Tag Archives: fantasy adventures

Author Interview for the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network.

Posted on by

Picture

Diane Mae Robinson is an exciting fantasy author who has recently joined the world-wide Fantasy Sci-Fi Network.  I caught up with her to find out about her children’s fantasy adventure books.          
Book title: Sir Princess Petra—The Pen Pieyu Adventures
Genre:  Fantasy/adventure  Publish date: 2011                                                                                 Petra cover
Publisher: Tate Publishing, LLC, Children’s DivisionSynopsis: Princess Petra’s unusual birthday request sends the royal court into a frenzy, but when she agrees to undertake a knight’s quest they can’t stop her. Armed with a cake knife and outfitted in the best royal pots and pans, Petra sets off to face a dragon and win her real armor before encountering a bog witch, and an army of the kingdom’s worst enemies. Will Petra’s kindness and acceptance prove to be more valuable than weapons and armor?
 Kasper:  It’s lovely to meet you in your awesome castle, Diane.  I’m a tad jealous.  What am awesome place for you to be writing fantasy novels!  When did you start writing and why?
I started writing soon after I learned to read. Reading about the adventures that took place in books fascinated me. I decided I needed to make up adventures of my own–in the form of plays that my younger sister and I would act out. I wrote the scripts in which I was always the princess in need of rescuing; my sister was my hero prince (dressed like a cowboy or she would not participate). When the play was ready, we invited the neighbourhood kids to watch. This was the start of my creative need to write.
What made you choose the fantasy genre?
Ever since I was young, I have been fascinated with the medieval era, kings in their kingdoms, princesses on adventures, and dragons in the mix of things. I have written other types of children stories, travel articles, and adult short stories, but my heart is nearest to the childhood adventures in a fantasy world and this is the genre I primarily write in now. 
Kasper: I love the medieval era too and feel like you’re a kindred spirit.  I think it’s great that you’re introducing young readers to fantasy.
What’s the story behind your intriguing book title?
It’s an odd title for sure and the final title didn’t come to me until the book was in the editing stages at the publisher. I wanted to have an intriguing title that would make people wonder what the story was about. A “Sir” is a male knight. Petra is a princess and a female knight, which, technically, is called a “Dame”. To name her Sir Princess Petra came about because the story is humorous and because she is the first person to become a knight of her kingdom, and quite simply, the king didn’t know what to call her. 
Kasper:  I think that’s a great idea to pique readers’ interest.
Tell us the basic plot of your book?
Petra wants to become a knight to the dismay of her parents, the king and queen who want her to behave like a girl, a princess. The king writes some ridiculous knight deeds in the royal rulebooks to discourage her. Petra chooses one of the knight deeds and sets off to prove herself.
Kasper:  I love the idea of her wearing pots and pans for armor. Which scene from your book do you like best and why?
The scene where Petra encounters the dragon, Snarls. It is a humorous scene where preconceived notations are tested, where learning to trust your heart becomes vital to the plot.
Kasper:  Snarls sounds like a great character.  How do you develop your characters?
I develop characters from the toes up and they are purely fictional. The first stage of developing the characters comes about as I take walks in the forest on my acreage, the forest I call magical and where my creativity soars. After many months of walking, dreaming, and character building, and after I feel I know the characters totally, I start to write their adventures. The writing seems to come easily when the characters are fully developed and as real to me as any person I know. 
What are you working on now?
I am nearly done writing the third book in this series. The book has much editing to go through before going to the publisher, and that will take another few months. I am also working on an easy-to-understand grammar book for elementary grades.
Kasper:  I bet your fans can’t wait to hear the next installment.
What’s your writing routine?
I have absolutely no writing routine except to write constantly in my mind and scribble down notes. When the actual writing-on-the-keyboard muse hits me, I will write for 8 hours straight and sometimes for days on end. It seems I have no physical control over this muse, and when it does visit I wrap my mind around it totally. I don’t really believe in writer’s block because I know I can’t, and don’t want to, force my writing. I wait for the muse to visit and then run with it. The muse usually visits every few weeks and on its own free will.
Describe your road to publishing your book?The road to getting my first book published was a very long and hard road. After much research on publishers and what they were accepting, I started the submission process. Sometimes publishers wanted exclusive submission and I had to wait months for their answers. Some publishers wanted queries first, others wanted a synopsis.The manuscript was constantly out somewhere and according to each publisher’s guidelines. Still, the manuscript wasn’t accepted by a traditional publisher until 9 years and 27 rejections later. The manuscript was originally a picture story book and the publisher that wanted it asked me to turn it into a chapter book, which I did. I received the contract. The book was never produced by this publisher because of financial troubles when the U.S. housing crisis hit and the U.S. economy downfall.
After much hair-pulling-out (on myself), it was back to the drawing board of submitting the chapter book to different publishers. Within 6 months, I received another traditional publishing contract. The second book in this series, Sir Princess Petra’s Talent, was produced by this same publisher in 2013.
The moral of the story: do your best writing and just don’t give up.
Kasper:  Your persistance has certainly paid off, so well done.
Tell us which awards your first book has won?
– 2012 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award (Literary Arts).     Awarded a medal and $10,000.00. 
– 2012 First Runner Up in the Purple Dragonfly Book Award in the Children’s Chapter Book category.
 – 2013 Honorable Mention in the Reader’s Favorite International Book Awards
 – 2013 Finalist in the “50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading” Awards.
– Also, in 2013, I received an agent contract with Gotham Artists Agency in  New York.

