In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, author AJ Kelley joins Allie to talk about Kindly Skins—a folk horror story where love, grief, marriage, and the unknown collide.We discuss writing a marriage falling apart from both sides of an infidelity, the quiet grief of losing a version of someone you love, and the connection between love and grief that drives the story. AJ also shares how he built the unsettling atmosphere of Gregor and its surrounding woods, balanced moments of intimacy with escalating horror, and used small clues and reveals to keep readers piecing together the mystery.Plus, AJ talks about letting the story surprise him during the writing process, why he considers love a choice, and how the ordinary details of a relationship can become some of its most meaningful moments.Watch to hear AJ Kelley dissect the love, loss, and folk horror at the heart of Kindly Skins.

In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, author TL Hauser joins me to talk about Selling Sunset—a witty, slow-burn romance about fake dating, unexpected connection, and the masks people wear.We discuss writing a confident yet complicated plus-size heroine, building a believable redemption arc, and finding the balance between familiar rom-com tropes and characters who feel entirely their own. TL also shares how celebrity interviews and the gap between public image and private reality helped inspire the story.

What happens when the stories we’ve been told turn out to be wrong—and the person we’ve been taught to hate becomes someone we love?In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, I’m joined by dark fantasy author FJ Wickham to talk about A Curse of Shadows and Moonlight—a story of enemies-to-lovers romance, prophecy, magic, and two covens divided by generations of hatred.We discuss the inspiration behind the book’s “love thy enemy” theme, how conflicting histories shape the characters’ beliefs, and the way prejudice can fracture an entire community. FJ also shares how she approached writing Renwick Morgane’s redemption, why love has to be more than a feeling, and what it means to take responsibility for the harm your community has caused.Plus, we talk about the chosen-one trope, the book’s blend of contemporary life and magical aesthetics, the influence of Jane Austen, and the very perceptive familiar who sees through everyone’s nonsense.

What happens when tarot, psychic abilities, Nancy Drew nostalgia, and millennial problems collide in a cozy mystery?In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, I’m joined by Vikki VanSickle to discuss her debut adult novel, The Mystic and the Missing Girl.Vikki and I dig into what tarot brings to a mystery that other supernatural elements can’t, how her experience with tarot and astrology shaped the book, and how she built a psychic ability that could help solve a case without making the mystery too easy.We also talk about Drew’s complicated relationship with her own psychic abilities, the role of grief and memory in her relationship with her late aunt Hannah, and why Vikki wanted to write a “millennial cozy” that reflects the realities, frustrations, and nostalgia of a generation.Plus, Vikki shares some of her favorite Nancy Drew references hidden throughout the book, discusses her philosophy on writing satisfying twists, and explains why Drew’s happy ending isn’t dependent on finding a romantic partner.The Mystic and the Missing Girl is out now!

What happens when you take 30 short stories, put them all in the same bar, fill that bar with some seriously strange characters, and make every ending a surprise?In this episode of Plotopsy, I’m talking with Brian W. Dowsley, author of Walter’s, about the very unusual world he created around one Las Vegas bar. Brian shares how Walter’s started as writing prompts and eventually grew into a collection of 30 connected stories, why the people who walk through Walter’s doors are what really make each story different, and how he manages to keep one location fresh across the entire book.We also talk about Walter’s unwritten rules, why electronic devices aren't welcome at the bar, writing within a 1,500-word limit, and what actually makes a good twist ending. And, of course, Brian gives us a pretty great example involving The Wizard of Oz.If you like short stories, strange characters, and endings that make you say, “I didn’t see THAT coming,” you’ll definitely want to check this one out.Go check out Walter’s by Brian W. Dowsley, and let me know—would you want to get to Walter’s?

In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, Allie sits down with Grace Viall to discuss Mostly Human Resources—a supernatural mystery that blends cryptids, horror, romance, comedy, and plenty of unexpected twists.Grace talks about creating Alexys, a reluctant heroine who would much rather work in HR than save the world, and how her own experiences working in an HR office helped inspire the character. They dive into the folklore behind the book’s cryptids, the creation of the Hollow Walker, and why the Appalachian setting became such an important part of the story.Grace also discusses writing grief as something that can inspire growth rather than simply hold a character back, balancing five different genres without letting the story feel disjointed, and why she loves breaking the rules of genre. Plus, we talk about character arcs, breadcrumbs and red herrings, deciding which mysteries to solve and which to carry into a trilogy, and the challenge of leaving readers with questions without leaving them frustrated.Mostly Human Resources is out now!

Today on Plotopsy, Allie sits down with M. Redding to discuss To Finish a Feud, the first book in the Trace Newater mystery series.M. Redding talks about blending mystery, humor, and fantasy, creating an unconventional FBI protagonist, and using time travel without letting the story's timeline become confusing. They also discuss the small clues hidden throughout the story, the relationship between solving a crime and healing a wound, and Redding's love of unexpected and unconventional endings.If you enjoy mysteries with humor, time travel, hidden clues, and surprises that keep coming until the very end, To Finish a Feud may be one to add to your reading list.Find To Finish a Feud linked below.Plotopsy is a series where Allie sits down with authors to dissect their stories, exploring the characters, themes, mysteries, and creative choices hiding beneath the surface.

What happens when sin has physical consequences?In this episode of Plotopsy, I’m joined by M.K. Lobb to dissect the sin, noir, moral darkness, and complicated romance behind her new romantasy novel, The Dark in Her Veins.We talk about how a book she never intended to be noir evolved into a story full of fatalism, antiheroes, and societal corruption; the origins of a world where sin can become a deadly disease; and what happens when the wealthy can outsource the consequences of their own actions.M.K. also discusses writing morally dark characters, balancing Slade’s hardened exterior with his vulnerability, and developing the complicated push-and-pull between Talin and Slade.The Dark in Her Veins is available now!Thank you to M.K. Lobb for joining me on Plotopsy!

In this episode of Plotopsy, Allie sits down with Daphne A. Vermeer to dissect The Night Shift — a story about ordinary people, monsters, and the surprisingly messy consequences of trying to do the right thing.

Daphne talks about Anthony and Manu, two trauma-bonded coworkers thrown into the world of monster hunting, and how their very different personalities shape their unlikely friendship. We also dive into Manu’s compulsive lying, Anthony’s downward spiral, the hidden cost of doing good, and how dry humor can exist alongside some surprisingly heavy themes.

What happens when doing the right thing makes everything worse? And what do you do when your coworker might be lying about… well, almost everything?

Come dissect The Night Shift with us and hear Daphne A. Vermeer reveal what’s really happening beneath the monsters, morality, and messiness of the story.

In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, Allie sits down with Jennifer Givhan to explore the haunting real-life inspiration behind her new novel, The Sleeping Sisters.

Jennifer discusses honoring the victims of the real West Mesa murders and disappearances, why magical realism was the right lens for exploring such a horrific and unresolved case, and the blurred line between the supernatural and psychological throughout the novel.

They also dive into unreliable narration, multiple perspectives, trauma, memory, motherhood, Detective Jeanette's unexpected arrival on the page, and how New Mexico's history, landscape, and strangeness became inseparable from the story itself.

A powerful and deeply personal conversation about writing through fear, channeling grief and ancestral connection, and bringing light to stories that deserve to be remembered.

The Sleeping Sisters is available now.