By Faith -MaryLu Tyndall
This is an interview that I did with MaryLu Tyndall. She is a Christian writer who has written several pirate books. I have read all her books that have come out and am a big fan! Have fun learning more about her through this interview.
For more information check out her Blog and Website:
JOY Blog: What were you like as a teenage girl?
MaryLu Tyndall: I was a very shy, awkward, insecure girl when I was a teenager. I was never in the popular groups and seemed to always be on the outside of the in crowd! I was chubby and had bad acne so I didn’t have many boyfriends. Many people who meet me now are very surprised to discover my past.
JOY: Tell us about your next book coming out.
ML: Surrender the Heart is the first book in a trilogy called Surrender to Destiny. It is the story of a lady in 1812 Baltimore who must marry a man she hates or her mother will die and her younger sister will become destitute. Trouble is, the man runs away from their engagement party to set sail for England. When she storms after him to force him to return, she ends up getting stuck on his ship and isn’t discovered until they are well out to sea. On the brink of the war of 1812, the couple finds themselves captured aboard a British War ship where they must rely on God and each other to survive. And to find their destiny!
JOY: Which book would you recommend for girls to read first?
ML: Why not start with my first book, The Redemption?
It’s an adventurous love story between a handsome reformed pirate and a proper British lady who sails to the Caribbean in search of her father.
JOY: Which one of your books is your favorite?
ML: It’s hard to pick one. They each hold a dear spot in my heart. I feel as though all the characters are my best friends. I really enjoyed writing The Red Siren, which is a story about a female pirate! But Hope, the heroine in The Blue Enchantress is more like me, a fallen girl who was in desperate need of redemption.
JOY: Why did you choose to write pirate books?
ML: I’ve always loved pirates. Growing up on the warm beaches of South Florida, I used to dream about the adventures of the sea-faring rogues. When the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out, I became seriously interested in writing a story about a Christian pirate. I had never written a book before, but I found the idea so intriguing that I couldn’t stop myself. I see now that God was leading me into writing and that He gave me the idea. Out of that was born my first book, The Redemption.
JOY: Tell us about your salvation story. How did you come to know Jesus?
ML: I was 35 years old and had reached rock bottom after spending my life chasing all the things of the world I thought would make me happy. I had partied, drank, and spent my life running from God. I was on my second marriage and it was failing. My teenage children were out of control and I seriously wanted to die. On an impulse I found an old Bible I had kept from childhood, dusted it off and started reading it, desperate for answers and for meaning to my life. Somewhere in the middle, God miraculously made Himself known to me. I can’t explain it except it felt like a bright light flooded my entire body and I knew without a doubt that He existed and that the Bible was His word. My entire family at that time were atheists so I had quite an uphill battle. But God has been more than faithful!
JOY: JOY is a blog for girls. Looking back at where you were to where you are now, what advice would you have given yourself when you were a teenage girl?
ML: Don’t listen to what the world tells you. It will lie to you and say that all that matters is what you look like. That you have to be thin and beautiful and have a great outgoing personality to be of any value. It will tell you that in order to be loved you should give your body away. It will tell you that sex equals love. That in order to have fun you should drink and do drugs and gather wealth around you. It is all a lie! Believe me. I’ve been there. All those things lead to depression, disappointment and destruction. If I could go back, I would fall on my knees before God and surrender my life to Him completely. I would follow Him all my days and cultivate my internal beauty by relying on His Holy Spirit. I would trust Him to guide me and provide for me a wonderful man who would love me for myself and never leave me or cheat on me. The Lord is the only one who can bring you true peace and happiness. Everything else outside of Him is useless garbage. Trust Him and see what happens!
JOY: How do you balance writing, family, and remain focused on God?
ML: I spend an hour each morning in prayer and Bible reading. I do it no matter how busy I am, no matter whether I’m under a tight deadline and I might be late in turning in my manuscript. It is the most important time of my day. Then during the day, I am in constant conversation with God. I talk to him as if He were right beside me. (Because He is) He’s always with you and He’s interested in every detail of your life. You are precious to Him!
JOY: When did you know you were meant to be a writer?
ML: Not until my first manuscript got contracted! Up to that point, I had always loved to write but had never submitted anything to a publisher. I told the Lord that if He wanted me to become an author, then He’d have to get this book published. And He did!
Now for some fun questions:
JOY: What is the one material thing you wouldn't leave home without?
ML: Sunglasses.
JOY: What is one of your secret ambitions?
ML: To be a professional dancer.
JOY: What is the one food you don't think you could live without?
ML: Popcorn
JOY: What is your favorite color?
ML: Black. Yes, I’m weird
JOY: What was your favorite book and movie growing up (or now)?
ML: Growing up: Book: The Last of the Mohicans. Movie: Gone with the Wind
Now: Book: Captain Blood by Raphael Sabatini Movie: The Conte of Monte Cristo
