Central Park Rendezvous

Last year I read an awesome book called Central Park Rendezvous. It's from the Romancing America collection, and features four novellas from four different authors (Ronie Kendig, Dineen Miller, Kim Vogel Sawyer, and MaryLu Tyndall), but the stories all intertwine!

Start out with Sean Wolfe, a young Afghanistan veteran with scars both physical and mental. When the beautiful ballerina Jamie Russo enters his life with questions regarding his father and an old coin, can she help him gain back the hope he'd lost while they look for answers regarding his past? Next, go back a few decades, where Alan James lost his one true love to another man. Will his broken heart ever heal? Then head back to the 40s, where Helen Wolfe and her young siblings are struggling to make it through without their parents. Will Bernie O'Day, owner of a local pawn shop, be able to help the family without hurting Helen's pride? Finally, travel back to the late 1800s as the Civil War is ending, and William Wolfe finds out that those beautifully written love letters from his fiance didn't mean a thing to her. As she chooses another man, William has to decide if he'll ever be able to love again.

I just love the way this book was written. I don't want to give too much away, but it's so cool the way it goes back and forth between different times, showing how the Wolfe family, the old coin, and Central Park are connected throughout generations.

While I had only read MaryLu Tyndall before, I think all of the authors did a great job! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes romance, history, and happy endings :)

Help The Gunderson Family Adopt Two Children In Need Of A Loving Home

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. 
- 1 John 3:1

In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. - Ephesians 1:5

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession. - Deuteronomy 14:2

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." - John 14:18

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and holy is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress... - James 1:27


I am blessed to be friends with Jessie Gunderson, a brave woman of God, mother of 5 (for now), loving wife, author, and artist. She and her family are on the road to adoption. From what I have seen, this road is long and hard, but they are steadfastly continuing the journey. You can read about their decision to adopt here.

You may or may not know that adoption, besides being a long process, is very costly. The Gundersons are trying to raise money to help with those costs. They would also appreciate prayer and sharing of their story. Throughout the month of February you can enter two different drawings on Jessie's blog. The first is a chance to win two tickets to Disney! You'll get an entrance into the drawing for every $5 you can donate. They are also holding a drawing for a set of Mickey and Minnie Mouse stuffed dolls. To be entered for these, just share the Help Orphans & Win Disney Tickets post on Facebook, Twitter, or you blog. Make sure you read the entire blog post, as it tells you how to enter the drawings.

Another way you can help is by purchasing one or both of the devotional books Jessie has been published in. You can find these in her online store.

From Jessie: Help us adopt “A” and “D”, a brother and sister from Ethiopia. She wants to be a judge when she grows up and he wants to be a runner. Every child deserves a loving family. All proceeds go straight into our adoption fund. Email me at jessie [at] jessiegunderson [dot] com for questions or references. I am happy to provide information to confirm our home study in process, etc.

I truly believe in this cause and hope to see them bring these two children home. If you are encouraged by this story and are interested in learning more, you can follow Jessie's blog. She will be posting a lot about their adoption journey over the next few months.

While you're over there, leave her a comment. She would love to hear from you and know that you are supporting her family in whatever way you can :) Remember, prayer is powerful, and God can do anything.

Thanks for reading!

Forsaken Dreams and Author Q&A with MaryLu Tyndall!!

Check out Forsaken Dreams, book one in the exciting new Escape to Paradise fiction series by MaryLu Tyndall!

Embark on a seafaring adventure as a disillusioned colonel and a hopeful widow seek a fresh start on the shores of Brazil. Colonel Grant Wallace cannot leave his once precious Southern homeland fast enough. After witnessing the death and destruction of the Civil War, he charters a ship and sets sail for the pristine shores of Brazil, eager to start afresh in a new land. Widow Eliza Crawford boards the ship NewHope harboring a dirty secret and a blossoming hope within her heart for a new life away from old memories. But once at sea, troubles abound. Will Grant overcome his demons of bitterness and rage? Can Eliza find the peace she longs for?

