MaryLu Tyndall ~ Interview + Giveaway!

*You can earn up to 4 entries in this giveaway. Read below for details*

Today author MaryLu Tyndall is telling us about her new book, Surrender the Night (Surrender to Destiny series #2 -- March 2011). She has offered an autographed copy of her book to one lucky commenter. She will also be stopping by throughout the week to answer your questions! So if you have anything you want to ask her, you can leave a comment on this post to find out the answer!

Welcome, MaryLu! Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, I’m MaryLu Tyndall, a Christy Award Finalist, and best-selling author of the Legacy of the King’s Pirates series. That’s right. You heard it correctly. I wrote an inspirational series about pirates. Christian pirates, that is. Oddly enough, I believe it was that strange combination of pirates and faith that opened the doors of publishing for me. Since then, which was only about six years ago, I have a total of nine books published with five more under contract. My books are known to be fast-paced, adventurous, and intensely romantic while also interwoven with deep spiritual themes. Though I was raised in Florida and would love nothing more than to live in the tropics again, I have lived in Northern California for almost thirty years with my husband, six kids, and three stray cats.

Tell us about your salvation experience.
It’s a rather long story, but suffice it to say I didn’t come to know God until my mid-thirties after I’d made a mess of my life! Every thing I did, every party, every relationship, every material possession I bought, every success I achieved, ultimately left me alone and empty until at age thirty-five, my second marriage was failing, I hated my dead-end job, my youthful beauty was fading, and my teenage kids were rebelling (wonder who they learned that from?) I remember wanting to kill myself, get it over with. I felt no hope for the future. I was a drinker back then. Alcohol helped numb the pain of life. So, I had a hidden bottle of Tequila in my closet. Whenever life overwhelmed me, I’d sneak in there and have a drink or two. One dark day, while sitting in the closet, I glanced upward and saw my old Bible sitting on a shelf. I dusted it off and began to read, promising myself that I would read it from cover to cover to see if anything happened. What did I have to lose? I wanted to believe so badly that God was real and that He loved me, but I had grown very skeptical.

I read it every night before I went to bed. Somewhere in the middle of Ezekiel, something began to happen. Passages prophesying how Israel would be scattered all over the world and then in the last days would return to their own land, flew out at me from the pages. You see, Israel was in the news a lot back then. Suicide bombings and rumors of war were a common story each night. And I knew enough history to know that Israel had only become a nation a few years before I was born. The stunning revelation that God had predicted them returning to their land sped through me like a cyclone. I remember saying out loud. “You’re real.” And then God’s presence fell upon me. I shivered. I got on my knees and began to sob. I gave my life to Him that night. I knew God was with me now. I knew He loved me and had a plan for my life. Suddenly my life had meaning and my heart was full. This is what I had been searching for!

Are you:
A spontaneous writer or a scheduled writer?
Scheduled, if you mean that I write at a certain time of day. But Spontaneous if you mean that I write without a detailed outline or plot.

Stubborn, or compliant?
Stubborn (But working on being more compliant!)

Organized or completely chaotic?
Organized chaos.

How do you handle disasters/BIG problems?
Weird, but I usually handle disasters very calmly, slowly working to solve the problem. But later on, after things are better, I usually break down with sobs and trembling.

In your opinion, what is your best trait? What is your worst?
Best: Ability to empathize with others
Worst: Worry wort

Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.
I had 8 step-fathers growing up.

If you compared your writing style to any other Christian Fiction author, who would it be? Also, how would you rate the romance in your books?
Linda Chaikin or Laurie Alice Eakes. Romance is PG. Kissing but never beyond that.

What are you working on now or going to write next?
I’m currently working on a novel entitled Veil of Pearls. It’s the story of a one-quarter black girl and X-slave who falls in love with the spoiled son of a rich plantation owner in 1811 Charleston, South Carolina.

How can readers get in contact with you?
Website: http://www.mltyndall.com/
Blog: http://crossandcutlass.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=205124586170908&set=a.205124206170946.59683.205121426171224#!/pages/MaryLu-Tyndall-Swashbuckling-Romance/175344859169475

Book blurb:

A timid American farm girl at the mercy of the enemy. . .

A wounded British sailor driven into hiding. . .

Both are about to change the course of history forever.

When British soldiers invade Baltimore amid the War of 1812, Rose McGuire, alone on her family farm, is easy prey for a brutal lieutenant. In the midst of the attack, she’s saved by British 2nd Lieutenant Alexander Reed. Will she now have to heal, as well as hide, this enemy soldier?

Alex hadn’t meant to kill his superior, nor get shot in the process. Now badly wounded, he’s at the mercy of this tomboy who obviously hates him. Can he trust her or will she turn him over to the Americans?

Rose is having trouble keeping Alex hidden from her family, the townspeople, and the man intent on courting her. Will the discovery of Alex’s presence force her to accept an abhorrent proposal?

As their love blooms, trouble looms, for the British are on the move again. This time, their target is Washington DC. Will these young lovers at heart find themselves enemies at war?

Who would you pick to play the lead roles if this book was made into a movie?

 

Actress Romola Garai plays Rose McQuire

Actor Colin Firth plays Alexander Reed

Is there anything you would like to add, or tell your readers?

Thanks for taking the time to read my interview and also for your interest in my writing. I love my readers and like to correspond with them one on one. My ultimate goal is to make God real to people, to show His love and power in their daily lives, and to show that there’s a reason they are here on this earth at this time and place.

~~~~~

**USA or Canada addresses only, please**

Okay readers, here is your chance to win an autographed copy of Surrender the Night!

TO ENTER:

*Leave a comment with your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win). The comment is mandatory. You will not be entered unless you leave a comment AND your email address.

*If you leave a comment you will be entered unless you specify that you do not want to be entered.

*Here are the ways to get entries:

(First entry) The mandatory comment saying you would like to be entered with your email address.

+1 Become one of my followers OR subscribe to my blog by email.

Read and leave a comment on one of my recent book reviews.
+2 Hearts Crossing

**You can earn a total of 4 entries if you do all of the above entry options. Make sure to tell me in your entry comment on this post which of the things you did to get extra entries. (You can put them on one comment if you want to, you don’t have to separate each entry into its own comment or anything like that.)**

*The contest will run from today (March 4) until 6:00 CST on Thursday (March 10). I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner either directly after choosing him/her or on Friday the 11th, and then that person will have one week to reply. If the winner doesn't reply within that time period, I will pick a new winner.

Good luck! Thanks for visiting.