Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karina Fabian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Karina, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In 2022, I took a stand-up comedy class. It was a lark, but I had a lot of fun with it and (as most might do) had visions of this becoming more than a class. I did a few open mic nights with one of my classmates (this is where you go to a bar or other venue where they open the stage to anyone to crack jokes for 3-5 minutes.) I had fun with it but didn’t really like the scene, so I dropped out.

I did a couple of bits for the women’s club at church and was more comfortable there, so I looked for those opportunities. When the Catholic Writers Guild was planning its live conference, I suggested I open with 5-10 minutes of jokes, but they declined.

Fast forward to a month before the conference. They needed entertainment for Tuesday night. Would I do a 45-minute performance?

45 minutes, for those that don’t know, is a Netflix special. The reigning wisdom is you write and workshop jokes, try them out at open mic nights, and revise.

I was full of commitments for the month, from family to presentations for the conference. I did not have time for workshops, open mics, writing new jokes, or any of the prep work…but I love the Guild and I am a ham at heart.

I said, “Sure!” and dug in.

I scoured my old material for Catholic and writing jokes, went to ChatGPT for inspiration, and thought hard about what was weird, scary, hard, and stupid about being a Catholic writer. At one point, I was certain all I had was a steaming pile of unfunny. Fortunately, a friend offered to look it over and declared it hilarious. Encouraged, I soldiered on.

I did not have time to memorize it—my memory is terrible, anyway. (I even have the doctor’s note to prove it!) So I put it all on cards and opened with jokes about my bad memory to make them a feature instead of a distraction.

That Tuesday, about 60 tired convention-goers gathered in the main room. Just before I was to go on, one of my fake nails fell off. I ran to my room for a replacement and was late. But, hey—opportunity for an icebreaker joke!

I talked fast. My routine lasted 38 minutes.

They laughed through the entire thing! Later, people encouraged me to approach other Catholic events about providing a faith-based comedy routine.

September 20, I’m having a show, which will be recorded for a demo reel. A new phase of my life is starting because I took a risk.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always loved writing, and have been freelancing and writing fiction most of my adult life. My motto is “Humor with a Heart.” Recently, I’ve tapped into my love for speaking and performing (i.e.—my inner ham) and have started a part-time career as a standup comedienne. In my writing and my comedy, my Catholic roots show through in approach and themes. What that means is I write clean but not Puritan, I let my characters express their faith when the story calls for it (this includes non-Catholic and even alien religions), and there’s always a sense of right and wrong, even when the characters are doing wrong.

I’ve been published by small presses since 2009, but in 2019, took the plunge into self-publishing under my own imprint, Laser Cow Press.

I’ve had so much fun with this! I can let my characters dictate the length of the books, the tones, and the direction. For example, the DragonEye, PI, series features Vern, a snarky dragon detective solving crimes where magic and technology don’t mix. He’s crazy versatile, sometimes doing slapstick, and sometimes deadly serious. I have writen noir mysteries with him, but the last book was Vern vs Godzilla!

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer is a science fiction humor that does a lot of Star Trek parody but with an original universe and brilliant new characters. I started these stories in 2019 on my blog for fun, but readers wanted them in books. I’m about to start the eighth book.

I also have a comedic horror trilogy, Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator. It’s full of zombie slapstick, California craziness, and political and social humor. I’ve stopped the series, however, because reality caught up to my parody.

On a more serious note, I write about an order of nuns who live and work in outer space. The Rescue Sisters do search-and-rescue, run orphanages, and perform other services across the solar system. Most of these are short stories, though I have one book out, Discovery, and am working on some middle-grade sci-fi novels.

Finally, I’m republishing my first trilogy under the series title Madness of Kanaan. Deryl Stephens is a teenage psychic driven insane by his uncontrollable powers and the manipulations of two aliens who want his help to win a war. In the trilogy, he must fight his way back to sanity, travel to the warring worlds, and literally move their worlds to foster peace.

I gave up most of my freelancing in April 2024 because I didn’t have time. However, I still do some writing for local magazines. I love freelancing because I have complete freedom in my schedule, which lets me indulge my creative side by writing novels.

As noted above, comedy is my new adventure. I’m promoting myself as a clean comedian who can do corporate events and especially Catholic ones. If you have a retreat, gathering, or congress that could use a night of laughs—look me up!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want to serve God by entertaining people, especially making them laugh.

In my writing, I write fun, whimsical adventure stories about dragon detectives, zombie exterminators, nuns who live and work in outer space, and more.

In my stand-up, I provide a look at the lighter side of Catholicism. I talk about why our faith is metal, the funny aspects of growing up in a mixed-faith home, armchair-quarterbacking the Bible, and more. I aim for humor that is respectful yet laugh-out-loud.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

In comedy, it’s hearing the laughs.

In my writing, it’s getting a note from someone telling me, not just that they liked the book, but that it got them through some challenge. I’ve had people tell me one of my books got them through the lockdown or a terrifying tornado watch or a low point in their life. That’s the stuff that keeps me writing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://karinafabian.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karinafabian_author/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karina.fabian/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinafabian/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KarinaFabian
• Other: Substack: https://fabianspace.substack.com/subscribe