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Tropes: Interview with Ande Pliego
1 Playsin 13 hours
Brook and Sarah are joined by Ande Pliego to discuss suspense, Christie, and tropes.
Discussed and mentioned
You Are Fatally Invited (2025) Ande Pliego
The Library After Dark (2026) Ande Pliego
And Then There Were None (1939) Agatha Christie
Spells for Forgetting (2022) Adrienne Young
For more about Ande Pliego
Website: https://www.andepliego.com
For more information
Instagram: @cluedinmystery
Contact us: hello@cluedinmystery.com
Music: Signs To Nowhere by Shane Ivers – www.silvermansound.com
Sign up for our newsletter: https://cluedinmystery.com/clued-in-chronicle/
Order Life or Delft by Brook and Sarah
For a full episode transcript, visit https://cluedinmystery.com/interview-with-ande-pliego/
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:10
Speaker
Welcome to Clued in Mystery. I'm Sarah. And I'm Brooke, and we both love mystery. Brooke. Hi, Sarah. I'm so excited. We have an interview episode today.
00:00:23
Speaker
Yes, this is going to be so much fun. We're speaking with Andy Pliego, and I'm really looking forward to this conversation.
Author's Journey to Success
00:00:30
Speaker
Yes, I'll introduce her. andy playgo began writing stories when she discovered she could actually wield her overactive imagination for good a lover of stories with teeth she writes books involving mind games dark humor general murder and mayhem and most importantly finding the hope in the dark When not reading or writing, she can usually be found dabbling in art, scheming up her next trip, or making constant expeditions to the library.
00:01:00
Speaker
Born in Florida, raised in France, and having left footprints all over the globe, she's settled in the Pacific Northwest, USA, with her little son. Andi is the bestselling author of You Are Fatally Invited and The Library After Dark. Welcome, Andi.
00:01:17
Speaker
Thank you so much. I'm so excited to chat with you all.
Themes of Isolation and Elimination
00:01:20
Speaker
So Andy, your books, The Library After Dark and You're Fatally Invited, play with the themes that readers are familiar with from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
00:01:29
Speaker
A lot of authors have played with the isolation, the elimination of characters. Why do you think readers and authors are drawn to these ideas? I think it's um the psychology behind it and like whether or not, you know, you like know it off off the bat. I think we're all very interested in humans and why we do the things we do. And when you put a bunch of people in a locked room and then you turn up the heat and they start dropping...
00:01:56
Speaker
you know, dropping dead. It's very interesting just to watch all the different reactions that can come of that. And especially, um you know, as people are trying to turn on each other to figure out who's actually killing them off but also you know wanting to survive there's just this there's so many interesting tensions and I think it's absolutely fascinating to read about those and i think readers just really enjoy that that puzzle piece and kind of like also figuring out you know like oh what would you do in this circumstance there's a bit of interactive element in it I should say
00:02:35
Speaker
Yeah, it can also be kind of hard to pull off, right? You're trying to keep the villain a secret because you want everybody to appear possible. So what what's essential to making that work as a writer?
Crafting Mystery Stories
00:02:52
Speaker
um I think the main thing is having multiple trails, multiple breadcrumbs of red herrings. And so when I think about it, I think about it in terms of if I want the reader to be misled somewhere, then I need to know exactly what I'm misleading them to and how i want them to get there. And so i actually plot through, i take all of my suspects and I make sure that I know how they could have done it, why they could have done it, and a couple of clues in there. And then I'll drip feed those super slowly into the book at various points.
00:03:28
Speaker
But you have to plan, you have to plan it all out. um A reader won't just, well, I mean, sometimes they'll find a trail that you didn't plan and that's fantastic. But generally speaking, you got to have put it there first.
00:03:42
Speaker
Your first two books have really played with that. And then there were none type story. What other themes or types of mysteries, if any, would you like to explore? or Do you think that this is kind of where you're your heart is?
