The Empress' Journey - Book Tour and Giveaway

​ What is your stance?  

The Empress’ Journey
Tikl The First of Nehel Book 1
by Joseph Kopel
Genre: Epic Fantasy  

Amid turmoil and despair, a new hope arises as a young empress.

The Gesha obliterated the once thriving but ailing Kingdom of Aranka, triggering an imbalance in Sankaris. Epidemics, wars, pollution, and madness plague the land as the protagonists pursue for answers.

A glimmer of faith spreads throughout the maimed world as the Promise. Her rise to power brings a much-needed balance, ensuring a fresh start and the dawning of a new era.

Will she unravel the mysteries behind these afflictions and restore the balance to Sankaris?

Join this captivating tale of humanity, resilience, determination, and the search for truths in a world gripped by darkness.


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​ “I have a feeling there is more you wish to reveal. Have you forgotten?” she said with a fixed stare. “What is my life stance?”
“Aye, Lakia,” he smiled with apprehension. “You were born as the Promise of the Jyistereerk, an empress entrusted with bringing balance to this ill world.”
The girl, feeling a sense of tranquility, turned her gaze towards the majestic Karekall Mountains. She understood what dwelt beyond the formidable mountains and knew her purpose. Still, an essence of chilling mystery hid behind.
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Joseph Kopel is an imaginative author who has transitioned from Sci-Fi to Space Opera and now ventures into the realm of Fantasy with his debut in the genre.

What began as a hobby has grown into thirty-five years of writing. Being bilingual, he switched between English and Spanish. The greatest influences on him were the Latin American literature in Mexico City's libraries and the most famous American Sci-Fi authors.

When he is out of any fantastic realm to be in the world of reality, he enjoys his time with his wife, three kids, and his two pets.

Currently, he lives in Northwest Missouri, in a small peaceful country town of only 250 people.


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What inspired you to write this book?
Writing was a hobby I had done from long time ago, I used to buy notebooks and draft my stories by hand. At that time at my 22 years old—I am talking 1994—after the bunches of notebooks of finished and unfinished stories, and taking advantage of long college summer shutdown, I had the desire to write an epic story, the longest one I had done.
That year last spring my mother gave me a VHS boxed set of the original Star Wars trilogy as a birthday gift which I loved, and I had The Neverending Story as one of my favorite movies.
Just to have fun, I decided to create a new story merging both movies. I placed the Childlike Empress into a galactic empire, and I began to outline a story.
Rather than being inspired by someone or something, my own first Space Opera inspired me to write six more drafts in a period of twenty years. I was captivated by it.

What can we expect from you in the future?
I plan to make a trilogy out from this book where the Main Character grows from being a child to an adult. In the second trilogy will tell the story of the descendants and the final conclusion. Originally planned in eight books, I believe will be six. My first draft back in 1994 had more than two thousand pages, and I am rewriting it into volumes in a new setting.
I also plan to write and publish romance, drama and Sci-Fi, besides fantasy.

