Interview with MaryLu Tyndall - New release "Surrender the Night"

Welcome, MaryLu Tyndall!  MaryLu is the author of Surrender the Heart, a book I reviewed last week, and many other books, as well as Surrender the Night which RELEASED THIS WEEK!!! Congratulations, MaryLu on your new book! I have ordered a Kindle so that I can listen to this latest adventure on the high seas.

I met MaryLu through some online groups, including HisWriters, those who have either published or planned works with European characters.

MaryLu, welcome to Overcoming Through Time. Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

I would say the most difficult thing to overcome for me was not having a Dad. Well, I shouldn’t say not having a Dad. It was more like having a Dad who wanted nothing to do with me. You see, my Mom divorced him when I was a baby and he moved away. I saw him once on my 16th birthday and I suppose I didn’t make an impression on him because he never came back. For a young shy girl, this caused a huge gaping hole in my life. Consequently I grew up extremely insecure and searching for that unconditional love only a father can give. Which, of course, sent my life spiraling down a bottomless pit of despair filled with alcohol and broken relationships and heartache. And I would still be there, if not for the Lord reaching down in His mercy and pulling me out. Not only pulling me out, but cleaning me off, and filling my heart with the love I’d been searching for my entire life. In my very first book, The Redemption, I wrote about this struggle through the eyes of my heroine, Charlisse.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

I have so many. But one that always stands out to me is a familiar one to everyone. Romans 8:28.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

To me, this verse covers every struggle, every problem, heartache, joy, mountain and valley in life. No matter what we are going through, it all works out in the end. If we truly believe that, we should never worry or fear or be sad.
(I love this verse, too!)

Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio? I believe many of your books are available as e-books with audio capability, is that correct (on Kindle)? Do you have any in large print? (Thank you – we offer this information to our readers with difficulty reading books in regular print format.)

Yes, I believe all of my books are available in various e-book formats, including Kindle, which I know has audio capacity. Four of my books have been published in large print as well. Unfortunately, I have no control over the various types of publishing. It is all determined by my Publisher.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

That God is real and He loves them. That He is not found in a church or building or in a ritual, but that He can be approached at any time by a truly repentant heart. That He is powerful and active and will never leave them. And that their lives will be adventurous and fulfilling (Not always easy) if they give their all to Him.


As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

Yes, what really stood out for me in this War of 1812 series was the overwhelming odds we Americans had to face against the world superpower at that time—Britain. We didn’t even have a fully functional army or navy! I realized that without the miraculous intervention of God, we would have never prevailed. And America would have been nothing but a brief memory in history.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

In Surrender the Night, the heroine suffered a brutal rape in her past. Consequently, she suffers from a fear of being in public places where there are a lot of people around, especially men. In the book, with God’s help, she comes to grips with her fear by letting go of her bitterness and clinging to the sovereign hand of God in all things.

The hero suffers from a cold, neglected childhood beneath the hand of a stern father. He spends his life trying to become successful enough to win back the favor of his father, but ultimately his value in the love and grace of God


Thank you MaryLu for agreeing to answer these questions. Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!


Thank you so much, Carrie, for having me! God Bless!

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Surrender the Night.  Contest entries end at midnight on Friday, March 10, 2011.  Blessings!