Upcoming Book Themes
00:03:58
Speaker
Well, I actually, in book three, which I'm working on now, I'm exploring something a little bit different. um And I can't say too much about it now because it's still in the very, very early phases. But leaning into that psychological element will always be key for my books. um I really love to just go deep into characters' minds and like why they do what they do and how they get to these conclusions and how two people can have the exact same circumstances and do the most radically different things. So I'll i'll always play with that. But I think the way that that unfolds will look differently in future books. And so this, the one I'm working on now is not so much of a puzzle box ah mystery, which is kind of what the first two were. And this one is more actually, it's more deeper into the psychology of a character's mind, um which is a lot of fun, so much fun.
00:04:54
Speaker
I think other tropes and things that I would play with are actually, i really, I'm dying to write this type of mystery, but make it speculative fiction. That is on my horizon for at some point, someday. I'll be doing that.
00:05:08
Speaker
That's exciting. Thank you. I am very excited. Well, Sarah and I recently discussed whether books are better on screen as series, ah like a a limited series or standalone films.
00:05:23
Speaker
If either of your books were adapted, how do you imagine they would work best?
Book Adaptation Insights
00:05:29
Speaker
I think a limited series for both of them, just because i put so much i put so much detail into like the mystery that like having to strip it down is really difficult. And I feel like you would lose a lot of the layers. And i mean, honestly, if a screenwriter wanted to do that, I'd be very interested to see like, okay, how do you do that? Because I tried to strip it down when I was writing it and I couldn't do it. So like,
00:05:52
Speaker
Show me your ways. Yes, I think a limited series would be fantastic. i don't know if you all have seen the BBC. Oh, there's so many versions. But there is a recent BBC version of And Then There Were None that they did. um And it's like three episodes. Each one is like an hour and a half each. So like they're long episodes. And it just it captured the book so well. And i think you know, if you try to shrink it down too much, you lose a lot of things. um So I would, and that's a very long way of saying i like the limited series idea.
00:06:25
Speaker
We definitely came to that conclusion for books that ah really go into deep character development. And i I think that that describes your books a lot. Like you need to know all the nitty gritty details of all those characters to make it the most fun. So I would like to see your books as limited series as well. Thank you. Fingers crossed someday. fun
00:06:49
Speaker
Outside of Christie, well, I guess I'm making an assumption that Christie has shaped your approach to writing. um And apart from her, what other writers have shaped writing mysteries and suspense?
Influences in Mystery Writing
00:07:04
Speaker
Yeah, I think Lucy Foley is a huge one for me. She's just, she's so magnificent at having a complicated story with multiple different points of view, like even multiple timelines. And she just weaves it together with this crazy perfection that just, it just crescendos together at the end. And that's always been like, oh, like that's what I'm empty gonna try, I'm trying to achieve. um So I absolutely adore her books, love picking them apart and studying how she does it. Tana French also is, yes, she's just a master, a master in all the ways, but i absolutely love how she writes character and dialogue and her prose. But wrapping all that up in a mystery is just, in a character driven mystery, especially, is just so...
00:07:53
Speaker
awe-inspiring and so um so she's hugely impactful also authors like um Ashley Winstead and Riley Sager and um Alex Finley like all of their all of their books I've just I've read and picked apart and tried to study like how do they actually do this because it's so good so those are probably a few a very few of my top ones Those are authors we talk about often as well. So we can see that.
00:08:24
Speaker
um You know, Andy, what we recently discussed the the trope in general of And Then There
Blend of Mystery and Horror
00:08:32
Speaker
Were None. One of the things we mentioned was that the trope is often used in horror as well. And your second book, your newest, The Library After Dark, interesting.
00:08:44
Speaker
a little darker as, as stated in this a little bit, as stated in the title. Um, talk to us about how you see that trope being used in mystery and horror and maybe like how, I feel like you sort of combined the two.
