Ghosts: The People That Melt in the Rain #2 plunges Laura into the haunting town of Deluge, where emotional power unlocks eerie mysteries, and reality bends under the weight of the strange. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Years ago, I lived in New York and one summer as I pushed my toddler on the swing in our front yard, a fast-moving thunderstorm suddenly clouded the sky and began to spit rain down upon us. I quickly scooped up my daughter, and as I was rushing her inside the house a title flashed in my mind, The People That Melt in the Rain. It was a shocking moment of inspiration. That afternoon I sat playing with my daughter, staring out at the pouring rain and pondering a cursed town with residents that actually melted in the rain.

Obviously, I had to approach the story with a “stranger comes to town” plot and that is how I began book one, with Laura’s move to Deluge. This book Ghosts reveals more of the mysteries of the town and starts to present Mrs W. as a possible antagonist. I wanted to create a magic realism throughout all the books, and with the help of my husband, Mike Dubisch, we have definitely managed that in this series. He draws these comics and has had a great deal of input on the plot and characters as we go on through the story. I help with layouts and coloring the comics, so it’s become an incredible collaboration.

Laura’s tears play a pivotal role in this volume. What do they symbolize for you?

The term “crocodile tears” comes from the fact that when crocodiles eat, they cry. Why? Why do they shed so, so many tears? Why are these reptiles bawling when they consume their prey? No one knows why but it plagues me, as if they regret their need to hunt and kill.

Tears are more than water. They have hormones and chemicals and serve us quite well. They communicate emotions, clean our eyes from irritants, and help us process and understand our experiences. They are magic in a lot of ways.

In this story Laura’s tears are of loss (her own loss of her home and friends) and of empathy for Huya’s loss and imprisonment. These are powerful emotions and emotions have a profound effect on everything in our lives. This story is a classic “Chosen One” tale, so of course Laura’s tears pack an even more powerful punch.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

A sense of feeling stuck or trapped is woven throughout all the books in this series. What I really wanted to convey is a sense of learning to navigate an impossible situation, conquering challenges, and ultimately of Laura and many of the characters becoming very resilient.

Themes of friendship, courage, and mystery are at the very heart of this story.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

The next book in this series is called Rain and it just came out in the last few weeks. It’s already been getting great reviews! The People That Melt in the Rain has an every 8 months publication schedule and Mike and I are currently working on the art for book six.

As an author/illustrator team, we also have a children’s book coming out for the next Christmas season called Crow’s Christmas Star, which is funny and sweet and I hope people will consider it for the child in their life this Christmas.

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