House of Mystery Sessions: Women Authors #1 Tricia Copeland
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
By Alan R. Warren and Michael Hawley
Young adult fiction author Tricia Copeland believes in finding magic. She thinks magic infuses every aspect of our lives and each of us creates our own brand of magic. Whether transforming hearts, lives, numbers, ideas, art, music, or simply enjoying nature, we discover magic every day. She aims to write stories that show what is possible when one commits to finding their own version of magic. With urban fantasy and paranormal young adult titles, you're sure to find a magical character and storyline to love within her books.
Building Worlds, Witches, and Vampires: A Conversation with Trisha Copeland. Since our last conversation, she has wrapped up The Realm Chronicles series, bringing a satisfying conclusion to a story that began with The Kingdom Journals. “The main antagonist wasn’t defeated in the first series, so the second allowed me to resolve that conflict fully,”she explains. “Bringing everything together and giving readers a true ending was incredibly satisfying.” It’s never easy to let go of cherished characters. “I carried characters from The Kingdom Journals into The Realm Chronicles because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye,” Copeland acknowledges. “But this time, I felt good about ending their journey.
They deserved their happily-ever-after after everything they went through.” Of Witches and Vampires, her new book, examines the origins of her supernatural world. Based loosely on Lilith mythology, the tale explores the origins of witches and vampires, and can be read before the main series. “I did the backstory for witches and vampires when I created The Kingdom Journals, too,” she says. “This book explores that genesis.” World-building, she points out, lies at the heart of her writing. “Before writing their story, you have to know your characters’ history, their lineage, their rules.
Those rules dictate what the characters can and cannot do.” And yet she reveals a challenge that every fantasy writer knows: “Once you create rules, you can’t break them without readers noticing. I’ve had to get creative when circumstances pushed beyond those boundaries, which makes you a stronger writer.” Dealing with a sprawling cast and complex world is no easy task. Copeland sticks closely to electronic notes, chapter summaries, and timelines when she writes, in other words, ensuring consistency between books. But sometimes, the characters have their own minds. “One character I originally planned as a villain became far more compelling than I’d anticipated. His role deepened, and it was his own POV that won him his own book,” she shares.
The series opened with a straightforward objective in mind: “I wanted to write a vampire story — vampires are my favorite — but as the series grew, witches came front and center. So prequels such as Of Witches and Vampires let me tell the vampire stories I wanted and really supported this bigger world.” Although the series is set in the young adult realm, it retains a more mature adult characterization and a PG-13 tone with prequels. Themes of identity, acceptance, and belonging are central to Copeland's work. “One main character is a vampire-witch hybrid, who’s struggling to fit in,” she says. “There is also a very engaging examination of prejudice and the risk of naming whole groups as good or evil.” Her supernatural races obey carefully calibrated rules: vampires, while not immortal, can live up to 900 years and mature physically at about 18, then age slowly. Witches use magic, not physical force. “That balance allows neither group to dominate,” Copeland says.
Having finished such high-stakes fantasy, Copeland looks to romance as a creative reset. “Romance is lower stakes, so it’s a great palate cleanser after stories where your survival or otherwise of the world is in question,” she says. The love of fantasy, in particular, has its roots in her childhood favorite, The Wizard of Oz, where imagination and world-building first informed her storytelling. And now, looking ahead, Copeland has a romance novel coming out in June under her pen name, Maria Jane — a name that she takes from her grandmother and her late sister. She has also published a short story with her Nyx character, which could also turn into a full novel. Her fans gather in a conversation online with her at trishacopeland.com, and she shares via Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Copeland is the host of the Finding the Magic podcast that invites fans into her creative universe and stories about storytelling.
House of Mystery is an electrifying weekly radio program hosted by Canadian author and broadcaster Alan R. Warren, airing on the NBC News Talk Radio network and syndicated across the US and Canada. Through insightful interviews with acclaimed authors, experts, and cultural figures. With a rich mix of fiction and non-fiction topics
Alan R. Warren is an award-winning Canadian true crime author and broadcaster whose work has captivated readers and listeners across North America. With more than three dozen books published. He is also the long-time host of the popular House of Mystery radio show on the NBC News Talk Radio network.
Michael Hawley studies the Whitechapel murders mystery, authoring over 30 research articles and multiple books. He has lectured across the US and London and has been a guest expert on TV and online documentaries.
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