00:09:01
Speaker
yes Yeah, no, I, I love that. And I love that readers are picking up on that. I'm a huge fan of, i think it's what you would call more art house horror. Um,
00:09:12
Speaker
which is kind of like that more psychological element. um Like there's so many different shades of horror. And I think it's easy to be like, oh, it's just the super gory slasher, you know, or like the super, you know, like possession type ones. And it's like, actually, there are so many different kinds of it. And I love that we're getting tastes of that more into mainstream, because I think One of my favorite things that horror does specifically was like locked room mysteries um or locked room horror stories is that it really strips down who a character is. And it really just takes away, like it it brings um the person to their most innate self, you know, like when they're facing their worst fears and like, you know, usually in horror, um there's some sort of like transgression or something that the character did in the past, which contributes to what's going on now. And so it's very psychological. And I just absolutely adore that, obviously, as I've said.
00:10:12
Speaker
But I think that with the library after dark, because I was writing about this haunted library, and these characters who, um they're all facing their worst fears in some way or another. It really made sense to lean into that. And um honestly, it just like the whole tone and vibe of it just felt very natural for like, oh, this is what, like if I'm writing about fear and if we're going through this haunted library, like it makes sense that kind of like in Haunting of Hill House, it's the location is a mirror of the character and too and the things that they're thinking through and having to struggle with.
00:10:50
Speaker
And so, and I just, I'm a sucker for all of that. So yeah.
00:10:57
Speaker
Just thinking about some of the books that you mentioned in your own books, where the story is told from multiple points of view. Do you think that that is critical part of these types of books? Or would it work as a as a single point of view?
Multiple Points of View
00:11:15
Speaker
Yeah, I think it it completely depends on um the intent of the book and especially how much of the story and the psychology of things taps into the other characters. And so with with my with these two books, they're both ensemble casts. So they were meant to be from multiple points of view. And each of those points of view is supposed to shed light, like in a different way on what's going on. It also give clues and, you know, like be red herrings and all that, all that fun stuff. But my philosophy of writing multiple points of view is that if you can take it out, it needs to go. And so i don't want to just have a bunch of points of view just because that's just what I've done in the past. And so that's what I'm doing now. I really work hard to tie each and every character into the plot where if you take them out, the whole thing kind of collapses in some way or other. It's very tricky to do. And some things are, I mean, obviously like some things are stronger than others at various points, but I definitely, it's huge on my mind what I'm plotting and planning and trying to figure these characters out is how to make sure that each of them ties so deeply into the plot that they're necessary. And I'm not just having, you know, one character who's off side questing over there that no one cares about. And, you know, that's just, that he he can have a um his own book later on, you know?
00:12:38
Speaker
specific So you've talked several times about plotting, which I think in this type of story is probably necessary. But are you ever um surprised? Like you've plotted, you've got it all worked out and then you're writing. And do you get surprised and have to change things along the way?
00:12:59
Speaker
Always, every single time, all the way through. um i i don't think I've ever talked to another author who is as plotting heavy and pantsing heavy as I am. And my UK editor, bless her, she, when we were wrestling through this book and i just kept changing things and being like, no, that's not right. It has to be something different. She was like, I've never worked with an author who has been, who, you know, who is so meticulous in plotting. And then it just, it's not there, you know, like, and I'm just like, I know that's me. That's my process. Yeah.
00:13:34
Speaker
But yeah, I have to plot meticulously and then I follow my script. And then at some point, usually pretty early on, it takes a big left turn and I have to just go with it But that for me is just, it used to be extremely frustrating. It's still frustrating now, but I've just accepted it as like, okay, this is just part of my process. And this is how I get the the best type of story. And hopefully it's a story that will, um,
00:14:03
Speaker
Not confused, but that will um mislead readers the most too. So i just go with it and have just learned to just accept it, integrate it into my process. But yeah.
00:14:15
Speaker
So surprised all the time. The killer usually gets me. I'm sometimes wrong about that. so Well, I'm happy to hear that because your process sounds very similar to my process.
00:14:28
Speaker
Really? Oh, that's really interesting. Okay, that's good to know. Except I don't let myself plot because I know that I'm going to go away from it. But I like hearing you say, i do it anyway, even with the knowledge that I probably won't use it to a T.
