This newsletter has been The Eternal Newsletter, because I’m fairly certain I started writing it about two weeks ago?? In-between getting ready for the holidays, desperately trying to work on Adult Thriller 2, and doing loads of things to prep for the release of You Are Fatally Invited, I’ve been in a fugue tunnel-vision state. Boy, do we have lots to talk about this round! I’ll share all the publishing and writing updates, some books I’ve been adoring, a couple of writer resources I’ve been loving, pre-order gifts, my events for You Are Fatally Invited (!), and my goodness tis a lot.

Publishing Update

YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED will be unleashed upon the world in less than two months, which is… wild?! This ramp-up to publication has been the fun part—I’ve been writing articles for several publications sharing about YAFI, my writing space, and how I write mysteries, and I’ll be sure to share them in my newsletters as they come out! I also have quite a few interviews on the rise, which I’m so excited for. Audiobook news will also becoming in the new year, but we have our narrators locked in, and it is a DREAM cast. I cannot wait for you all to see these characters brought to life.

It’s been unreal to see YAFI getting named in 2025 book lists (Goodreads’s Big Books of 2025!) and for me to be tagged in so many incredible reviews and sent so many amazing messages by readers. The reader messages are the best part; they make all of this, all the years of writing and self-doubt and breaking out into hives over a plot hole worth it. Thank you to everyone who has read and reached out. You’re who I do this for.

Pre-order gifts!

If you've preordered my debut, I cannot tell you how grateful I am. Preorders make a huge difference to a publisher (and to booksellers!), especially for first-time authors. So as a little thank-you, I'll be mailing out a limited number of gifts (yes, free!) to readers who have preordered! And as you all have subscribed to my newsletter and are coming along this wild debut year journey with me, I’m giving you first chance to snag these gifts before they go public to the world.

Readers who submit proof of purchase via this Google Form will receive a free YAFI-inspired sticker, a note from me, and either a red or a black 'Suspect List' bookmark to track your suspicions while you read (all designed by yours truly). 

I am so excited about this, particularly the bookmarks—an astonishing number of early readers have messaged me to say they were playing detective and writing up notes while they read the book, and I heard that. So these bookmarks have a list of the characters (to help you keep them straight!), and a place for you to fill in your suspicions during two of the games the authors encounter. On the flip-side (the pen side), there is also a spot for your ‘final’ guess as to who the murderous anonymous host, J.R. Alastor, is. In Clue fashion, be sure to make your guess before the final game!

I'm currently only shipping within the US, but I’m looking into shipping to the UK—it’ll depend on if there's enough interest from international readers, so let me know via the second question on the Google form! There are a limited number of gifts available, and it’s first come first serve. They will ship out all at once in late January, so you can receive them around the time you receive your preorder. I also plan to have some of these to dole out like candy at any events that I do, so come out and see me in person too (scroll down for event details!)!

Feel free to reply to this email if you have any questions!

Writing Update

As of two weeks ago, we’re back on Adult Thriller 2, or as I affectionately call it, Dark (Adult) Inheritance Games. My editors have had the book for a few weeks, we’ve convened for a Great Brainstorming Council, and this week I’m organizing my revision plan, which will be a pretty hefty one. This book has had a rocky path, but a friend of mine recently reminded me that the magic of writing, for me, comes in line-edits. It’s true. My books don’t shine or come together until that point—so I have that carrot dangling for me at the end of these big revisions!

I’m doing my first read-through of the book (yes, it is long overdue!), and making a list of things I’d like to change next round. This looks like a great big giant document broken down chapter by chapter, with loads of bullet points beneath each chapter number.

Generally at this point, during or after my read-through, I’ll run through my outline with a few things in mind to make sure each of these things is threaded throughout the book:

• The Plot (according to Side Character A, and B, and C, and…): I go through the entire plot from the POV of the characters other than the mains. I’ll take a look through my outline, and every couple of chapters/every big event, ask what this character would be seeing, thinking, perceiving. What would their goal be? What are they afraid of? And so on. This tends to be pretty quick—I’m not rewriting the entire book from their POV—but it makes such a difference for giving each character agency and making sure they matter.

• Romance beats: pretty much every book I write has a romantic subplot, and this point in revisions is its time to shine. I’ll be pulling out my Romance the Beat book and quickly going through the plot, seeing if there are any romance beats that can fit in various chapters. Since I’m not writing in the romance genre, the beats won’t line up perfectly, but they do ensure that there is a plausible build of the characters’ relationship throughout the book, and it’s not just sprung in Chapter Fifty-Three. I have to say, this is one of my favorite parts.

• Theme and Driving Question: I make a note under each chapter plan to include a callback to the big question the characters are dealing with, and the theme of the story. These things often twine together, but I try to make sure each one is accounted for!

