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

13 Questions with...David Warren

1. You’re hosting a dinner party. What is the menu, and do you cook it yourself, or do you call a caterer?
If it were just me, I would have a Tuna Melt sandwich. (My all-time favorite) But since it’s a dinner party, it would consist of shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, side dishes and a variety of salads. And yes, it would most definitely be catered.

2. What is your beverage of choice?My beverage of choice is a nice cold unsweetened iced tea.


3. Physical book Vs an E-Reader. Your preference and why?
I may be old fashioned, but I still prefer the physical book. I can’t wait to hold a copy of Jest, which should be in about a week from now…


4. What kinds of books make up your personal library?
Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child make up a large portion of my library.

5. How and when did you catch the writing bug?
I was nine years old when I started writing little stories on an ancient typewriter my mom had. I was heavy into Franklin W. Dixon’s The Hardy Boys Series back then and so I started with mystery stories. Soon after, I discovered Dean Koontz’s Phantoms, and I have never looked back since when it came to what genre I would forevermore write.


6. What is your writing routine?
I start with a small outline. It may be heavily loaded with ideas or it may just be a cast of characters and what their relationship is with one another. I then start (Usually, not always) with shorthand notes or paragraphs in a journal before finally starting to type the actual story onto the computer.


7. If you ever encounter writer’s block, what steps do you take to get past it?
Writer’s block can be a killer if you let it. It takes self-discipline to not give up and move onto other things. The problem that it creates is that a lot of times, you simply never go back. (Been there, done that) So my advice is…stay at it. Keep going, even when it isn’t fun anymore and it will pay off in the long run.


8. Do you have a hidden talent?
I used to work in Atlantic City as a magician and I did a few years in professional wrestling as well.

9. What was your best subject in school?
Writing…surprised?

10. As in any entertainment, there are current trends. How much do these “current trends” influence what you write?
None whatsoever. I write what I do because I love it. If I think I have a great idea, I’ll write it, regardless if it is popular at the time or ever will be in the future. With that being said, if I am approached by my publisher to tackle a certain genre or storyline because it is the “in thing” right now, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.

11. Mac or PC?
PC…Never owned a Mac.

12. Where do your ideas come from?
Only the Good Lord knows. To be honest, I have written books before based on weird dreams that I have had. But most of the time, regardless of where I am or what I’m doing, I find myself asking “what if” questions. For example, if I’m on vacation up in the mountains, I might ask myself, “What if a really big, scary bear decided to wreak havoc here all of the sudden?” Next time you’re out somewhere and have a minute, ask yourself the “what if” question and see if you can’t come up with a dozen different ideas!

13. What advice would you pass on to an aspiring author?
Never ever give up. I was rejected more times than I care to remember by publishers and agents alike. It just takes perseverance. Lord willing, if you keep at it and don’t get discouraged, it’ll happen. Also, don’t take rejections personally. They don’t know you and although you think you have the manuscript of the year (as I used to think) it will not fit every publisher’s needs. All you can do is write the story, have it professionally edited, (NOT your neighbor who likes to read) and submit to the proper people. Do your homework. If you submit to someone who isn’t interested in your genre, you just wasted their time as well as yours.  

13 Questions with...A.R. Hill

1. You’re hosting a dinner party. What is the menu, and do you cook it yourself, or do you call a caterer?
Well, both the Spouse and I like to cook, so we’ll definitely cook it ourselves. Most likely either o-nabe (Japanese hotpot with meat and vegetables) or sukiyaki (Japanese pan-fried meat and vegetables with sauce). Both of these are cooked at the table, so we chop, arrange everything and make the sauces, and then the guests select what they would like to eat themselves. Boiled rice and homemade miso soup get served on the side with Japanese pickles, and of course green tea and Ramune soda. For dessert, either green tea ice cream or green tea cake. Both sound weird but are delicious – and the last time I served green tea cake, I kid you not, my guests fought over who got to have the last slice.

