MASTER OF MONTEREY...In 1842, Commodore Jones navigated the Navy warship National Intention into Mexican-controlled Monterey Bay, under the mistaken impression that Mexico was at war with the United States. It wasn''t, but Jones took Monterey anyway, only to give it back two days later. Novelist Lawrence Coates, winner of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship as well as numerous awards for his first novel The Blossom Festival, will be at Borders in Sand City on May 14 at 7pm to discuss The Master of Monterey, his just-published historical-fiction romp based on Jones'' colossal blunder.

Coates says he decided to turn the story into a novel because of "the potential it had for a comic exploration of classic American themes: the longing for utopia, the desire to escape from history and create for yourself a new identity, the conflict between the multiple versions of history crisscrossing our land." A brief glance through the book suggests that it''s witty, funny, and a real page-turner, and it''s filled (of course) with scenes set in old Monterey.

Coates seems to be quite a character himself, having served in the Coast Guard and Merchant Marines, worked as a journalist in Mexico, and taught high school in Paris. His novel shows how Jones'' mission was part of a greater American expansionist ethic; its publication this year begs a comparison to current US foreign policy.

LISTEN UP...Less humorous, but more immediately applicable (for those who insist upon reading for self-improvement rather than pure pleasure), is Charles Page''s new book Listen...;It Will Change Your Life: A Practical Guide to Effective Listening and Communication. A Carmel attorney, Page has served in a variety of local leadership roles, including sitting on the Monterey City Council and acting as president of both the Big Sur Land Trust and the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. This is clearly a guy who had to listen a lot, and here are his lessons to the rest of us. Page will be signing his book at Borders in Sand City on May 10 from 3-5pm.

NEW MEMBERS...Congratulations to four local artists who have just been admitted to the Carmel Art Association, the nation''s second-oldest artist cooperative. Joining the association are Pebble Beach painter Roianne Hart, Pacific Grove painter Mark Farina, Salinas painter Gerard Brendan Martin, Jr., and Pacific Grove sculptor Gustavo Torres. Their work will be on display in the Art Association''s Gallery on Dolores Avenue beginning May 8.