Readers Dessert

Interview With Sue Stewart

Yuletide Murder at Sea is a cozy historical mystery. What are the mandatory “ingredients” you feel every great cozy mystery needs to have?

For me, a great cozy mystery begins with a likable protagonist and a supporting cast readers want to spend time with. Add a dash of humor, a hint of romance, a little adventure, and, of course, a worthy adversary.

Then mix in intriguing clues, a puzzle that keeps readers guessing, and a few unexpected twists. I especially enjoy a mystery that gives readers a fair chance to piece things together alongside the sleuths. A locked-room puzzle is always a tempting extra!

The setting is the finishing touch. Whether it’s a familiar town or a Caribbean cruise, I like reading a book that I can step into—and perhaps stay awhile, despite the occasional murder.

The book relies heavily on a puzzle-driven plot (maritime charts, coded messages). Did you map out all the clues before you started writing, or did the mystery unfold naturally as you drafted?

I mapped out two of the clues before I began writing and knew I needed a third to help decipher them. But that third clue developed as the story unfolded, and I didn’t know exactly where the trail would lead until I was about halfway through the book.

As the characters became clearer to me, their backgrounds began shaping the investigation. A librarian would approach a question differently from a retired detective or a museum curator, and a technology entrepreneur would bring another perspective entirely. Rather than having everyone think alike, I wanted the solutions to emerge from their different skills and experiences.

That became one of the most rewarding parts of writing the story. These retirees have accumulated decades of knowledge, and the adventure gives them unexpected opportunities to use it. They aren’t simply chasing clues; they’re rediscovering their confidence and finding a renewed sense of purpose.

The biggest challenge was making the connections believable. I had to work out how clues originating aboard a Spanish galleon could reach my present-day characters. The historical backstory, family connections, and puzzles all needed to fit together so the discoveries felt earned rather than convenient.

As this is your debut adult fiction novel, what was the most surprising or challenging part of the publishing process for you?

The first challenge was translating the story in my head into words on the page. I could picture the scenes clearly, but writing them was a much slower process. With six main characters, I had to give everyone a distinct voice while keeping the plot moving and the puzzles believable.

There were practical challenges, too—like remembering where everyone was aboard the ship. A character couldn’t be in the dining room one moment and suddenly appear on the other side of the ship without time to get there!

One of the biggest hurdles, though, was confidence. I worried about negative feedback and even considered publishing under a different name. My family heard a great deal of “What do you think of this?” and “How does this sound?” Eventually, my son asked, “How will you ever become a better writer if you don’t get negative feedback?”

He also offered another piece of advice: “Being brave means doing something that scares you but doing it anyway.” Together, those thoughts helped me accept that my first novel wouldn’t be perfect—and that putting my work out into the world was part of growing as a writer.

The biggest surprise was how much work remained after I finished the manuscript. I went through several rounds of developmental revisions and three rounds of editing, then listened to an audio read-through of the entire book to catch awkward phrasing and unnatural dialogue.

The cover became a project of its own. After working with two designers, I still didn’t feel the artwork was quite right. Eventually, I requested the source files and spent months revising it myself. I also ordered eight printed proofs before I felt ready to publish.

It was a crash course in writing, editing, design, and independent publishing. I learned an enormous amount—although next time, I’d like to spend a little less time revising the cover and a little more time writing the next book!

Have you always been a fan of the cozy mystery genre, or was there a specific book or author that made you say, “I want to write one of these”?

There are too many wonderful books and authors for me to choose just one. For me, the appeal of a cozy mystery is as much about a feeling as it is about the puzzle: settling in with a warm blanket and a cup of tea on a chilly day, ready to visit familiar characters and unravel a mystery alongside them.

My love of this kind of mystery actually began with television. I was a huge fan of Murder, She Wrote and, later, Monk. I loved Jessica Fletcher’s intelligence and quiet determination, and Adrian Monk’s ability to notice the one small detail everyone else had overlooked. I also sought out every book I could find in both series. Those characters showed me how satisfying a mystery can be when its solution depends on paying attention.

I’m drawn to unconventional sleuths who rely on intelligence, observation, and ingenuity rather than force. Those are qualities I wanted to bring to Molly and her friends, along with the warmth and humor that make readers want to spend time with them.

These days, I’m hooked on mystery series on BritBox, Acorn TV, and PBS Masterpiece. I’m continually impressed by the writing, performances, and clever plotting. I watch for the enjoyment of a good story, but the writer in me is always learning, too!

This is Book 1 of the Vintage Quest Mysteries. Can you give us a sneak peek into where Molly and her friends are heading next?

I’m planning to take Molly and her friends to Rome, where a discovery among her late husband’s research notes draws them into another centuries-old mystery.

Molly begins to suspect that Henry was investigating something far more dangerous than she ever realized. His unfinished work leaves tantalizing clues and questions she can’t ignore—and, naturally, her friends aren’t about to let her follow that trail alone.

As the investigation unfolds, they may also need help from Kai, their young, tech-savvy friend from the cruise. I’m looking forward to exploring how their friendships develop after the events of the first book. They know they work well together, but that doesn’t mean they’ll agree on everything—or stay out of trouble!

Will future books in the series always feature a mix of travel settings and historical puzzles, or will the formula change?

Travel and historical puzzles will remain at the heart of the Vintage Quest Mysteries series. My plan is for each book to take Molly and her friends to a different destination, where they’ll encounter a new mystery rooted in that location’s past. I’d like to visit each destination personally, explore its history, and discover details I can weave into the story.

Within that framework, there’s plenty of room for surprises. The puzzles will change, the friendships will evolve, and each destination will offer new opportunities for adventure—and trouble.

Sometimes an idea arrives before I’ve even reached the destination. For some reason, a lot of my best ideas come when I’m driving alone. One day, I pictured my group of senior sleuths touring Rome in one of those tourist golf carts. Then I thought: Wouldn’t it be hilarious if their leisurely sightseeing trip suddenly turned into a chase?

Naturally, a golf cart tour is now on the itinerary for my upcoming research trip to Italy for Book 2! Whether that scene makes it into the book remains to be seen, but it’s a perfect example of how a passing idea can become something I want to explore in real life—although I’m hoping to skip the actual chase.

Writing this series brings together my love of travel, history, mysteries, and humor. The fun is discovering what kind of trouble these friends might stumble into next—and how they’ll help one another find their way out.

Where to purchase the book:

You can find Yuletide Murder at Sea on Amazon:

The book also has a Goodreads page: