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.