Finding the Magic Podcast By Tricia Copeland cover art

Finding the Magic

Finding the Magic

By: Tricia Copeland
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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/triciacopelandTricia Copeland Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • S5 E43 with Fantasy Author Jordan Loyal Short
    Jul 25 2025

    JordanLoyal Short is an avid gamer, a couch potato, and a bartender on the weekends. Despite these obvious failings he considers himself quite happy, living in the suburbs with his wife, Rishelle, and his dog, Gracie. He’s written five novels. The first few: The Skald’s Black Verse, The Weeping Sigil, and Travels in theDark, were a scosh grimdark, and it turned out very few people wanted to read books with infanticide in the first chapter. So Jordan set out to write a book with dragons where zero babies were murdered. Could it even be done? Jordan is proud to say that yes, zero babies were harmed during the writing of thisnovel. The same cannot be said for the dragons.

    Social Links:

    Website: https://jordanloyalshort.com

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanloyalshort

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordanloyalshort

    BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/jordanloyalshort.bsky.socialr

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanloyalshort

    Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jordan-loyal-short

    Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jordan-Loyal-Short/e/B07KCYGPFC

    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18602359.Jordan_Loyal_Short

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    24 mins
  • S5 E42 with Fantasy Author R. D. Moreno
    Jul 22 2025

    Connor Balcazar never expected to have a destiny, but on Zada 5, an age-old prophecy waits for him to fulfill it at last—if he can survive long enough.

    Award-winning author, R D Moreno, a retired communicationexecutive. Married with five grown kids, and fourteen grandchildren. Our family pets include two small dogs and a large macaw. We are now living in NC. We just finished remodeling our current home. Hobbies include writing, among a host of others, like landscaping, woodworking, and home remodeling.

    Book Blurb:

    With the empire on the brink of war, Connor Balcazar neverexpected to have a destiny. Though his family has served the galactic empire for generations, his older brother Adam has always outshone him in combat abilities and natural charisma. But Connor is determined to prove himself and master his hidden ability to see the future to assist Emperor Esteban any way he can.

    When the emperor discovers a sinister plot, Connor’s chancearrives. The emperor’s younger brother, Lorenzo, a gifted but bitter scientist, has been scheming to take the throne. And now he’s rallied an invincible army.

    While Adam seeks out the truth of Lorenzo’s experiments, Connor visits the mysterious, warlike planet of Zada 5. Intending only to train and finally prove his worth, what waits for him on the large mining planet is not just new allies or abilities. There is a prophecy for Connor to fulfill at last—if he can survive long enough.

    Find Rick here: TikTok @rdmorenoauthor

    Insta @rdmorenoauthor

    FB https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559290987788

    Amazon page: https://a.co/d/1Miws2H

    Author website: https://www.rdmorenoauthor.com

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    28 mins
  • S5 E41 with Author James L. Hill
    Jul 18 2025

    From James...
    A native New Yorker, born and raised in the Bronx, I spent my
    adolescence years in Fort Apache, the South Bronx 41st precinct during the 60’s. Raised on blues, soul, and rock and roll gave me the heart of a flower child. Educated by the turmoil of Vietnam, Civil Rights, and the Sexual Revolution turned me into a gladiator. Realizing the precariousness of life gave me an adventurous outlook to try anything once, and if it did not kill me, maybe twice.
    years of Catholic education and a couple of years in college spread wild drug induce euphoric years, which did not kill me, gave me an unique moral compass that swings in any direction it wants. scientific mind and a spirit that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough guides my writings. I enjoy traveling to new places and seeing what life has to offer.
    I began writing short stories and poetry back in my early years. In my twenties I moved on to novels, but I fell out of love with the whole publishing industry. I worked in the financial industry as a processing clerk and later got a degree in computer programming, my other love. I have a successful career as a software engineer designing, developing and maintaining systems for the government and the private sector. I been programming for nearly forty years in various languages.

    With the advantages provided by the expanding and growing self publishing business (print on demand over vanity publishing) and the explosion of social media/internet as a viable means of advertising I have returned to my first love, unleashing the characters in my head. Actually I never stopped writing, now that the kids are grown and my wife realizes that I have little other interest outside the bedroom, and I’m still a hopeless insomniac, I am free to pound out plots. Killer With A Heart is the first in a series for Bulletproof Morris ‘Mojo’ Johnson.

    I enjoy writing crime stories and science fiction, with a slant on the dark side of life. Pegasus: A Journey To New Eden answers the question my wife asked me some years ago, “How do I feel about nuclear war?” I told her I was all for it as long as we find someplace else to live. My science fiction deals with the emotional effects of technology. Thirty years ago when a single computer filled an entire room and I was writing games on a monochrome screen I knew two things were certain. Computer games would be big and computers for all the good they can do would put a lot of people out of work.

    Find James and all his books on his website here: https://jlhill-books.com/index.html

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    36 mins
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