Please welcome Margaret Duarte, who has a brand new book out just for us to read.
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m the daughter of Dutch immigrants. I’m the sister to seven brothers and two sisters. I’m a wife, mother, and grandmother. I’m a former middle school teacher and ceramicist. I’m a housewife and bookkeeper. I’m the daughter, niece, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, cousin, friend, wife, and mother of California dairy farmers. And I’m a writer.
How did you become interested in Visionary Fiction?
My “Enter the Between” novel series welled out of me with no consideration to genre. When the flow slowed to a tickle and I began the revision process, I was forced to eye my work through the viewpoint of editors, publishers, and marketers—which led to a brick wall with a sign: No admittance without genre ID. I went on a hunt, using a new lens of perception, one focusing on such mainstream genres as women’s fiction, magical realism, and speculative fiction, but no genre fit what I’d written. In 2002, I came across an article written by Hal Zina Bennett titled “Visionary Fiction: Rediscovering Ancient Paths to Truth.” Hallelujah! His definition of VF so closely matched my writing that I believed my novels had finally found a home. Then came another piece of bad news: only one traditional publisher, Hampton Roads Publishing, considered visionary fiction a viable book category. When I consulted Writer’s Market for publishing opportunities, VF was rarely listed as something agents and publishers were looking for. Most mainstream publishers were just plan prejudiced against reading anything that called itself visionary fiction, certain it would be ‘religious’ and that the author would sermonize. Which led to the creation Visionary Fiction Alliance, but that’s another story.
How do you define VF?
In its simplest terms, VF is what John Algeo calls “a modern and sophisticated version of the fairy tale.” And, according to W. Bradford Swift, what separates VF from other speculative fiction is intention. Besides telling a good story, VF enlightens and encourages readers to expand their awareness of greater possibilities. It helps them see the world in a new light and recognize dimensions of reality they commonly ignore.
Please tell us about your latest book.
The second book in my “Enter the Between” visionary fiction series, BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAWN, became available in print format on Amazon February 2017. The book’s description is as follows:
A powerful tale of miracles that occur when individuals quit fighting for airspace and come together in shared exploration; BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAWN weaves together earth-based spirit traditions of medicine wheel and magick circles as nurturing containers for collective and personal transformation. Marjorie Veil is running again. But this time, she’s not running from herself. She’s running to embrace her past so she may move on with her future. A future that includes a man and an orphaned boy who both love her. But in order to build a life with them, she must have the strength to defy the expectations of her over-protective adoptive mother, and she must be steadfast in deciphering the veiled messages coming from the Native American woman who died giving her birth. Marjorie’s quest is the story of the soul trying to break free of its conditioned restraints to live a life of freedom, courage, and authenticity, and focus on what is really important in her precious present moments. The award-winning author of the Enter the Between series, has conjured up a tale of transformational healing, arising from ten years of research in contemporary paganism, holistic theory, quantum mechanics, and transpersonal psychology, that takes readers deep into the depths of consciousness to the unified field underlying physical existence, where separateness is an illusion. BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAWN, visionary fiction that heals, empowers, and bridges differences, is for anyone interested in seeing the world in a new light and recognizing dimensions of reality they commonly ignore.
If your book were chocolate, what kind would it be?
A dark chocolate truffle with a white chocolate center.
Does this book fit into a series? What is the focus of that series? 
BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAWN is the second in my four-book “Enter the Between” series.
The focus of the series is spiritual and emotional freedom. The engine I use to carry that focus is the concept of “The Between,” a scary place that most of us don’t enter willingly. Instead we’re catapulted there by a life-changing event, which in fiction is called the inciting incident. Like the fictional hero, we enter “the between” kicking and screaming and confront obstacles and tests we aren’t prepared or equipped to handle. We face-plant over and over, or so it seems, until we finally surrender to the new circumstances of our life-journey and decide to go with the flow instead of against it. Then it’s amazing what we learn and how we change.
The following quote succinctly encompasses my definition of “the between.”
“The shortest distance in the world is between you and yourself. The space in question is tiny. Yet what goes on in this little space determines nearly everything about the kind of person you are and about the kind of life you are living.” ~John O’Donohue.
How did you prepare to write about the book’s specific area or field of study?
My work encompasses at least ten years of research into contemporary paganism, holistic theory, quantum mechanics, and transpersonal psychology, which takes readers deep into the depths of consciousness to the unified field underlying physical existence, where separateness is an illusion.
How does this book fit into your real-life interests?
Maybe because I’m the daughter of Dutch immigrants or one of ten children raised on a 
farm. Maybe because I went to five different schools by the time I entered fifth grade. Maybe because I was raised Catholic by parents with deep faith. Maybe because I married a Portuguese immigrant with fixed ideas about a woman’s place in the world. Who knows? I craved spiritual and emotional freedom and my search for such “freedom” showed up in the form of fiction.
What are you working on right now?
Right now, I’m working on BETWEEN YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW, the third book of my series, which will be released early 2018.
Links to my books:
BETWEEN WILL AND SURRENDER: https://www.amazon.com/Between-Will-Surrender-paranormal-transformation-ebook/dp/B019GIVLNG
BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAWN: https://www.amazon.com/Between-Darkness-Dawn-paranormal-transformation/dp/0986068845
website: http://www.margaretduarte.com
twitter: www.twitter.com/margaretmduarte
Author page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Margaret-Duarte/105184816224977
linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretduarte
I enjoy hearing your description of VF and getting to know you better is always a pleasure, Margaret.
Thanks so much, Jodine and Theresa. What a joy to be highlighted on a fellow visionary fiction writer’s blog, who shares the purpose of bringing VF into the mainstream.
Reblogged this on Margaret Duarte.
Nicely done! Congrats on the new book.
Thank you, Ellis.
Reblogged this on ellisnelson and commented:
Duarte’s new book is based on her research in “… paganism, holistic theory, quantum mechanics, and transpersonal psychology, which takes readers deep into the depths of consciousness to the unified field underlying physical existence, where separateness is an illusion.” Definitely my kind of thing and maybe yours too.
Why, thank you, Ellis!
“A powerful tale of miracles that occur when individuals quit fighting for airspace…” so poignant and true! love this! definitely on the TBR! xo
Thank you, Rea!
I stumbled accross this post. As usual, I look for a new interest whether artistic, exercise, travel or a good read that just serendipitously appears before me.
I’ve not read your work and look forward to tickling some new nerves. Thank you.
Should I read in order of?
Robyn
As poet and scholar Rumi said, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing,
there is a field.”
Read my books, Michael, and I’ll meet you there.
Book one in the “Enter the Between” series is titled BETWEEN WILL AND SURRENDER
Book two is BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAWN
Thanks for asking, Robyn.
Thank you for sharing your journey to finding VF. I found it most helpful, as genre choice has always been a hard pick for my novels. I look forward to reading your books.
Thank you, Christina.