Blending Science, Metaphysics, and Storytelling in a Unique Literary Voice
Regina Clarke discusses her passion for speculative fiction, the influence of her academic and IT background, the challenges of self-publishing, and the boundless inspiration she finds in everyday life and metaphysics.
Regina Clarke is a speculative fiction author whose work delves into the mysterious, the fantastical, and the unknown. With a background that spans academia and the world of IT, she brings a unique perspective to her writing, blending literary depth with technological intrigue. Having taught English literature before transitioning into a career documenting advanced technologies such as virtual reality and military surveillance software, Clarke’s experiences have profoundly shaped her storytelling.
Her fiction has been published in Etherea, NewMyths.com, Titanic Terastructures Anthology, and MetaStellar, among others, with several stories featured on podcasts. With over 30 books to her name, she effortlessly navigates multiple genres, from fantasy and science fiction to mystery, always following her insatiable curiosity.
In this interview for Reader’s House Magazine, Clarke reflects on the inspirations behind her diverse body of work, the challenges and rewards of self-publishing, and the themes that drive her stories. Her insights reveal a writer dedicated to discovery—both on the page and in life.
What inspired you to explore such a diverse range of genres, from fantasy and science fiction to cozy mysteries?
Exploring diverse genres comes naturally to me, for I have always had an insatiable curiosity. I remember being told to write what I know and feeling that was a limitation, that surely I had to reach beyond my own experience to create the stories I had to tell. Doing that meant being open to the unknown. And in my writing, that means I follow where a trail of discovery takes me. For instance, when I was writing my novel The Magic Hour, I had in mind a detective who was coping with loss and trying to get his act together. Before the first chapter ended, he had encountered a local crime that seemed to have alien implications. But the story evolved even further. A series of events during his investigation caused his car to crash at night in the fog and a head injury brought on blackouts he couldn’t control. He entered an alternate world. So the story became a fantasy and mystery both. I hadn’t planned this. But it became so very real to me.
How has your background in academia and working in IT influenced your storytelling and writing process?
You’ve named two worlds I’ve left because I found each one restricted not only my writing, but my imagination. I love English literature and my inspiration from other writers is so powerful, expansive, vital. And I loved teaching. But there are rules in academia, structures intended to support a wide learning that nevertheless has to follow the canons of what is considered good writing. You couldn’t really step beyond those. You had to write nonfiction as exegesis. It was a little like living under a dome. I wasn’t suffocating, there was plenty of stimulation and there were like-minded people around me, but there were also barriers. And I never seemed able to be at ease with that. I wanted to know more and expand the canon and question the rules. Eventually, for me, it was not where I felt at home.
As to being in IT—I often wonder about that, about how I ended up there, I mean. Gads. I was in a world so foreign to my interests and also a world that had zero interest in creativity unless you were a programmer. I was a technical writer. No one—managers, engineers– ever read what I wrote! The companies—mostly network management systems inventors, with some cell phone companies–would publish user guides that were reliant on my studying the software on my own in dark rooms with green and red lights blinking and not a clue what the product was about, yet having to test it, and write about that for a hundred pages or more. On a myriad of products. But it was very well-paid and I kept taking sabbaticals but returning to it when the money ran out. The thing is, though, and I didn’t grasp this right away, the IT world was a kind of massive, intense training in not just technology, but in ideas that would permeate some of my writing in radical ways. Because I was in a world where the only saving grace was having insatiable curiosity. Absolutely every facet of high tech was unknown to me, but I had to learn how it all came together, with every new product. Hands-on work. My understanding eventually of computers was intricate and massively detailed, and it was a bit like being Alice in Wonderland—and I loved that aspect. There was never a time where I did not have to enter the unknown. It was immensely powerful training in how to hold to the course, in finishing what I started, in saying yes when I couldn’t imagine how I would solve a problem.
In sum, both worlds—neither of which were enough for me–yet both were an incredible foundation for my writing. When I write, I am free. But I owe a great deal to the uncommon experiences I have met in those two fields along the way.
Your writing journey has involved persistence despite rejection—what advice would you give to aspiring writers facing similar challenges?
Write what is in your heart to write. That is what you are here to do. And don’t stop. Keep going, even when it seems you can’t. Because if you do, then yes, you are meant to be a writer. You are a writer.
Can you share more about your experiences with self-publishing and how it has shaped your approach to writing and marketing your books?
I have been studying and writing about self-publishing since 2014, which is when I began to take my writing to the outside world. I could give you a few hours of thought on why that was essential—and how self-publishing has transformed life for so many writers, but here’s the short version. I went the traditional route to publish—queries, sending partial manuscripts, checking agents and editors and publishing companies in all kinds of ways—but the upshot is, only 2% of writers ever get chosen by the trads. Self-publishing, which I like to call Indie publishing, required a learning curve, yes. For me, that part was easy—because all my IT work had prepared me to know how to set up something like Amazon KDP and follow what other platforms required—I had already gained immense experience in virtual systems—I knew what to do, and how. Since 2014, I have published 34 books. My love of literature, my fascination with words, has been the core foundation of why I wanted to write in the first place. I was driven to write and had done so all my days. But with the eBook revolution, and later POD, I could bring my visions through my writing into the light of day. It was and is a grand adventure.
Many of your stories revolve around themes of mystery and exploration—what draws you to these themes, and how do they reflect your personal experiences?
Most of what I said before answers this, I think. But I can add that exploring the unknown through my writing is the reason I am here, is my life’s mission, what I feel is my soul’s intention for me. This is what I most desire.
With your deep interest in metaphysics and ancient history, do you find that real-life events or personal beliefs often inspire your fiction?
All the time. Everything inspires me. Street signs give me ideas. The sight of birds flying in formation. The sound of a train at night. Feeling we are so much more than our five senses. The cacophony of a café at noontime. The silence of walking in new-fallen snow. The laughter of a child. Being in Nature. Exploring Stonehenge alone before dawn. Being with people. Loving this precious world. All of it.