00:14:43
Speaker
And I think that that actually could help me. So thank you for that tip. Yeah, i I absolutely have to write things wrong a few times first before I know exactly what it's supposed to be. And like, again, used to be really frustrating and like, oh my gosh, I'm wasting so many words and wasting stuff. Nothing is ever wasted. Like, it's just, it's like, I see it as like goalposts and I'm like, I have to get to this point before I can see this point. And so if that, if that takes wrong wrong paths, that's okay.
00:15:13
Speaker
So And so did it take you a while to get to that place where you gave yourself that permission to deviate from your, your meticulous plot and see where the characters take you?
Plot Challenges and Deviations
00:15:29
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. i I always felt so much pressure write, you know, write my plot because I plotted it all out and,
00:15:39
Speaker
I can't tell you how many times, especially non-writers in my beginning days when, you know, I'd be foolishly sharing my woes, you know, about like, I don't know who the killer is or what it And I'd have people just look at me and be like, why don't you just plot it out? And I'm like, no, no no you don't understand. I did. i did. And it was wrong. And now I don't know what I'm doing. And here we are. And so it's,
00:16:01
Speaker
i always I used to feel really awkward about it and just kind of like, you know, like, i'm I'm the author. I'm supposed to know what I'm doing, you know, here and supposed to know, like, who the killer is and like who the victims are. Sometimes I'm wrong about that, too. And now I'm just like, oh, it's just story magic. It's just it does what it wants to do. And you just follow it and it'll lead you where it's meant to be at some point.
00:16:24
Speaker
Well, and you used the word art before and art doesn't get planned very easily. yeah it It happens, doesn't it? Yes. Yes, it does. Yeah, that's a that's a great point, Brooke, the like, messiness of art that we don't always think about applying to writing. Yeah.
00:16:45
Speaker
Yep. When you're in the arts, especially like entertainment for, but as a business, it's so interesting to see all the different ways that it kind of clashes and also has to, you have to figure out how to make it work together, you know, Because like, in some ways you're like, yes, I'm waiting for inspiration or I need the inspiration, you know, whatnot. I need to put be able ah to be able to put my heart and soul into it. And then other times it's like, you've got a deadline and you have to have words on a page and you have to figure out how to make them reasonably good, you know? And so it's just, yeah, it's ah it's a fascinating, fascinating dichotomy.
00:17:22
Speaker
I think the industry sometimes discounts genre fiction as not art. And that's one of our biggest pet peeves on the podcast because it it definitely is.
00:17:33
Speaker
Oh, yes. Yes. it can I mean, the way I see it is like, you know, a painting is not trying to be a book, you know, and like you would never expect them to be the same thing. But if they're each doing what they intended to do to the best of their ability and they're successful, know,
00:17:51
Speaker
Boom. That's, that's all, that's all you can ask of it. And it doesn't matter if you're like, Oh, but I just really don't like looking at colors or, you know, like, I just really don't like, you know, reading. It's like, well, it's still what it is. Like, you know, yeah, that's great.
00:18:06
Speaker
I can soapbox about that all day too. Sounds like we all. So Brooke and I were talking recently about, and then there were none. And I mentioned that I reread it every now and again and try to leave enough time because I don't have a great memory. and Try to leave enough time so that i I don't remember all of the plot points. And, and and um you know, I'm, I'm surprised at, at at the ending.
00:18:33
Speaker
I think maybe now I've read it enough times that it's not so much of a surprise, but is there a book or a series that you wish you could read again for the first time?
00:18:44
Speaker
Oh, probably. oh man, there's there's so many, honestly. But probably Spells spellse for Forgetting by Adrienne Young was one of those for me. It's a small town mystery set in the Pacific Northwest. It's got some magical realism elements to it, but the mystery of it and the way that she weaves multiple timelines, points of view, everything together just has just this epic ending to it all. And that's one of the one of the books that gave me like major chills. And I was just like, that's just perfection, you know. So yeah, that one for sure.
