Additives Guide: A Label of Love

Donald Saulson of Huntington Beach and his daughter Elisabeth have self-published “A Pocket Guide to Food Additives” (VPS Publishing; $1.95).

The 64-page booklet offers a comprehensive dictionary of more than 500 food additives and the safety ratings nutrition and health authorities have given them. Why food additives are used and how to interpret the ingredients labels on food packages are covered in brief introductory chapters.

Saulson, an aerospace engineer, says he and his daughter, a physical therapy major at Loma Linda University, wrote the booklet because they could not find an inexpensive, comprehensive guide to food additives. For more information, call VPS Publishing at (714) 840-0182.

Book Signings: Jon L. Breen (“Hot Air”) and Alex Abella (“Killing of the Saints”) will sign from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Book Carnival, 870 N. Tustin Ave., Orange. Diane Stein (“Dreaming the Past, Dreaming the Future”) will sign from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Fahrenheit 451 Books, 540 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. . . . Dick Francis (“Comeback”) will sign from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Book Carnival in Orange. . . . Children’s author Nancy Robison (“Ten Tall Soldiers”) will sign from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Children’s Book Cottage, 30100 Town Center Drive, Laguna Niguel. . . . Children’s author Janice Thomas (“Sir Lacksalot and the Two-Headed Dragon”) will sign from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Children’s Book Cottage booth at the Junior League Christmas Co. at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Children’s author Deborah Nourse Lattimore (“The Sailor Who Captured the Sea”) will sign at the booth from 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday . . . Children’s author Tony Johnston (“Goblin Walk”) will sign from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Children’s Bookshoppe, 1831 Westcliff Drive, Newport Beach.

Writing Workshop: Author and communications consultant Joan Talmage Weiss will conduct a six-week writing workshop, “The Book Inside You,” beginning at 6:30 p.m. today at Upchurch-Brown Booksellers 384 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach. The $125 fee includes materials.

Writing Seminar: Free-lance writer Patricia Seeley will conduct a one-day seminar, “Free-lance Writing for Local Markets,” at 10 a.m. Saturday at Fahrenheit 451, 540 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach. The $40 fee includes a copy of the Guide to Orange County Free-Lance Markets. Seeley is editor of the California Writer’s Report, a monthly newsletter for free-lance writers.

Book Sale: The Friends of the Los Alamitos-Rossmore Library will hold a book sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Saturday at the Seal Beach Shopping Center, 12419 Seal Beach Blvd.

More Books: The Friends of the Huntington Beach Friends of the Library will hold a book sale today, Saturday and Monday at the Central Library, 7111 Talbert Ave.

Book Talk: Delores Bowles will discuss the life, art and literature of Beatrix Potter at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Newport Center Library, 856 San Clemente Drive. Free.

Bradbury Talk: Author Ray Bradbury will discuss “In the Year 2091: An Exploration of the Future” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering at UC Irvine. General admission is $15 and $10 for students. For reservations, call (714) 557-7796.

See Speaks: Author Carolyn See will discuss “Women Writing to Change the World” at 8 p.m. Thursday in Crystal Cove Auditorium in the UC Irvine Student Center at UC Irvine. General admission: $6. See will sign copies of her new novel, “Making History,” in the auditorium at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (714) 856-6379.

Round Table: Mariette Hartley (“Breaking the Silence”), Gerald Petievich (“Paramour”), Kate Coscarelli (“Leading Lady”), Paul Mantee (“In Search of the Perfect Ravioli”) and Lynda King (“The King Collection”) will discuss their books at the Round Table West literary luncheon at noon Thursday at the Balboa Bay Club, 1221 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Tickets: $30. For reservations, call (714) 256-7977.