Hi from the seaside!

Here I am, on the other side of launching my adult thriller debut You Are Fatally Invited into the world, and what a few weeks it has been. In case you’re going “who in the world is this chick in my inbox and what am I fatally (?!) invited to,” I’m Ande, the (newly published) author of this beastie here:

I have retreated from the snowy, dreary Pacific Northwest to the seaside like the ailing Victorian woman I am inside, and it has been even more restorative than I hoped. I have slept, I have (been sick, but) slept some more, I have metamorphosed into a solar panel, and I have written. Like actual words! And it hasn’t felt like pulling off my fingernails, which is a novel feeling.

I promised an update on how it went, hurling my first book into the world. So below you’ll find all the news about the book, a writing update about Thriller 2, and links to interviews I’ve done and articles I’ve written, all in one nice tidy spot.

A couple highlights yall might be interested in:

1. I reveal how you can score a hardcover of YAFI for $4 (nope not a scam, just a pretty fantastic book club)

2. I’ll share the link to my article on how I hide my antagonists/write my red herrings 👀

Publishing Update

Well, perhaps most exciting is that YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED is an instant national bestseller! Week one, the book clocked in at #71 on the USA TODAY bestseller list (a list charting the top 150 books of all genres/categories in the US), and week two it held steady at #80. That’s a big deal for a debut, because who the heck am I? That is only possible because of YOU, everyone who has ever shown any modicum of support for me and my writing. I can’t say thank you enough to all of the readers who took a chance on this new author. And I hope you love the book!

Additionally, YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED was the 33rd most selling hardback fiction book in the UK during Week two. My UK team and readers have all been so enthusiastic and excited from the beginning, and I am so grateful for them.

Particularly exciting, YAFI is also an Aardvark Book Club Pick! Aardvark is a bookclub subscription box that features 5 - 6 new books each month, and their subscribers can pick 1 - 3 of them to get in a box monthly. I’ve been a fan of Aardvark for a while—their picks are almost always on my radar for anticipated reads—and right before they announce the new monthly books, they do these fabulous hints for each of their book picks, which just speaks to my mystery-loving soul.

Usually it’s $17.99 for a box (1 hardcover new release book), which is already a steal, but right now they are running a promotion where you can get your first book for $4 with the code CHILL. taps mic That means you can get an exclusive hardcover of YAFI—with a gorgeous newly colored naked hardcover—for $4. No idea how long that promotion will last, so run, Forrest, run!

And lastly, YAFI was also an Apple Books pick of February, in multiple categories: Best of the Month, Staff Pick, and Must-Listen.

Here is their fantastic review for it:

Writing Update

The finish line for Adult Thriller 2 is on the horizon.

For the last two weeks, I’ve retreated to the seaside, handed my lovely hobbit to his grandparents for some major spoiling, shut off my phone, and wrote. It’s the first time in months that I’ve made considerable progress, and my creative juices have finally started to flow in a way they haven’t, ever, with this book. And last week, it felt like the story took me by the hand and led me through the last third of the book, and honestly, I was so happy I could have cried. I did have shaking hands from all the adrenaline and endorphins (no, it wasn’t just low blood sugar from forgetting to eat all day; I forgot to eat because I was so excited). But for the first time with this book, the plot was one (two?!) steps ahead of me, rather than me reenacting this lovely photo:

It honestly feels like a eucatastrophe, a sudden Deus Ex Machina, and actually, I have no doubt that it really is. I’m grateful. The jury’s still out on what my betas and editors will think—this new inspired edition is a bit more ambitious than I’d even planned—but for now, I’m riding the wave, and am hopeful.

I have a few days left before returning to the cold north west, and am trying to squeeze every drop of productivity out of it (me) I can. My goal is to submit Book 2 in its entirety to my editors in the beginning of April, and from there… read, sleep, stop living like a deadline swamp creature, and take some time to catch up with friends and online.

