Lenten Promise Leads to Award-Winning Devotional, Why God Matters

M E D I A R E L E A S E

CONTACT: Karina Fabian

E-mail: karina@fabianspace.com

For Immediate Release

Lenten Promise Leads to Award-Winning Devotional, Why God Matters

Layton, UT; Pueblo, CO— In 1996, Karina Fabian, mother of toddlers, made a Lenten vow that launched her career as a writer. Years later, it led her to share that joy of writing with her father, as they collaborated on an award-winning devotional, Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life. This year, she hopes to share the joy of Lent through her book and the Why God Matters website.

Deacon Steve Lumbert and his daughter Karina Fabian share their stories of how God led them from casual belief to deep devotion, and offer tips and exercises to help you see God's hand--and take it. Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life is published by Tribute Books and won the Christian Small Publisher Award for best book on Christian Living. It has over 40 reviews from readers of many Christian faiths who recommend it not only as a book to read, but to go through slowly, doing the exercises to strengthen their relationship with God and to be more aware of His presence in her life.

This year, Fabian and Tribute Books are opening the Why God Matters website to faith stories by others, especially Lenten faith stories. “I believe that Lent, and Lenten vows, can change lives,” Fabian said. “I’d like to share that hope with others, and the best way is through sharing our stories.”

Fabian credits her 1996 vow with giving her life its direction. She had always enjoyed writing, but it wasn’t until the Lent after leaving a career in the Air Force that she took it up professionally. “I was home with the kids, and getting a little stir crazy as Lent was approaching. I try to not only give up something for Lent, but to take up something to better serve God as well. So that year, I decided to give up reading fiction and take up writing.”

By Easter, Fabian had a job with the Wyoming diocese newspaper, and freelanced for several parenting and local magazines. She also wrote some slice-of-life stories, but seldom sent them out, and eventually moved more into writing fiction. However, in 2009, when Tribute Books was seeking someone to write a short devotional of personal stories, tips and quotes, she felt God calling.

“I was a little intimidated by the project though. I felt something of this magnitude needed someone with a theological grounding, too. Then I realized, my father is a deacon—and he is full of terrific stories.”
Deacon Steve Lumbert, who came to faith while Fabian was in college, had never written a book, but was excited to collaborate with his daughter. Working on this book brought a new level to their relationship.
“God continues to bless me through that Lenten vow,” Fabian said. “Not only will I cherish having worked with my father, but the book itself has touched so many lives. People have written to us that it’s helped them understand their faith better , brought them closer to God, or touched them when they really needed it. I hope this Lent, through the website, we can do this some more.”

Fabian is also willing to speak to book clubs and parishes through telephone or Skype.

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Photos, interviews, and more information available on request or by visiting http://www.whygodmatters.com/  or http://www.fabianspace.com/.

Sparking Ideas by Heidi Hess Saxton Author of Behold Your Mother

Our guest blogger today is author and editor Heidi Hess Saxton. Heidi is author of Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert and Raising Up Mommy: Virtues for Difficult Mothering Moments. She is the editor of “Canticle” magazine and an adoptive parent columnist at CatholicMom.com and CatholicExchange.com. She and her husband Craig adopted their two foster children in 2005, and the family resides in southern Michigan.

As you can see, Heidi is more than qualified to discuss the topic she has chosen for today: combating writer's block.

Someone one asked me how I come up with ideas for writing. In addition to my most recent book Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert and Raising Up Mommy: Virtues for Difficult Mothering Moments, both available at my website www.christianword.com, I have two regular adoptive parent columns, four active blogs, and I edit “Canticle” magazine. So, as you might imagine, I always have several pieces going at once, and I work hard at writing quickly and coherently.



Here are five suggestions I’d give any writer who is just getting started, to help her combat “writer’s block” and get in touch with her creative muse!


