Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories

Allie James
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Every story has an anatomy. On Plotopsy, Allie James sits down with authors to dissect the stories behind their books. Through thoughtful conversations about inspiration, worldbuilding, characters, themes, and the writing process, each episode explores what makes a story work. Featuring traditionally published and indie authors across a wide range of genres.

  1. 14h ago

    Rose Prendeville on the Love Story That Took 13 Years to Write

    What happens when a love story takes thirteen years to find its way to the page—and two soulmates must discover whether their love can survive twenty years apart?In this episode of **Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories**, I’m talking with author Rose Prendeville about *The Unknown Birds*, her dual-timeline historical romance set against the backdrop of World War I and the looming threat of another world war.*The Unknown Birds* follows Ashley, a young woman who disguises herself as a man to take her runaway brother’s place in the trenches. There, she meets Rook, the man who will change her life. But when war tears them apart, they must find their way back to each other twenty years later—and discover whether the love they once shared can survive everything that has changed.Rose shares the remarkable story behind the novel, which she first began writing thirteen years ago before setting it aside. After years of developing her craft and finding her footing in historical romance, she returned to the story and found herself completely consumed by it. She explains how the book evolved from its original concept into the story she always wanted to tell, why she calls it her “butterfly book,” and how *She’s the Man* unexpectedly influenced its themes.We also explore the challenges of writing a romance that spans two timelines, building a relationship that offers comfort amid the trauma of war, and crafting Ashley’s journey from fear to bravery and back again. Rose discusses how the social attitudes of the era shape Ashley’s understanding of love, why she chose to tell the story entirely from Ashley’s perspective, and how World War I poetry became woven into the novel’s emotional heart.Plus, Rose reveals the fascinating symbolism behind the book’s title, from the history of homing pigeons used in wartime communication to the poem that inspired *The Unknown Birds*. We discuss how bird imagery connects the characters, reflects the human cost of war, and adds unexpected layers of meaning throughout the story.If you love historical romance, second-chance love stories, complex character arcs, literary symbolism, and the stories behind the stories we read, this conversation is for you!**About the author:** Rose Prendeville is the author of *The Unknown Birds* and the *Brides of Chatten* historical romance series, described as *Outlander* meets *Bridgerton*.**Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories** — where we go beyond the plot to explore the characters, craft, inspiration, and choices behind the stories we read.

  2. 5d ago

    Wesley King on Love, Lies, and the Secrets of Wolf Season

    What happens when coming home means confronting everything you tried to leave behind?In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, I’m talking with author Wesley King about Wolf Season, his adult thriller debut blending murder mystery, atmospheric horror, and supernatural suspense.Wolf Season follows Everett, who returns to his hometown in Montana to search for his missing father, the local sheriff. But when he reconnects with his first love, Bernadine, whose family is connected to the murder his father was investigating, Everett finds himself caught in a mystery where the past refuses to stay buried.Wesley and I discuss the challenges of blending detective fiction with supernatural elements, crafting red herrings that lead toward a satisfying resolution, and deciding how much information to reveal to readers along the way. He also shares why revision is essential to writing a compelling mystery and how returning to later drafts helped him rediscover the heart of Wolf Season: the complicated relationship between Everett and Bernadine.We explore Everett’s struggle to confront his past, the balance between his tough exterior and emotional vulnerability, and how his relationship with Bernadine drives both the character development and the central mystery. Wesley also discusses the role of rural Montana in shaping the story’s atmosphere, the connection between people and the land, and his transition from writing middle-grade and young adult fiction to adult thrillers.If you love atmospheric mysteries, small-town secrets, complicated relationships, supernatural twists, and stories that keep you guessing, this conversation is for you!About the author: Wesley King is the author of numerous middle-grade and young adult novels. Wolf Season marks his debut in adult thriller fiction, with another adult thriller planned for the future.Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories — where we go beyond the plot to explore the characters, craft, inspiration, and choices behind the stories we read.

  3. Oct 22

    Clayton Rodriguez on What Happens When Magic Meets Technology

    What happens when magic and technology evolve together instead of competing for control of the world?In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, I’m talking with author Clayton Rodriguez about Tale of Missidia, his steampunk high fantasy series following a disgraced noble and a former thief who team up to stop a magical world war. We discuss the first book, Prophecies Prelude, and the recently released second volume, Drake’s Rising.Clayton shares how he combines steampunk and high fantasy to push beyond the conventions of both genres, building a world where dragons, magic, and fantasy races coexist with steam engines, firearms, and radios. He also explains how he reimagines familiar fantasy stereotypes, giving races like orcs and sphinxes histories, cultures, and roles that go far beyond their traditional portrayals.We dive into the characters at the heart of the series, including Nathan’s difficult upbringing and how it shapes his outlook on the world, as well as Arwin’s journey toward self-acceptance, confidence, and becoming the hero she wants to be. Clayton also discusses why he chose to keep Nathan and Arwin’s relationship platonic, how forgiveness influences their journeys, and how he plants clues and foreshadowing throughout a world that is still recovering from a devastating war.Plus, Clayton reveals the surprising inspiration behind Tale of Missidia—pure, pure spite—and shares how childhood memories of watching science fiction with his grandfather helped shape his belief that every character, even an enemy on the battlefield, is somebody.If you love imaginative worldbuilding, genre-bending fantasy, complex characters, found family, and stories that challenge familiar tropes, this conversation is for you!

