Can you think of a better way to spend a spring Saturday than visiting Ventura’s Harbor Village and browsing through a shop called The December Store & More? On Saturday, April 16, 2016, this quaint business will feature local artists showing their wares and local authors reading from their books.

I am delighted to share the scene with my colleague James Francis Gray and introduce a new book, The Spirit of Villarosa that took me thirteen years to complete as a coauthor. This new book combines memoir and biography. The story begins with my coauthor Marc Ashton’s kidnapping on April 5, 2001, near his home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. While in captivity, he thinks about his famous father, Horace Dade Ashton, an acclaimed adventurer, renowned explorer, and student of world religions. Horace had walked away from seven plane crashes, recovered from deadly diseases, evaded poisonous snakes, and most dangerous of all, survived two divorces. As Marc devised an escape plan, he asked himself “What would Dad do?”

His father photographed the Wright brothers’ first flight, traveled with Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft as their photographer, and documented the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Dubbed the “original Indiana Jones,” Horace Ashton shared his journeys through his countless lectures, films, prize-winning photographs, and writing. His life’s tales form the basis of this book.

I will also read excerpts from my award-winning memoir What Lies Within, a tale of growing up and in the 1950s and `60s as the Cold War loomed and the Civil Rights movements bloomed. During this period I endured a series of personal losses that tested my resilience.

Please join us at The December Store & More, located at 1559 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 103, Ventura, California 93001. Phone: 805 766-5920. In addition to featuring books, the day’s activities will showcase local artists with unique talents and one-of-a-kind products. Festivities commence at noon and continue until 4 p.m. Our readings will begin at 2 p.m.

While in Ventura, visit the botanical garden, mission, shops, and restaurants that make this seaside city unique. For more complete information, click on https://visitventuraca.com.