Those with a passion for the written word will want to mark down the return of the to Maple Ridge.

The third-annual festival will see workshops led by writers , and local .

鈥淲e want to bring writers together, we want to give readers a perspective of the extreme talents that exist within our community, not just with published writers, but with those who are unpublished or who are published in less traditional means,鈥� said Ronda Payne, co-founder of the festival.

The free event will take place at (11944 Haney Pl.) on Jan. 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Writers and readers can sign-up for workshops at the event while also visiting the vendor booths and taking advantage of the festival鈥檚 blue pencil opportunities.

鈥淎 blue-pencil session is when someone brings a small amount of their work, say three pages or less, and has another writer look at that work and provide potential edits, areas of improvements [and] help them work through challenging areas and give them a boost on what they鈥檙e working on,鈥� Payne explained.

Mavin will kick off a series of workshops at 10:30 a.m. with his presentation, Extraordinary People: The Craft of Character Creation.

The workshop is designed for writers of any skill level.

At noon, Ace will discuss crime, detective and mystery books to match a reader鈥檚 TV viewing tastes.

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鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to be taking part in it. As a crime writer, who lives in Maple Ridge, I find it really good fun to be able to speak to other people who enjoy stories about crime fiction,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 going to do a really fun session on recommending reading for people who think that they prefer to watch television and movies.鈥�

Ace will be available to sign copies of her books and also discuss festival goers鈥� particular reading preferences.

鈥淚鈥檓 going to start with television and movie adaptation of books and then go on to speak about other books that are like that,鈥� she said.

Ace is currently working on the ninth installment in her Cait Morgan Mysteries series, The Corpse with the Crystal Skull.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a classic whodunit murder mystery set in Jamaica,鈥� she said.

Finally, at 1:30 p.m. Eileen Cook will take the stage to discuss The Power of Story: How Stories Can Change your Life 鈥� or at least your Brain.

The festival will also have draws for prizes, including a membership with the BC Federation of Writers.

鈥淲e anticipate even more visitors to come this year than last year,鈥� Payne concluded.

joti.grewal@blackpress.ca
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