Pump Up Your Book Chats with Karina Fabian & Deacon Steve Lumbert

Karina (Lumbert) Fabian was born into the Catholic faith, but truly grew to love it as an adult. As a busy mother of four, she finds some of her strongest encounters with God’s love happen in the ordinary events of the day-to-day.  Karina started her writing career with diocesan newspapers but ahs settled into writing fun-filled fantasy and science fiction that nonetheless incorporates the principles of faith-filled living. Her web site is http://www.karinafabian.com/ and her blog is at http://fabianspace.blogspot.com.

Deacon Steve Lumbert officially converted to Catholicism in 1988, but had been a “practicing” Catholic long before that. He met his lovely and loving wife, Socorro, while sercing in Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Puerto Rico in 1966. They raised their daughters, Karina and Regina, in the faith. Steve spent 30 years as a Colorado State Trooper, but retired when God called him to the diaconate. Currently, he serves the Diocese of Pueblo as Associate Director of Deacon Formation.

About Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life

Why God Matters by Karina Fabian and Deacon Steve Lumbert

Many times one sees Roman Catholicism explained using either closely reasoned theology or an appeal to ancient writers of the Church. While both are legitimate approaches, the average reader looking to explore the faith is often left cold. In their collaboration, Why God Matters, Deacon Steven Lumbert and his daughter, Karina Lumbert Fabian, delineate the Catholic Faith as experienced by a pair of average, everyday people like the great majority who make up the 24% of Americans who share this religion.

In the stories of this pair, one see both ways people come to Catholicism, by birth (“cradle Catholics”) and by conversion. Their descriptions of their separate paths thankfully lack the religiosity of the all too common ‘and then a miracle takes place’ school of religious experience. Rather than blasts of light, fiery swords, spiritual fistfights, and angelic choirs, theirs is the long religious slog of the everyday. The effort that one must put out each day in the long trek to Heaven.

What is Catholicism really like? One would be hard-put to find a better verbal painting of the faith so many call their own.”

Thank you for this interview, Karina and Steve.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece?

Karina: I’ve been writing stories since I could write–I even made stories with my spelling word list instead of just sentences. I guess my first published piece was in the high school poetry journal, but frankly, I write awful poetry.  My first “real” published pieces like the ones in Why God Matters were in the Wyoming Catholic Register, which was my first writing job. They gave me a lot of freedom in my articles. I enjoyed working with them.

Steven: When I was in high school I took a speech class.  Because there was an alternative to speech giving (which I didn’t think I was good at) to write poetry. That was the first time I tried writing anything.  I think I was pretty good because I was called into the principal’s office and accused of plagiarism.  I did prove that it was my work and got an A in the class.  I tried to have it published but it did not work, so I forgot about it.  Then, during my years as a State Trooper, I wrote numerous types of reports.  When Karina asked me to join her in this adventure, it became my first real work.

Karina, you’ve been published in over 50 magazines and have three books of your own out. What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

That I’m not getting published more? LOL. Seriously, the most frustrating thing is sending out your work, collecting the rejections, and sending it out again, all the time wondering if it was bad timing or something wrong with the story. Of course, the most rewarding thing about getting published is having readers who actually like your stuff enough to put out money for it, and who will write to tell you about it.

Sounds mercenary, doesn’t it? The fact of the matter is, however, that there’s a certain value placed on something we work or pay for ourselves as opposed to what we’re given.

Steve, what do you think of your first writing adventure?

It has been a most exhilarating experience.  When Karina asked me, my thoughts were that I would be no good as I had little to offer.  But I was willing to try.  Karina was a great help as she was already accomplished as a writer.  It was a lot of work and a lot of downright frustration, but now I can see that it was really fun too.

This is your first collaboration. How did it work? What was your favorite part, and what was hardest?

Karina: The book needed 14 stories, so we each took seven. Tribute already had a firm idea of the format, which made it easy for us. We wrote our stories, developed our own life lessons and found our own Scripture. Then we got together on Yahoo IM to work on the stories. Since Dad is new at this and used to writing 10-minute homilies, we spent a lot of time narrowing his stories and giving them focus. I was a tough editor, but wow, did he rise to the occasion!

Dad also came up with the idea of adding in quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I think added a unique depth to the book.

Steven: I would have to say that my favorite part was recalling stories from my past where God revealed Himself, even when I did not recognize it at the time. At first it was the hardest also because, after I had written what I thought was a good story, Karina would get out her editing pen.  She was a tough editor and critic but when she got done assisting me in re-writing a story to make more sense, I realized what a treasure she is.  No, I did not get too mad when critiqued; but did find it to be a new learning experience.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?  Where do you like to vacation?  Can you tell us briefly about this?

Karina: Play silly card games with my husband and our four kids (Zombie Fluxx, Munchkin), watch sci-fi on TV (Caprica and V are my favorites, and we’re eager for Eureka to come back.) Vacations are for exploring wherever we’re living at the moment. Rob is a Colonel in the Air Force, so we move around a lot. I love to read, but get obsessed, so I have to schedule time between writing assignments in order to immerse myself in a good book.

