Sagar Constantin - Standing Firm and Believing in Something Bigger
Sagar Constantin is a bestselling Scandinavian author with more than seven books, one of them published in five languages. She writes stories that are both captivating but also highly inspirational. The In-Between series came to Sagar on her way home from a business trip to India, and she instantly knew that this was a story that she had to share with the world. Her deep desire to bring awareness to the world is done in the most elegant way in these books. She has a great ability to make psychological issues easy to understand and comprehend, and through her reading, it is possible to grow inside and at the same time be highly entertained. Sagar is also an international speaker and lecturer for businesses. Every year, she trains thousands of people in subjects like personal development, change management, EQ, and High-performance teams. When she is not writing and teaching, she loves to spend time with her family and enjoys nature walks. Sagar lives in Denmark but travels the world with her work.
Please give us a short introduction to what The Ring is about.
The Ring is the second book in the In-Between series. In the first book Eva, the main character, goes into a coma after surviving a plane crash. While in a coma, she travels to a place called In-Between. A place in the clouds, where both people in a coma and those who died suddenly go to. If you are in a coma, you are given a chance to look at your life and decide whether you want to wake up or continue on your soul’s journey.
In The Ring, Eva returns to Earth to search for the last two members of a group called the Ring.
Together, the Ring can access crucial information that the world desperately needs.
Each member has unconsciously carried a piece of this knowledge over thousands of years. By reconnecting the pieces, they will help turn mankind’s negative, violent development on Earth into positive, loving, and constructive progress.
If the Ring doesn’t reunite now, it is doubtful that they will ever succeed.
Eva only has forty-two days to find the last two members and convince them to go to In-Between with her.
During her forty-two days on Earth, Eva's past, philosophy of life, and especially her sense of justice are challenged. She must go beyond her limits, even when she sees her view of the world disintegrate.
The Ring is about standing firm and believing in something bigger than oneself. It is about daring to live life to the fullest, looking death in the eye, letting go of the past, and having faith.
Through Angela’s journey, readers will come to see the world as they have never seen it before.
What inspired you to write this story? Was there something that made you want to tackle this?
Sometimes the struggles we encounter in our life are hard to explain. It has helped me broaden my horizon and open up to the possibility that we have been here before. In the book, Eva faces other issues as well. She has to let go of her previous beliefs and trust herself. I believe that we have to heal the present life first, and then we can move on and look at the challenges we might carry from a past life. But the thought that the challenges we encounter have deeper roots that we might not be aware of can sometimes help create awareness.
Tell us more about Eva. What makes her so special?
Eva is an ordinary woman who worked hard and never stopped to ask herself what mattered to her. She was busy with her career and was looking for recognition. Even though she wanted to be a good mother, she found it hard to be present and always had an excuse for not making her son a priority. But deep inside, she has always known there was more to life than a career and daily struggles but never knew how to get in touch with it or make a change. She has felt a longing but didn't know what it was. Eva has great willpower and is a very curious person. That helps her when she goes to In-Between and is confronted with the most difficult decision a parent can make. The choice between her son or trying to make a positive difference in the world. Her answer to that question makes her special.
You address some big themes like living life to the fullest, looking death in the eye, and having faith in this story. Why did you find it important to write about?
I believe many people are living far from their truth. Like I have been too. I wanted to write a compelling story where you are invited to learn about yourself too. I have spent more than ten years in therapy, transforming my own wounds, letting go of constraining beliefs, and reconnecting with my feelings. If the In-Between series can help create awareness for others so they too can begin to live the life they are longing for, I'm so grateful.
Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?
I am a technology nerd, I make my own websites, and with all the covers for my books, I have told the graphic designer exactly how I wanted it, then he just had to make it look good.
This is book 2 of a series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?
You need to read The Life first. The Ring picks up where The Life ends. And The Hope comes after The Ring. They don't make any sense if you read them any other way.
In which way has your work as a lecturer for businesses influenced your writing?
I meet hundreds of people every week and each with a different story. I can see that it is the same issue we are all struggling with. Am I worthy, daring to speak up, low self-esteem, fear, and the longing for peace in mind? I have used my work as a lecturer to address some of these issues in my books.
Does The Ring contain a hidden message? What do you hope readers will take away from this?
I truly hope that readers will stop and ask themself; Am I living the life I want to? Am I present and grateful for what I have? What can I do to get closer to my dreams and find meaning in my life? I hope readers will become more conscious too. There are many hidden gems in the books, but I will leave it up to the readers to find them.
What was your greatest challenge when writing this story?
Finding the time. I teach in business nearly every day. Two and a half years ago, I decided to take two weeks out of my calendar to continue writing The Hope. It was Christmas 2019. Then three months after, every single scheduled booking was wiped away with covid, and suddenly I had time to finish The Hope, and then I decided to translate all three books.
What is the hardest thing about being a writer?
When I write, I go deep into all the character's feelings and mindsets. To be able to write them in an authentic way, I need to feel what they are feeling. That can sometimes be hard.
Is there something that compels you to write? And do you find that writing helps you achieve clarity about yourself or ideas you've been struggling with?
Writing is deeply meaningful to me. I get to share awareness and invite others to personal growth in my writing. That is my life purpose. I have clarity before I write, so for me, writing is not a unique growth process, it is a way of showing others the way.
Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?
When I sit down to write, I always ask, "what is going to happen today?" and then it's like the story begins to unfold. Like watching a movie where I have to keep up and write what is coming to me. Sometimes the story is not ready to unfold. For example, I didn't know the title of book three for four years. I asked the universe, but there was no answer until one day. Then I knew, and then I also knew how the cover would look. It was the same with the ending of book three. I had to wait three months until I could see the ending. I have learned to be patient. It is not in my nature.
What are you working on right now?
I am finishing The Hope (Book three of the In-Between series). It will be released 7th of June. So I have just been reading through it one last time before sending it to the editor.
Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?
I'm always happy to meet my readers, and everyone is welcome to follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagar.constantin.author/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SagarConstantinAuthor
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sagar-constantin
https://www.goodreads.com/sagarconstantin
or my website Livingbetween.com and Sagarconstantin.com
The Ring is about standing firm and believing in something bigger than oneself. It is about daring to live life to the fullest, looking death in the eye, letting go of the past, and having faith.