Writers Club Speaker Cloaked in Mystery

The Ventura County Writers Club is a boon to the community because of the programs it sponsors and the camaraderie it provides all year on behalf of well-published and aspiring writers.

This month’s meeting will feature mystery writer Sharan Newman, whose fourth medieval mystery, “Strong as Death,” has just been released.

Newman, who is also the author of a trilogy on the life of Queen Guinevere, serves on the advisory board of the Medieval Academy of the Pacific and is a member of Mystery Writers, Science Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime and the American Crime Writers League.

The meeting is at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Orchid Professional Building, 816 Camarillo Springs Road, Camarillo. There is a $5 fee for nonmembers. Call 482-5648.

Also consider attending the club’s annual Publishers, Editors and Agents luncheon seminar Sept. 28 at the Hilton Inn Financial Plaza in Oxnard. The $40 fee includes lunch. Call 986-3584 for details.

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Storyteller Jim Woodard will participate in the “Back to the ‘60s” day of activities at noon and 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley. The noted Ventura storyteller will describe the fast-food boom of the 1960s and also share a historic tale about a little-known incident that took place in the 1860s.

Woodard has just been named resident storyteller for the International Kids Forum on the CompuServe computer network. He also leads a weekly storytelling program at the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura. For information about the storytelling programs at the library, call 658-6697.

A number of events celebrating the 1960s are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Reagan library, including musical performances, a hippie contest and an appearance by an Ed Sullivan look-alike. Call 522-2977 for details.

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Linda Jonas, president of the British Isles Family History Society, will discuss U.S. naturalization records from 1790 to the present at the Conejo Valley Genealogical Society meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Adult Education Center, 1025 Old Farm Road, Thousand Oaks. The topic for the beginners’ class, which meets at 6 p.m., is how to use wartime military and pension records. The public is welcome. Call 497-8293.

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IN SANTA BARBARA: Eleanor Vallee, who was married to Rudy for over 30 years, will be at the Earthling Bookshop, 1137 State St., at 7:30 p.m. Friday to discuss and sign “My Vagabond Lover,” a frank biography of the private life and enduring career (which began in 1928) of the singer-actor who made his mark on Broadway, radio and in Hollywood.

At 7:30 p.m. Monday, the Earthling will present Rachel Laney, who will describe Feng Shui, the Chinese art of placement.

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Local author Marcia Meier and photographer James Chen have crafted a fascinating journey through past and present Santa Barbara in their handsome gift book, “Santa Barbara: Paradise on the Pacific,” which they will sign at 2 p.m. Sunday at Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St., Loreto Plaza.

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Richard F.X. O’Connor, former marketing director for Waldenbooks and Doubleday, will conduct a four-week workshop titled “So You Want to Get Published: Marketing You and Your Book.” The class will focus on basic publishing facts including: sparking an editor’s interest; understanding rights, royalties and contracts; and using the Internet to promote and sell books.

The classes begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Schott Center, Room 17, 310 W. Padre St. Call 687-0812 or register the first day of class.

Frances Halpern is co-host with Jon O’Brien of “Beyond Words” at 10 a.m. Sundays on KCLU 88.3 FM, Ventura County’s National Public Radio station.