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Oh, yay, three weeks! It's downhill from here. Let momentum help you along. Let me know how it's going, and I will do some snapping.

Here is a "a leaning on the table" high five from a man of curious mayhem, Phillip Reeve.



It’s hard for me to fully understand that this very proper looking gentlemen is the mind behind some intense books, like the Mortal Engines quartet, the Larklight Trilogy, and Fever Crumb. His books are all-night nail biters. He splashes droll and tender moments, making for riveting reads. Did I mention that he does this in these complex fully realized worlds? I can’t put the stuff down. Oh, I have lost so much sleep.

So today, spin it, folks! Throw those characters off cliffs. Toss them into rough seas. Shoot them into orbit. See if that doesn’t get you on the road to speedier goal achievement.

As you move forward. Don’t hold back. Leap! Mix it up. See those flashlights flipping on at night. Take the big risks! Come back tomorrow as I continue to cheer us on to the end.

That's the trouble with a story spinner. You never know what's real and what's made up. Even when they are telling the truth, they can't stop themselves from spinning it into something better; something prettier, with more of a pattern to it.
— Philip Reeve (Here Lies Arthur)

Karina Fabian is having a whirl wind tour with Magic, Mensa & Mayhem. And, it is my pleasure to take part by hosting this talented author today.

To start, I'll give you the lowdown on Magic, Mensa & Mayhem:

Title: Magic, Mensa & Mayhem
Author: Karina Fabian
Publisher: Swimming Kangaroo
[email protected]
Tel: 817-717-5375
Fax: 817-548-1473
Genre: Fantasy
Released: Marc h 2009
Retail Price: $13.99 (print- US) 11.99 pounds (print – UK)
$3.99 (electronic)
ISBN: 978-1-934041-78-9

Available soon from Ingrams, Amazon and Kindle

Publisher's Weekly: Religion and humor suffuse this well-imagined and densely plotted comedic mystery, based on a short story of the same title. Cursed by St. George to serve the Faerie Catholic Church, dragon detective Vern now sleuths in the mundane world. His latest (unpaid) assignment is to babysit a group of faeries attending a Mensa meeting. Vern quickly has his claws full juggling crises, from invisible brownies to two elves whose rivalry threatens to become interdimensional war. Distinctly memorable and occasionally silly supporting characters, from Brunhilde the Valkyrie to Native American trickster Coyote, steer the action. While the conclusion sticks perilously close to genre formula and the narrative is jumpy throughout, most readers will forgive the clichés (and Vern’s groan-worthy puns) and chuckle all the way through.

Magic, Mensa & Mayhem made me laugh, everything from quiet chuckles to outright snorts. A quick read and an enjoyable one. --Jody Lynn Nye, author of An Unexpected Apprentice and the Myth, Inc series

…."Wisdom of the Ages, Knowledge of Eternity, and I end up a babysitter at the Smart Humans' Convention."--Vern

Now, we'll learn a bit about Karina Fabian:

Although a Mensan, KARINA FABIAN lives a life of "F’s" — Family, Faith, Fiction & Fun. Winner of an EPPIE award for best sci-fi (Infinite Space, Infinite God) and a Mensa Owl for best fiction ("World Gathering: Magic, Mensa and Mayhem"), Karina’s writing takes quirky twists that amuse her — and her readers. A fan of comedy improv, she came up with Dragon Eye, PI, started after watching a film noir skit on Whose Line Is It, Anyway? and it has grown into one of her favorite worlds to write in. Learn more about Karina at Fabian Space and more about Vern and Grace at Dragoneye PI. Karina lives with her husband and children at Minot AFB, North Dakota.

As an added bonus, Karina has graciously answered a couple of questions for us:

I know you present workshops on "worldbuilding" at a number of online conferences, what do attendees find the most difficult about creating worlds? And, what do you think is the most difficult?

Keeping a consistent logic is one of the biggest challenges, I think. There's a temptation to toss in whatever seems cool without following the effects through. If everyone is psychic, how does politics differ? Do you really need telephones--or any kind of communication device?

For example, if you set up a world where natural disasters have destroyed most of the world, then you need to consider how that affects the number of survivors, the technological backsteps, the government structures, etc. By the same token, is it logical to assume we'd revert back to a feudal society, totally disregarding centuries of socio-political change? It's up to the author, but it should be a reasoned, not flip, decision.

I believe when you think these things through, you get a better book, too.

Do you think it takes a certain type of writer to grasp world building?

No. Each will come at it his or her own way, however. Some will research and adapt; others will daydream and seat-of-the-pants write. It's easier for some than others, of course. Also, the needs of the story or book determine the level of worldbuilding. Even some science fiction and fantasy stories really don't need to go beyond the ray-gun or wizard level. The world is unimportant to the story.

Have you ever started a world and then just realized it wasn't working?

Yes and no. I have a world, Barin, that I (in my inexperience) just tossed out because it sounded cool. Now I'm having to go back and think about all the effects of the things I decided--the regular catastrophe that leaves most of their world uninhabitable above ground, the fanatical cult that's taken over one country and influences the others. Of course, the things I'm discovering have taken it from "cool" to "Way Cool," but it's also like putting together a puzzle when the pieces don’t quite want to match. It's on hold for now while I work other projects.

Thanks so much, Karina. This is great information for those writers who are thinking of venturing into the unknown of worldbuilding. And, thank you for spending the day with us.

Be sure to get yourself a copy of Karina's Magic, Mensa & Mayhem!

See you in blog world,
Karen