Writers Put Their Hearts Into Conference

More than 100 romance writers are expected to attend a three-day writers conference sponsored by the Orange County chapter of Romance Writers of America beginning Friday in Brea.

The event, which is open to the public, will be at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 900 E. Birch St., Brea. A $180 fee includes workshops, reception and luncheons on Saturday and Sunday.

Among workshop leaders are Suzanne Forster, Meryl Sawyer, Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuard, Jill Marie Landis and Ciji Ware. A free book signing with 45 authors will be held at the hotel at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Book sale proceeds will benefit Friends of READ/Orange County, a nonprofit literacy program sponsored by the Orange County Public Library.

To register or obtain more information, call (310) 828-3625 or (714) 991-4886.

Seminar Includes Famous Writers

The Orange County Christian Writer’s Fellowship will sponsor a Writer’s Day on Saturday at Grace Community Church, 25042 Trabuco Road, Lake Forest.

Speakers at the event, which will begin at 8:15 a.m., will include five nationally known Christian writers. Keynote speaker Kay Marshall Strom will discuss how to use life experience in writing. Workshop leaders include fiction writer Carol Gift Page, Los Angeles Times religion editor Bill Lobdell, screenwriter Michael Gonzales and speaker/trainer Dan Kline.

General admission: $50, which includes breakfast and lunch. For more information or to register, call (714) 751-7824 or (949) 458-8981.

Also Coming Up

* Robert B. Parker will sign “Perish Twice” at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange. 1 p.m. today. (714) 538-3210.

* Lee Mallory will read John C. Harrell’s poems based on the artworks of Marilyn Ellis at the Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. 2:30 p.m. today. (949) 717-3800.

* Laurell K. Hamilton will sign “A Kiss of Shadows” at Barnes & Noble in the Huntington Beach Mall, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach. 2 p.m. today. (714) 897-8781.

* Joyce Spizer will sign “I’m Okay, You’re Dead” at Bookman Too, 19111 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach. Noon today. (714) 596-1999.

* Mystery authors Letha Albright (“Tulsa Time”), Sherri Board (“Angels of Anguish”), Susan McBride (“And Then She Was Gone”) and Denise Swanson (“Murder of a Small-Town Honey”) will discuss and sign their books at Coffee, Tea & Mystery, 11931 Valley View St., Garden Grove. 7 p.m. Monday. (714) 898-2583.

* Children’s author Kinsley Foster will sign “Kitty in the City” at Borders Books, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. 3 p.m. Wednesday. (949) 631-8661.

* Poet Larry Schulz and guitarist Richard Lockhart, known as the Shulz/Lockhart Project, will perform at the Alta Coffee House & Roasting Company, 506 31st St., Newport Beach. 8 p.m. Wednesday. Free. (949) 675-0233. Schulz and Lockhart also will perform at the “Steel and Ivy” Poetry Series in Argyros Forum, Room 208, at Chapman University, 333 N. Glassell St., Orange. $4. (714) 377-0338.

* Aimee Bender will read from “An Invisible Sign of My Own” and Rick Reiken will read from “The Lost Legends of New Jersey” at the UCI Bookstore at UC Irvine. Noon Thursday. (949) 824-7337.

* Till K. Kahrs will sign “Enhancing Your Presentation Skills” at Barnes & Noble in the Market Place, 13712 Jamboree Road, Irvine. 7 p.m. Thursday. (714) 508-9707.

* Barbara DeMarco Barrett will interview literary agent Alice Martell on “Writers on Writing” on KUCI (88.9 FM) in Irvine. 5 p.m. Thursday.

* Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson will discuss and sign “Dune: House Harkonnen” at Barnes & Noble in the Huntington Beach Mall, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. (714) 897-8781.

* Little Crow will discuss and sign “The Sacred Hill Within” at Borders Books, 1890 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. 3 p.m. Saturday. (949) 631-8661.

* Sam McCarver will sign “The Case of Compartment 7” at Barnes & Noble in Fashion Island, 953 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. 2 p.m. Saturday. (949) 759-0982.

* Anne Perry will sign “Slaves of Obsession” at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange. 11 a.m. Saturday. (714) 538-3210.

* Matthew Gallegly will sign “You Know You’re a Slacker” at Borders in the Block, 20 City Drive W. 2 p.m. Saturday. (714) 385-1025.

* Author and photographer Leslie Kelly will present an illustrated lecture on “America’s Amish Country” at the Fullerton Museum Center, 301 N. Pomona Ave., Fullerton. 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The program is offered in conjunction with the exhibit, “A Different Form of Modernity: Amish Life Across North America.” Adult museum admission: $3. For reservations, call (714) 738-6545.

* Jorge Ramos will sign “The Other Face of America” at Libreria Martinez Books and Art Gallery, 1110 N. Main St., Santa Ana. 4 p.m. Saturday. (714) 973-7900.

* “A Day of Oz,” featuring discussions and signings by Darrin John Marin (“Spiritual Journeys Along the Yellow Brick Road,”) and Eric Shandower (“Paradox in Oz”), will be held at Dana Point Community House, 24642 San Juan Ave., Dana Point. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. $7.50-$15, includes lunch. The event will include talks on the latest Oz collectibles, which will be for sale and up for auction. (949) 494-2749.

Send information about book-related events at least 10 days before event to: Dennis McLellan, O.C. Books & Authors, The Times’ Orange County edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Or e-mail to dennis.mclellan@latimes.com.