Diane Mae Robinson

When a princess is given a birthday wish, the formula says she wishes for a knight in shining armour, not to become one. But Diane Mae Robinson’s creation, Sir Princess Petra; The Pen Pieyu Adventures, shatters fairy tale princess stereotypes.

The chapter book, Diane’s first, was published in January 2012 by Tate Publishing in Oklahoma, and the second of four in the series is expected out in early 2013.

The road to publication was long for Robinson. Throughout the nine years of rejections from other publishers, Diane stood by her belief that this was a good story that would some day be published and enjoyed by children.

The adjudicators agreed, saying, “Her writing grabs you, is perfectly pitched, nuanced, a fresh approach.”

Robinson has always enjoyed reading and writing. At the age of six, she fell in love with the book Black Beauty, which was given her by her Grandma Robinson. Thus began her love of stories and storytelling. While working full-time at a dental office, Robinson spent time outside the office honing her craft through correspondence training. After receiving her journalism diploma, she enrolled in a four-year correspondence course and received an advanced diploma from the Institute of Children’s Literature in Connecticut.