and God will not provide if we show distrust by doing something for ourselves.

It reminds me of the old joke: There was a man who wanted to do great things for the Church, but he was very poor. So each night, he prayed, "Lord, let me win the Lottery so I can do these things for you."

As the years passed, the man made his plans: he had blueprints for a fantastic church, a school, a hospital, programs for the needy. Every night, he showed his plans to the Lord and said, "Lord, these are the things I want to do for You. I'm not asking for myself. Just let me win the Lottery to do this for You."

The man died, poor and unable to fulfill his dreams. When he went to Heaven, he said to the Lord, "Didn't you find my works pleasing? Why wouldn't you help me fund them?"

"They were great, wonderful ideas, and I loved you and them," God replied, "but why didn't you buy a lottery ticket?"


There's also the fear from some that if they do push their works, that they are glorifying themselves and not the Lord. (Sometimes I feel that way about promoting Infinite Space, Infinite God. I tend to stop and say, "Lord, help me remember this is for you and not me--and if I ever stop doing this for you, just let it stop altogether 'till I get a clue.")

We have to remember that God expects us to work for Him. Jesus didn't conduct his ministry by carving a lovely sign over his door and saying, "God, I trust you to bring the people to me." Neither did his disciples wait for the Church to grow--they traveled, spoke the Truth, wrote letters.

Now we're not all ministers, so let's look instead at the Parable of the Talents. (Matthew 25) Three slaves are given some money (talents) by their Master: one gets five; the second, three; and the last, only one. Both the slaves with the five and three talents take that money and do something with it. The last slave buries it. Who did the Master reward?

You might say God gives us talents by our talent of writing and that we need to use it by writing things for His good. But take it a step further. You have a talent in a physical sense as well--the book you've written. Now that it's done, and in your hands, so you set it aside in hopes someone will "invest" it for you? Or do you do your own investment work by getting out there and promoting it?

Promotion is a talent, too. Don't be afraid like the slave who buried his.

And if it bothers you to receive money, there are plenty of worthy causes out there who can use your support. Do God's work twice.