We’ve all had phases in our lives that have had to come to an end. That’s how our lives work. We grow, we move on. Besides the lessons I’ve learned in those life phases, the most valuable thing to come out of those endings, are the people I’ve picked up along the way.

Friendship is a bit like fishing. Some people we catch and we keep. Other times, it’s catch and release. When a phase in your life ends, it can mean saying good-bye to some friends and letting them go. This isn’t always easy, but usually in hindsight, we can see it was appropriate. The ones that are special, though, the keepers, are the ones you end up taking home, cleaning, filleting and eating or putting in the freezer. What?

Perhaps I took the fishing metaphor a little too far there, but you get the idea. Some friends stay fresh, with you throughout your different phases, regardless of the ending or the new beginning.  Some may get frozen for a time, but you can always count on them to thaw out and still be delicious. Too far again?

How do you know which friends are the keepers? Sometimes you don’t have a choice. Sometimes when a phase of your life ends, so does that friendship. It can end because you’ve moved on, or they have. It can end simply because interests have now changed or you don’t mean as much to them anymore once you’ve moved on. In that case, a release of that friendship is best for everyone.

Those who end up as keepers are the ones who stick with you through the endings and cheer you on to new beginnings. It’s a filtering process, perhaps nature’s way of letting only the best survive in your life. The ones you know you can keep, cook and eat, or, not. Whichever. One things is for sure, you will value their friendship all the more. Endings happen to keep us moving. One thing ends and we move on to the next, sometimes whether we want to or not. In the Return of the King, Frodo said, “I’m glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things.” I am glad for endings. I am glad to have had the many different phases in my life and the friends I’ve caught along the way. To all of my keepers, I thank you. I will be glad to be with you, at the end of all things.

Sandra Wickham lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and toddler son. Her friends call her a needle crafting aficionado, health guru and ninja-in-training. Sandra’s short stories have appeared in Sirens, Equus, The Urban Green Man, Evolve, Vampires of the New Undead, Crossed Genres magazine, Luna Station Quarterly and more. She slush reads for Lightspeed Magazine and promotes the Creative Ink Festival for writers and readers. 

Josh and I have been so busy outlining and starting the first draft of the fifth and final book of the series (which is going to blow your mind, just FYI), that the months have been flying by.

The good news is that March means the annual Creative Ink Festival is right around the corner! WOO HOO! Once again, I will be journeying across the ocean to attend, to volunteer, and to speak on some crazy-good panels. (It’s only an hour-and-a-half ferry ride but that sounds adventurous, doesn’t it?)

This year’s CIF promises to be full of the usual mind-expanding fun but with a super perk for one lucky festival goer. Josh and I have teamed up with Super Ninja Festival Organizer Sandra Wickham to offer a shiny new Kindle Paperwhite as a prize! And it gets better because the Kindle will come loaded with a Creative Ink Festival library of books donated by authors and publishers! Nifty, right?

Check out the Creative Ink Festival Facebook page for more updates and for your chance to enter!

As for me, when I’m not taking photos or taking notes, I’ll be speaking or moderating on panels including the Real Life Super Women presentation (don’t miss it!) and the always-ridiculous and occasionally hilarious improv storytelling panel Storytelling On The Fly.

So here’s where to find me this year…

Friday, March 31

2pm – Designing Character Backgrounds

JP (Jo-Anne) McLean (M), Adam Dreece, Kristene Perron, Mel Anastasiou, Tom D Wright

You have an idea for a character, now you have to figure out how to flesh out the character. Come listen to our panelists discuss how to do this.

Saturday, April 1

9am – Creating Tension

Mel Anastasiou (M), Kristene Perron, Mark Teppo, Randy McCharles, Trevor Melanson

Top Agent Donald Maass says there should be tension on every page. How do we accomplish that? How do we get our readers hooked on the anticipation of what will happen next? How do we keep them invested in what happens to our characters? What happens in our world of the novel?

1pm – Real Life Superwomen

Lisa Gemino, Sandra Wickham, JM Landels, Kristene Perron

What do you get when you put an MMA fighter, a pro fitness competitor, a mounted combat expert and a stuntwoman together on one panel? A rousing discussion about the realities of being a “strong woman” and how that compares with their portrayal in fiction. Join authors Lisa Gemino, Sandra Wickham, JM Landels, and Kristene Perron as they KAPOW the stereotypes and share the truth about the lives of superwomen.