Kasper: Wow, that’s very impressive!  Congratulations.
What type of books do you like to read?
I read a lot of children’s chapter books in every genre. In adult books, I mostly read fantasy, adventures, and the classics are my favourite. I enjoy reading every genre in a well-written adult novels, but I don’t much care for modern romance novels.
List some great books you have recently read:
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy.
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.
The Sword of Truth series, by Terry Goodkind.
Who are your favourite authors?
I have so many favourite authors: Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, John Irving, Terry Goodkind, Dickens, Tolstoy, all the Bronte sisters, Mark Twain, Margaret Atwood, Steven King, and of course, Dr. Seuss, C.L. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, E.B. White, Barbara Park, the list just goes on and on.
Kasper:  Yes, they’re heaps of my faves too.
You like to blog as well; what do you write about in your blog?
On my blog, All About Children’s Books, I write grammar lessons, I do some children’s book reviews, articles about the publishing industry, writing tips, about myself as an author, and some guest posts from professional writers and reviewers. The blog is aimed at writers who write for children.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing? 
I have 5 horses and enjoy riding, playing with my dogs, reading, art, gardening, nature, I also teach art lessons to children, and I am a writing instructor at the Creative Writing Institute where I teach adult classes in writing for children.
Kasper:  It’s lovely of you to impart your knowledge and experience with others.
Thanks so much for chatting with me today, Diane and sharing your thoughts with us.  It’s been a pleasure meeting you. For more on Diane’s dragons books for children: http://www.dragonsbook.com

Teacher’s Lesson Plan, Grade 4, L.A.

Posted on by

Award winning author Diane Mae Robinson has announced that a teachers lesson plan (elementary language arts) is now available for ‘Sir Princess Petra’. The lesson plan is available at no charge as a download from her website

Button Images

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Teachers Lesson Plan (Elementary Language Arts) Now Available From Award Winning Children’s Book Author Diane Mae Robinson

Robinson’s multi-award winning work, ‘Sir Princess Petra’, teaches children valuable life lessons through engaging fiction. A no-cost teacher’s lesson plan, developed by an elementary school teacher, about the book is now available. The general outcome of the lesson plan: students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences

[January 23, 2013, St. Paul, Alberta, Canada] Award winning Canadian author Diane Robinson has announced that a no-cost lesson plan is now available to teachers for her highly praised, multi-award winning children’s book, ‘Sir Princess Petra’.

‘Sir Princess Petra’, the first in the Pen Pieyu series, features surprising plot twists and turns, brilliant flashes of humor, zany characters and is rooted in timeless values that shine through the charismatic main character. It is written in the tradition of C. S. Lewis and is reminiscent of ‘Shrek’. Reviewers have labeled the award winning book a ‘fantasy adventure that is sure to become a timeless classic.’

‘Sir Princess Petra’ took an Honorable Mention award in the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Awards for Children Grade K – 3rd. This adds to the long list of awards for ‘Sir Princess Petra’.  Robinson was honored with two major awards for the book. She was awarded the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artists Award for Children’s Book Author and took 2nd place in the Purple Dragonfly Book awards for Children’s Chapter Book.

“In writing children’s literature,” Robinson stated, “I strive to engage the young reader in a fun and interesting way through the adventures of my characters. It is also important to me that the moral lessons about kindness, acceptance, understanding, and believing in oneself, are brought out through my character’s actions.”

The second book, ‘Sir Princess Petra’s Talent’ has already received a number of very favorable reviews. A recent review on Goodreads stated, ‘This is a book that should be in lots of classrooms. I think it is a good book to help children understand that everything is not as it first seems.’ Another reviewer stated, ‘Cloaked in a fantasy work of knights, kings, and dragons that will engulf children into the story, the moral lessons imparted are refreshingly neither preachy nor boring. Petra’s breath of fresh air personality makes her an exceptional role model for children to admire and to imitate in the real situations of fear, new people, challenges, and goals in their own lives.”

While dragon books are one of the most popular segments of fantasy fiction and children’s books in today’s marketplace, in these fantasy fiction books, Robinson uses the dragon books concept as the background to teaching young people traditional values. Ms. Robinson’s highly praised work demonstrates that dragon books can be something much more than dragon books.

The no-charge lesson plan is available at Robinson’s website. Diane Mae Robinson is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at robinsond@mscnet.ca. More information, including reviews, information for teachers and librarians and a special children’s section is available at her website. Both books are currently available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

About Diane Mae Robinson:

Diane Mae Robinson has a journalism diploma from the Schools of Montreal, and an advanced diploma from the Institute of Children’s Literature in Connecticut.  She is also an artist, writing tutor and teaches acrylic and watercolor art to children. She lives with her husband, Allen, in a small hilltop castle near St. Paul, Alberta.  They have four dogs and three horses, along with a forest inhabited by gnomes, fairies, a princess, and a dragon. This magical forest is where Diane creates her characters and gets the inspiration for her stories.

Contact:

Diane Mae Robinson
http://www.dragonsbook.com
robinsond@mcsnet.ca

Teachers/Librarians page link:  http://www.dragonsbook.com/teachers-librarians.html
Lesson plan link: http://www.dragonsbook.com/Sir_Princess_Petra’s_Lesson_Plan.pdf

– See more at: http://www.freepublicitygroup.com/release_diane_robinson_jan114.html#sthash.VXOj3hAR.dpuf