Today marks a monumental day in the life of this podcast. Missing in the Carolinas officially has 100 episodes! Sometimes I still find it hard to believe I’ve been able to keep it going for so long. Yes, I’ve changed up the format a few times and taken a few hiatuses. But I am very proud of myself in that I’ve continued to write and produce episodes. Here’s something you might not know about me—I enjoy creating things but have trouble following through to completion. For example, I’ve written a book for preteens, completed two different young adult novels, and written a suspense/thriller. I have a new idea for a time loop novel that I’m holding myself back from drafting this summer because I would lie to focus on sharing some of the stories from this podcast in book form.
I have not published any of these books I mentioned or followed through on my search for a literary agent, as much as I’d love to become a full-time novelist. My latest book is about a podcaster trying to solve the disappearance of her sister and I’m happy with the way it turned out, so I am actively seeking out a literary agent, which if you’ve ever tried to do that, you know that it is a complicated and time-consuming process.
When I was researching content for a digital course I created on podcasting, I learned that there are currently 3-4 million podcasts in existence, and 44 percent of those have less than three episodes. I don’t have to tell you how saturated the marketplace is, especially in the true crime genre. So, for me to have followed through and continued to produce Missing in the Carolinas, even with all the fears, doubts, imposter syndrome, and my freelance writing and editing workload, is a huge accomplishment in itself.
I started this podcast in the guest bedroom of our home, and I still produce it with barebones equipment like Garage Band and a Yeti microphone. I created a YouTube Channel that I can’t seem to get off the ground because I focus so much on writing and researching that I’m completely exhausted at the end of the week once an episode goes live, but I hope to change that soon. I’m thrilled to report that as of today, the podcast has received 197, 552 downloads—we are so close to 200,000!
I look at listener feedback and I take it to heart. More than anything, I do see this podcast as a way to help spread awareness and provide tips to the public wherever I can, so that message really touched me.
One of my favorite things about podcasting and writing true crime is all the wonderful people I’ve connected with, from genealogists to historians, to other writers. Today I wanted to share some of the conversations I’ve had with others since the show launched in March 2020. I pulled snippets from different interviews and hope that you will also enjoy revisiting these talks with people I have been honored to feature on Missing in the Carolinas. I do want to mention that most of these interviews were done via Zoom, as I’m still trying to figure out the best way to get the most high-quality remote interviews, so occasionally you’ll hear pauses or breaks in the audio due as part of that recording process.
First, we’ll start off with author Stacy Hawks. I interviewed her on Episode 33-An Unsolved Murder in Alleghany, North Carolina. Stacy embarked on a research project about a 1937 cold case involving 16-year-old Elva Brannock that hadn’t been written about in the media since 1981. She eventually turned that research project into a historical fiction novel about the case.
Another great conversation I had was with Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, who wrote the book “The Other Doctor Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice.” Here’s the short synopsis of the book:
Fresh out of medical residency, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer joined a rural North Carolina clinic only to find that its previous doctor shared his last name. Dr. Vince Gilmer was loved and respected by the community— right up until he strangled his ailing father and then returned to the clinic for a regular week of work. Vince’s eventual arrest for murder shocked his patients. How could their beloved doctor be capable of such violence? The deeper Benjamin looked into Vince’s case, the more he became obsessed with discovering what had pushed a good man toward darkness.
I always enjoy catching up with true crime author Cathy Pickens, who has written numerous true crime books about North and South Carolina crimes along with fictional mysteries. Her background as a lawyer helps provide a unique perspective to how she analyzes the facts of a case. For Episode 67, we talked about one criminal in particular who had his story shared on the popular series “Unsolved Mysteries.” In fact, I was watching the show on Amazon Prime the other and saw this segment featured.
I became acquainted with a local historian in my area, Chris Stonestreet, when I interviewed him for a magazine article I was writing a few years ago. I was excited to chat with him on the podcast on Episode 70 about his research on what is considered the oldest unsolved murder in Mooresville, North Carolina.
One of my writing buddies sent me the book description for Max Marshall’s true crime book, “Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story,” because it was set in South Carolina. I immediately fired off an e-mail to Max and his publicist seeking an interview, and as I always am, was surprised when the responded with a yes. Here’s what I learned about Max when I asked how he first began writing true crime and came upon this story from Charleston, South Carolina in Episode 75.
Stalking Awareness Month. She shared the heartbreaking story of how her sister’s ex-boyfriend stalked, and eventually murdered her, despite her trying to do everything possible to keep herself safe with local law enforcement. Here are some tips Debbie shared with our listeners regarding stalking and protecting ourselves from becoming victims.
For Episode 81, I interviewed North Carolina advocate Debbie Riddle for National Stalking Awareness Month. She shared the heartbreaking story of how her sister’s ex-boyfriend stalked, and eventually murdered her, despite her trying to do everything possible to keep herself safe with local law enforcement. Here are some tips Debbie shared with our listeners regarding stalking and protecting ourselves from becoming victims.