2. What is your beverage of choice?
Real tea, in all its forms. Though not herbal tea, that’s something I take when I’m sick and it’s not technically tea anyway, it’s an infusion.

3. Physical book Vs an E-Reader. Your preference and why?
Real book. I have trouble staring at computer screens (probably because I do it so much), so a real book is just easier on my eyes. They smell good, too, and look good on a bookshelf when you’re not reading them.

4. What kinds of books make up your personal library?
Horror, fantasy, table-top RPGs and reference books. Lots and lots of reference books. Especially ones on art, mythology and vampires.

5. How and when did you catch the writing bug?
When I was twelve, I wrote a book to impress someone I had a crush on at school. The crush, and the story associated with it, never went anywhere but I found a lasting romance with writing.

6. What is your writing routine?
Me, routine? I try to squeeze as much writing in as I can between my official duties and house chores. I also try to work in some reading every day, keeps me fresh.

7. If you ever encounter writer’s block, what steps do you take to get past it?
Writer’s block has been a personal demon of mine for the last four or five years. The best thing to do is to force yourself to write, as much as you can, even if it’s on an unrelated project. Then when you can’t stand it anymore, go do something else. Then repeat. I paint or draw pictures of my characters to help me think about them. Read a lot too, and don’t give up. It can last a long time and you’ve just got to fight through it. 

8. Do you have a hidden talent?
Performance arts. I can play a few musical instruments and sing, and in the past I’ve been part of a few acting troupes.

9. What was your best subject in school?
Oddly enough, chemistry.

10. As in any entertainment, there are current trends. How much do these “current trends” influence what you write?
Not all that much. I don’t watch TV and I tend to choose my books based on how I’m feeling at the time. I’ve always been sort of a loner, doing my own thing.

11. Mac or PC?
PC. I can use a Mac but I don’t like to, and they’re harder on my wallet. Plus, the Spouse can build and repair PC’s, which saves me a fortune in tech support.

12. Where do your ideas come from?
I am frequently subject to nightmares, so that has a big influence. I also get a lot of inspiration from gaming sessions with friends and sometimes random things I encounter while out and about.

13. What advice would you pass on to an aspiring author?

Write all you can, every single idea that pops into your brain. If you can draw, draw your characters or the scenes you see in your head. I’ve got stuff I made note of when I was eleven that is just now shaping up into an idea for a cool story, so file it all away. Keep going, no matter what anyone says to you. I got told in college by a random student that I was “obviously not a writer”, so you can’t listen to the naysayers. Just keep plugging away and you will start turning out gems.

Review: Jest "It waits no longer..."

Jest
by
David Warren
Available through Amazon for the Kindle,
and from Barnes & Noble for the Nook.
Will be forthcoming in mass market paperback

Good evening constant reader.

If you like a fast paced read, with lively characters, a good plot, some twists and turns, and some blood and guts, then this book is for you.

Our story opens as Edward Carzon II slips away into that good night, leaving Bodlum Castle in East Sussex, England, not to his son, Edward Carzon III, but to his grand daughter, Nicole.  She is advised of this inheritance just as she and her college friends are trying to decide where to take that long talked about but never taken get away.  The trip to England to inspect the castle is all expenses paid and Nicole may bring along as many people as she wishes.  Her alcohol-ridden father is not happy with this situation and is left behind as Nicole and 5 of her friends wing their way to England.
Along for the excursion is Brad, Nicole's friend since forever, her best friend Danielle and her boy friend Al, and Wayne and Alexis.

