Dr. Carla M. Westbury

Carla Naue has spent most of her life following curiosity wherever it leads—which is usually somewhere she probably should not be.

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Growing up, she was the talkative, impulsive, adventurous twin. The one getting into trouble. The one asking one question too many. The one who could turn an ordinary afternoon into a story everyone would still be telling years later.

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Her path has been far less orderly than Carolyn’s, but that doesn’t make it less impressive.

Carla is fiercely intelligent, deeply curious, exceptionally good with technology, and almost impossible to contain once something catches her interest

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Quick Facts

Occupation: Historian, researcher, occasional coffee-shop employee
Specialty: Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Celtic history
Other talent: Extremely advanced computer hacking
Education: Master’s in History and Viking Studies; Doctorate in Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Celtic History
Personality: Curious, outgoing, impulsive, adventurous, independent
Closest to: Carolyn
Current problem: Figuring out what she actually wants to do with all that knowledge
Dangerous trait: Carla has never been particularly good at leaving things alone.

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Before Savannah

Carla’s early life was considerably less structured than her twin sister’s.

 

As a teenager, she was energetic, excessively talkative, and frequently in trouble. She briefly dropped out of high school before eventually returning and graduating a year later than her original class.

College did not immediately follow. Instead, Carla went backpacking.

 

After attending Mystic Madness: Sands of Serendipity, she traveled through Egypt, Spain, and Costa Rica, discovering along the way that she had an unexpected fascination with history. Her time in Cairo proved particularly influential, thanks in part to a passionate relationship with archaeologist Dr. Ray Whissman.

 

By twenty-two, Carla was ready to turn curiosity into scholarship.She enrolled at Yggdrasil University, later participating in a study-abroad program at Norway’s Fjordland Institute, where her interest in Viking and Celtic history became a serious academic pursuit. She eventually earned a Master’s in History and Viking Studies and completed her Doctorate in Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Celtic History at the University of Camelot. For someone who once dropped out of high school, Carla ended up with a surprising number of letters after her name.

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What She’s Known For

Carla has two skill sets that do not appear to belong to the same person.

 

The first is history.

She has a remarkable memory for historical details and can disappear happily into subjects ranging from Viking culture to Anglo-Saxon society to obscure Celtic traditions.

 

The second is computers.

Carla is an exceptionally gifted hacker.

And at one point, that talent nearly landed her in prison.

 

Driven more by curiosity than criminal intent, Carla infiltrated the security systems of a major corporation, bypassing several layers of sophisticated cybersecurity and gaining access to confidential information. The company noticed and an investigation followed.

Eventually, the trail led straight to Carla. Facing serious legal consequences, she was rescued by the person who has been rescuing her from one form of chaos or another for most of her life: Carolyn.

 

With considerable negotiation, professional influence, and a substantial amount of money, Carolyn helped convince the corporation and authorities not to pursue charges. The experience forced Carla to reconsider what she wanted to do with her abilities...Mostly.

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How to Read Carla

Carla is friendly enough to make conversation with almost anyone.

She enjoys people, parties, travel, new experiences, strange ideas, and anything that gives her a story to tell afterward, but she is not simply an extrovert.

Carla also disappears into research, technology, and her own thoughts when something captures her attention. She tends to move through life by instinct rather than careful planning.

Carolyn wants the itinerary. Carla wants to know what is down the road that was not on the itinerary.

That difference causes friction between the twins. It also makes them remarkably effective together.

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Carolyn

Carla loves her sister deeply. She is also occasionally jealous of her.

Carolyn appears to have the kind of stable, accomplished, carefully constructed life Carla has never quite managed to build for herself. (Career. Recognition. Money. A long-term partner. A plan.)

Carla, meanwhile, is still deciding what she wants to be when she grows up—despite possessing a doctorate. Their relationship carries all the complications of twinhood: affection, competition, loyalty, irritation, history, and the certainty that no matter how annoyed they become with one another, they are still each other’s person.

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Emily

Carla recently ended a significant relationship with Emily Stoddard, a gifted mystic and clairvoyant.

The relationship changed her, so did its ending. However, Emily becomes one of the catalysts behind Carla’s decision to stop drifting quite so much and attempt something that resembles a more deliberate life. Whether Carla is actually capable of living a quiet, responsible existence remains an open question.

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Things You should know

• Carla currently lives in a studio apartment in Atlanta’s Grand Regency District in Emerton.

• Carolyn and Chris pay for it.

• Carla works at a nearby coffee shop while deciding what comes next.

• She has considered working in role-playing game development, where her historical knowledge could help create more believable worlds.

• She has also considered becoming a historical consultant.

• Her hacking skills have attracted attention from both dark-web recruiters and government agencies.

• She has declined both, for now.

• Carla possesses an unusually strong memory, particularly for historical information.

• She is independent to the point of stubbornness.

• And telling her that something is forbidden has historically been a poor strategy for preventing her from investigating it.

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Why the House Gets Her Attention

Where Carolyn sees a mystery that needs explanation, Carla sees an invitation to an old house.

She loves a complicated history, unanswered questions and stories that do not quite line up.

For someone whose entire life has been driven by the desire to find out what happens when she looks a little closer, the house is almost impossible to resist.

Carolyn may want to understand it but Carla wants to dig...and once Carla starts digging, she has never been particularly good at stopping.

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The Diary of Ynna Mae

Follow Carla, Carolyn, Chris, and the Naue family as they begin uncovering the secrets hidden inside their new home.

LISTEN NOW →

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Keep Exploring

Meet Carolyn →
Meet Chris →
Explore the Naue House →
Return to The Diary of Ynna Mae →