• Read voraciously. You never know where your next great idea is going to originate. Obviously plagiarism (in any form) is out of the question … and yet, creative minds frequently can (and do) “piggy back” one idea into another. For example, one of the blog sites I read regularly, “Antique Mommy” (http://antiquemommy.com/), recently had an article published in “Good Housekeeping” about her scars. Her article got me thinking about the emotional scars foster children experience through the trauma that brought them into care, and how we as parents help them cope with those scars.

• Get in touch with your spiritual side … literally. I have my favorite pictures and icons sprinkled around my work station, my favorite Gregorian chant CD on a permanent loop in my stereo. (At the moment my work station is in a fairly chaotic state, which is understandable considering what my life is like right now. This, too, is something a writer needs to pay attention to … The more stress we feel, the less likely it is that our creative juices can flow uninhibited.)

• Practice childish wonder. The best stories come from bumping into them through your own or (in the case of our children) another person’s lived-out experience. Look for every-day miracles, and you are sure to find them … and your writing is bound to improve as a result! The only way to get away from the trite and obvious is to come at things from a different perspective. In my book Behold Your Mother, I worked hard to understand and explore the human side of the Blessed Mother. Yes, she was the mother of Jesus, the perfect son who undoubtedly NEVER put socks down the toilet. Still, she had to deal with many of the same struggles we do … and a few unique ones of her own.

• Write, then edit. So many writers have a little voice in our heads (we don’t admit it because people would look at us strangely … oh, yes they will), that constant, on-call inner critic. Silence him (or her) while you are getting your ideas on paper. It doesn’t have to be perfect the first time. That’s why God created the “delete” key.

• Write every single day, no matter what. Hit enough balls, and one of them is bound to clear the trees …. Get enough words down on paper, and you’re bound to find a few gems in the rock pile. When you come across a particularly good turn of phrase or observation, jot it down in your little writer’s notebook (you do have one of those, right?).

I’d like to close with a favorite quote of one of my favorite writing coaches, Brenda Ueland: “If you want to be a better writer, become a better person.” Enjoy the process!


The BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on May 1, 2008 and continue all month long. If you would like to follow Heidi's tour in progress, visit http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in May. Leave a comment at any of her blog stops and become eligible to win a free copy at the end of her tour! One lucky winner will be announced on this tour page on May 30!

You'll find my review of Behold Your Mother here.

This virtual book tour has been brought to you by:

Behold Your Mother by Heidi Hess Saxton--Book Review

Full of stories that reach the heart of motherhood and the relationship all people can have with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert by Heidi Hess Saxton will draw you closer to Mary, and therefore, her Son, Jesus.

As a former Catholic, I know the significant role that Mary plays in the Church. It is a part of that faith that used to mystify me; and my husband, who was brought up Greek Orthodox, after nearly 10 years of marriage still asks me what's up with the whole "Mary" thing.

But as I grew into adulthood and became a mother, I gave Mary more thought and realized what an inspiration and source of strength Mary can be to every one of God's children. This is exactly what Saxton has captured with Behold Your Mother.

In the first story, Saxton discusses her own hesitation in praying to Jesus' mother after converting to Catholicism. There are also two other stories that show how Saxton draws strength and receives protection from Mary. The remainder of the book serves as a devotional. Snippets of Scripture are brought together with thought-provoking meditations about Mary and the role she plays in all our lives. Each meditation ends with a short prayer.

After reading Behold Your Mother, I am more convinced than ever that people can reach out to Mary and gain a closer relationship with their Savior, Jesus Christ. In a world of uncertainty, Mary can give us the strength to move forward and she protects us as we reach out to her and seek her intercession.

Behold Your Mother by Heidi Hess Saxton is certain to bring people of all faiths closer to Mary and God. It will also make an excellent Mother's Day gift or alternative to a Mother's Day Card.

You'll find this book at Amazon.com. If you order the book through Heidi's website you can receive an autographed copy of Behold Your Mother along with a sample of Heidi's favorite tea (Higgins & Burke Blackcurrant Cassis) in a rose-kissed envelope.

Title: Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert
Author: Heidi Hess Saxton
Publisher: Bezalel Books
ISBN: 978-0-9800483-0-8
U.S. Price: $9.99