Dr. Carissa Orlando is an American clinical psychologist and horror novelist best known for her acclaimed debut novel, The September House. She earned a Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina and works as a clinical assistant professor and practicing psychologist specializing in child and adolescent mental health. A lifelong horror fan who has written fiction since childhood, Orlando draws on her psychology background to explore trauma, family dynamics, and the unsettling boundary between supernatural horror and psychological distress. The September House, published in 2023, established her as a distinctive new voice in contemporary horror.