What I’m Reading

I am delighted to have gotten back into reading, though admittedly, I’ve struggled with most of my recent reads. Which only makes my recent favorite stand out in fantastic contrast: I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew. It is YA bubblegum horror at its finest. I’ve been obsessed with every book Kelly writes, and this is no different. The amount of gut-wrenching angst and heart Kelly combines with such chilling horror is simply magnificent, and the reason I love horror so much.

For the Christmas break I’m bringing along All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whittaker, which I’ve heard rave reviews of, and likely The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo. I also have a kindle brimming with incredible arcs I’m excited to dive into, so hopefully next newsletter I’ll have a heap of fun recommendations to share.

Events!

I will now have a new section in my newsletters: Events! Because now I have some! Wild.

Seattle friends, save the date! My first event is an in-person launch at Barnes and Noble Northgate in Seattle. On Saturday, February 15th, at 5:30 PM, dear writing friend and fellow thriller author Jessica Payne and I will be discussing all things thrillers and You Are Fatally Invited, and I’ll be able to meet all of YOU. I’ll be signing books, answering questions, and waving around a finished copy of my book. Attendees must have a ticket, so please be sure to RSVP online ahead of time—you can either purchase a ticket that includes the finished book, and will allow you into the signing line to meet me and get your book signed, or you can select the discussion-only ticket for free!

My second event is in Houston, Texas, at the legendary indie bookstore Murder by the Book! Abby Endler of the fantastic book recommendations account Crime by the Book runs a monthly book club box called Crime by the Box in partnership with this indie bookstore, and she selected YAFI to be the February pick! Being part of a book box pick has always been an author pipe dream of mine, so getting picked by one of my favorite bookstagrammers and indie bookstores has been a major highlight of my career. So Texas friends, save the date for February 20th, and come on out to see Abby and I and hear us fangirl about all things crime and thriller!

I’ll be signing books at the event, and if you’re unable to make it, YES the bookstore ships! See the event details for what you should do if you still want a signed book. And I can’t recommend enough checking out Abby and Murder by the Book’s Crime by the Book subscription—you receive one signed first edition book a month, and their picks are pretty much always new releases on my most anticipateds list!

I also have a secret third event which will hopefully be announced soon!

Stray Heart from Beneath the Floorboards

Finally: the resources I’ve been pouring over the last few weeks!

The first, which is invaluable for fantasy writers: The Book by Hungry Minds.

She is beauty, she is grace, she will help you know exactly what you’re talking about when you’re planning what the heck kind of fantasy world you’re going to have. The Book is everything one needs to know about civilization—inventions, governments, how to make boats, coffee, pottery, what to consider when building a CITY, everything.

And it’s ALL illustrated by hand, with the most gorgeous, bizarre, fascinating drawings.

No more wondering “how on earth does a compass work” or “would this world have access to the materials to make a gun?? Or, coffee?!”

The Book is pricey, but worth every penny. It has me itching to write fantasy again*.

The second, which has been a LIFE SAVER for this thriller/horror author right here: Locked Room Murders by Robert Adey (and the updated supplement by Brian Skupin).

I have found myself racking my brains** over what books have certain locked room elements in them (i.e. what other books have characters keel over whilst there are multiple people in the room and everyone’s been watching each other?), so that I can study how they are done well, and carry what I learn over into my own work (read: Not just copying from someone else). I fell down some sort of rabbit hole during my research, and discovered these books—an index of authors, their books, and the ‘problem’ (the mystery/murder) in them.

And then, at the end of the book, is the list of solutions.

Nothing new has been done under the sun; and while I am staunchly against stealing ideas (I wrote a whole book about it, hello it’s called You Are Fatally Invited), I do whole-heartedly believe in learning from others’ successes, and finding inspiration in the books that have come before (something YAFI also talks about; getting inspiration from someone else’s work and letting it spin out into its own different, new thing and making it truly your own and not a copy/ripoff is very different from stealing, but I digress). So to have an index of thousands of literary murders and their solutions that I can crack open and absorb at once? BRILLIANCE. Now, when I’ve been stumped on how to RIP someone in an interesting way, I’ve taken to reading a few pages of these and seeing if any spark something interesting or open up my mind just a bit to the new shiny possibilities out there. Eventually, I plan on annotating/tabbing this puppy up and using it as a reference book.

*Did you know that I originally started out as a fantasy writer? Yep. I’ve written multiple full-length books/hundreds of pages of fantasy just for me, way back before I ever thought about publishing. It was my first love in writing, and one day, I’ll get back to it!

**Did you also know that the term racking your brain comes from the famed historical torture device known as the rack? #TheMoreYouKnow

Whew, this was a long one, but we made it. Thank you for getting to the end with me! Seeing as it’s nearly the end of the year, I’m thinking of doing a last 2024 newsletter next week with highlights—publishing highlights, writing highlights, my 2024 top books and movies and shows, etc, as well as a round-up of all the coming things on the YAFI front. We’ll see if it happens, or if I get buried in snow (Book 2 edits). But until then,

Yours Fatally,

Ande

Author of YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED (Penguin Random House)

www.andepliego.com