Interview with MaryLu Tyndall & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordA Christy Award finalist and best-selling author, MaryLu Tyndall dreamt of tall ships and swashbuckling heroes during her childhood years on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. She holds a degree in Math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years. Trapped in a land-locked cubicle, she was often seen pounding furiously upon the keyboard during her lunch hour, creating what would become her Legacy of the King’s Pirates series, all the while believing God’s promise to her that. “If you write it, I will get it published”. And He did! Fourteen books later, her loving husband and six children still haven’t gotten used to her historic costumes and nautical speech.

MaryLu describes herself as an introvert, patriot, mother of six, the neighborhood cat-lady, tall ship enthusiast, friend of pirates and mermaids, obsessive compulsive control freak, history lover, hopeless romantic, and a sword wielding princess-warrior of the King of Kings. Her books are filled with adventure and romance and themes that are guaranteed to touch your heart! She continues to pen her romantic tales on the California coast while managing a home, husband, six adult kids, and several stray cats who have decided that her keyboard is the best place to sleep! She believes that without popcorn and chocolate, life would not be worth living, and her sole motivation in life is to bring others closer to God. For more info, visit her website at www.marylutyndall.com.

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Savanna:  Welcome to The Engrafted Word, MaryLu! I’m so excited to have you here!  Can you name one of the pirates you’ve created who proved difficult to write? Who was the easiest character to create?

Interview with MaryLu Tyndall & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordMaryLu:  Captain Kent Carlton. When I first created him, he was the villain everyone loved to hate in the first two books of my pirate series. In the third book, he was the hero and love interest. Honestly, I never planned on redeeming him, but somewhere in the middle of book 2, I saw his heart start to change and I began to wonder if he couldn’t transform into a good guy, after all. The hard part was making that happen in a believable way. I mean this guy was mean, right? A rapist and murderer. Yikes! How do I turn him into someone readers would cheer for?

Savanna:  Sounds like you were up to the challenge! 😉 I’m sure intrigued to read his story.

If you could go back to any place in time and meet anyone, where would you go and who would it be?

MaryLu:  Of course I’d have to say Jesus. That’s an obvious answer for any believer. But, my second choice would be Dietrich Bonhoeffeur. He was a German theologian and teacher who was one of the few people to stand up to the Nazi regime as they were coming to power, and he paid for it with his life.

Savanna:  I loved reading your testimony on your website. Thank you for sharing your heart with us. What is one of your favorite Scripture verses?

MaryLu:  I have so many, but here’s one that the Lord gave as a prophecy over my life and the lives of my children. You see, we had many ancient ruins in our family!

Interview with MaryLu Tyndall & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordTo grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.  Isaiah 61:3-5

Savanna:  With over 14 books published, do you have a piece of writing advice that made a big difference in your work?

Interview with MaryLu Tyndall & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordMaryLu:  Readers want a great story. They want an escape from their lives. They want to be taken on a journey to places they’ve never been, live adventure and romance through the eyes of the main character. They want to laugh, cry, worry, leap for joy and be moved deep in their souls. And I’ve learned that a writer cannot even begin to take them on that kind of journey unless he or she is truly moved themselves by their own story. Some writers and many publishers will tell you that if you want to be successful, you must write what the market is buying, write the kind of stories that are selling. But I say, write what moves you, write what excites you. If you don’t, your book will feel flat and empty and your reader will feel flat and empty.

Savanna:  That’s a great point! Thank you for that. 🙂

You’re known for writing great adventures. Can you name a favorite book and/or movie that took you on an unforgettable journey?

MaryLu:  Movies: The Last of the Mohicans, Braveheart, Master and Commander, The Titanic, The Patriot, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Count of Monte Cristo

Books: Captain Blood by Raphel Sabatini , Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer

Interview with MaryLu Tyndall & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordSavanna:  So many of my favorites are included here! 😉

Thanks for being with us today, MaryLu. It’s been great to have you stop by. Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?

MaryLu:  Thank you, Savanna. My Pleasure.  I have a new release out this month, The Reckoning! I’m super excited about the story. It’s the fifth installment in my Legacy of the King’s Pirates series and my first time travel romance. I loved this story from beginning to end. It’s fun and romantic and adventurous with a bit of suspense thrown in. It deals with things like destiny, trust, and the true meaning of life.

Savanna:  Ohhhh, that sounds good! Congrats on the new release and have a great summer!

GIVEAWAY!!

MaryLu has graciously offered to give away a signed paperback or Ebook of The Reckoning to one lucky winner. Enter below and it could be YOU! 😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! (Please Note: Paperback copy is only available for U.S. readers. International readers may enter for Ebook version only.) Contest ends July 21, 2015.  The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!