Art I’m Consuming

I am alas still limited on reading time, but I did manage to read/listen to The Ascent by Adam Plantinga (a prison break thriller, not for the faint of heart…), Rebel Witch by Kristin Ciccarelli (second book in a romantasy Scarlet Pimpernel retelling), and Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett (third book in my very favorite light academia urban fantasy series). All three were five star reads. I’m also currently stealing bits of time to read Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith, an upcoming thriller that’s an ode to nostalgic 90’s slasher movies, and I’m LOVING it so far.

Soon as this draft is done, I’ve got a fabulous line-up of books: To Steal From Thieves by M.K. Lobb, Count My Lies by Sophie Stava (who I get to meet in the Hamptons in next month!), and House of Hearts by Skyla Arndt.

I also finally watched Scream, which so many of you have been—ahem—screaming at me to watch, and you’re right; it was great, and very much a kindred spirit to You Are Fatally Invited.

Events and Media 

Seattle

You Are Fatally Invited began its public debut in Seattle, at Barnes and Noble Northgate, at the best launch event a new author could ask for. The lovely Taylor Laidley—B&N event coordinator who is also a friend and fellow alumni from a writer’s workshop—knocked the event out of the park, decorating the store to the nines with crime scene tape, Clue props, and even a body outline on the floor. It was fabulous.

It was a perfect excuse for me to make a veritable suspect board, red string and all. Observe:

I was in conversation with a dear friend and fellow thriller author, Jessica Payne; it was our first time meeting in person after three-ish years of being friends and swapping books. I read her first domestic thriller Make Me Disappear as an ARC before it came out, and loved it—it follows a girl who fakes her own kidnapping to escape her narcissistic boyfriend. Her next thriller—about a mom who also just happens to be an assassin—releases next summer. It’s whip-smart and darkly hilarious.

All that to say, we had a truly lovely time, and hopefully it was the first of many events we’ll do together.

The night ended with much celebrating with some dear friends and fellow creatives. It was an absolutely perfect evening.

Houston

My next stop was Houston’s independent thriller bookstore Murder by the Book, which I have been dying to visit for years. Abby Endler, book recommendation queen of @crimebythebook, chose YAFI as the February pick for the Crime by the Book Box (book club subscription box), and every month, they do an in-person event at the store with the author! And it was incredible; the book community is alive and thriving in Houston.

I’ve followed Abby for quite a while now and always LOVED her book recommendations—what an incredible joy to meet in person. The booksellers of Murder by the Book were some of the kindest, most fun people to chat with (and by chat with, I mean distract from their work by peppering them with questions like “ooh have you guys read this book? Or this one? Should I read it? What did you think of this one?” they were very gracious and put up with me).

I couldn’t believe how many copies of YAFI there were. I think I signed over 350? Loads for the Crime by the Box subscriptions, the signed/personalized preorders (I saw so many names I recognized!), and then heaps and heaps of store stock, because Murder by the Book is incredible and believes in this book so much. So if you want a signed copy, Murder by the Book is currently the only place you can get them—so get one while they’re in stock!

And the readers—the readers! You all showed up with such enthusiasm and kindness. It was such a delight to get to talk to so many of you both at the event and at the happy hour beforehand, and hear about this wonderful community you all have built. I can’t say thank you enough for everyone who came out to see Abby and I chat!

Houston, I love you. I’m so grateful for the incredible welcome you all gave me, and I hope some day to return!

Interviews

I was lucky to be on so many fantastic interviews leading up to YAFI’s release, and most of them are live now—here they all are:

Crime Time chat with the fantastic Hank Philippi Ryan on A Mighty Blaze—Hank is absolutely amazing and I’ve loved getting to chat with her these couple times.

The Incoherent Fangirl Podcast, with wonderful hosts Mandy and Karin, wherein we had way too much fun discussing revenge stories, writing, and my boy Darrow from Red Rising.

Books Are Chic, with Courtney Marzilli, where we chatted how I got started in writing and have slurred my way across genre and audience categories, and how starting out with fantasy has infused my thrillers with their own sort of world-building.