  4. Oct 14

    Cindy R.X. He on Clues, Red Herrings, and The Murder Party

    What does it take to write a murder mystery that keeps readers guessing until the very end?In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, I’m talking with author Cindy R.X. He about her young adult mystery novel, The Murder Party, which follows June as she investigates the suspicious death of her sister, Lily, after a murder mystery party with their school’s teen murder club.Cindy and I discuss the challenges of crafting a fair-play mystery, from planting clues in plain sight to creating red herrings that keep readers guessing. We also explore how she develops believable motives for multiple suspects, manages a large cast of characters, and keeps the mystery’s plot on track without losing sight of the story’s emotional heart.We dive into June’s guilt over Lily’s death, the challenge of bringing a character to life when she’s absent from the story, and why it was important to portray Lily as a real person with both qualities and flaws. Cindy also shares the scene she couldn’t wait for readers to reach, along with one particular moment readers should pay close attention to.If you love young adult mysteries, twisty murder investigations, suspicious characters, and stories full of secrets and red herrings, this conversation is for you!

  5. Oct 11

    Vincent Rylan on AI, Humanity, and Survival in Memoirs of the End

    What happens when artificial intelligence becomes smarter than us—and we can no longer be sure whether we can trust it?In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, I’m talking with author Vincent Rylan about Memoirs of the End, a dystopian science fiction novel centered on Adam, the world’s first sentient, self-directed AI. Told through a series of first-hand accounts, the novel explores how humanity might respond as AI reshapes the world around us.Vincent and I discuss what a self-aware AI might want, why survivability could drive its behavior, and how a near-future setting makes the novel’s cautionary tale feel uncomfortably plausible. We also explore how different characters weigh the benefits of AI against the potential costs to their freedom, privacy, and humanity—and why their conflicting perspectives allow readers to make up their own minds.We dive into the challenge of writing believable characters whose worldviews differ, the importance of community and human connection in a rapidly changing world, and the unsettling question at the heart of the novel: Can we ever truly trust something that’s smarter than us and that we don’t fully understand?If you love dystopian science fiction, thought-provoking AI stories, near-future thrillers, and books that leave you questioning where technology might take us next, this conversation is for you.

  6. Oct 6

    Sophia Huneycutt on Gothic Horror, Illness, and Florida in The House Built on Alligator Bones

    What happens when a family secret, a haunted alligator farm, and a chronic illness collide in a Southern Gothic story?In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, I’m talking with author Sophia Huneycutt about The House Built on Alligator Bones, a gothic horror novel set on Amelia Island, Florida, where Dart arrives to meet her estranged family and discovers an alligator farming empire, hostile relatives, and a possible curse.Sophia and I discuss what drew her to the darker side of Florida, how the island’s historic mansions and swampy landscape helped shape the novel’s gothic atmosphere, and why alligator farming became such an important—and morally complicated—part of the story. We also talk about writing Dart with POTS, the different ways chronic illness affects characters across generations, and why Sophia believes illness doesn’t need to be central to a character’s plot to belong in a story.We dive into Dart’s complicated grief over her mother, the push and pull of family throughout the novel, the role of romance in gothic fiction, and how Sophia balanced the fascinating and frightening sides of alligators on the page.If you love gothic horror, complicated families, atmospheric settings, morally gray characters, and stories that explore the strange side of Florida, this conversation is for you.#booktube #booktok #author #authors #authorlife #authortok #authortube #chronicillness #illness #gothichorror #horrorbooks #horrorbook #gothic

  7. Oct 3

    Pierre Roustan on Shakespeare, Werewolves, and Grief in Kill the Envious Moon

    What if William Shakespeare became a werewolf?In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, I’m talking with author Pierre Roustan about Kill the Envious Moon, a dark romance and historical fantasy that reimagines Shakespeare through the lens of lycanthropy, grief, and monstrosity.Pierre and I discuss his research into Shakespeare’s life and the Elizabethan era, why he wanted to explore Shakespeare’s darker side, and how the death of Shakespeare’s son Hamnet shaped the story. We also dive into the historical mythology surrounding werewolf trials and lycanthropy, the question of where humanity ends and monstrosity begins, and how grief can transform a person’s identity.We talk about the darker, more sensual elements of the novel and how they connect to the characters’ emotional journeys, the creation of the paranormal investigator known as the Watchman, and Anne Hathaway’s perspective on Shakespeare’s descent into darkness.If you love dark romance, historical fantasy, Shakespeare, werewolves, gothic stories, and complicated questions about humanity and monstrosity, this conversation is for you.

  8. Sep 29

    Melissa Anderson Sweazy on Ghost Stories, Grief, and Memphis in The Sisters of Crimson House

    What happens when you grow up in a family of powerful psychics—but you’re the one sister without any powers?In this episode of Plotopsy: Dissecting Stories, I’m talking with author Melissa Anderson Sweazy about The Sisters of Crimson House, a Southern Gothic ghost story filled with family secrets, grief, and a haunted house with a personality of its own.Melissa and I discuss the real-life Memphis houses that inspired Crimson House, the different ways Charley and Miranda process grief, the family trauma that stretches across generations, and the mystery behind Charley’s missing—and suddenly emerging—powers. We also talk about Melissa’s love of classic ghost stories, Southern Gothic, and horror from Korean and Japanese cinema, as well as the real-life tarot reading that sparked Charley’s story.If you love haunted houses, complicated family relationships, ghost stories, and mysteries with a supernatural twist, this episode is for you.

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Every story has an anatomy. On Plotopsy, Allie James sits down with authors to dissect the stories behind their books. Through thoughtful conversations about inspiration, worldbuilding, characters, themes, and the writing process, each episode explores what makes a story work. Featuring traditionally published and indie authors across a wide range of genres.

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