Meet Regina Sage

We were lucky to catch up with Regina Sage recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Regina, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Finding my purpose is a lot of trial and error, but it is mostly following my curiosity. And, I do use the present tense on purpose, because I feel like my purpose will continue to grow and change as I do. What draws my interest, what keeps me asking questions, what propels me to learn more? First, it was paleontology. Then it was forensic anthropology. Then it was theatre, and from there I moved to linguistics, and now writing romances. On the surface, these all seem very different, but I would say they all look at the same things: exploring, becoming, and transforming. Each examines something as it was (a dino footprint, a skeleton, a script, a language, a love story) and then re-examines them in the light of changes or new ideas. Most obviously in anthropology, theatre, languages and writing, the connections between humans or individual journeys are prominent. Exploring those connections is like a puzzle, which ties back to the paleontology and anthropology. Connections we make within ourselves and with others in the world around us are intensely fascinating. I think I will always have questions about how people deal with certain circumstances, and I try to explore that in my writing now, informed by all the previous curiosities I’ve had. Most of my characters strive to do all things with deep love and respect for others and the natural world. Love is a fantastic motivator in all its forms, and I think finding what we love most is an important part of finding our purpose.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I write shark romance under the pen name Regina Sage. These are character-driven sci-fi/fantasy love stories featuring mental health and 2SLGBTQIA+ representation, where the bad guys always lose. I also take a lot of time to portray sharks differently in these books than they usually are in mainstream media. The sharks (and the shark-like aliens) are the heroes and love interests, rather than just blood-thirsty villains and wild monsters. The books of my Underwater series can be found at books2read.com/reginasage, and include titles Ocean’s Embrace, Sand’s Caress, Ink’s Grace, Passion’s Power, and Heart’s Hold. The next book in the series, Ocean’s Kiss, is coming out later this year. You can find out more about my books and follow me on Instagram, threads, and Bluesky with the handle @ReginaSageBooks.

Outside of writing, I also narrate audiobooks for my fellow self-published authors. My formal training is in linguistics, specifically in dialect design. I have helped authors, playwrights, and directors create more than a hundred unique character voices for books, plays, and theatrical productions. I love to use this skill to bring characters to life—either by writing them, or by speaking aloud the words others have written. You can find out more by going to audio.com/august-roy. Follow me on Instagram with the handle @RoySoundAction.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Love is a skill to hone. For the self, for others, however you do it it, practice greeting the world with love. Compassion and empathy, friendship and interpersonal connections are important to building community, and through community we can gain support and support each other in ways that would be impossible all alone.

Listening is hugely important. As a linguist, I see people waiting to talk, but very few willing to listen while another is speaking. By listening, we can better support each other or act when it is time to do something.

Curiosity is another quality that I suggest others foster. Curiosity leads to play and to questions, which is how we explore the world. Whether it is just exploring what funny noises we can make like babies do, or by taking an academic deep dive into a topic of our choice, curiosity can be a daily practice. It can be serious or it can be fun, but both are meaningful.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

This is a challenge that is not specific to me, but it is significant to me and many others right now. The rise of misinformation is incredibly dangerous. Without facts people can more easily hate, fear, and become angry with some topics. More books will be banned, and free speech is already being threatened. People can be wrongfully accused and imprisoned. By being curious, we can combat the misinformation through exploring our sources and each topic thoroughly from as many sides as possible. This is a challenge I am trying my best to rise to, even though the news and current events are stressful and exhausting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sites.google.com/view/regina-sage-author/books?authuser=0
• Instagram: @ReginaSageBooks
• Other: Narrator contacts: audio.com/august-roy and @RoySoundAction

Image Credits

I created these designs and took the pictures myself.