J Jaye Gold

In the late 1960s, spiritual seekers turned to a peyote-popping sorcerer named Don Juan for enlightenment, courtesy of author Carlos Castaneda. In the 1970s, cosmic wisdom was purveyed by a scrawny sea gull known as Jonathan Livingston.

In the late 1960s, spiritual seekers turned to a peyote-popping sorcerer named Don Juan for enlightenment, courtesy of author Carlos Castaneda. In the 1970s, cosmic wisdom was purveyed by a scrawny sea gull known as Jonathan Livingston.

What is your passion? Browsing used book fairs? Playing poker? Hearing ghost stories? Reading and/or writing mysteries? It's all available this week. Famous folk are leading seminars, authors are autographing in abundance and tellers of spooky tales are abroad in the land. Go for it. * The poker playing philosopher J. Jaye Gold will talk about the world of tournament poker, play the flute and sign his book "Another Heart in His Hand" at 7 p.m. Friday at Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St., Ventura.

I have lost count of the panels I've moderated and the workshops I've presented on the publishing process. Nevertheless, still fascinated by the literary business, I continue to attend seminars and classes led by others. And so, I had the pleasure of observing author Jan Johnson in action recently. She managed to be prepared and passionate, inspiring and practical. Johnson is an author of six nonfiction books and hundreds of articles.