I believe it is my job as a fiction writer to condense research of complex subjects into understandable language and then play it out in story. My work bridges science and spirituality with paranormal and supernatural underpinnings and contemplative messaging that aims toward a kinder, wiser, more peaceful world.
Press Release
October 2020
Elk Grove Author Teams up with KCRA Reporter for Audiobook Launch
Award winning “Enter the Between” Series Narrated by Reporter/Anchor
Sacramento, CA–Margaret Van Steyn Duarte, Elk Grove author of the four-book series “Enter the Between,” is set to launch the audio book version of the first novel in the series next week, narrated by voice over artist and KCRA reporter Kristen Simoes.
When the local author decided it was time to put a voice to the protagonist in her series, she heard one in particular. A voice that was familiar and trustworthy, one she often heard on the news.
“I always imagined a lower, alto voice that speaks very clearly,” Duarte says, describing what she wanted in a narrator. “Kristen’s voice compelled me because of its familiarity, cohesiveness, and when you hear her, it’s like listening to a friend.”
The first novel in the series, Between Will & Surrender, is narrated by Simoes, who has worked for local stations KCRA, ABC10 and KVIE and has voiced everything from commercials to eLearning for major national corporations. “While I’ve been speaking into a microphone for decades, an audiobook is a whole different ballgame,” says Simoes. “It has been such a joy to work on this novel, and an honor to work with an author I respect and admire.”
While this is their first collaboration, the two women have a long history. Both are graduates of Elk Grove High School – Simoes in 1992, Margaret Van Steyn (Duarte) in 1967. Simoes grew up on a dairy in rural Elk Grove, attending elementary and high school with Duarte’s oldest son, Todd. The Duarte family also operated a dairy, on which Margaret still lives.
The two reconnected years later when Simoes returned to the region, just recently teaming up to give a voice to Between Will & Surrender and its protagonist, Marjorie Veil. The “Enter the Between” series, which is categorized as Visionary Fiction, has gained great traction since its launch, with Duarte winning two first place awards and one second place award for fiction in the Northern California Publishers and Authors Book Awards Competition, and first place for adult fiction in the California Author Project.
The entire Enter the Between series can be found on Amazon.
Contact author Margaret Van Steyn Duarte at margaretduarte@gmail.com
and narrator Kristen Simoes at info@kristensimoes.com.
