Last Passage to Santiago

Last Passage to Santiago opens with a daring kidnapping, and continues with a tantalizing tale through the historic streets of Buenos Aires and beyond.

Stephanie Ably-Ranier and her husband Ben are on a three week vacation. After spending a week at a beautiful hotel in Argentina, they are booked for a two-week luxury cruise heading around South America visiting Uruguay, the Falklands, and ending up in Santiago.

Stephie is excited to walk the vibrant streets of Buenos Aires, visiting the many historic sites, feasting on the local restaurant fare, and immersing herself in the enticing beat of the tango-loving city. Ben, however, has other ideas. Unbeknownst to his wife, he has brought his mistress along, daringly ensconcing her in the same hotel and later on the cruise ship so that he can visit her anytime he wishes.

As Stephie finds that she is increasingly alone, she begins to realize someone is following her on her daily walks. She senses the movements of a dwarf who seems to appear where ever she goes. Due to her position with the ultra-secret National Security Agency, she begins to wonder if the apparent stalker is job-related.

During their visit in the South American city, they run into an eclectic group of fellow passengers headed for the same cruise. As they prepare to board the ocean liner for the next portion of their trip, Ben realizes his passions now rest elsewhere as Stephie senses the breakdown of their marriage.

On the cruise ship, Stephie attends a talk given by the ship’s naturalist, Mike Lambert, and finds herself increasingly drawn to the region’s penguin rookeries. While unexpectedly stranded in the Falkland Islands while her husband and the rest of the passengers continue their journey, she finds herself spending time getting to know the handsome Lambert. It does not take her long to realize what is missing from her life.

Last Passage to Santiago is a riveting story of love and betrayal, trust and deceit. Stephanie and Ben never expected their three-week vacation would threaten their very existence and change their lives forever.

John F. Rooney has created vivid characters and beautiful scenic locales bringing the story to life with ever increasing speed. Last Passage to Santiago simmers with passion and lust, and proves difficult to put down as it heads toward an ending the reader suspects, but is still surprised by the unexpected.

This book is a must read for anyone who enjoys passionate love stories intertwined with international intrigue, seductive secrets, and gripping hot, tropical romance.


You can buy Last Passage to Santiago at Amazon.com.

USA Today Article - Books About Books

In a USA Today article, Bob Minzesheimer recommends five books about books.

Mr. Minzeheimer has chosen an interesting array of topics including a book about how the question of what kids should read turned into big business; another is a guide to what women read, after the two authors analyzed 600 books; and a third book takes a look at thirteen books that made a cultural difference in America.

Click on the link to the USA Today article for further information. All five of the suggested books sound interesting for anyone who enjoys a broader understanding of who reads what and why.

What books are on your reading list today?

China Bayles and Thyme and Seasons

One of my favorite authors is Susan Wittig Albert of the China Bayles mystery series.
China is an herbalist and amateur sleuth based in fictional Pecan Springs, TX, midway between Austin and San Antonio.

Every week, I receive an email newsletter from Susan through her AboutThyme website and blog.

The newsletter I received this morning reminded us that November is National Peanut Butter Lovers' Month and National Raisin Bread Month. Great reminders as I love both. But the greatest news is November 28th is National French Toast Day.

The best french toast ever is made from raisin bread. How cool is it that both are the same month.

Along with the french toast made with raisin bread, is that November 29th is National Chocolates Day. Dessert anyone?

If you would like to read a good mystery series with a cast of interesting characters, check out China Bayles, and find out what she, Ruby, Mike and gang are mixed up in now.

Review: A Daily Dose of Pride and Prejudice

Having received six installments of Pride and Prejudice from DailyLit.com, I must say I am having a blast reading this famous classic.

DailyLit brings short book installments to your email box or RSS feed on the day and at the time you choose.

I just finished reading installment 6 of 146, and each email gives the reader the option of clicking to immediately receive the next installment. It has been a pleasure to read this book, one that I probably would not read right now if I had purchased or obtained it from the library.

Just the fact that I see it arrive daily, Monday through Friday, encourages me to click on the link and read that days portion. The installment is just the right length, always leaving me wanting more.

This book, as well as many others, is free. Some books cost a very low amount of money, but there are many in the public domain. All you have to do is go to the website, register, choose which books you want and when, and receive. Reading classic books could not get any easier.

In fact, I am enjoying it so much, I am thinking about subscribing to another book for two different reads a day. Maybe one in the a.m. and one at night?

Making Money Online

Although this blog is predominately writing related, it is also about making money, on- or off-line. Therefore, at times I will share important sites concerned with monetizing blogs, making money on-line, and a myriad of similar topics.

On Blogger is an interesting site called How to Make Money Online for Beginners. The author is Griz.

Someday maybe this blog will be a place to come and hang out, but right now I would rather point you to sites that can teach you, uplift you, and help you accomplish all that you desire.

Toward that end, please click on the above link and open your heart and mind to what Griz has to say. A visit to his site is well worth your time.

Author Matt Richtel and His Twiller

Matt Richtel has created a techno first. He is writing his latest novel, as yet unnamed, via Twitter, the web- and text message-based service that allows users to send frequent updates of no more than 100 characters at a time to friends, family and the Internet at large.

He has an update on Blogger, that will bring the reader up to date as of September, then go to Twitter and follow Matt/Lev as he travels around the country trying to regain his memory, and find out how he was involved in the death of a D.C. madam.

Richtel leaves random updates on Twitter, as hundreds follow his story. At last count, he had over 800 Twitterers following his story.

Richtel's first novel, Hooked, was published in 2007. Check out his website by clicking on the title of this post for more information.

The Artist's Way Squidoo

Julia Cameron and The Artist's Way played a huge role in my life during the mid-1990's. I have written the morning pages for years, and the daily process helped me deal with many situations.

Working through our angst with daily stream of consciousness writing is an easy and inexpensive way to let our emotions, problems and worries flow. They also help us work through decisions, create new avenues in our life, solve problems, and avoid the psychiatrists couch. What more could one ask.

Please visit my Squidoo lens Savvy Journaling The Artist's Way. There is information about the morning pages, a cool link to The Write Prompt, and even a fun poll. At this time there are twenty suggestions for Artist Dates. If you don't know what artist dates are, check the site. You will be in for a pleasant surprise.

Are you a fan of morning pages? Do you do any type of daily writing that is stream of consciousness? Do you use prompts?

Senior Writer Welcomes You

Welcome to Sassy Senior Writer. As of mid-November 2008, we are undergoing a directional change with the discovery of Make Money for Beginners here on Blogger. Griz walks bloggers through the steps to monetize their blogs. Sassy Senior Writer will continue to blog as usual, but with the added task of monetizing this blog - as an experiment, of course.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment, and I will get back with you as soon as possible.

Therefore, the Senior Writer is going through the lessons provided by Griz to see how his plan works for this site.

One challenge that I see - we did not start out with the keywords we needed to optimize the blog. We will see how this plays out in the long run.

Feel free to suggest writing topics, discuss content, and express your opinion.