Sue has a background in technical writing. She enjoys traveling and exploring unique destinations. She likes observing people and uncovering details that bring places to life. Her stories come from real experiences, family adventures, and the idea that ordinary people can face extraordinary circumstances.
When not writing, Sue enjoys walking, puzzles, traveling, and time with her family in Southport, Connecticut.
Visit www.suestewart.org to learn more about Sue and her books.
Connect with her on social media at:
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╰┈➤ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22519020.Sue_A_Stewart
I am so excited about your new cozy murder mystery, Yuletide Murder at Sea. Why did you choose this particular story to write?
The first Christmas after my father passed away, my mother didn’t want to celebrate at home, so our family decided to take a Caribbean cruise. The cruise line catered primarily to older adults, and gave me plenty of opportunities to people-watch.
That’s when I began to wonder: Wouldn’t it be fun to set a murder mystery on a Christmas cruise, featuring a group of mostly widowed seniors as unlikely sleuths? That question became the seed for Yuletide Murder at Sea.
Writing the story also helped me move forward through a time of profound loss. My father was an excellent chess player and a natural problem-solver. He loved building things, figuring out how they worked, and finding ways to improve them. The mystery’s clues and puzzles are a tribute to him.
I also wanted to create characters who challenge assumptions about aging and disabilities. Older adults and people with disabilities are sometimes underestimated, and I wanted their knowledge, experience, and abilities to take center stage. I loved the idea of giving these characters a new adventure, one where their lifelong talents become the very things that help them solve a centuries-old mystery.
Can you give us a book blurb so others will know what it’s about?
Retired librarian Molly St. Clair would rather spend Christmas on the couch watching It’s a Wonderful Life with a bowl of popcorn than set sail on a holiday cruise. Her friend Martha has other plans. No one spends the holidays alone on Martha’s watch, and she won’t take no for an answer. When Molly learns the Caribbean cruise includes an author panel featuring her favorite mystery writer, the invitation becomes harder to resist.
Aboard the Emerald Star, garlands glitter, steel drums play Christmas carols, and Molly’s close-knit circle of friends settles in for sun, champagne, and a welcome escape from a New England winter. Then a maritime chart in the ship’s exhibit stops her cold. Its crest—a crowned eagle framed by laurel leaves—matches the heirloom pendant her late husband, Henry, left her.
The chart comes from the San Cristóbal, a Spanish galleon lost in 1715 near one of their ports of call. Its navigator was Sebastian St. Clair, a man whose secrets have remained buried for centuries.
Media mogul and avid collector Victor Chavez takes an unsettling interest in Molly’s pendant. His wife, Isabelle, seems to recognize it, but her own fears keep her guarded. When a fellow passenger turns up dead, Molly and her friends are drawn into an investigation involving a disguised chart, a cipher, and a promise Sebastian St. Clair made before the sea took him.
With rivals willing to kill for the treasure, the friends must rely on skills developed over a lifetime: a librarian’s eye for detail, a detective’s caution, an entrepreneur’s technical expertise, a curator’s historical knowledge, and a hostess’s talent for keeping everyone organized. Their Christmas getaway has become a dangerous adventure—and solving the mystery may be their only way to survive it.
Yuletide Murder at Sea, the first book in the Vintage Quest Mysteries series, is a character-driven cozy mystery filled with friendship, maritime history, hidden treasure, and holiday suspense.
Can you tell us a little about the main characters in your book?
At the heart of Yuletide Murder at Sea is Molly St. Clair, a retired librarian who is finding her footing after the loss of her husband, Henry. A lifetime of researching, asking questions, and making connections makes her a natural amateur sleuth. But while Molly is comfortable searching for information, she’s still learning to trust herself when the stakes become personal. What I love about her is that she isn’t fearless—she becomes braver as the story unfolds.
Molly is surrounded by friends with distinct personalities and strengths. James Bennett is kindhearted and dependable, someone she can count on when it matters most. He was inspired by my husband, Todd, a retired mail carrier. Eddie Parker brings technical knowledge, creativity, and a knack for recognizing patterns to the group. Both Eddie and Kai Zhang, a young maintenance worker they befriend aboard the ship, were inspired in part by my son, Gary. I divided some of his technical skills and problem-solving abilities between them, giving each a different personality and role in the mystery.
