Beach Fair to Aid Tomes’ Homes: Libraries

Carol Higgins Clark, Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey and Theodore Taylor are among nearly two dozen authors scheduled to appear at Books by the Beach--a day of author discussions, book signings and other book-related events--to be held Sept. 7. on the Festival of Arts grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.

Billed as Orange County’s first book fair, the daylong event is presented by the Friends of the Library Foundation for the benefit of the Orange County Public Library.

Scheduled to speak and answer questions at sessions throughout the day (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) are Clark (“Iced”); Hailey (“A Woman of Independent Means”); children’s author and illustrator Julie Mamano (“Rhinos Who Surf”); biographer Pat Broeske (“Down at the End of Lonely Street: the Life and Death of Elvis Presley”); and young-adult authors Taylor (“The Cay”) and Neal Shusterman (“The Shadow Club”).

Also, a panel of five mystery writers will discuss “Mysteries: Real and Imagined.”

Among the many booths set up on the grounds will be one occupied by Barbara Saltzman, whose son, David, wrote and illustrated a children’s book before his death at 22 of Hodgkin’s disease. Determined to see that their son’s book, “The Jester Has Lost His Jingle,” was published after his death, Saltzman and her husband published it themselves. The highly publicized 1995 book has since become a self-publishing phenomenon.

Authors scheduled to sign copies of their books throughout the day are Stephen Burgard, Jan Burke, Nicole Conn, Janet Eastman, Wendy Hornsby, Ed Humes, Jackie Hyman, Sherwood Kiraly, Carroll Lachnit, Dennis McDougal, Maurice Medland, Louann Murray, Maxine O’Callaghan, Barbara Seranella, Martin J. Smith, Taylor Smith, Father Terrence Sweeney and John Morgan Wilson.

Also available will be book appraisals, poetry readings and a Barbie fashion show at 1 and 2:30 p.m. (So what’s Barbie’s book connection? She appeared on an American Library Assn.’s celebrity poster themed “Reading is always in style.”)

Martha Lydick, president of the Friends of the Library Foundation, says the primary goal of the book fair is to raise money for the 27 branches in the Orange County Public Library system.

“But,” she says, “it all kind of started as a way to get libraries in the public’s mind. Bad things were happening--libraries were closing in Northern California--so we just wanted to publicize libraries.”

Cost to attend the book fair (which includes admission to the author talks) is $4 for adults; children under 12 are free. ($1 off coupons are available at all Orange County Public Library branches. Those who bring Books by the Beach ads that have been running in The Times--one of the book fair’s 23 sponsors--will also receive $1 off admission.)

For more details, call (714) 566-3060.

This Week:

* Anthony Gomez, Robin Har and Robin Wang--the creator, artist and writer of a new comic book, “Cracker: Clown Chronicle”will sign at 11 a.m. today at Hankee Comics, 7930 Dale St., Buena Park. The trio will also sign at 5 p.m. Wednesday at JNJ Comics, 11765 Edinger Ave., Fountain Valley.

* Poets Daniel McGinn and John Gardiner will read at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Gypsy Den Cafe and Reading Room in The Lab, 2930 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

* Barbara Seranella, author of “No Human Involved,” will read and sign at 4 p.m. Saturday at Latitude 33 Bookshop, 311 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach.

* W. Harry Constance, a former Navy SEAL, will sign and discuss “Good to Go,” a book based on his three tours of duty in Vietnam, at 7 p.m. Friday at Borders Books and Music, 429 Associated Road, Brea.

* Julie Smith, author of “Crescent City Kill,” will sign at noon Saturday at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange.

* Wendy Hornsby, author of “Hard Light,” will sign at noon Saturday at Mystery Ink/Upchurch-Brown Booksellers, 384 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach.

* A sale of used magazines, maps and paperback books will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Fullerton Main Library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton.

Send information about book-related events at least 10 days before the event to: Dennis McLellan, O.C. Books & Authors, Life & Style, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.