Finding the Magic Book Podcast

Tricia Copeland
  • 4.0 (1)
  • Books
  • Updated Biweekly

What makes you love a book? I find my favorite stories are those where I'm crying with the MC, celebrating their victories, and screaming at their missteps. Welcome to Finding the Magic, a podcast all about books, plots, characters, and the authors that create them. I write young adult fantasy and sci-fi dystopian, as well as fun and inspiring romances. Listen in as I highlight books and authors from these genres as well as mysteries, thrillers, and horror. Find me and intro to my books at triciacopeland.com or all my links at https://linktr.ee/triciacopeland

  1. 23h ago

    S6 E71 with Medical Thriller Author Frank Spinelli

    Frank Spinelli, MD is an American born physician living in New York. He has contributed articles for the Advocate and The Huffington Post. Writing credits include: The Advocate Guide to Gay Men’s Health and Wellness (Alyson Books), Pee-Shy: A Memoir (Kensington Books), which has been optioned to be developed into a limited series and contributing author – Our Naked Lives (Bordighera Press) and Understanding the Sexual Betrayal of Boys and Men (Routledge). He has made appearances on Sirius Radio’s Morning Jolt with Larry Flick and co-hosted Speak Out: Real Talk about AIDS. Documentary credits include, 30 Years from Here (Emmy-nominated), Positive Youth and I’m a Porn Star. Television credits include ABC News, NBC Nightly News, MTV, a national commercial and Sesame Street. In 2015, he hosted a season of Dueling Doctors. Frank Spinelli is an advocate for child sexual abuse survivors and has given frequent interviews about his experience as a victim of child sexual abuse while in the Boy Scouts. Find Frank and his books here: https://www.frankspinelli.com/books

    S6 E71 with Medical Thriller Author Frank Spinelli

  2. Oct 6

    S6 E70 Interview with Fantasy Author C.J. Beshara

    Lucianus is one of the most destructive wizards of all time. For his crimes, he was executed.To his shock he awakens, in a body not his own, summoned by powerful magic with no clue as to why. He's soon discovered by Auran, a knife-wielding traveler suspicious of his strange and sudden presence. Displaced from his own era and at a loss for what to do, Lucianus begs Auran's help in finding his feet. Auran reluctantly agrees, and so together they strike out across the changed lands Lucianus once called home, looking for an explanation.The purpose of Lucianus' summoning soon becomes he's been tasked with murder, as befits his violent reputation as a battlewizard. Yet what should be a straightforward objective turns complicated, for the spell that binds him to life will end once the task is complete. His body is borrowed. His time is short. He must reach the appointed place and complete his task...but that means a return to death, and there's nothing he wants less. He'd rather enjoy this borrowed life for himself. And Auran, though he proves a competent guide, seems to have his own purposes, purposes that may go against what Lucianus' summoner wants.The scars of his past rise against him, a decades-old drama closes in, and still his fate is sealed. Lucianus will die a second time. What happens until then is up to him. Fantasy / Romance / LGBT / gay / Bisexual Find on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/253791358

    S6 E70 Interview with Fantasy Author C.J. Beshara

  3. Sep 29

    S6 E69 with Fantasy Author Debbie Bishop

    Debbie Bishop spent 30+ years as a CEO, producer, and creative director in the entertainment industry. She's built and run companies, launched home entertainment labels, and led key art campaigns and packaging for Disney, Lionsgate, Warner Bros., Universal, and Paramount — along with retail campaigns for Target, Walmart, and Costco. She's also an award-winning author. Her fantasy duology PILLYWIGGIN AWAKENING earned a BookFest First Place Award for Epic Fantasy and a Literary Titan Gold Award. Her other works include Black Tide (Image Comics), War Eagles, Pillywiggin, The Fairies of Bladderwhack Pond, What Is The Meaning Of Life?You and The Pre-Fab Cookbook with Dish & Flo. ​Debbie hosts the By.Storytellers podcast, featuring creators, innovators, and the real stories behind their work. Find Debbie and her books here: https://www.debbiebishop.com/​