  

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Get to Know the Author!
MaryLu Tyndall, a Christy Award Finalist, and best-selling author of the Legacy of the King’s Pirates series is known for her adventurous historical romances filled with deep spiritual themes. She holds a degree in math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before testing the waters as a writer. MaryLu currently writes full time and makes her home on the California coast with her husband, six kids, and four cats. Her passion is to write page-turning, romantic adventures that not only entertain but open people's eyes to their God-given potential. MaryLu is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.





Author Q & A:

1. How would you describe your new series Escape to Paradise? 
An adventurous, romantic tale about a group of Confederates, wounded in both body and soul, who flee the destruction of the South after the Civil War for greener pastures in Brazil, but who find much more than they bargained for, both on the trip there and once they arrive.

2. What inspired the storyline for your new series?

History. Nearly three million Southerners migrated from the devastation of the South following the Civil War. Close to twenty thousand of them went to Brazil where the Emperor welcomed them with open arms, the farm land was plentiful, and the temperate climate mimicked their own weather back home. Though most ended up returning home, several thousand remained, and their descendants still live there today. Their struggles to create a new Southern Utopia in the heart of Brazil make for a fascinating story!

3. How is this series different from your previous series?

Escape to Paradise is like nothing I’ve ever written before. The six main characters, the hero and heroine in each book, have a huge presence in each of the three books, so by the end of the series, the reader will know them all really well, as well as several of the secondary characters. Secondly, and more importantly, this series contains a lot of supernatural elements—curses, angels, visions, demonic battles—which I have not put in any of my other books.

4. What type of research did you have to do for Forsaken Dreams?

Surprisingly, not much has been written about this particular historic event. I did find a couple of great books on Amazon. I was also able to locate some original source material, which is a researcher’s dream: three journals written by actual Confederates who traveled to Brazil. Then of course I studied the flora, fauna, cuisine, customs, religion, climate, topography, and history of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro. I tried to talk my  husband into funding a trip to Rio (For purely research purposes, of course) but he wasn’t buying it! :) I also studied the Civil War, clothing and customs of the time period, and, in particular, of the South. 

5. What are the most interesting facts that you learned while researching and writing Forsaken Dreams?
There is a city in Brazil called Americana, which was founded by migrant confederates in the late 19^th century.  To this day, the inhabitants still speak a mixture of English and Portuguese and celebrate American holidays by playing “Dixie”, while some of the local women dress in big-bustled skirts for dancing.  President Carter visited the city in 1972, after discovering its little known history, and he was reportedly brought to tears by the American influences he found there.

6. What surprises do your fans have to look forward to in your new series?

An exotic locale, powerful secrets held by each character, a strong spiritual theme that runs through all three books, cannibals, evil temples, visions, angels, demons, prophecies, and a supernatural battle. Doesn’t sound like romance novels, does it? Yet, readers can still expect to find all the adventure and romance they normally enjoy from one of my books. 

7. Do you have a favorite character in Forsaken Dreams? Why?
Yes. The heroine, Eliza Crawford. She’s all the things so many of us want to be: strong, independent, smart, caring, selfless. But she has a fatal flaw—one which I can relate to very much, and one I’m hoping others will relate to as well. She wants to live life on her own terms. She wants to do things her way and follow her own heart and will. She doesn’t want to be told what to do by anyone, especially God. Consequently, she disobeyed her father and ran off to marry a man who was all wrong for her, an action that cost her and others dearly. Still, she struggles with an independent spirit that refuses to submit to God, even when she knows His will is best.  Sound familiar? It does to me! 

8. What message would you like your readers to take away after reading Forsaken Dreams? 
There are several messages woven into Forsaken Dreams. Forgiveness, letting go of bitterness, running away from God, but I would say the main message is that submission to God and His will is the only thing that brings true happiness.

9. Most of your stories revolve around swashbuckling pirates and sea captains.  What draws you to write about them?
Actually I only have one pirate series, but a good majority of my books have several scenes set at sea. Ever since I was a child growing up on the shores of South Florida, I have loved the sea and especially the tall ships of old. To me, there’s something very romantic and adventurous about those magnificent sailing ships and the men and women who journeyed on them in search of new lands.