Thrillers by the Book Club, with Chelsea and Olivia, where we had a blast discussing some recent books we’d read, and I fangirled hard about Kimi Cunningham Grant’s The Nature of Disappearing. The episode is called “Too Many Spiders,” which is even more hilarious if you know how much I Do Not Like Spiders in real life 😂

Articles

I wrote an essay for CrimeReads on genre-blending fear and humor, and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve written to date. I wax eloquent on the power of scary stories, and how the infusion of humor can help us face—and simultaneously have relief from—the heavy themes of life. Many shoutouts to my favorite quirky, zany, dark humored thrillers and horror books/movies abound.

ElectricLit had me put together a list of seven books about deadly games, and my goodness did I go on a delightful reading spree for this one. I put together some of my favorites, highlighting which game each book twists! Check it out to see which book is a cautionary tale about maybe not playing imaginary friends with the skeleton you find in the woods.

Shelf Awareness took a deep dive into the books that I’m currently reading, the ones that shaped me, my top five authors (definitely didn’t name six, I do have self-control, yall), and several 2025 releases that should absolutely be on your radar.

For CrimeSpree Magazine, I share the details (and pictures!) of my office, not limited to my Disney villain chair where I do 87% of my scheming (the remaining 13% is done on my carpet, which also gets a shoutout).

Writer’s Digest (squeee) had me on for a written interview, and they even titled the interview after my writing motto, the only failed writer is the one who gave up, which is just delightful. I share where the idea for YAFI came from, surprises along the publication journey, and the story of how the book deal went down.

At the beginning of January, Career Authors also had me on for a written interview, where I admitted (under duress) the unfortunate original name of YAFI’s main character Mila, and give a shoutout to several of the wonderful people who have stayed by my side every step of my writing journey. You can check it out here.

And lastly, in this article for The Sh*T No One Tells You About Writing’s newsletter, I share my secrets for how I hide my antagonists and plot my red herrings. Carly, CeCe, and Bianca’s advice on publishing was extremely helpful to me as a fledgling writer, so making an appearance in their newsletter was such a lovely full-circle moment (if you don’t subscribe to their Substack, they still give one free article free). I’m pretty darned proud of how I’ve distilled my red-herring method down, and this is the first time I’ve shared it in-depth! Here’s a peek:

I go through how I approach plotting a mystery from drafting, to revising, to line-edits, talk through three things that can give your antagonist away, and also share how to avoid having the Jar Jar Binks of mysteries muddling your book.

Whew. Those articles and interviews oughta keep any stalkers busy for a while. I’ll have more material for you soon, I’m sure.

Stray Heart from Beneath the Floorboards

Next time, I’ll share the sequel to my last newsletter’s stray heart, which was about what writers can do while waiting for agents/editors/betas to get back with feedback. The first part of my answer, which you can read here, was not just to write the next thing—but to work on your craft. Last time, I explained why, and promised you some practical ideas for how writers can dedicate some time to their line-level craft. That’s coming! But in the mean time, you can find all my best writing advice on my website’s For Writers section.

Okay, that’s a wrap!

I’ve learned so much on the business side in terms of what actually happens after the book launches, and I’m considering doing a newsletter on that sometime—weird things like, why Tuesdays are important for authors (and why you might get an email from your team the Tuesday after you launch), what a ‘normal’ range of sales is for an author in a week or a month (this can vary widely, but some numbers can be helpful), why mid-week sales (if you have an online portal) can be wrong, why Week 1 is your best shot at getting on any lists, etc. Also how lists work, at least as best people gestures vaguely can tell? Would that be interesting to you all? Let me know by responding to the email, or the contact form on my website.

I crave your prayers and encouragement as I finish Book 2—the self-doubt demons are never far, even by the seaside. But the next time I write one of these, it’ll be finished, and one huge step closer to getting in your hands. Thank you for reading, and coming on this journey with me.

Onwards, upwards, and into the wilds we go.

Yours Fatally,
Ande

Author of YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED (Penguin Random House)
www.andepliego.com
IG: @andepliegowrites