Emily Carpenter Presents Gothictown – In Conversation with Allison Gunn
Join us on Thursday, April 10 at 6 PM at Four Seasons Books as we welcome bestselling author Emily Carpenter to celebrate the release of her latest Southern Gothic thriller, Gothictown—now in development as a television series with AMC!
She’ll be joined in conversation by local author Allison Gunn, whose highly anticipated debut novel Nowhere explores the dark intersections of memory, place, and trauma. Together, they’ll discuss the enduring power of Southern and Appalachian storytelling, the craft of suspense writing, and how complex women and twisted secrets are transforming the thriller genre.
What to expect:
Whether you love gothic fiction, true crime, thrillers, or book-to-screen stories—you’ll find something to keep you up at night.
This event is not only a celebration of powerful Appalachian storytelling—it’s also a chance to give back to the community that inspires us. We’re proud to announce that a portion of all ticket sales for the event will be donated to Read Aloud West Virginia, in support of their mission to foster a love of reading in children across the state.
She’ll be joined in conversation by local author Allison Gunn, whose highly anticipated debut novel Nowhere explores the dark intersections of memory, place, and trauma. Together, they’ll discuss the enduring power of Southern and Appalachian storytelling, the craft of suspense writing, and how complex women and twisted secrets are transforming the thriller genre.
What to expect:
- A reading from Gothictown
- A conversation between Emily Carpenter and Allison Gunn
- Audience Q&A
- Book signing and meet & greet
Whether you love gothic fiction, true crime, thrillers, or book-to-screen stories—you’ll find something to keep you up at night.
This event is not only a celebration of powerful Appalachian storytelling—it’s also a chance to give back to the community that inspires us. We’re proud to announce that a portion of all ticket sales for the event will be donated to Read Aloud West Virginia, in support of their mission to foster a love of reading in children across the state.
About EmilyEmily Carpenter is a bestselling author of suspense novels including Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, The Weight of Lies and Gothictown. Born and raised in Brimingham, Alabama, she graduated from Auburn University and worked in New York City as an actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant for the CBS shows As the World Turns and Guiding Light. She now lives with her family outside Atlanta, Georgia, and can be found online at EmilyCarpenterAuthor.com.
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About AllisonAllison Gunn is a professional researcher, writer, and podcaster with a penchant for all things whimsical and strange. An alum of the University of Maryland, she has extensively studied marginalized communities as well as Appalachian folklore and the occult. She currently resides in the wonderfully weird land of West Virginia with her twin daughters, a precocious pup, and one seriously troubled tabby. Nowhere is her first novel
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Can’t make it? Snag a copy and we’ll ship it!
Gothictown by Emily Carpenter
$33.00
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.
Biographical Note:
Emily Carpenter is a bestselling author of suspense novels including Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, The Weight of Lies and Gothictown. Born and raised in Brimingham, Alabama, she graduated from Auburn University and worked in New York City as an actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant for the CBS shows As the World Turns and Guiding Light. She now lives with her family outside Atlanta, Georgia, and can be found online at EmilyCarpenterAuthor.com.
Nowhere by Allison Gunn
$30.00
SIGNED FOUR SEASONS BOOKS PREORDER EXCLUSIVE INCLUDES:
- FOUR SEASONS BOOKS EXCLUSIVE TAROT CARD + BOOKMARK
- EARLY RELEASE MARCH 23, 2025 + ENTRY TO BOOK LAUNCH EVENT
Mare of Easttown meets The Outsider in this spine-tingling and twisty debut about a series of disappearances in a small, fundamentalist town and what one broken family must do to remain together as dark forces close in.
After losing her young son in an accident, Rachel Kennan throws herself into her career as police chief of a small Virginia town to avoid focusing on her grief. Meanwhile, her husband, Finn, a washed-up writer whose alcoholism led to the devastating tragedy that changed everything, struggles to redeem himself before his family completely falls apart. Their two daughters are the only things keeping Rachel and Finn together, but the girls have demons of their own. At the same time, a disturbing crime rocks their tightknit, religious community, sending Rachel chasing leads in a place that does not take kindly to outsiders. When an ominous force in the forest starts calling to the children, fear spawns hate among the townspeople, placing the Kennan family directly in the line of fire. Left with no choice but to rely on each other, Rachel and Finn must come together to face threats inside and out. A haunting family saga and a disquieting horror debut, Nowhere draws from Appalachian folklore to caution us that true terror is what we bury in our own hearts.
ABOUT ALLISON: Allison Gunn is a professional researcher, writer, and podcaster with a penchant for all things whimsical and strange. An alum of the University of Maryland, she has extensively studied marginalized communities as well as Appalachian folklore and the occult. She currently resides in the wonderfully weird land of West Virginia with her twin daughters, a precocious pup, and one seriously troubled tabby. Nowhere is her first novel.