Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tricia Copeland Brzostowicz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tricia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
On the eve of my 20th High School reunion I began to reflect on my journey. I felt drawn to chronicling my experience in overcoming anorexia perhaps to explain my path, but more importantly to share the message that recovery is possible. I started to write a story about a girl who, like me, developed anorexia after some traumatizing events. As a stay at home mom with young kids, writing this story after I’d put them to bed became my entertainment. I loved creating the characters, storylines, dialogue, and plot. I could visualize the story playing out in my head and I loved continuing this character’s journey. When I share my first manuscript with several friends, they begged to hear learn more and convinced me that others would love it to. The first manuscript became my first two published novels. I followed those with third and fourth books to complete the character’s story of strength and healing. Feedback from this first series affirmed my competence as a writer and spurred me to continue writing other novels.
Tricia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
To me books are magical. They transport us to a state, a different realm, a new world. They can make us think, see things in a different light, help us process, and inspire us. This is what I aim to do with my characters and in my books. Whether I’m writing an inspirational story of hope, a thrilling adventure about the courage of a girl to cross the country to save her sister, or group of witches who want to free their people from eternal purgatory, or a fae princess fighting for her rightful place as monarch, I want to captivate your imagination and create those magical moments when you are my characters. Under my pen name Tricia Copeland, readers can find books in romance, young adult fantasy, and dystopian genres. Moving forward my Tricia Copeland brand will be used for my young adult reads. Under a new pen name, Maria Jane, I’ll be introducing some fun new romance novels.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Aside from the fact that creating stories is fun for me, the most rewarding part of being an author is experiencing my books through readers’ eyes. Whether they’re excited, or mad, or frustrated, or touched by a sweet moment, I love hearing that they connected with my story.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Before the pandemic, I took for granted how much inspiration and creative energy I drew from other authors and my readers. When I traveled for book cons several times a year I was able to refill my creativity bucket and become re-energized and excited about my craft. When the pandemic made these events impossible, I felt that loss. I started my Finding the Magic podcast and in interviewing other authors, I realized that talking to other writers about characters, plot, and writing helped me be a better, more inspired writer. My creative side became re-energized by these conversations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://triciacopeland.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authortriciacopeland/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TriciaCopelandAuthor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciacopelandbrzostowicz/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tcbrzostowicz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBHpvjj9L3od2SLTS4zJTjA
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@triciacopelandauthor https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00YHN5Q4G https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14055439.Tricia_Copeland https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tricia-copeland https://www.facebook.com/FindingtheMagicBookPodcast
Image Credits
Heidi Howard Photography