WORDS AND IMAGES : ‘Sunburst’ of Love : Suzanne Ellison breaks away from her Harlequin successes to write a tale of pioneer California.

The brief publicity blurb says “Sunburst” is a Harper Monogram historical romance by Suzanne Ellison of Fillmore, who has written more than a dozen books for Harlequin, with sales of almost 1 million. Sounds pretty romantic all around--books about love that sell in the millions, an author to be envied.

Ellison, a wife and mother, has written and published 22 books in seven years. All it takes is 10 to 12 hours of writing a day, and aching eyes and hands. So now she plans to write only two books a year.

Meanwhile, she has resumed teaching bilingual classes. She is also working on a feminist analysis of women’s diaries of the West for a master’s thesis. That will serve as background for “Heartland,” her historical novel-in-progress about the differences between the East Coast and Wild West of mid-19th-Century America. Black, Indian or Mexican characters are featured in many of Ellison’s books, including “Sunburst,” a historically accurate tale of love and adventure (and the U. S. Army’s experiment with camels) in pioneer California.

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It’s “Knee-High to a Grasshopper Storytime” every Thursday at 10 a.m. when volunteer storytellers read to preschoolers in the Ojai Library. Andy Brennan, son of Academy Award-winning actor Walter Brennan, will talk to the Friends of the Camarillo Library about his father’s film career and show a segment of “This Is Your Life, Walter Brennan” in the Camarillo Library, 3100 Ponderosa Drive, at 2 p.m. Sunday. Call 484-9995.

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The Ojai Film Society will present director Henry Jaglom, who will talk after a screening of his “Venice, Venice” at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the Ojai Playhouse. Jaglom created the movie from scene breakdowns and detailed character descriptions. The actors improvised dialogue on camera. During the yearlong editing process, the best material was shaped into a finished film. Shot in Venice, Italy, and Venice, Calif., the 1992 film looks at the effect movies have on our lives, loves and dreams of romance.

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To mark Black History Month, award-winning author-illustrator Faith Ringgold will sign and read from “Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky” from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Feb. 18 at Adventures for Kids Bookstore in Ventura.

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Submissions are being accepted for the fifth annual publication of Rivertalk, an anthology of poetry and art photography sponsored by the Ojai Center for the Arts. Poets may submit up to 10 contemporary poems on all subjects; photographers are encouraged to send black and white and color prints. Deadline is March 1. For guidelines, call Joan Raymund at 646-7801.

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The Santa Barbara Poetry Festival announces its first poetry contest open to residents of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Submissions must reflect the theme “Getting Down to Earth.” Winners will be published in the May issue of Cafe Solo, a triennial poetry journal. The deadline is March 1. Call Abigail Albrecht at 684-3479 for guidelines.