Cecilia Copeland: TALTRIX: Book One, Surviving the Gauntlet is a Sci-Fi-Fantasy novel about an outsider, Redder Torch, or “RT” for short. She and her brother head to the space cruiser TALTRIX to learn how to harness their Psi abilities while they navigate the dangers that threaten their lives and the politics that threaten the CN Ruled Galaxy. It’s a fast-paced book that’s meant to provide the reader with a thrilling adventure that takes place far in the future.
Setting the story in the 5000’s allows me the freedom to imagine a world without the problems of sexism and racism. It’s a great read for anyone looking to escape some of the issues humanity has yet to surmount as a species. TALTRIX offers a hopeful and inspiring look at the future while providing some much needed fun. Humanity, and aliens, still have other problems but they aren’t the exact same ones as we have now.
Cecilia Copeland: I’ve had TALTRIX in my head for over twenty years. In the story, RT and her brother Avi were kidnapped by their father when they were children. That actually happened to me and my brother. There were police and FBI involved, a private jet, courtroom dramas, and multiple countries. We grew up in the shadow of that epic battle. Everyone in our community knew us, and most had strong opinions about all that went down. Our lives had a feeling of being surreal. Writing about it was a way for me to process it. What better place to set the stage for such a wild story than far in the future with spaceships and special abilities?
In the TALTRIX Series, we are joining RT and Avi when they are in their early 20’s and attending the TALTRIX University with their turbulent childhoods behind them. I have a prequel series planned, FINAL WARS. That takes place when they are kids and their parents are the main characters.
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Cecilia Copeland with Amir Arison who directed a Taltrix TV Pilot reading for NYWIFT." |
Cecilia Copeland: Currently, I live in New York City in a rent stabilized studio apartment on the Lower East Side with my two pandemic rescue kitties Hedy and Greta. I’ve spent the last ten years in that studio, which is the longest I have ever lived in one place. Although I'm a sucker for a beachside getaway, I’m definitely a city mouse. I got to have both for a while when I lived in Sydney, Australia from 2000-2005.
Suzee: What was your inspiration for becoming a writer?
Cecilia Copeland: I think I ended up becoming a writer partially because I’ve always preferred living in my imagination, in movies, books, or music. It took me a long time to find my place in the real world. When I was growing up, we moved around a lot. I changed schools six times by the sixth grade. Most of those years, I was definitely an outcast. By the time I graduated from middle school though, I had made some friends, which came from a combination of good luck and a hard-earned understanding of schoolyard social dynamics. Having to be the new kid so many times wasn’t easy, but it contributed to an internal fortitude that I don’t think I could have survived without. It also gave me a high level of empathy with other outsiders.
Suzee: What was the writing process like, physically and emotionally?
Cecilia Copeland: It was the most fun I’ve ever had writing anything! The second time I started writing it, years after getting my MFA, I was comfortable with my craft and ready to flex some creative muscles. The characters came to life on their own. Most of TALTRIX was written from the enviable position of taking dictation. That’s not to say I didn’t do a lot of editing. I absolutely did. During the first draft though, it was like watching a movie and putting down what I heard, saw, and felt. On average, I wrote around 2000 words a day. However, in the middle of the story, two pretty miserable things happened to me.
A botched root canal turned into a cracked tooth, which then turned into an implant that my body rejected. I needed emergency oral surgery wherein the surgeon dislocated my jaw. My face was swollen. My jaw ached with constant pain. I developed partial Bell’s Palsy on the left side. Then, the company where I had worked for the preceding three years went through a restructuring, and I was let go.
I remember standing in the lobby of the building with my swollen face, my stuff in a box, my jaw throbbing, trying to decide if I could afford to spend the money to take a taxi home, or if I was going to have to cry on the subway. Every New Yorker has done it at least once. I’ve done it a few times. There’s a joke that implies when you cry on the subway nobody will ever mistake you for a tourist. Only real New Yorkers cry on the subway.
Losing my job turned out to be a blessing. The severance package afforded me the opportunity to head Upstate for the summer and keep working on the book. At the time, my mother was preparing to sell her house in Hurley. I stayed with her, and my grandmother, as they prepared to move back to Des Moines. Each morning, I would write my 2000 words at this beautiful antique desk. In the afternoons I would take long walks to a little waterfall nearby or run errands for the house with my abuela. In the evenings, we traded turns cooking and tried to stay off each other’s frayed nerves.
By the time I moved back to the city, not only had I finished the first draft of the novel but my script based on TALTRIX had won Best TV Pilot at LA Femme International Film Festival in LA and was presented by New York Women in Film and Television in a reading that was directed by Amir Arison (The Blacklist) and starred Golden Globe Winner Regina Taylor.
