Oh, the Tales They Tell About Orange County . . .

Twelve people from Orange County who have never met as a group will gather in Costa Mesa this evening to share in the joys of their joint venture. They wrote a book together.

They are newly published authors in an anthology of short stories called “More Slices of Orange.” The public party--where each will read from her or his work--takes place at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at Triangle Square at 7.

The 12--six women, six men--were finalists in a contest by a local publishing house. The only requirements: that the writers live in Orange County and that the county be the setting for their fiction.

The works cover a variety of topics: drugs in suburbia, troublesome dating, strange love, a child’s world, the closing of orange groves for development. All are interesting and written with care; a few are even excellent. I loved Ken Leighton’s piece about Julia’s date life: “Finally, a man who wanted to know more about her than where she would like to eat.”

But just as fascinating to me--and not to be overlooked if you pick up a copy ($14)--are the introductions to each story. They tell why these people chose to take the chance, to offer themselves up for public scrutiny.

They are a motley crew; one is a secretary, another a businesswoman, one a reformed heroin addict. There’s a lawyer and a college professor. Their common bond is a passionate interest in writing. The honor was just getting published--none of them got paid a dime.

Christine Eastwood of Santa Ana shared a frustration with others--now an adult and still not sure what she wanted to be in life. But two years ago, she attended an authors day at Cal State Fullerton and knew instinctively she wanted to write: “It was like greeting an old friend--one you’d given up on ever seeing again.” She had major anxiety that she could pull it off, but remembered the lesson from that author’s day: If you want to write, write!

Bibi Brock Davis of Laguna Niguel has a late 19th-century brochure depicting Orange County, where her grandfather was born in 1878, as orange groves and farmland. The novel she’s working on, “Chimaera’s Waltz,” is set in Santa Ana in that period. Judging from her short story in this anthology, she will surely find a publisher.

W.R. Lennertz of Huntington Beach explains his need to write: “As a child, I retreated into books during the worst years in my family life. I guess I just wanted to give something back to that wonderful world.”

And Leighton of Orange, who says he learned to write from his father, adds something that all of us can identify with: “Writing them down isn’t the only way for stories to come out, but it must be one of the most frustrating.”

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Taxing Situation: Ever wonder if the same people who rush to pay their taxes just before midnight on April 15 are the same people who do the bulk of their Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve? If somehow you just aren’t up on this tax thing, and you need help, there’s a toll-free number you can call: (800) 829-1040. (1040--get it?) Be prepared to wade through a long list of options before you get to talk to a flesh-and-bones person instead of a recorded voice. Maybe you can work on your forms during the classical music interlude.

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Around the Town: Several thousand will hit the beaches Sunday not in sandals, but in tennis shoes. They’ll be taking in a nine-mile walk for the Multiple Sclerosis Society at two beach sites--Newport Dunes and Bolsa Chica State Beach--as well as Craig Park near the Brea Mall. Sign-up is at 8 a.m. at each. You can walk by either pledging $20 yourself or pledging to raise that much and turning it in by May 14. Something new this year: a 12-foot canvas called the Wall of Hope. People affected by MS will sign it or paint on it that morning. . . .

The Taste of Orange County, the annual giant summer food and music festival, has outgrown its spot at the Irvine Spectrum. This year it will be at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station (June 21-23). This is the one where you get to taste the best of several dozen Orange County restaurants for an $8 entry fee. . . .

Remember Mary Fisher’s poignant address about AIDS--she’s HIV-positive--at the 1992 Republican National Convention? There’s a special day for her at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda on Monday. It will preview an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and paper art by Fisher she calls “Messages.” (It remains through June 2.) There’s also a reception and signing for her new book, “My Name Is Mary,” at 6 p.m. There’s a $10 fee on that one, but all the money goes to the AIDS Services Foundation of Orange County. . . .

The AIDS Services Foundation is the victim of a recent theft. Dorothy’s on Broadway, a Laguna Beach thrift store owned by the foundation, had commissioned a pair of sequined ruby slippers--replicas of those worn by Dorothy (Judy Garland) in “The Wizard of Oz,” to serve as the store’s emblem. A few days ago, somebody stole them. Maybe the thief thought they were the originals. Manager James LaFace says they haven’t turned up, but one generous resident has donated other slippers to replace them, ones that he says “are as close to the replica as you can get.” LaFace has a lock on these.

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Wrap-Up: The editor of “More Slices of Orange” is Nancy Brooks Rayl, who teaches creative writing at Cypress College. She did not pick the winners; there was a panel of judges who chose them “blind,” meaning they knew the pieces only by number, not by a name or gender.

Rayl--who also does this without pay--sees it as a great way to encourage new writers. “Many people love to write; they just never get the chance,” she says. “These winners will all write again, I’m sure.”

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or sending a fax to (714) 966-7711.