13 Questions With...Carolyn & Mike Dubisch

Carolyn's Answers

1. You’re hosting a dinner party. What is the menu, and do you cook it yourself, or do you call a caterer?
I hate to cook, but I'm cheap so it's the only thing I do well. Spaghetti.
2. What is your beverage of choice?

I like wine, coffee, and sparkling water, not all at once or mixed together-separately.
3. Physical book Vs an E-Reader. Your preference and why?

Physical books most of the time. I don't have an E-Reader, just a computer, maybe that's why I prefer it.
4. What kinds of books make up your personal library?

Everything from "You are so Undead to me" by Stacey Jay, to "The Joy Luck Club". I read Stephen King, and Gail Carson Levine and of course Harry Potter- I'm always open to new writers. as well. I like fantasy, horror, science fiction, historical fiction, and tons of YA.
5. How and when did you catch the writing bug?

When I was a sophomore in High School my English teacher felt I should be a professional writer, but I never really pursued it until my daughter was born, when I began writing kids books.
6. What is your writing routine?

Unfortunately my schedule is too erratic for a regular routine. I write when I can squeeze it in or have a deadline. It's pretty lame.
7. If you ever encounter writer’s block, what steps do you take to get past it?

I write on my blog usually. That warms me up to writing fiction.
8. Do you have a hidden talent?

Does face painting count?

9. What was your best subject in school?

English and Art.
10. As in any entertainment, there are current trends. How much do these “current trends” influence what you write?

Somewhat. We added some steam punk elements to the original script of "The People That Melt in the Rain". However that was the first time I ever did anything like that.
11. Mac or PC?

Mac-we do a lot of graphics here in our studio.
12. Where do your ideas come from?

Mostly from fortune cookies.
13 What advice would you pass on to an aspiring author?

Just to write and keep a journal. Also joining a crate group can be an extremely valuable experience. There are a lot of groups online, and plenty if you check your local library.

Mike's Answers

1. You’re hosting a dinner party. What is the menu, and do you cook it yourself, or do you call a caterer?
Stir fry shoggoth and shrimp stuffed with chaos- from a caterer of course.



2. What is your beverage of choice?
Sparkling mineral water- a gift from the undergods.



3. Physical book Vs an E-Reader. Your preference and why?
Physical, reading e-books hurts my soul.

4. What kinds of books make up your personal library?
I have an obsession with a certain breed of comic creators and fantasy/surreal artists. I read a lot of fiction but am less attached to keeping a permanent collection of it.



5. How and when did you catch the writing bug?
Around fifth grade I began to be able to envision and then actually execute ideas for comics and stories, so I guess that's when.



6. What is your writing routine?
I let ideas stew in my head till they are nearly solid, then write them down when they tell me they are ready. Then I need absolute silence and concentration to write the prose or script.



7. If you ever encounter writer’s block, what steps do you take to get past it?
Since I don't put pressure on myself to write, I've never found myself blocked- Artist's block I deal with by working- and if I become so paralyzed I cannot move forward on serious art, I go to my doodlebook, take all the pressure off, and doodle carelessly till I rediscover the joy of creativity.

8. Do you have a hidden talent?
I'm a problem solver. I have an ability to focus and solve real world puzzles while others go to pieces.



9. What was your best subject in school?
Art and English, also weight lifting.



10. As in any entertainment, there are current trends. How much do these “current trends” influence what you write?
The character I write that has turned out to have most potential for mass appeal was conceived a bizarre anti-hero I didn't think anyone would understand: My flesh eating ghoul-hero, The Crypt Kid. In this case the publics hunger is for new concepts that kick sand in the face of the old but are still cute and iconic.



11. Mac or PC?
My family has been "mac" since 1987.



12. Where do your ideas come from?
Ideas are gifts. Hard to know where they come from, apparently from a storm of synapses, they feel as if they are just dropped in by an outside source and I'm just happy when they appear- often they just flow out of the tip of my pen and I'm as surprised as anyone else is.



13 What advice would you pass on to an aspiring author?
Read your own work critically and be sure it's your best. Find someone to help you fine tune your work. Do what makes you happy and excited, self publish and build your brand.

Review: The People That Melt in the Rain

The People That Melt in the Rain
by
Carolyn Watson Dubisch
&
Mike Dubisch
Available to follow as a web comic:
The People That Melt in the Rain: New Girl In Town
From Amazon as a Kindle book; from Barnes & Noble as a Nook book

Review by Dan Breen

Web comics are a fairly new thing for me. Yes I know the internet has been around forever, (well, mid 90’s anyway), but oddly, following more than just odds and ends has never really appealed to me.

So the boss gives me the link, “Here, you like comics go review…” Or words to that effect, so I wasn’t expecting much.

Boy was I surprised.
The artwork is the first thing that struck me, clear, simple and caught me from the outset. I am visually led, so once the impact of the artwork had subsided I started reading the story itself and just couldn’t stop clicking next.

The comic begins following Laura as she moves from her old home to the rather unusual town of Deluge, where, as the title suggests, people melt in the rain. But there’s more, way more to it than just that, no one seems to leave. Ever. And on top of that, the town seems to be, in a very normal way a repository of all things rum and uncanny.

The web comic itself has been running for a few years now so there’s plenty to read. Might be worth settling down with a large pot of tea, (or coffee as appropriate), switch off your phone and enjoy.

If you liked Spirited Away, (Studio Ghibli animae), Twin Peaks or anything of that ilk, you’ll love this one. 

Issue 0 of The People That Melt in the Rain

by

Carolyn Watson-Dubisch

&
Mike Dubisch

Review by Tracey Fleming

When Carolyn first contacted me about reviewing The People That Melt in the Rain, my first impulse was, of course, to say "Yes!", as I started my reading life reading comic books.  She explained it was an ongoing web comic, but could send me issue 0 as a hard copy.  

When it arrived and I got a look at the cover, my first thought was "Oh, this is going to be right up my alley", and I was right.

The story, as Dan outlined above is about the town of Deluge, and Laura, who has just moved to the town.

Issue 0 starts not with Laura, but with Jason, the "Weatherman" who's trying to figure out why the weather is the way it is in Deluge.  Something happened to his sister Jana back in the day (no fair giving it away) and now Jason is determined to get to the bottom of things.

I loved the story. Compelling, giving you enough to engage your attention, but leaving out as much as it reveals, making the reader want more.

The artwork is magnificent.  I wasn't sure the cool palette was going to work, but the colors used are as much a character in the story as Laura or Jason are.  There's also a steampunk vibe, slight, but there.

Great story, great art = great comic.

For more on Carolyn & Mike Dubisch:
The People That Melt in the Rain
The People That Melt in the Rain on Facebook