Suzee: What is the message or feeling that you want people to have after reading your book?
Cecilia Copeland: Writing this book brought me so much joy. When my jaw was aching and I stressed about finding a new job, TALTRIX took me on an adventure light years away. I want readers to get that feeling too. I want folks to come back from TALTRIX feeling happy, curious, and excited about the possibilities for humanity. I would love for them to come away feeling less alone in the world and filled with hope.
Suzee: Are you a big sci fi/fantasy fan? What are some of your favorite books?
Cecilia Copeland: Yes! I love Sci-Fi-Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Horror, and Paranormal Romance. If it doesn’t have magic, vampires, or technology we don’t understand yet, then it’s hard for me to get excited about reading it. “Born of Fire” by Sherrilyn McQueen (Kenyon) is one of my favorites. That’s a book I often send as a gift. It’s a Sci-Fi, Paranormal Romance, about a broke Bounty Hunter and the Criminal she is trying to apprehend. He’s a good guy, with a bad past, on the run from corrupt politicians. It’s a great pick-me-up when the news feels heavy. Medium spice level.
Another one is, “The Outsider” by Stephen King. It has my favorite literary character, Holly Gibney. King has written other books where she appears including, “Holly” but I met her in “The Outsider,” which is my favorite King novel. Although King is firmly placed in Horror and American Gothic Lit, I would argue “The Outsider” and many of his other books fall into Sci-Fi-Fantasy as well.
Suzee: What are some of your favorite movies?
Cecilia Copeland: For this, I feel like it’s more fun to dig into the vault. This selection is pulled from movies that came out prior to 1988, the year I officially became a teenager. I hope that these will spark some reviewings. Each of them left an indelible mark on my psyche and artistic tastes.
They include Barbarella, Flash Gordon, Soylent Green, Fahrenheit 451, Smokey and the Bandit, Splash, Bladerunner, Conan the Barbarian, Time Bandits, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Logan’s Run, Legend, David Lynch’s Dune, Fantasia, the Wizard of Oz, the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, War Games, Grease, The Terminator, Lost Boys, Flashdance, Fright Night, 9 to 5, Private Benjamin, The Last Unicorn, and of course the Star Wars Trilogy.
Some of the movies I listed above were box office hits, but many were big budget flops that became cult classics. There are some questionable choices in terms of what an adult might allow their child to watch under today’s strict parenting, but lucky for me neither of my parents were scared by an R rating. As a Gen Xer, I’m sure I’m not alone in that. Some throughlines in my eclectic list are novels as source material, strong and sexually liberated female characters, post-apocalyptic or future world settings, music, and magic/science we don’t understand yet.
Suzee: What is up next for you? Will there be a sequel?
Cecilia Copeland: I’ve got to finish Book Two in the TALTRIX Series! I first started working on Book Two right after I finished Book One. When I couldn’t find a traditional publisher for Book One, I stopped writing Book Two. I was heartbroken when it seemed like nobody wanted Book One. It was the story that had been inside me for twenty years. Despite having a multi-award-winning TV Pilot based on the IP, I lost hope that I would ever get it out there. I needed to shift gears.
I wrote two more award-winning screenplays, “The Copeland Case” and “13th St Scare.” I then also finished the novel version of, “13th St Scare” and am currently waiting to hear from a publisher who has expressed interest.
It wasn’t until I indie published TALTRIX Book One and started receiving such positive feedback that I was able to start working on Book Two again. The love readers have expressed both to me personally and online in reviews has been the most rewarding experience I’ve had as a writer. Right now, I’m still focusing on getting Book One out there. Marketing is a huge part of indie publishing. I’m looking forward to the time when I can focus on Book Two.
Where can we find you?
Website https://www.nymadproductions.com/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@ceciliacopeland?lang=en
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ceciliacopeland/
BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/ceciliacopeland.bsky.social
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cecilia.copeland.9/
X https://x.com/CeciliaCopeland
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilia-copeland-1b4bb216/
Where can we find the book?
Paperback on Amazon $25.99 https://www.amazon.com/TALTRIX-Book-One-SURVIVING-GAUNTLET/dp/B0D6Q7JJLC
TALTRIX on Kindle $2.99
Audiobook on Audible $21.99
https://www.audible.com/pd/Taltrix-Book-One-Surviving-the-Gauntlet-Audiobook/B0DG6Z6YLT
Audiobook on Apple Books $21.99
https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/taltrix-book-one-surviving-the-gauntlet-unabridged/id1766860962
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