Writing Routine and Process
00:19:26
Speaker
So Andy, are you a daily writer? Do you have a very structured way to produce a book? Yeah. I used to once upon a time, but I am a single mom now. And so trying to figure out, you know, like how to balance all the things has been an adjustment for the last few months. And so my schedule is really up in the air right now, especially with like book launch for this book. um A lot of my writing time has been going towards that, which I love and is is amazing, but I'm so itching to get back to book three. um
00:20:00
Speaker
And so I'm hoping in the summer, I'll be able to have figure out more of a steady routine where I really try to write every day, like when I'm in the middle of something, i just i have to have that momentum going. And it's really hard for me to pick it up after I've kind of like had to stop for a while. So hopefully I'll be able to figure that out a little bit more.
00:20:21
Speaker
um And consistency is really important. For life circumstances, I don't have as much right now, but I also can't not write. So it's going to get done somehow, some way, somewhere in there.
00:20:33
Speaker
Andy, I love the setting for this latest book because I'm a ah library lover too, as I'm sure all three of us
Setting in a Haunted Library
00:20:43
Speaker
are. ah Tell us how you decided to make the setting for the book a haunted library.
00:20:50
Speaker
This book, it really went through a lot of incarnations, a lot of different versions of the idea, because it was my first book working with my editors um and like suddenly having a team of people from ground zero, like from the very concept, which was very new to me.
00:21:04
Speaker
And so it went through a lot of different incarnations. But once I landed on the library aspect of it, Definitely knew that we'd be leaning into like the dark academia element of it because books you know and books and secrets and forbidden knowledge and all these things are just so much fun to play with. And combining that in a mystery was just like it was just it was a great match. And so I really wanted to...
00:21:31
Speaker
I to go hard on the library aspect and really think of like what like if I could build a library, you know, like what are all the themed rooms and stuff that I would make for it? Like what would be what would I love to see that would just floor me? And so I leaned a lot into like the the books and the stories that we grew up with as children, you know, like whether it's fairy tales, whether it's Narnia or you know, Lord of the Rings or whatever it is, um trying to figure out how to squeeze as many of those little references in, and into the book. And, you know, as they're walking through, the children's section, there's a yellow brick road, you know, that kind of weaves through it. Or, you know, there's a giant jungle tree, you know, like from Jungle Book um and various things like that, that would kind of help the reader um step back into
00:22:25
Speaker
the moment where they problem where I hope that they fell in love with reading and with stories, um trying to carry that throughout the book. And they start out in the children's, kind of in the children's section. It's like whimsical and you're like beautiful and all this. And then the rooms get darker as the time as the story goes on. and it kind of matches you know the plot and the character's but mental state and all these things. That was just, it was so much fun to play with.
00:22:51
Speaker
Yeah. Really well done. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Closing and Contact Information
00:22:58
Speaker
Thank you, Andy, for joining us. Where can listeners find you? Yeah, so I am primarily on Instagram at Andy Pliego writes just my name and then writes. um And then I've got website was just Andy Pliego.com. And that usually is up to date with like my tour stops and you know, any events I'm doing. And yeah, those are the those are the main places that I'm at these days.
00:23:25
Speaker
Well, thank you, Andy. We are so thankful for you coming on today to talk to us about this topic. And we wish you well on your release of The Library After Dark. And thank you, listeners, for joining us today Clued in Mystery.
00:23:40
Speaker
I'm Brooke. And I'm Sarah. And we both love mystery. Thank you all so much. Clued in Mystery is written and produced by Brooke Peterson and Sarah M. Stephen.
00:23:51
Speaker
Music is by Shane Ivers. If you liked what you heard, please consider telling a friend, leaving a review, or subscribing with your favorite podcast listening app. Visit our website to sign up for our newsletter, The Clued in Chronicle, and get mystery news, podcast updates, and bonus episodes.
00:24:07
Speaker
We're on social media at Clued in Mystery.