Karina L. Fabian and her husband, Rob, came up with the idea for Infinite Space, Infinite God after the
critical success of Leaps of Faith, a Christian SF anthology. "We had such fun with Leaps, which
got great reviews and was a finalist for Dream Realms and EPPIE, that we wanted to do more. Sadly, Leaps was
only in e-book and went out of press, so the chance for Leaps of Faith II was out.
"We'd talked with a Catholic publisher who enjoyed Leaps and wanted to see something wtih Catholic-specific
stories. Since we're Catholic, we loved the idea. After all, the Church has been supporting science for thousands
of years--why should it cease to do so in the future?" When that publisher declined, Karina took it to TwilightTimes
Books, and has been ecstatic about getting it published. "Lida at TTB has made this such a positive adventure--from
working edits to getting the cover art. I could not be happier--well, except for when we make the best seller list..."
Karina wrote three of the stories in ISIG:
* "Our Daily Bread" concerns an asteroid mining station where the majority of the workers are Catholic, and who
have come to rely on the guidance (spiritual and otherwise) of Deacon Ray. Ray, however, is faced with a decision:
Continue to work the six months-on/six months-off schedule of the job he adores or give it up for an Earthside job in order
to remain with his wife and start a family. It was partly inspired by her father, Steve Lumbert, who became
a deacon after leaving the Colorado State Patrol. "Dad has always had a calling for serving people, and after he retired
and became a deacon, he was more busy serving than ever!" Karina said. Fortunately, Steve's wife, Socorro, is far
more undertanding than Deacon Ray's wife.
* "These Three" tells the second miracle of the Blessed Gillian of L5, who founded the Order of Our Lady of the
Rescue, spacefaring nuns who have dedicated themselves to space search and rescue. When the space freighter Poubelle
sufferes catastrophical breakdowns, only Peter is left alive, though badly injured. Unfortunately, he alone can stop
the ship from its wild gyrations and collision course with L5 Station. Can he get to Attitude Control in time?
Perhaps with the help of the saints... "It was actually inspired by a Leslie Fish song," Karina recalls. "Leslie
is so gifted. Every time I hear the song, I feel this guy's agony. I worked hard to get that same urgency and
struggle in the story."
* "Interstellar Calling" depicts a close encounter of a kind Speilberg never expected: aliens abduct a Catholic
girl, but they aren't interested in medical experiments. They want to know what the Bible and the Catechism of the
Catholic Church mean for them. "Kathryn Lively, who's a terrific writer and whose e-press published Leaps
originally wrote the story for ISIG, but we took so long getting a publisher she sold it elsewhere," Karina remembered
with a laugh. "Re-writing the introductions and reorganizing the rest of the stories sounded too daunting, so I
came up with a similar idea, but very different characters and circumstances. It was fun, and I think it came out at
least as good as Kat's."
Karina has several other writing irons in the fire, including an as-yet-unpublished trilogy, a fantasy/noir/mystery series,
a Catholic SF novel in the works, and various stories. She's still seeking a print home for
Leaps of Faith.
She also homeschools Rob's and her four children. Keep up with her antics and visit her universes at
www.fabianspace.com.
