S4 E2 Atlas of Unknowable Things by McCormick Templeman / Special Guest Dr. Rachel Feder

McCormick Templeman’s atmospheric, twisty, gothic mystery novel, ATLAS OF UNKNOWABLE THINGS came out October 7th, and if you haven’t ordered your copy, run–don’t walk–to your local bookstore!  

In this special double interview, McCormick talks about her book (no spoilers!), her literary influences, her creative process, and her friend and colleague, Rachel Feder, author of THE DARCY MYTH, offers her literary expertise and gives ATLAS her highest praise, calling it a Gothic novel that is “both subversive and progressive.” 

This interview digs into fascinating, larger questions about the Gothic. Why has the Gothic genre been so enduring? Is the Gothic femme-coded? What were Ann Radcliffe’s distinctions between “terror gothic” and “horror gothic?” What is the link between traditional Gothic and Dark Academia? Is Gothic always a commentary on patriarchy?  And, yes, we dare to ask if female writers do Gothic better. Writers that come up in conversation are Jane Austen, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Brontë, Ann Radcliffe, Stephen King, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Mary Wollstonecraft, Matthew Gregory Lewis, Mary Shelley, and even William Carlos Williams pops in for a cameo.  

Plus, McCormick Templeman points us in the direction of some HOT NEW WRITERS to watch, and we’ve put links to all of them in the reference section below. 

Along the way, Edgar Allen Poe squeezes into a cheer uniform, “Raised Myself on Gothic” becomes a t-shirt slogan, and we plan a castle turret sleepover, replete with veils, casement windows, and reading from a copy of E. B. Browning’s AURORA LEIGH by moonlight, whilst keeping warm ‘round a wee fire, fed with pages torn from M. G. Lewis’s THE MONK.

REFERENCES:

Grab your copy of ATLAS OF UNKNOWABLE THINGS asap! Learn more about McCormick Templeman at her groovy website.  She is also on  Instagram.

To discover Rachel Feder’s oeuvre, Rachel's website is a great place to start.  And if you have a Swiftie fan in your family, DO check out her book, TAYLOR SWIFT BY THE BOOK, as a really special Christmas gift. Rachel is also very active on Instagram!

If you don’t have a favorite local bookstore, we always recommend stopping by or ordering from The Raven Bookstore in Lawrence, Kansas. 

If you have not read Rachel Fader’s THE DARCY MYTH, absolutely treat yourself to it, and if not that, listen to the In Walks a Woman Episode on The Darcy Myth. By the way, Rachel’s last name is pronounced “FAY-der,” and we got it wrong the whole episode before we knew better…thankfully, she has graciously forgiven us.  

Here are the Author Names that McCormick Templeman mentions in the episode:

Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint https://www.thiriimyokyawmyint.com/

Dennis J. Sweeney https://www.dennisjamessweeney.com/

Khadijah Queen https://www.khadijahqueen.com/

Camille DeAngelis https://www.cometparty.com/