Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
A Georgia native, I now live with my family and various four-legged and finned friends in Colorado. I believe that magic infuses every aspect of our lives, whether it is the magic of falling in love, a new passion, beautiful sunset, or book that transports us to another world. I recently received the Colorado Independent Publishers Association Award for my young adult fantasy, Kingdom of Embers. I also write romance/chick lit titles as well as YA paranormal and dystopian fiction.
What is/are the real-life story(ies) behind your book(s)?
As a parent looking back on my young adult life, I realized I had much to share about my battle with anorexia. I chose to relay the story about my disease and recovery by writing a fiction manuscript based on my experience. One-hundred thousand eighty words and five years later, I decided to have the work edited. I published the first and second books of my Being Me Series, Is This Me? and If I Could Fly in 2015.
What inspires/inspired your creativity?
While my personal journey inspired my early books, a love for paranormal fiction led me to dive into the world of fantasy. In addition to creating fun, suspenseful plots I love to create characters who are real and that many can relate to. I like to see transformation in my characters and have them evolve and grow throughout a novel or series. I aim to take real-life sometimes hard topics and situations and make them less daunting through my fantasy writing. Topics that may pertain in particular to YA and NA readers like bullying, suicide, relationships, friendships, and being new or different are just a few of these.
Do you tend towards personal satisfaction or aim to serve your readers? Do you balance the two and how?
I tend to balance personal satisfaction and pleasing readers. Being an author is not only a personal journey but a public one. In order to be successful at promoting our work, authors must share their passions and listen to readers. I balance these in several ways. There are some things I will not do to sell a book. These include writing something I’m not familiar or comfortable with. For instance, all my books are PG-13 rated, even my new adult content. On other things I might compromise or adapt my style from reader feedback. Things like tag lines, descriptions, book covers, etc., can all be optimized to attract readers. I recently redesigned the covers for my first new adult series because I felt they weren’t speaking to my audience.
Do you have any creativity tricks?
If I’m stuck on a passage or plot detail, I usually step away and talk a walk, a shower, or do a mundane task. Then I think about my characters and who they are, what their goals are. I think about the story and the reader and what they want to know next. Usually I can come up with a creative plot item in the span of an hour.
What are your plans for future books?
I’m working on a sequel to my YS dystopian novel Lovelock Ones. I would say this manuscript is challenging for me because I hate putting my characters through sad, hard, and trying situations, but I hate it in every book I write.
Tell us some quirky facts about yourself
I love pizza and I could eat it every day. I don’t drink coffee but have Diet Coke with my breakfast. It’s a southern thing. I love running and hiking and the color black.
I love connecting with readers! Go to my website at www.triciacopeland.com or text “TriciaCBooks” to 22828 to sign up for my newsletter and receive two free short stories. Also in my welcome emails you’ll receive links to two free ebooks. You can find me at the following places online.
http://www.triciacopeland.com/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/TriciaCopelandAuthor/
https://www.instagram.com/authortriciacopeland/
www.pinterest.com/triciacopelanda/
https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/8wque
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBHpvjj9L3od2SLTS4zJTjA
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14055439.Tricia_Copeland
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tricia-copeland
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/triciabrz
Wishing you magic,
Tricia Copeland, Author