Evelyn Penrose, a former British museum curator, contributes historical knowledge and a bit of personal flair. Her cane was inspired by my great-aunt, whom we once bought a leopard-print cane—a detail I couldn’t resist borrowing. Luis Ramos, a retired police detective, brings investigative experience and a cautious perspective, while Martha Winslow, Molly’s outgoing best friend, is never reluctant to take charge.
There’s also plenty of humor in the group’s interactions. Some of their conversations about food, clothing, and cruise life grew out of memories of my mother and aunt, particularly their Italian family traditions. The importance of dessert—and the practicality of buffet-friendly, stretchy pants—certainly found a place in the story!
Where and when does this book take place?
Yuletide Murder at Sea takes place during the Christmas holiday season aboard the Emerald Star, a luxury cruise ship sailing through the Caribbean. The story unfolds both aboard the ship and on a fictional Caribbean island.
I enjoyed the contrast between the festive setting—Christmas decorations, tropical sunshine, and holiday celebrations—and the danger developing beneath the surface. What begins as a cheerful getaway becomes an adventure in which a centuries-old mystery intrudes on the present.
They say all books have at least one pivotal point where the reader just can’t put the book down. What is one of the pivotal points in Yuletide Murder at Sea?
One of the pivotal moments comes when Molly discovers a connection between the pendant her late husband, Henry, left her and a Spanish galleon lost in 1715.
What she has always treasured as a sentimental keepsake suddenly becomes a clue to something much larger. As Molly and her friends investigate, they begin to realize that someone else may be searching for the same long-lost treasure—and may be willing to kill to find it.
That’s the point when their investigation stops being an intriguing diversion. The danger becomes personal, and Molly can no longer separate her husband’s legacy from the mystery unfolding around her.
Does your book carry a message?
Absolutely. One of the central messages of Yuletide Murder at Sea is that it’s never too late to discover a new purpose, form meaningful friendships, or embark on an unexpected adventure.
Many of the characters have experienced profound loss or major life changes. Those experiences remain part of who they are, but they don’t determine everything that comes next. Through friendship and a shared challenge, the characters discover new ways to use the talents and knowledge they’ve developed over a lifetime.
That message is deeply personal to me. After losing my father, writing this book gave me a creative outlet and helped me look ahead. What began as a single story has grown into an idea for a mystery series, with characters whose lives I’m excited to keep exploring.
I hope readers come away with a sense of possibility. Grief and joy can coexist, and a new chapter doesn’t mean forgetting the chapters that came before it.
What’s your next project?
I’m planning the second book in the Vintage Quest Mysteries series, which will take Molly and her friends to Rome.
While reading her late husband’s research notes, Molly discovers that Henry may have been investigating something far more dangerous than she ever imagined. His unfinished work leaves tantalizing clues—and questions she can’t ignore.
Following that trail through Rome draws the friends into another centuries-old mystery. When the investigation takes an unexpected turn, they may need help from Kai, their young, tech-savvy friend from the cruise.
I’m looking forward to exploring how their friendships develop now that they’ve been through one adventure together. Of course, knowing this group, they’ll have no trouble finding trouble again!
Where can we pick up copies of Yuletide Murder at Sea?
You can find Yuletide Murder at Sea on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Yuletide-Murder-Sea-Treasure-Mystery/dp/B0HDQWQGVW
The book also has a Goodreads page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256717858
Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers and fans?
You don’t have to feel completely ready to try something that matters to you. Whether it’s writing a book, painting, learning a new skill, or returning to an interest you put aside years ago, you’re allowed to begin with uncertainty.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through publishing is that being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid. It means doing something that scares you anyway. Writing is my creative outlet, but publishing means sharing something deeply personal and accepting that not everyone will respond to it in the same way. That can be intimidating!
During the writing process, I often turned to my family for reassurance. At one point, my son said something that stayed with me: “How will you ever become a better writer if you don’t get negative feedback?”
He was right. I’m learning to welcome constructive criticism, trust my instincts, and recognize that a book doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth sharing.
To everyone who gives my debut novel a place in their reading life: thank you. I hope you enjoy spending time with Molly and her friends as much as I’ve enjoyed getting to know them.
