Better Know An Author – Carine Fabius
Our weekly spotlight series on authors from around the world. This week we sat down with Carine Fabius!
Please give a brief introduction, including your name and where you are based
My name is Carine Fabius. I am a Haitian native, living in the States since the age of 8, and in Los Angeles for 35 years. In addition to being an author, I also own a Haitian art gallery, Galerie Lakaye, in Hollywood. It has been in existence for 32 years.
What book or books have you published or are working on at the moment?
I am the author of six fiction and non-fiction books. My last book, Short Stories about Us, was published in 2018. I am currently working on a non-fiction book of essays with the working title For Real Men Only, which aims to offer suggestions to the men who run the world, and the men in our personal worlds, about what they might do to make this world a better place for us all.
What drives you to write?
I wrote my first book when I was 12! I think my compulsion to write comes from being an avid reader since I was a young child. Reading allows you to absorb concepts and ideas (not to mention words) without you even realizing it. And then, I also have opinions (!) and feel the need to share them with readers. Hopefully they provide their feedback and take-aways, which helps to close the cycle, often helping me to understand what drove me to write the work in the first place.
Where can folks find you online and on social media?
You can find me on my website, www.carinefabius.com; @carinefabiusauthor on FB; @carinefabius on IG
What is one piece of advice you would give to another author out there who might be struggling?
Being in the arts is not for the meek or faint of heart, and writing is no different. That’s especially true now that, for a publisher or agent to look at your work, you have to come with a large social media following (in other words, do our work for us!). It can all feel dispiriting, but you can’t let it get you down. Just keep writing. And if you’re having trouble with writers’ block, I highly recommend the book, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. With some simple exercises, it’s guaranteed to get you back on track, like it did for me.
What are some of your five-year goals with writing?
The business of needing large numbers of followers on social media has me resigned to having to spend time working on that while I could be writing (although I’m still writing!). So, I’m hoping to get my numbers up because I have lots of book ideas; and even though I’ve been published by Random House, and an independent publisher, and have also self-published, I have to say I like to get paid for my writing, so I’m hoping for representation. That being said, regardless of who publishes you, unless you’re a recognized name, the publishers will not pay to promote your book. You still have to do it yourself. I considered my Random House book a best-seller at 5000 copies sold annually for years and years, but they didn’t! So, in five years, I’m hoping to have enough readers that I will be able to monetize my writing without the publishers!
Final Thoughts?
Of all the things I do in my life (there are other businesses and projects not mentioned here), writing remains my favorite. I am happiest when I’m writing–hours whiz by unnoticed, and I get up from my computer satisfied, content and fulfilled, regardless of whether I wrote brilliantly or just wrote down the bones of an idea. What more can a person ask for? If you feel fulfilled, you’ve basically accomplished your life’s goal—for that day or moment, at any rate! Reaching for that state of fulfillment is the best thing I can ever do for myself, and I feel blessed to be able to do that, and to hopefully make an impact on people in the process.
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