Whenever I’m writing a story, music runs foremost in my mind. Sometimes the lyrics steer me to a storyline I hadn’t even considered.
I’ve got a song in my head for almost every chapter in this book, but I know I have to narrow it down, so here goes:
Money – The Flying Lizards (1978)
I want money (that’s what I want). This would have to be the Beginning Theme Song. All Margot dreams about is to become rich with the minimal amount of effort.
Lacy – Olivia Rodrigo (2023)
In this song, Margo is Lacy–smart, sexy Lacy, and all of her girlfriends are secretly envious of her.
Mr. Brightside – The Killers (2003)
Then, there’s Mr. Brightside, who represents all of Margot’s lovers. Jealousy. They imagine her with her other lovers, yet they can’t help but keep going back to her.
Don’t You Want Me? – The Human League (1981)
In this song, Margot is not working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, but she is working as a receptionist in an office. That’s when the multimillionaire, Burton Magnuson, meets her and raises her up financially. He even marries her, so he can’t understand why she would cheat on him. To Margot, he was just a stepping stone to where she wanted to go. She always knew she would get there with or without him.
Somebody That I Used To Know – Goyt (2011)
While the cruise ship is docked in Hamilton, Margot and her four friends go bar hopping on the island and end up at Gilby’s Bar. That’s where she runs into her former swimming instructor, Jeffrey. He hopes to rekindle their romantic relationship, but Margot has other plans. When her friends ask her who the guy was that she was dancing with, Margot simply says, “Oh, he’s just somebody that I used to know.”
Bermuda Triangle – Barry Manilow (1980)
Special Agent Richard Heller has always feared flying or sailing over the Bermuda Triangle, concerned that it makes people disappear. The irony of this is that Margot actually does disappear.
When Margot and Burt were on their honeymoon, while on Burt’s private yacht, she too had expressed her fear of the Bermuda Triangle. When Burt laughed, she confessed that she did not know how to swim. That’s when her husband said he’d set her up with private swimming lessons as soon as they returned to Miami.
Barracuda – Heart (1977)
When Agent Heller interviews Margot’s former swimming instructor, Mr. Holt inadvertently reveals his true feelings for Margot, describing her as “an opportunistic, competitive predator just like a barracuda.”
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey – The Beatles (1968)
Private Investigator, James McAvee, collects Beatles albums and is particularly interested in their White Album because of this song. The sardonic thing is that everyone associated with Margot has something to hide. While McAvee’s part-time girlfriend scrolls her computer, she comes upon a newspaper headline regarding Margot’s disappearance, and stares at Margot’s image, uttering, “who’s the monkey now?”
Drowned World/Substitute For Love – Madonna (1998)
If REUNION CRUISE were a movie, this would be the Ending Theme Song for Margot. I’m not going to explain why because that would spoil the ending. I guess, you’ll just have to read the book!
REUNION CRUISE by Maria A. Palace
Margarita Kauzlaskas (a/k/a Margot), a beautiful immigrant girl from Lithuania, is determined to have it all, no matter who she has to use to get it. The result is a long list of enemies, including a jealous husband, a revengeful ex-wife, an obsessed girlfriend, and a star-crossed lover. After convincing her four best friends into taking a reunion cruise to Bermuda, on the night of the ship’s return to New York, a body is spotted going overboard. The next morning, Margot is nowhere to be found.
Enter FBI Agent Richard Heller, whose early abandonment issues cause him to become obsessed with finding out what happened to the infamous femme fatale. As the investigation unfolds, an aura of foul play descends upon her friends as well as her enemies. With insufficient evidence to convict, the case grows cold––until he receives an anonymous envelope in the mail. Is it someone’s idea of a joke, or can it help him solve the mystery once and for all?
Thriller Psychological [ World Castle Publishing, On Sale: December 9, 2025, e-Book, / eISBN: 9798891264724 ]
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About Maria A. Palace
Maria was born in the Republic of San Marino, an enclave in the Apennine Mountains of northern Italy. It is one of the smallest independent states in Europe. At the age of five, she immigrated to the United States with her family and settled in the Midwest. After raising three children and living on the east coast as well as the west coast, she and her husband retired to the state of Nevada. There she joined the High Sierra Writers leading her to publish her first novel, Chapter Thirteen, which earned her the Silver Literary Titan award.
Reunion Cruise is her second novel.
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