About the Book

Book: Cruise to Death

Author: Sara L. Jameson

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: June 1, 2021

When opera singer Riley Williams agrees to sub as a musical-theater performer on a luxury Rhine/Moselle riverboat cruise, she gets more than she bargained for. Not only must she come up with 250 Broadway songs, she is required to dance with the male passengers. Dance—the subject she nearly failed in her Conservatory courses, and the cause of her recent flop in a European Opera House. To make matters worse, she overhears two terrorists at a café in Antwerp, Belgium, discussing the transfer of deadly agent X to the highest bioterrorist bidders.

Interpol agent Jacob Coulter, an anti-terrorism desk analyst in Brussels, Belgium, insists on serving as an undercover agent after his best friend Noel is murdered by terrorists from the Brussels cell he infiltrates. Shortly before Noel dies, he manages to tell Jacob snippets of the terrorists’ plans. Plans that seem to involve the same riverboat cruise Riley is on. When Interpol learns of Riley’s encounter with terrorists, Jacob’s supervisor insists he work with her to identify the terrorists and retrieve agent X. But their relationship is fraught with distrust because of Riley’s suspicious past and a romantic attraction neither of them wants.

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About the Author

Sara L. Jameson won Scrivenings Press’s grand prize publishing contract in January 2021. They released her debut romantic suspense novel, Cruise to Death, in June 2021. Death in High Places, (Book 2 in the Troubled Waters series), released February 2023, followed by Vengeance in Vienna, July 2024.

In real life, Sara is a multi-published, former university professor who writes non-fiction under her real name and edits book manuscripts for other authors. She also pens WWII historical novels. When not at her computer, she enjoys reading, swimming, cooking, dog-sitting, and spending time with friends.

More from Sara

For someone who loves to swim and enjoys cruising on a ship as long as land is in sight, a European riverboat cruise solved my anxiety. Cruise to Death was conceived during a Uniworld cruise that originated in Antwerp, Belgium, where my family had lived twenty-fives years prior and fallen in love with the country.

But the lack of security on the cruise concerned me. Especially when our ship docked parallel to another cruise line, and all passengers passed through the other boat to disembark and re-embark without staff scrutiny. Perfect place for someone not on your cruise to hide, right?

Perfect fodder for a romantic suspense novel. Add in a pickpocket who craftily robbed a family member, and a budding novelist determined the crime wouldn’t go unremembered. You know those writers’ T-shirts warning you whatever you say and do might end up in a novel—sometimes it’s true.

Part of the fun writing this story was a chance to retrace the stops along the Rhine and Moselle rivers and stay in settings that appear in the novel. If you have a chance to take a riverboat cruise, I highly recommend it!

Author Interview

What is your favorite genre of books? Why?

Definitely clean, romantic suspense and thrillers. And mysteries as well. I love the action and tension, and settings I find exotic or romantic. However, because I’m a passionate editor and love variety, for me, keeping abreast of other genres is essential and refreshing.

Are you a one project at a time author or do you have multiple projects going at once?

Funny you should ask that. In the past I’ve worked on two novels simultaneously, once one is an edit-ready draft. When I signed with Scrivenings Press, I found creating and polishing one book a year a challenge, given my extensive travel schedule. This year, I have three novels in the hopper but am focusing on them one at a time.

How has your life experience helped in your writing journey?

As a classical singer (opera), you learn to pick yourself up off the ground and climb back into the ring. Writing and publishing are challenging goals. To master any musical instrument, or classical singing, the years of study and daily practice of minuscule passages instill patience and perseverance. And the love of perfecting a craft.

How do you relax after a long day of writing?

I might read a bit before bed or watch something of interest on YouTube since I don’t have television.

Where do you find your greatest inspiration?

Often it comes from my travels. I’ve been blessed to live in other countries or visit regions I find romantic or exotic. My novels reflect those trips. After all, during the writing process, an author spends countless hours immersed in the book’s locale and story events. For me, it needs to be a place I’m passionate about, which is why many of my stories unfold in Europe or Arizona and New Mexico.

Do you have extensive outlines when writing or do you write a book as you go?

I always try to flesh out the plot points first, as thoroughly as possible, but keep an open mind to better ideas emerging during the writing process. When I have the luxury of time, I prefer to outline each scene’s goals, conflict, motivation, obstacles, stakes, etc. This helps me write a faster draft requiring less structural whacking.