Tricia Copeland believes in finding magic. She thinks magic infuses every aspect of our lives, whether it is the magic of falling in love, discovering a new passion, or a book that transports us to another world. Her most recent series, the Realm Chronicles epic fantasies, finds a fae princess fighting for her kingdom, people, and very own life, and includes a host of fantastical beings.
Your books explore themes of resilience, personal growth, and the discovery of one’s own strength. What draws you to these themes, and how do you hope they resonate with readers?
Writing stories with characters that exemplify resilience, growth, and inner strength, what I call magic, is my passion. As an anorexia survivor I know what it feels like to lose hope. But I’ve also experienced the overwhelming drive that comes from believing things can be better. I couldn’t always see how to make changes, but I watched mentors and found my path. I hope that reading my characters’ stories can help others move through challenges and inspire them to find their own inner magic.
From contemporary romance to dystopian fiction to paranormal urban fantasy, your work spans across various genres. What inspires you to explore such diverse storytelling, and how do you approach crafting narratives in each genre?
I love reading and my book lists span from non-fiction, to romance, historical fiction, dystopian, and fantasy. Mirroring my reading habits, my novels reflect these different interests. I’m inspired by stories of growth and resilience, so my plots tend to highlight characters that exemplify those traits. For example, the Kingdom Journals series features a vampire-witch hybrid who wouldn’t be tolerated by either group. I felt having her character explore challenges, like feeling accepted and finding where she fit in, could be highlighted in a fantasy version of our world where witches and vampires blend into society unbeknownst to humans. In my contemporary romance novels, I often adopt more adult themes including how we navigate race and religion in relationships and what importance we place on our work-life balance.
Your Being Me Series draws from personal experience, particularly in overcoming anorexia. How does your own journey influence your writing process, and what challenges do you face in translating personal struggles into fiction?
The Being Me series became my first entry into the author and publishing world. With these books, I aim to give hope to those that struggle with eating disorders and mental illness. I chose to write about my experience as a fiction work, changing settings and details to protect the anonymity of those that shared in my journey. Even with fictionalizing the story, sharing that part of my life is a vulnerable and challenging endeavor. The connections I’ve made as a result have been an enriching trade-off.
In your dystopian novels like “Lovelock Ones” and “Torch,” you create immersive worlds and compelling characters facing extraordinary challenges. What draws you to the dystopian genre, and how do you balance world-building with character development?
Much like fantasy, dystopian fiction transports us to different settings, enabling escape and sparking imagination. Many dystopian works push me to wonder how I would react in given scenarios. Would I be brave and strong enough to face harsh conditions and make tough choices? World building in a dystopian novel can be a crucial element in creating some of the challenges characters will face. For example, in Lovelock Ones, we open to a scene where a mother is telling a story to her two daughters as she tucks them into bed. A teenager, in many contemporary families, would not sleep with a sibling, much less tolerate a bedtime story. We learn that in this world space and resources must be limited. As the story continues, we discover more about the terrain, radically altered by climate change, and brutal temperatures. How characters react to the environment and situations they face over the course of the story allows opportunity for character development. In the beginning our protagonists feel shell-shocked and react to their challenges, but they become more confident and begin to shape their own futures.
Your Kingdom Journals Series has garnered critical acclaim and awards, particularly “Kingdom of Embers.” What inspired you to delve into the paranormal urban fantasy genre, and how do you approach incorporating supernatural elements into your storytelling?
Even though I read in many genres, fantasy, in particular vampire fantasy is my favorite. After publishing the Being Me series, I knew I wanted to write a vampire series. My aim became to create something new without veering too far from the expectations of the trope. As I began to research and brainstorm, I created the first character, Alena (Uh-lee-nuh), a vampire-witch teen whose mother keeps her closely guarded. As I shaped her character the series began creating a life of its own, with two other witches joining Alena’s quest to save the witch lines from eternal purgatory. I formed the basis for their existence, as well as how vampires were created, how magic worked, and how both groups fit into our human world. I generated the idea for having each of the three main characters tell their stories, and the continuing saga of their efforts to break the curse, through their own voices and the idea for the Kingdom Journals, as diaries of each witch’s life, came to be. The complete series includes a prequel, Kingdom of the Damned, which became my first “vampire” book.
As the founder of True Bird Publishing LLC, you oversee the publication of your own books. How has your experience as an independent author shaped your approach to publishing, and what advice would you offer to aspiring authors considering self-publishing?
I formed my publishing business to control the narrative for my books. Because each story and character is special to me, I didn’t want them to be commandeered. I’ve had amazing editors and cover creators who help me refine and produce the best versions of my stories possible. There are many options for authors, and each should choose what feels right for them. Whether indie publishing or working with a traditional publisher, surrounding yourself with good people who support your journey, in my opinion, is the most important piece in projects.
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