Did you ever hear about a contest and think- “It’s useless to enter. I will never win” Especially if the prize sounded too good to be true? Well, it’s a good thing Sara L. Jameson did not think that when the details came out about Scrivenings Press’s first Get Pubbed Contest in 2020. She entered, she won, and her book “Cruise to Death” has now been published!
I am so happy to welcome Sara to my blog today, as I spotlight the authors I am working with at Scrivenings Press. I hope you enjoy her answers to my questions-designed to let you know that authors are people too! At the end of the interview, read more about her exciting book that is new this month.
Sara: Thank you so much for the opportunity to post on your blogsite!
Jenny: What is the main inspiration behind your most recent release?
Sara: Cruise to Death, which Scrivenings Press released June 1, 2021, on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online, was inspired by a Moselle/Rhine river boat cruise my parents treated us to in 2007 or thereabouts. The book’s itinerary duplicates the cruise we took. While on the trip, it occurred to me this was a ripe setting for a romantic-suspense novel about potential terrorist activities on river boat cruises.
Riley Williams was actually inspired by a friend’s four-year-old granddaughter. I used to wonder what that spunky, fearless, vivacious child would grow up to be like. Clearly a beauty with a saucy grin, even at the age of four. I decided to honor her by naming the protagonist in Cruise to Death after her. Riley’s life, however, was inspired by my own experiences as a classical-music singer in Europe.
Jenny: Give us a summary of a typical writing day for you.
Sara: At the moment I am settling in a new city and a new home, so my typical writing day has had to be rather flexible. When I am deep in a first draft and edits, I love to write first thing in the morning, before doing anything else other than making my coffee. However, I have found when I do that, nothing else gets done. And I do mean nothing.
In general, my typical writing day starts with several hours worshiping the Lord, Bible study, intercessory prayer and seeking His instructions for the day and the writing. I like to follow that with a prayer walk around my neighborhood, swimming laps, a shower and breakfast, and then 30 minutes each of housecleaning and book marketing. The goal is to be on my chaise longue (indoors or on the porch) to start writing by 9 in the morning.
Depending on where I am in the book-creation process, (i.e. first draft, edits, plotting a new story), I generally write all day (M-F) with a short lunch and dinner break (often eating while I work), and on first drafts, I write well into the evening. Saturday afternoons can fall into writing time as well, but when under publisher deadlines for edits, etc., everything apart from editing has tended to disappear except for daily time with the Lord. I love to end my day with more time with Jesus.
Jenny: My goodness, that’s a lot to get done by 9:00! You must get an early start!
Jenny: What is your must-have snack or beverage?
Sara: In the summer, iced lattes and iced tea and water. (Hot lattes and loose-leaf teas in the winter). Favorite snack: dark chocolate. For noshing, I mix walnuts, unsweetened dry cranberries, and sugar-free dark-chocolate chips. Of course, if I have some keto fudgy brownies made, that makes writing even more fun.
Jenny: Describe the image you have in your head of your typical reader.
Sara: Readers who love inspirational romantic suspense with a thread of humor and Christian thrillers. I also write historical-suspense stories with a romantic thread, generally set just prior to or during WWII.
Jenny: An off-the wall question- What song is going through your head today?
Sara: Today, as I write this, it is “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”
Jenny: Thanks so much Sara, for stopping by today. I hope that readers who love adventure and romance will check out your new book. I look forward to getting to know you better as we work for Scrivenings Press. Turning your eyes upon Jesus is definitely a good strategy. Have a great day!
Sara: Thank you so much, Jenny, for the opportunity to be on your blog.
AUTHOR BIO:
Sara L. Jameson makes her home in the desert southwest. When she’s not writing or reading, she loves to cook and garden, swim and hang out with friends. Having spent much of her life as a university professor and a professional classical singer, she is thrilled to be able to pursue her secret childhood dream of writing novels.
Sara can be reached at sara@saraljameson.com or via twitter: @saraljameson
Her website is saraljameson.com
About the book: When opera singer Riley Williams agrees to sub as a musical-theater performer on a luxury Rhine/Moselle River boat cruise, she gets more than she bargained for. Not only does she have to come up with 250 Broadway songs, she must dance with the male passengers. Dance- the subject she nearly failed in her conservatory courses, and the cause of her recent flop in an 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 is murdered by terrorists from the cell he infiltrated in Brussels. Shortly before he dies, he manages to tell Jacob snippets of the terrorists’ plans. Plans that seem to involve the same river boat cruise Riley is on. When Interpol learns of Riley’s encounter with terrorists at the café, 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.
Available June 1, 2021
scrivenings.link/cruisetodeath
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