Bestselling Author EMILY CARPENTER Celebrates GOTHICTOWN

"I’ve been writing ever since I was a little girl growing up in Birmingham, Alabama. My debut work was a highly (okay, totally) plagiarized version of The Pokey Little Puppy. The narrative followed the original closely (okay, word for word), and it came complete with detailed Crayola illustrations and was bound with staples by my ever-patient mother. When I wasn’t copying other authors’ books, I was walking, sitting, or lying down with my nose in a library book. In fact, the old Birmingham Public Library, with its marble floors, giant murals, and soaring atrium, remains one of the most magical and inspiring places in the world to me.

After graduating from Auburn University with a BA in Communications and two minors in Journalism and Theater, I moved to New York City with my husband. I landed a job at CBS television in the Daytime Drama division, where we oversaw the production of the soaps “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light.” One of my responsibilities was reading the shows’ daily scripts and creating summary paragraphs for local newspapers. You might remember reading one of these tiny masterpieces – they usually went something like, Roger freaks out when he realizes Holly’s been faking amnesia, and Billy’s back from rehab only to find Mindy in bed with Frank! (“So-and-so freaks out” was my signature, work-horse phrase. I used it every week.)

After moving back to Atlanta, I attempted to write a few spec soap scripts, but the form didn’t quite capture my imagination. Instead, I began trying my hand at screenplays. I shopped a few to Hollywood agents and production companies, was lucky enough to place in a couple of contests, and was even shortlisted for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. As I like to say about that phase of my writing career, my screenplays were rejected by the best; Amblin Entertainment (Steven Spielberg’s company), Icon Productions (Mel Gibson’s company) and Rob Reiner’s company all said no. I did, however, have the fantastic opportunity to work on two low-budget, indie films, but, at the conclusion of those exhausting experiences, I realized film production wasn’t for me. What I really loved most was writing.

With my three boys in school full-time, I decided the time was right to take the leap and write a book. I joined the Atlanta Writers Club and a local critique group. I devoured several excellent craft books. I had never taken a formal creative writing class and felt woefully unqualified, but I couldn’t avoid the pull of the page. The prospect of creating an entire world all my own electrified me.

I began working on my first manuscript, a romantic comedy, in 2011. I finished it, queried agents, and received some encouraging comments. Ultimately, no agent bit, and after a second, unsuccessful attempt at the rom-com genre, I decided to try something new. I wanted to go dark – write something really creepy, atmospheric and southern gothic. The resulting book, Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, ultimately landed me my first agent and a two-book deal.

It’s been a long journey to publication, and I’m still trudging down the path. Trudging, yes, but whistling a happy tune on my way. What I’ve learned so far? Have (unending) patience, be (relentlessly) diligent, and stay (stupidly) optimistic. This career can buffet your self-esteem, and to keep moving forward, you must maintain this strange, paradoxical combination of hubris and humility. People help – my fellow critique partners have been a lifeline for me and my family has bolstered me with love and support. Find your network; they will encourage you to keep telling your stories. For me, that’s where the joy is found."

In an immersive Southern Gothic with echoes of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, a restauranteur lured by pandemic-era incentives moves her family to a seemingly idyllic small town in Georgia, only to discover a darkness lurking beneath the Southern hospitality and sun-dappled streets...
Welcome to gentle Juliana, where you can have it all…if you pay the price.
The email that lands in Billie Hope’s inbox seems like a gift from the universe. For $100, she can purchase a spacious Victorian home in Juliana, Georgia, a small town eager to boost its economy in the wake of the pandemic. She can leave behind her cramped New York City rental and the painful memories of shuttering her once thriving restaurant and start over with her husband and her daughter. Plus, she’ll get a business grant to open a new restaurant in a charming riverside community laden with opportunity. It seems like a dream come true…or a devil’s bargain.
*A Publishers Marketplace BUZZ BOOKS Selection*
A few phone calls and one hurried visit later, and Billie, Peter, and six-year-old Meredith are officially part of the Juliana Initiative. The town is everything promised—two hours northwest of Atlanta but a world away from city living, a “gentle jewel” with weather as warm as its people. Between settling into their lavish home and starting her new restaurant, Billie is busy enough to dismiss any troubling signs…
But Billie’s sleep is marred by haunting dreams, and her marriage with Peter is growing increasingly strained. Meanwhile the town elders, all descended from Juliana’s founding families, exert a level of influence that feels less benevolent and more stifling day by day.
There’s something about “Gentle Juliana”—something off-kilter and menacing beneath that famous Southern hospitality. And no matter how much Billie longed for her family to come here, she’s starting to wonder how, and if, they’ll ever leave.
For readers of Stacy Willingham, Sarah Langan, Ashley Winstead, and Jess Lourey, a bewitchingly foreboding story about sacrifice, privilege, family, guilt, and the vengeful ghosts of a haunted past – from the bestselling author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Northside Branch Library, 3295 Northside Parkway Northwest, Atlanta, United States