The word stake-a-tine is apparently problematical. So I've changed the name to purple staff. I prefer stake-a-tine, but c'est la vie.

Since the end of January I've been to three more conferences for writers, taken a two-week online writing class, and made some changes to the first two chapters. My book is currently being considered by an agent, who may or may not be interested. We'll see.

I've come to the conclusion that writing fiction is not a field for wimps. That is, one cannot afford to be a wimp for long. Maybe on Tuesdays only.

The good news--at least to me--is that I'm not a wimp, and I never give up. Determination isn't so much my middle name; it's my first. The Firma Sisters series of books will be published.

The other good news is that the 2011 Writers-Editors Network International Writing Competition just awarded my story for young children, The Ice Cube Witch, a fifth honorable mention in children's literature, saying that the story is a "fresh approach to an important topic for kids."