About this episode

Emily Carpenter discusses her Southern Gothic writing style and the themes of reality versus supernatural in her work.

"I’ve really been able to lean into that Southern Gothic with a touch of horror... It’s that concept of… is it a ghost or is it the guy? There is always that element in my books. Is it real, is it not real, is it an unreliable narrator having psychosis or is it truly something supernatural?" — Emily Carpenter Emily Carpenter, a former actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant, was born and raised in Alabama. After graduating from Auburn University, she mo...

People in this episode

Host: Carter Wilson

Guest: Emily Carpenter

Topics covered

• Southern Gothic
• horror
• unreliable narrator
• supernatural
• psychosis

Keywords

• Emily Carpenter
• Southern Gothic
• horror
• A Spell for Saints and Sinners
• unreliable narrator
• psychosis
• supernatural

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Auburn University

Books & works: A Spell for Saints and Sinners

Places: Alabama

More episodes of Carter Wilson's Making It Up

• Making it Up with Lee Goldberg, author of Murder By Design · May 28, 2026 · 47 min
• Making It Up with Kate White, author of I Came Back For You · May 17, 2026 · 48 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Carter Wilson's Making It Up podcast page.