    S6 E69 with Fantasy Author Debbie Bishop

  4. Sep 22

    S6 E38 Interview with Thriller Author Simon Michael

    Simon Michael, often referred to as “the British John Grisham”, is a barrister (trial attorney) and the author of the best-selling Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers. The books are set primarily in London in the 1960s and 1970s, a period of huge social change, and they explore loyalty and prejudice and what happens when justice collides with a corrupt Establishment. They’re historical and legal crime novels, but they’re also about memory, moral compromise, and the long shadow history casts over the present. At their centre is barrister Charles Holborne, born Charlie Horowitz, a former East End boxer and occasional criminal who is drawn into cases shaped by gangs, organised crime, political interference and institutional corruption. Moving between London’s courtrooms and the criminal underworld, the novels explore the tension between professional ambition and personal integrity, and the fragile line between justice and expediency. The series does not shy away from the class tensions and prejudices embedded within the legal profession of the time, including the racist, antisemitic  and classist attitudes faced by those entering the Bar in the middle of the last century, echoes of which still resonate today. Combining legal authenticity with gritty urban realism, the series uses crime as a lens to examine how power operates within institutions, who the law ultimately serves, and what it costs to pursue truth when the system itself is under pressure. Find Simon and his books on his website here: https://simonmichaelauthor.com/

    S6 E38 Interview with Thriller Author Simon Michael

  5. Sep 15

    S6 E67 with Romance Author Nancy Beverly

    “To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.” — Robert Louis Stevenson I’ve been a writer since I was knee-high to Mad Magazine, so my early scripts were short and funny. I’ve also been interested in stuff like ESP and psychic phenomena since I was a youngster. I even gave a talk on the paranormal back in the sixth grade. I got an A++ on it! My career began in earnest at the famed Actors Theatre of Louisville where I had a boatload of 10-minute plays produced when I worked there in the Lit Dept. One of those plays was published by Sam French and is still produced to this day because it’s timeless and timely — Attack of the Moral Fuzzies. When I moved to L.A. two big things happened. I started working in sitcoms (and sold scripts to Roseanne and Blossom), and I took a class in trance channeling. After a few years, I wanted to work on meatier shows, so I switched to hour-long dramas. I was on such hits as Desperate Housewives and Ghost Whisperer as a producer’s assistant — and I got to pitch show ideas as well. I then decided I wanted to get my own work out there (see the quote from Robert Lewis Stevenson above) so I co-wrote and co-produced the web series The Calamities of Jane and Shelby’s Vacation, my 40-minute lesbian dramedy. Both have gotten into a bunch of film festivals and won awards to boot.. Right now I’m focused on selling my two TV pilots: The Cleaning Crew (about a small hazmat team in L.A.) and The View from Above (mysterious crop circles appear in my home state of Indiana!). My stage play career has continued concurrently with my TV work. I’ve had more than a dozen productions, including at such venues as the Hollywood Fringe Festival, the Rainbow Festival at Asbury Park, and Bloomington’s Blizzard of Short Plays. My favorite recent experience was with Denver’s Athena Project (which fosters women playwrights) where my play Handcrafted Healing had a production. I’ve been a Sierra Club member in Los Angeles for many years and have led over 350 hikes with the Gay and Lesbian Serrians, which has awarded me “Sierran of the Year” four times. I’ve made it all the way to the top Half Dome in Yosemite (seen here) and Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Find Nancy and her books here: https://www.nancybeverlywriter.com/

