Infinite Space Infinite God II Tour

Welcome to my Blog tour for Infinite Space, Infinite God II, featuring an interview with one of its editors, Karina Fabian.

First though, what is Infinite Space, Infinite God II? The book is twelve science fiction stories featuring Catholic heroes. Meet a time traveler who sacrifices his life to give a man a sip of water, and the nun who faces venomous snakes to save a friend. Share the adventures of priests who battle aliens and machines in order serve the greater good.
Infinite Space, Infinite God II spans the gamut of science fiction, from near-future dystopias to time travel to space opera, puzzles of logic to laugh-out-loud humor and against-the-clock suspense. A great read for any science fiction fan—a must-read for the Catholic sci-fi lover.

Now is the time to buy, and hurry, because the Kindle version of ISIG I and ISIG II is on sale for $2.99 through April 23, so order before Easter! 

Here are the links for purchase:

From Publisher: Twilight Times Books

Barnes & Noble 

Amazon 
eBook formats at Fictionwise

And now without further ado, the interview!

Frank: After Infinite Space Infinite God was published I spoke to you about doing another anthology and you were cool on the idea. What led you to this sequel?

Karina: Quite frankly, we were asked. Our publisher, Twilight Times, wanted to do a second—how could we turn down an offer like that? It was a long process, though—years to find the right stories, compile them and get them published. Naturally, the economy tanked as we were ready, so TTB held on awhile until they felt it was a good time to bring the project to fruition. We’re very proud of the book itself, and have enjoyed getting to know the authors of the stories. Of course, now is the hard part—getting the word out and getting folks to purchase it.

Frank: Which are your favorite stories or characters, and why?

Karina: Now, now—that’s like asking which child I like best! We had a lot of strong character-based stories; a few that had some rip-roaring adventure, and some that fully immerse you in a complex and fascinating universe. I’ll leave it to your readers to decide which ones are which. J

Frank: How were the contributors selected for ISIG II? Were there worthy stories left on the cutting room floor? Talk about the submission process.

Karina: Actually, it was easier and harder than you might think. We had to extend the deadline to get stories of the quality we wanted, but we didn’t have a lot we debated over, either. Rob and I know what we like in SF, and what we wanted for ISIG II. While we didn’t dictate the subgenres or angles, we had three firm rules:

—It had to be solid science fiction: Hard SF to space opera, didn’t matter, but it could not be fantasy, horror or a literary story that could be construed as the future but could easily be next week. It also had to be great storytelling—interesting and exciting plots, characters we’d care about, and good use of tech. In fact, we did ask for a couple of edits to strengthen the stories, although they were not major.

—It had to have a solid Catholicism. If I could pull the collar off the “priest” and call him “reverend” and not tell the difference in the story, it didn’t make it. By the same token, we rejected some stories that were “Catholic” but not kind to the Church.

—It had to have science and religion portrayed in positive manner. If science was the font of all evil, the story was rejected. By the same token, we rejected some stories that were “Catholic” but not kind to the Church.

Frank: Do you find much crossover between Catholic and Evangelical readers?

Karina: Yes! We find non-religious readers enjoy it, too. As one reviewer said, “You are probably thinking that Infinite Space, Infinite God II is religious; nothing could be farther from the truth. What you get in Infinite Space, Infinite God II, is science fiction written well by authors who know how to spin a good tale..” Our goal was to examine a unique angle to science fiction—that of faith (in this case, the Catholic faith) dealing with challenges of the future (or the fantastic).

Frank: Which of your other writing projects have taken off?

Karina: I had two other books out last year:

*Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator*: The Zombie Apocalypse meets Reality TV when zombie exterminator Neeta Lyffe trains new plebes while the world watches in Zombie Death Extreme. Can she keep her plebes alive, her ratings up and her sanity intact? Check out the website: zombiedeathextreme.com. I’m working on the sequel right now: *I Left My Brains in San Francisco.*

*Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life*: I wrote this short devotional with my dad, Deacon Steve Lumbert. The 14 stories come from our own faith lives, and we have questions, Bible verses and quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church for meditation and reflection. It’s also making quite a splash with non-Catholic as well as Catholic readers and was a Top Ten Reviewed book on Amazon.

This year, I’ll have the first book in the Miscria Trilogy, *Mind Over Mind* coming from DragonMoon. Deryl’s psychic powers have driven him insane, but intern Joshua helps him come back to sanity. Can he help Deryl cope with the fact that the young psychic is the purported savior of two alien worlds?

In addition to the second Neeta Lyffe book, I want to finish my first Rescue Sisters novel, *Discovery* and fix up one of my children’s books. (Reading level is too high for the story.) I’m also writing DragonEye, PI, stories, so those who like Vern will find him in magazines and on the web.

If folks would like more information about my books, I invite them to sign up for my book news mailing at eepurl.com. I announce new books and have contests through it, too.

Frank: Karina, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, and I wish you His will with your writing.

Here’s more about Karina Fabian: 

After being a straight-A student, Karina now cultivates Fs: Family, Faith, Fiction and Fun. From an 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. Her quirky twists and crazy characters have won awards, including the INDIE book award for best fantasy (Magic, Mensa and Mayhem), and a Mensa Owl for best fiction (World Gathering). In May 2010, her writing took a right turn with a devotional, Why God Matters, which she co-wrote with her father. Mrs. Fabian is former President of the Catholic Writer’s Guild and also teaches writing and book marketing seminars online.