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
The story is focused in three main characters, with the empress at the top but together create a unique dynamic, and as common each one has an origin, sort of, and have their own side story.
There are more characters and most of them also have sides stories.
In the end, all the characters have the empress as the center of their lives in one way or other.
It is a multicharacter story with their imperfections and struggles.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in “The Empress’ Journey”?
The character of Lakia, a ten years-old girl, was born as an empress, but never a princess. She is the sole and last descendant of a large line of monarchs. And her true mystical nature is a mystery to be later revealed.
Alessandro is a seventeen years-old, an orphan of kind heart but with conflicting emotions, adopted by Orssandro. He plays an important role in the empress’ growth.
Marissa, at her sixteen she is educated in the arts of arms, especially swords and shields. But she finds conflicted in the loyalty between her uncle Orssandro and the empress.
Lady Fabehel, sixteen, a survivor confined in a wheelchair due to an illness during her childhood, is a harsh but smart girl that was forced to govern her people since she was little.
Juni, a twelve years-old boy troubadour following the steps of his father, suddenly becomes involved in the empress’ journey.
Peken, an elf, a trader of items, a smart, sarcastic and loyal companion, but hides an ominous secret.
Orssandro, Head of Casak, mysteriously gets involved in a madness no one could explain.
Keleana, a vagrant always in search of adventures around the world, finds herself fighting creatures for money.
Corr, a slave worker from the mines in his realm of Fenn, a feline kingdom, escapes as a stowaway to carry a decisive message.
Jumeni, an always silent girl but with exquisite hands able to craft the most detailed artifacts.
There are other characters I don’t want to spoil, yet important to the story.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
The majority of the characters were created from the original draft, especially Lakia, Alessandro, Marissa and Fabehel. But they were characters that belonged to a Space Opera, and showed their personal conflicts while working together under and empire. I didn’t want to just put heroic or mere characters to fill a story, but also to reveal an intimacy of each one, their virtues, struggles and imperfections.
My choice to switch my story from the Space Opera to the Epic Fantasy was because it lacked of credibility and deepness to the story. The Space Opera and Sci-Fi are related, and while there are good stories in the genre, the characters are usually dry, superficial, and my characters were not the exception.
As I transplanted it to Fantasy, I needed new characters proper for that new kind of story. Hence, Orssandro, Peken and others came to life.
The general concept of the story was the beginning or foundation of a new regimen, to bury the past and welcome the dawn of a new era, as a necessity to confront greater forces and recover the balance the world has lost, the involved heroes are not heroes at all, as the villains aren’t too, not gray characters but human ones. My logic dictated that an empress of unique characteristics would successful set up a government despite her age, with a motive in the book is revealed. Something parallel with King Arthur and the birth of Camelot.

How did you come up with the names in the story?
It was a random choice then stuck with them in all the drafts I have made. As I was yet in Mexico, the original names were Hispanic—Alejandro, Marisa, Fabiola—in the sixth draft I adapted them into English—Alexander—but for my book they evolved and classified them according to each region’s culture.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
The personal and social conflicts, as well as the political tensions. And that romance in the side story.

How did you come with the book’s title?
The original draft had the title “Empire’s Stars”, I know, it sounded unoriginal, but wanted to “honor” Star Wars in a way, then it changed to “Divine Worlds” in the consequence drafts, horrible title to my taste and I can’t believe I made it. So cringy!
The idea of “The Empress’ Journey” as a title came from my original drafts. The empress had to travel to reveal herself to other cultures, the characters called it “The Journey of the Empress” to refer to her actions. I thought the current title was good and appropriate for my published book.

Who designed your book’s covers?
The cover as well the interior designs, though they were my concepts, were made by a worldwide group of talented young designed who decided to work together under their outstanding team leader, Aamna, establishing a small Australian company under the name Etheric Tales, also known as Etheric Designs. The best part about them is that they create their art from scratch, by hand, to later finish on the computer. They never use Artificial Intelligence and even it is forbidden as one of their rules.

It you had to do it all over again. Would you change anything in your latest book?
Short answer: No.
Six Space Opera drafts and a seventh in Fantasy were enough.

Did you learn anything in the writing of your recent book?
I learned more about styles and editing, and writer’s perks from many valuable authors I haven’t done before.

Anything specific you want to tell to your readers?
Enjoy your life, but never stop reading. Read, read and read.

What is your favorite part of this book and why?
The personal meeting between Lakia and Alessandro for the first time. In all my drafts both together played a significant role in the empire. It felt like a reunion after many years.

If your book was made into a movie. Who would you like to play the lead?
I have no idea who would be in the lead. But I know that Orssandro would be perfect for James Earl Jones.

If you could spend time with a character from your book, who would it be? And what would you do during that day?
I guess the empress herself, and we would have a long conversation mostly answering her questions about herself.

Are your characters based on real people or did they come entirely from your imagination?
Lakia, the empress, is partially based on The Neverending Story’s empress, but my own version of herself.
Alessandro is a younger version of myself as he has many elements from my personality, and Fabehel is a distorted version of a classmate during the Middle School, in who I had a crush.
The other characters were from my imagination.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story, or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
Well. . . My characters seemed not to stop and insisted and keep writing more pages, but I said: “No more, the story ends here! There’s time for more!”

Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
It is not only about characters facing a world crisis, but also in the intimacy they experience many situations like adolescence transition to adult age, coming of age, disability, among others. You will love the variety of characters in the book, you will suffer with them.
It’s all about imperfections and struggles.

Have you written any other books that are not published?
Yes, and there are dozens of them. Over time, I will publish them.

If your book had a candle. What scent would be?
Like the scents of those candles in the old churches.

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