    S6 E67 with Romance Author Nancy Beverly

  6. Sep 8

    S6 E66 with Romance Author Tatiana Vixen Reyes

    Tatiana Vixen Reyes is the pen name of a transgender woman whose work blends sensuality, imagination, and cultural texture into richly layered storytelling. Through this voice, she explores themes of identity, desire, transformation, and connection. After an early retirement from federal civil service, Tatiana embraced her lifelong passion for storytelling, channeling decades of lived experience into bold, unapologetic creative work. Her writing explores themes of identity, desire,transformation, and connection—often centering voices and perspectives that exist at the intersections of gender, sexuality, and culture.  She is the creator of the romantic novella series She Came to the Glass Heel, a character-driven exploration of intimacy, longing, and fleeting moments of connection set against the backdrop of a vibrant Chicago nightclub. In addition, she is the architect behind the Érōsikúsō Campaign Setting, an ambitious and immersive world for tabletop roleplaying games that merges fantasy, sensuality, and intricateworldbuilding.  Now based in Chicago, Tatiana lives with her ever-“helpful” cat, who frequently supervises her writing process with questionable effectiveness. Her creative influences span a wide spectrum—from comic books and romance novels to fantasyepics, science fiction cinema, and years spent around the gaming table. These influences converge in her work, resulting in stories that are both escapist and deeply personal.  At the heart of Tatiana’s writing is a commitment to authenticity: telling stories that celebrate desire without shame, honor transformation as a form of power, and invite readers into worlds where identity is not only accepted, but exalted.  Find Tatiana and her books on her website here: https://tatianavixenreyes.com/

    S6 E66 with Romance Author Tatiana Vixen Reyes

  7. Sep 1

    S6 E65 with Sci Fi Author Elliot Blake

    Elliot is the executive producer of the Apple TV animated kids’ series The Sisters Grimm, the EP and director of flagship Audible Original series Moriarty, and the author of the forthcoming science fiction novella Into the Great. Some of his past work includes the Emmy-winning animated web series Tomb Raider: ReVisioned, the cocktails and comedy podcast Daydrinking with Gary & Elliot, and the crime comic The Package. He’s also a creative consultant, with past clients including preschool entertainment giant Moonbug Entertainment and video game developer Player Unknown Productions. His new sci fi novel, Into the Great. follows two characters with opposite goals. More about the book: Katalogtext / Kort beskrivning Sparks fly when Lilah, a thief from a struggling freespacer colony outside the borders of the Federated Solar Republic, meets Bax, an FSR security officer stationed at an official colony within those borders, during a time of heightened tensions for humanity as the silent, staring, seemingly invulnerable aliens. A story about choosing the life you want to live. This is book #4 from indie publisher Li'l Factory. 500 numbered copies, limited edition. Find Elliot and Into the Great here: https://elliotblake.com/2026/07/16/into-the-great/

    S6 E65 with Sci Fi Author Elliot Blake

  8. Aug 25

    S6 E64 with Author Alison McBain

    Is it fantasy reading season yet? I say yes all year! Dive into Alison's short spooky stories and all her works. Learn more about her and her stories in this latest episode. Diversity is one of Alison McBain's passions. With dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship, a Japanese-American mother and a B.A. in African history and classical literature, she has an eclectic background and a wide range of experience. She grew up in California and moved to the East Coast in her mid-twenties. Recently, she moved back to Alberta, where she is raising her three daughters.She started her writing career at age four with a "self-published" horror story about the monster in the closet. The story was highly lauded by her closest family members. Since then, she's received a number of writing awards and accolades from people not even vaguely related to her, but she still has a soft spot for that first short story.Her interest in diversity also extends to fiction. With over seventy publications to her name, her stories and poems range in tone from serious to silly. They cover nearly every genre, including literary, romance, horror, science fiction, fantasy, history and adventure.When not writing fiction, she follows her own personal mantra of, "Do something creative every day." She serves as the Associate Editor for the literary magazine ScribesMICRO. She also blogs about local events, showcases her art and conducts author interviews on her website, http://www.alisonmcbain.com/. When life gets a little too hectic, she does origami meditation or draws all over the walls of her house with the enthusiastic help of her kids. Find Alison and all her books here: https://www.alisonmcbain.com/

    S6 E64 with Author Alison McBain
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About

What makes you love a book? I find my favorite stories are those where I'm crying with the MC, celebrating their victories, and screaming at their missteps. Welcome to Finding the Magic, a podcast all about books, plots, characters, and the authors that create them. I write young adult fantasy and sci-fi dystopian, as well as fun and inspiring romances. Listen in as I highlight books and authors from these genres as well as mysteries, thrillers, and horror. Find me and intro to my books at triciacopeland.com or all my links at https://linktr.ee/triciacopeland

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