Interview with Margaret Duarte

Continuing my series of interviews with authors, joining me today is Margaret Duarte, who recently published the first book in her series of Visionary Fiction novels. I invited Margaret here to find out a bit more about her writing.

INTERVIEW WITH MARGARET DUARTE




Thanks for inviting me to participate in the Q&A on your blog.

Thanks for joining me, Margaret! Please introduce yourself.

I’m the daughter of Dutch immigrants and a former middle school teacher, who lives on a California dairy farm with her family and a herd of happy cows, a constant reminder that the greenest pastures are closest to home.

What 3 pieces of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Since I’ve just started my journey toward publication (one book published, three on the way), I’ve had little experience with the publishing world other than hearsay—which is sometimes more frightening than fact. However, I have observed enough over the years to give the following advice:

· Don’t submit too soon. When I finished my first novel fifteen years ago, I was so proud of my accomplishment that I immediately entered the prestigious William Faulkner Novel Competition. It’s one of America’s leading literary writing contests and offers a hefty first prize of $7,500, plus assistance in finding a literary agent and publisher. Oh, the innocence of the budding writer! Between the entry fee (somewhere around $20, I believe) and the postage (no electronic transmissions back then), I was a bit poorer for the experience. But I learned an important lesson: There are plenty of writers out there who have not only written novels, but have put in many more hours than I have at perfecting and polishing their craft. I heard that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of deep practice to get really good at something, which translates into approximately ten years, which I bypassed five years ago.

· Take classes, enter contests, join critique groups, and attend writer’s conferences to get feedback on your work and to learn all you can about the craft of writing.

· Buckle down and never give up. You’re in this for the long haul.

Great advice. Especially the third one. Once a writer, always a writer!

Tell us about your latest book.



Between Will and Surrender, book one in my “Enter the Between” Visionary Fiction Series, was published in 2015. It won first place in the 2016 Northern California Publishers and Writers Awards for fiction.

Congratulations. That's a great accomplishment.

The novel is about Silicon Valley resident Marjorie Veil, who has been conditioned to ignore her own truth, give way her power, subjugate in relationships with others, and settle for the path of least resistance. But she has many surprises in store, for there are synchronistic forces at work in her life that, if she listens, will lead her to her authentic heart and happiness. The seemingly impossible happens in the wild of the Los Padres National Forest where Marjorie goes on retreat to make sense of her life when she thinks she has gone insane. The innocence of the Native American orphan Marjorie befriends, as well as more mystery and adventure than she bargained for, show her how love can heal in what turns out to be a transformative spiritual quest.

Do you do your own editing or use a professional?

Being a former English teacher, I do my own proofreading and line-editing. That said, I belong to a critique group, without which I couldn't imagine taking a novel through the long revision stage. I also have three beta readers who know their stuff. When my manuscript is the best it can be, I send it to a professional “content” editor. In about four weeks, she returns it with her suggestions for revision. In the case of Between Will and Surrender, her biggest issue was with my climax scene, which improved tremendously after a rewrite.

I also think it's so important to get feedback after writing the book and before publishing because all the editor's/beta readers' comments can help to make the book so much better in the long run. I think books tend to get better with each re-write. That part can go on for ever if we're not careful though! The trick is to know when to stop editing!

How much research do you do when writing a book?

So far, years of research in a diverse range of subjects have gone into writing my “Enter the Between Series.” I have two packed, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves to prove it. The books I found most helpful in researching the first novel of my series, Between Will and Surrender, are:

Earth Quest - Earth Medicine: Revealing Hidden Treasures of the Native American Medicine Wheel - a Shamanic Way to Self-discovery and The Medicine Way: A Shamanic Path to Self Mastery, by Kenneth Meadows, Dancing the Dream: The Seven Sacred Paths Of Human Transformation by Jamie Sams, The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot, Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes Crisis, by Stanislav and Christina Grof, The Natural History of Big Sur, by Paul Henson and Donald J. Usner, The Salinan Indians of California and Their Neighbors, by Betty War Brusa, The Ohlone Way, by Malcolm Margolin, and The Carmel Mission: From Founding To Rebuilding, by Sydney Temple.

Those all have very intriguing titles.

What genre do you write in?  

Because of the visionary/metaphysical aspect of my novels, I consider myself a Visionary Fiction writer (You’ll find the definition of VF at the Visionary Fiction Alliance of which I am a founding member.). However, my stories also have the broad commercial appeal of women’s fiction.

Who does your cover design? Is there anyone you’d recommend?

My covers were designed by the talented Clarissa Yeo at Yocla Designs

What’s your favorite book, and why is it your favorite?

I have not one favorite book, but many, among them: 

Keeping Faith, by Jodi Picoult, The Year of Pleasures, by Elizabeth Berg, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, The Girl with No Shadow, by Joanne Harris, The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman, The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield, In the Woods, by Tana French, The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and the Odd Thomas series, by Dean Koontz.

Do you format your own books?

The first time around, I paid to have my book formatted, but I was not completely satisfied. So I learned how to format myself. Formatting is a lot of work, but, as a result, I’m in full control of my work, which is a big plus. It’s the small things that make the difference between a book acceptably formatted and one formatted professionally. Two books I found helpful in my learning process were How to Self-Publish Your Book Using Microsoft Word 2007: A Step-By-Step Guide for Designing & Formatting Your Book's Manuscript & Cover to PDF & Pod Press Specifications, Including Those of Createspace, by Edwin Scroggins (I’ve upgraded to Word 2016, but most of the information in this book is still applicable) and Format YOUR Print Book with Createspace, by Tim C. Taylor. There are also free books available on Amazon that show you how to self-publish using their KDP and CreateSpace services.

Where are your books on sale?

Currently, my book is only for sale on Amazon. After my second and third books are published, I will branch out to Smashwords and Ingram Spark for wider distribution.

Thanks, Margaret. Your book sounds fascinating. I'll be adding it to my to-read list. Good luck with the series.

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Author links:

Website: http://www.margaretduarte.com

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/margare...

Twitter: www.twitter.com/margaretmduarte

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mar...

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretdu...