He menaced Alan Ladd in “Shane,” took...

He menaced Alan Ladd in “Shane,” took a beating in a live television production of “Requiem for a Heavyweight” and died in the saddle as the tough-as-leather trail boss in “City Slickers,” for which he won an Oscar for best supporting actor.

So what’s tough guy Jack Palance--Mr. One-Armed Push-Up himself--doing writing a book-length poem exploring matters of the heart?

Guests at the monthly Round Table West literary luncheon Thursday will have an opportunity to find out.

Palance is one of five authors who will discuss their books at the noon luncheon at the Balboa Bay Club, 1221 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Cost: $35; reservations: (213) 256-7977.

Palance’s book, published by Summerhouse Press, is titled “The Forest of Love.”

Sharing the bill with Palance will be Sally Cobb and Mark Willems (“The Brown Derby Restaurant: A Hollywood Legend”), veteran Associated Press Hollywood correspondent and celebrity biographer Bob Thomas (“Disney’s Art of Animation”) and Mel Haber (“Bedtime Stories of the Legendary Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs”).

Also this week:

* Leslie A. Kelly, author of “California’s Gold Rush Country,” will sign at 2:30 p.m. today at Barnes & Noble in the Huntington Beach Mall, 7777 Edinger Ave.

* Minette Walters, author of “The Echo,” will sign at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange.

* Author and actor Richard Hatch will discuss his writing and the possible return of the TV series “Battlestar Galactica” at the monthly meeting of the Orange County Science Fiction Club at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at 2400 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton. (714) 552-9925.

* Martin J. Smith, author of “Time Release,” will sign at 2 p.m. Saturday at Barnes & Noble in Fashion Island, Newport Beach.

Send information about book-related events at least 10 days before the event to Dennis McLellan, O.C. Books & Authors, Life & Style, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.