New Interview with Inspirational Romance Author MaryLu Tyndall

I love discovering new authors – well, new to me anyway. And, when I do find someone whose work is inspiring and enjoyable, I always want to know more about why they write what they do. I found a gem in MaryLu Tyndall and she graciously granted me an interview. Enjoy!

MaryLu, what got you started writing? How long have you been writing? And, are you doing it full time?

Actually, it was an act of God that got me started writing!  I had always had an

Amazon link

interest in writing and often dabbled in it throughout my life, but marriage, kids, and a full-time job prevented me from pursuing it as a career. One day, God told me write a novel about a Christian pirate. I kid you not. I knew it was Him speaking to me because the idea was so ludicrous. Anyway, long story short, I did, and that became my first published novel, The Redemption. By the way, getting a first novel published so quickly was also a miracle, especially when only 4% of submitted novels ever get published.  That was 17 novels and 13 years ago! Currently I write part time while I care for my grandkids.

Note from MJ: I just finished The Redemption and I had no idea it was her first novel. We should all have a first novel that is that good. :-)

Some of your novels add a fantasy element to the Christian element. I would suspect some of your hardcore Christian readers might be reluctant to accept that. Have you had any blowback, or has reception been generally good?

Good question. I assume you are talking about Tears of the Sea, my mermaid

Amazon link

romance. Yes, I did get some negative comments from some of my readers. Some wondered why I would dare write such a thing, others refused to read it. I have no doubt I lost some loyal readers when I released that book.  People are entitled to their opinions, but I believe if they had given it a chance, they would have seen the true meaning of the story. However, for the most part, it was well received.   

Note from MJ: I loved Tears of the Sea. Not too many romance authors even attempt allegory. When they do, the characters can easily come across as trite instead of allegorical. You can read my review here.

What do you read in your spare time?

Everything! I don’t stick to just one genre.  Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction. I love suspense too. But for the most part, I read historical romance.

Many of your books—maybe all, but I haven’t read them all yet—take place on a ship. How did you learn the terminology?

Yes, exactly. I have read many many books, both fiction and non-fiction, that take place on the sea. I also have some very technical sailing manuals in my library, along with ship diagrams, etc.

Do you read other sea stories, e.g., Aubrey/Maturin, Hornblower, etc., for inspiration?

I love to watch sea-faring movies such as the Hornblower series, Master and Commander, and of course, Pirates of the Caribbean.

Do you have a favorite author either inside your genre or out?

I actually love many of the old-time authors. Two of my favorite are Georgette Heyer and Rafael Sabatini. 

Tell us about your latest work.  I believe it’s coming out soon?

Yes, She Walks inPower releases September 2^nd!  I’m very excited about this

book! It’s the first in a medieval trilogy entitled Protectors of the Spear.  The spear in question is the famed Spear of Destiny, the spear that stabbed Jesus on the cross. The trilogy revolves around 3 women who are destined to keep the spear out of the wrong hands, i.e. people who want to use its power to win wars, etc.

In this first book, a lady archer who protects the spear (think female robin hood) falls in love with the knight sent to find it for the king.  It is available for preorder now at a discounted price, and you can read more about it on Amazon.  

Note from MJ: Yep, you guessed it. I have this on preorder. I may be an author, but I make a great fangirl, too. :-)

How would you compare it to your previous works? Does it explore some new boundaries, or would you say readers familiar with your other writings will easily recognize your approach?

It definitely explores new boundaries.  My heroine possesses the spiritual gift of discernment, which gives her the power to see into the spirit realm.  She sees both demons and angels and also the light of God inside someone’s soul. 

I’ve noticed you have a lot of your books available on Kindle Unlimited. Why did you decide to go that route?

Kindle Unlimited is a great way to introduce my work to readers who wouldn’t normally pick up one of my books.  It’s also really nice for those readers who can’t afford to buy a book or who don’t want to take a chance on buying a book they won’t like.  I’ve only recently put several of my titles in Unlimited, and already I’ve had thousands and thousands of page reads. To me, that’s worth its weight in gold because it’s more important to me that people are reading my books and hopefully drawing closer to God through them, than it is for me to make money.

I’ve heard a lot of authors complain about losing royalties through Kindle Unlimited. I’m wondering if they aren’t overly optimistic about how their books would do if they sold them outright at the going prices. Without my prying too much, how do you feel you’ve done financially through Kindle Unlimited vs. if you had not taken this path.

Yes, I’m losing royalties, no doubt. But so far it seems that the money I make on page reads is more than making up for it. Time will tell, however. I do plan on pulling my books out of Unlimited eventually because some of my readers only purchase them from ITunes or Barnes and Noble.

If you'd like to learn more about MaryLu and her work, you can visit her Amazon page here.