Getting to Know you Thursday with MaryLu Tyndall

Today for Getting to know you Thursday we have Mary Lu Tyndall. Thanks Mary Lu for taking the time to be with us today.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My husband and I have six children ages 19-29 and we live in San Jose, California. I’ve lived here for 29 years, but I prefer Florida where I grew up and where most of my family still lives. There’s nothing like a tropical beach with the palm trees swaying and the warm waves caressing your feet. My husband is one of those serious, logical rocket scientist types while I’m a crazy emotional writer, but we make it work!

2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?
I loved The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper! I read the entire book twice and then adored the Masterpiece Theater adaptation on film.

3. Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and right write?
Historical Romance is by far my favorite genre to both read and to write.

4. Did you have favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?
Raphael Sabatini and Jane Austen

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I knew from the time I was very young, but I never believed I could get published or be an author as a career, so I pursued other studies in school and other careers, but I couldn’t stop creating stories in my head and jotting them down. I believe when God gives you a desire to do something, it doesn’t go away no matter how hard you try to ignore it!

6. How did you go about becoming an author?
About five years ago, I felt led to write a novel about a Christian Pirate. I know it sounds weird, but the urge was so strong, I couldn’t resist. God freed up some of my time and I did the research and started writing. Truthfully, I never thought the book would get published, but God led me through a series of steps: Joining an online group (ACFW), hiring an editor to look over my book, and sending me to the right agents. Once I got an agent (after several rejections), I got a contract for the book and two more in the series within 3 months! Imagine my surprise!

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?
An artist. I love to oil paint and have several of my own paintings hanging in my home

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?
I don’t have much time to write anything other than the book I’m currently working on. I love to read, but even that time is limited to a few minutes before bed. When I do pick up a book, it’s usually an historical romance or a suspense.

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

Charleston, South Carolina. And anywhere in Florida or the Caribbean!

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?
Sarah Palin because I respect her a great deal and I’d like to get to know the woman behind the public face to see what her core beliefs and values are.
Bejamin Natanyahu because I love Israel and I would like to find out what his plans are for that glorious state and perhaps discuss with him from the Scriptures what God’s ultimate plan is.
My mother. She lives in Florida and I only get to see her once a year, so I would love to sit down and have a meal with her.


Finally can you tell us about your current books and/or any that will be coming out soon. Also where we can find you on the web.
My latest release, The Blue Enchantress, is currently available online and should be in bookstores by August. It is the second book in a trilogy entitled, Charles Towne Belles, but it’s not necessary to have read the first book to understand the plot in this one. Please drop by my website http://www.mltyndall.com for more information on this book and all my other books.
Here’s a brief paragraph on the plot:

Betrayed by the man she longed to marry, Hope Westcott is about to be auctioned off as a slave to the highest bidder on an island in the Caribbean. After enduring a difficult childhood in an unloving home, Hope’s search for love and self-worth have led her down a very dangerous path. All she ever wanted was to find true love and open an orphanage where she could raise children with all the love she never experienced as a child. But how can a woman with a sordid past ever hope to run an orphanage, let alone attract the love of an honorable man?

Determined to overcome the shame of his mother’s past, Nathaniel Mason worked for many years to build his own fleet of merchant ships in an effort to finally acquire the respect of Charles Towne society. Ignoring the call of God on his life to become a preacher, he forges ahead with his plans for success at a distant port in the Caribbean, when he sees a young lady he knows from Charles Towne being sold as a slave. In an effort to save Hope, he is forced to sell one of his two ships, only to discover that her predicament was caused by her own bad behavior. Angry and determined to rid himself of her as soon as possible, Nathaniel embarks on a journey that will change the course of his life.