Steven: I never really thought much about what I enjoy when not writing.  I think that my favorite thing is being a Deacon and serving the people of  God in their many different needs.  I am also the Associate Director of the Pueblo Deacon Formation program and I really enjoy working with the candidates and aspirants.

Regarding vacations, many times we go visit our daughter Regina and her husband Chuck or Karina, Rob and the kids.  We also try to periodically take vacation in Puerto Rico and visit with all of my wife’s family there, besides traveling all over the island sightseeing.  We have been fortunate to be world travelers also with trips to Italy and Japan.

If you could be anywhere in the world for one hour right now, where would that place be and why?

Karina: Sitting around the new gaming table we ordered, playing a D&D campaign with Rob, the kids, and my sister Gina and her husband Chuck. Location is not important. People are. But can I have more than one hour? We can hardly get through a single combat in an hour!

Steven: There are so many places in the world that I would love to visit, but with only one hour? I believe I would stay right here in Pueblo.  I am surrounded by many, many friends and extended family, and they make it a joy to live here.  Now if I had a couple of weeks…

Who is your biggest fan?

Karina: For this book? I don’t know yet. For my fantasy stories–my kids, even though I write at an adult level. I’m tickled that I do have fans for my DragonEye, PI, stories on Facebook and www.dragoneyepi.net.

Steven: I like to think that my biggest fans are my daughters and my wife.  Both of them and my wife call me the daddy who never grew up and I love being with them.   I will have to wait and see how this venture goes.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

Karina: I have a lovely rolltop computer desk, and since we move so much, my favorite spot is wherever that desk is. It’s executive size, long and deep, and always crowded with a basket of electronics, cups of pencils, calendars, to-do lists, books, scraps of paper, and puppy treats for our dog, Layla. My cat, Elbereth, sits on the back of the chair and often attacks my head or crawls on the desk (and keyboard) if I’m not paying proper homage.

Steven: I have a computer desk in my bedroom where I do a lot of writing on my desktop computer.  Like Karina, when I’m in the bedroom, my cat Dusty is always curled up on the bed next to me.  Sometimes she will “bug” me if I don’t pay some attention to her. But I also write at the dining room table on my laptop.

Do you have any pets?

Karina: Layla is a mutt, chocolate brown with Doberman markings and a Labrador temperament. She has the wag that never ends. Elbereth is a gray calico we adopted while visiting my Dad–for his retirement from the State Patrol, as a matter of fact.

Steven: Right now we have one cat, Dustina (Dusty for short).  We got her from Regina who had 3 cats and a dog at the time and the cats were marking their territory in the house.  Her vet thought that competition was the issue, so she asked us to take Dusty.  She has been a real treasure since.  Thanks, Gina!

Tell us a secret no one else knows.

Karina: If I told you, I’d have to kill you.

Steve: No Comment

What’s on your to do list today?

Karina: Finish this interview. Order pizza for slumber party. Finish the revisions for the 2010 Catholic school planner I write each year. Write/find 31 days of saint quotes to tweet next month. Let my social groups know about the final issue of Faith-Filled Fiction. (An e-zine I’ve been writing/editing that I’m letting go.) Talk to my best friend about her revisions for her school planners–we’re a team. Pretty light list, but I had a root canal yesterday, and am taking it easy. What I really want to do is talk my husband into watching some more episodes of Heroes.

Steven: Take a break now and get some sleep.  I am preaching in the morning at Mass and I want to be at my best.  After Mass is the picnic with the Confirmation kids.  Next we are off to man the Pro-Life chain for an hour. Then do some shopping and home to work on some things on my computer.

Now I’ve got a couple of fun questions for you.  If Tom Hanks, in the movie Cast Away, unearthed a copy of your book, how would that help him find a way off the island?

Karina: Probably not, but I’d like to think it would have given him some comfort and maybe even some insight into God’s presence during that adventure. (That was an amazing story, incidentally.)

Steve: Inspiration comes in many ways.  So, who knows!  Like Karina, I think he would find some comfort.  I would pray that he would find comfort from realizing that even in ordinary things God is present as our companion on our journey through what Life gives us.

You just got word that your book has received the 2010 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony to give an acceptance speech.  Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for stardom.  What would you say and who would you thank?

Karina: God, then pretty much the same folks I thanked in the Acknowledgements. Don’t think it will make me a star, but I’d be thrilled that so many people had gotten something out of our little book.

Steven: Karina hit in the head.  I would only add that Jesus told us not to worry about what to say.  He would be there to give us the words.

I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in June via a virtual book tour.  Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?

Karina: I’ve been touring my books on the Internet since 2007. I love how easy they are to plan, how much fun it is to answer the interviews, and how I can work the interviews in my own time and from my home. This is the first time I’ve had a publicist do the tour for me. Tribute books arranged that, and I feel very spoiled.

Steve: Well, I have never done this before and I trust Karina to know what to do.  So…

Thank you for this interview, Karina and Steve. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

Thanks so much. And May God Bless you

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