Our party arrives in England and is escorted to Bodlum Castle where they are met by longtime caretaker Roger Helmsley, maid Beatrice Cummings, and chef Jonathon Carlisle.  Another arrival, Andrew Willis, the late Edward Carzon II's solicitor rounds out the party, there to go over paperwork regarding the inheritance with Nicole.
The young people are taken on a tour of the castle by Roger, who fills in the historical past of the castle, explaining the restoration Nicole's grandfather had begun, intending to open the castle to tourists.  It is during this tour they run into an assortment of wax figures dressed in period costume in various areas of the castle, as part of the tour experience.  One figure they encounter is particularly disturbing; Timothy Skullton, a jester who served in the castle in the late 16th century. But Timothy wasn't just a jester, he was also used to dispatch people not in favor of the owner.  That owner died and the new owner declared Timothy mad and had him imprisoned in the dungeon.  He was thought to have died as his body was never found.  It was assumed he escaped.

Our group begins to settle into the castle, with Nicole having to decide if she wants to become the new owner or not.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., Nicole's father is plotting to make his way to England...

Then things start to happen...and the body count begins. Warren ratchets up the suspense when the dead bodies start to pile up, people are separated and left alone, people start exploring dark passages...you get the idea.

When I got to a certain point in the book, I couldn't stop reading, I had to find out how it was going to end.
I was at such a short page count, I was frantic to find out what happened, and was thinking. "Man, how is this going to possibly come to any kind of end??"
When the ending did come, I literally gasped out loud I was so surprised.
Reading Jest "It waits no longer..." is like riding a roller coaster.  A nice, slow build up the track, lulling you into a false sense of security and then when you come to the top of that track...and start to go over...the hits, they just don't quit coming.
I like that!

Time spent with this horror tale is not time wasted.

For more on David Warren:
David Warren on Facebook

13 Questions with...Jenn McKinlay

1. You’re hosting a dinner party. What is the menu, and do you cook it yourself, or do you call a caterer?

Definitely, cook it myself. The Hub and I usually cook together (he's in charge of the meat) and we will make London Broil (him) and twice baked potatoes, asparagus, a strawberry spinach salad
and I'll either bake a chocolate cheesecake or cupcakes (any variety but usually a mix of lemon/raspberry and chocolate/chocolate) for dessert.

2. What is your beverage of choice?

Coffee and lots of it.

3. Physical book Vs an E-Reader. Your preference and why?

I don't have an e-reader yet. Being a book junkie, I'm afraid that the ease of downloading to an e-reader will cause me to make imprudent purchases that I would never make if I was buying hard copy or paperback. I can see owning one in the future, but I'm holding off as long as I can. It's painful.

4. What kinds of books make up your personal library?

Everything from the Bard to Manga, with a heavy concentration of mysteries.

5. How and when did you catch the writing bug?

I was 7 or 8 and I found my mom's old portable typewriter in the attic. It was a delicious red color and I loved the sound of the letters when they pounded onto the paper. I wrote newspapers about the family and sold them to mom for 25 cents. Candy Money! Cha-ching!

6. What is your writing routine?

Ten pages per day -- every day -- even holidays and weekends. If you love what you do, it's not a hardship.

7. If you ever encounter writer’s block, what steps do you take to get past it?

Fortunately, it hasn't happened yet. If it did, I would go people watch at an airport. Fascinating places, airports.

8. Do you have a hidden talent?

I can rub my tummy and pat my head at the same time, but it's not pretty. 

9. What was your best subject in school?

Recess. I excelled when my imagination was set free.

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

Because I write contemporary stories, I am always aware of the trends and they do have an impact. The cupcake bakery mystery series came to me when it seemed everyone around me was talking cupcakes. But after the initial idea hits, the writing, characters and plot have to be strong enough to hold their own because trends are generally short lived.

11. Mac or PC?

Currently PC, formerly Mac, but I may be going back to Mac.

12. Where do your ideas come from?

From observing the world around me and trying to wrestle it into being a world I want to live in.

13 What advice would you pass on to an aspiring author?

I absolutely hated hearing the line "a good book will sell" when I was trying to get published and failing spectacularly. Here's the thing -- it's true. When I did sell, it was because I finally wrote a good book. There is no secret handshake, there are no shortcuts. Write a good book -- your best book -- and it will sell.