6pm – Storytelling on the Fly 

Krista Wallace (M), Brenda Carre, Colleen Anderson, Kristene Perron, Mark Teppo

Writers know that nasty little editorial voice that wants to control every idea, every sentence, every word. Come and share some laughs with these writers as they send that nasty voice away kicking and screaming. With only a few prompts, they will create a story together, one sentence at a time. It WILL have a beginning, middle and an end. It WILL NOT make much sense. There WILL be mirth.

Sunday April 2

11am-How to Create A Writing Routine (and stick with it)

Donna Barker (M), JP (Jo-Anne) McLean, Kristene Perron, Samantha Beiko, Tyner Gillies

 Do you find yourself procrastinating your writing? Having a hard time getting into a groove of writing consistently? What are the best ways to create a writing routine and to keep it going?

12pm – How to Kill Characters

Kristene Perron (M), Lisa Gemino, Trevor Melanson, Tom Wright

Killing off characters may be a skill George RR Martin has perfected, but how do you do it effectively? Are there wrong times or reasons to kill off a character? What are the right reasons? How do you make it have an impact on the reader? How do you write an effective death scene? We don’t have George, but we have a panel of pros to help answer all these questions!

1pm – Raise the Stakes

Kristene Perron (M), Mel Anastasiou, Danika Dinsmore, TG Shepherd, Tom Wright

Writers are always told to “raise the stakes!” in their stories. How do you do that successfully, without it seeming contrived? What makes for high stakes that work for the character and for the reader?

The Creative Ink Festival for writers, readers and artists will be held March 31 – April 2, 2017 at the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Center, in Burnaby, BC. You can find more information at: www.creativeinkfestival.com

You can join the CIF Facebook Group here: www.facebook.com/groups/909897895708908/

…or follow CIF on Twitter at: @creativeinkfest

And if you plan on attending (you ARE going to attend, right??) make sure you come up to me and say hello–I’ll be the one with the goofy grin and the martini!

Blood for water

~Kristene

Hi everyone. I’m thrilled to be participating in the very first Creative Ink Festival in Vancouver, BC on April 25th! This year a preview for the big event, which will be a weekend long festival for writers, readers, artists, and fans of genre fiction. You can blame firecracker Sandra Wickham for all this fun and frivolity as this festival is her creation.

There’s a good chance you’ll spot me wandering around, being my usual chatty self, but here are the events I’m scheduled for:

10-11am – Blue Pencil Session

This is your opportunity to sit down with me (or other industry professionals) for fifteen minutes, to share your work and receive immediate feedback. Bring three pages of your best work (double-spaced). I will read your work and give you my input. You may also want to bring your questions about troubles you’re having with the piece. You need to sign up for this in advance. Email sandrawickham@live.ca to book your session!

2pm – Intro to Self-Publishing

So you’ve heard self-publishing is the best/worst thing to happen to writing since Gutenberg’s printing press and you’re wondering if it’s right for you? In this one hour, hands-on workshop, I will dispel the myths, exposes the scams, and shows what it takes to self-publish successfully. From first draft to first sale, you’ll learn the questions you’ll need to ask and the tools you’ll need to determine your publishing path. Topics include: * Timelines and budget * DIY vs self-publishing services * Formatting, editing, cover and interior design * Choosing the best publishing option * Self-publishing resource.

5pm – How to Market Yourself Panel: Danika Dinsmore, Peter Darbyshire, Kristene Perron, JP McLean

Whether you’re a writer or artist, indie or traditionally published, marketing yourself is vital to a successful career. What are the best tools out for getting your product out there? What should be avoided? What should your marketing budget look like? Are there any unique ideas left?

You can read about all the amazing programming here and you can plan your day here.

I’ll have copies of Warpworld Vol. 1, 2 and 3 on hand for sale. And you will find a special Warpworld goodie in your festival “swag bag”.

If you see me, make sure to say Hi, or even better…

Blood for water

~ Kristene