  

10. What are some of the challenges you face as an author?

Meeting deadlines! I never feel like I can take a break and just relax when there’s a deadline shouting at me from my computer.  Other challenges come in the form of negative reviews and harsh comments, most of which I’ve learned over the years to ignore.  However, the occasional one slips through and stabs my heart. Then there’s the marketing aspect of being an author, which is most definitely my weakest skill. I’ve never been very good at selling myself, or in fact, selling anything, to anyone. :)

11. What aspects of being a writer do you enjoy the most?
The writing! Coming up with new stories and settings, and especially great characters. But my favorite part is putting those characters into impossible situations that I would never survive personally, but ones in which they must survive!  Those hours I spend at my computer with my head and my heart in a distant land, living life through my characters, are the happiest moments of my day. What a great job I have!! I get to live in a fantasy world of my own making. God is good!

12. What clubs or organizations are you involved with to help with your writing?
American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. However I receive most of the help I need from other writers who I’ve grown close to over the years. It’s so wonderful to have an online support group of people who understand what I’m going through and who can offer suggestions and help and who can lift me up in prayer when needed.

13. What new projects are on the horizon?
Forsaken Dreams is the first in a trilogy entitled Escape to Paradise, so I’m currently working on the last two books in the series. After that, I’ll be in God’s good favor as to what He wants me to write next. :)

14. What was your favorite book as a child?
Can I have three? The Last of the Mohicans, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Pride and Prejudice.

15. What is your greatest achievement?
My children. Although I really can’t take credit for them turning out as well as they have. That was God. But they are my life and my true loves, and I can’t imagine my world without them.

16. What do you do to get away from it all?
Go to the beach. Although it’s not as warm here in California as it was in Florida where I grew up, I love sitting in the sand and gazing out over the foamy waves and smelling the salty air and feeling the wind on my face. It makes me realize how big God is and how small I am, yet how much He truly loves me.

17. And, finally, where can your readers find you online?
You can sign up for my e-newsletter on my website at www.marylutyndall.com, and my blog is crossandcutlass.blogspot.com where I post all sorts of things from book giveaways and book information to articles and devotional thoughts. I have a Facebook group called MaryLu Tyndall: Swashbuckling Romance, and I’m on Twitter: @MaryLuTyndall. Hope to connect with you all!

Check out MaryLu's blog Friday, February 7, to learn more about the hero from Forsaken Dreams, Blake Wallace, and comment for a chance to win a copy of the book!

The Wings of Morning

This past fall I read a great book called The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura. Now, this novel was so entirely different than anything I'd read before. First, its about the Amish, and while I know there are tons of books out there in that genre, I had only read one. But even if you're a long-time Amish fiction fan, this will probably be out of the norm for you.

Set during World War I, a young Amish man named Jude Whetstone discovers a love for flying airplanes. The leaders of their Amish community have not decided yet whether they approve of airplanes, but for now, Jude is safe. BUT, they definitely know that they are against war and violence.

Lyyndaya Kurtz and her family only joined this faith and community ten years ago, and her parents are always extra cautious, to make sure they don't offend any of the other Amish leaders and families. So although the pastors haven't deemed flying to be wrong, Lyyndy's parents won't allow her to be courted by Jude as long as he flies those contraptions.

So Jude starts receiving attentions from other girls in the community, while Lyyndaya is forced to watch from afar and left to wonder if the two of them have a future together.

I don't want to give away any more of the story, but just believe me when I tell you that this story has so many plot twists that I NEVER saw coming, and while not always super exciting, the characters feel real and lovable, there are tender moments and terse conversations, air battles and jail cells, the Spanish flu, and a shunning, and you will want to know what happens next!

Veil of Pearls

I just finished reading MaryLu Tyndall's newest novel, Veil of Pearls. This is her eleventh novel, and while I have absolutely loved every one, this is definitely one of the best! Her writing style keeps getting better, and this story just flowed like none before.

On to the story. Adalia is one quarter negro, and while she was born free, was forced into slavery after her parents' death. But she escapes, and ends up in Charleston, N.C. She finds work and is content, but then she meets Morgan Rutledge, a playboy son of a wealthy landowner, and one of the social elite. He is instantly attracted to her, and while she does her best to ignore him at first, his persistence eventually gets her to change her mind, and she starts to attend parties and plays with him. The Charleston socialites don't know what to think. A common woman infiltrating their world! Some accept her, while others, like Miss Emerald, do everything in their power to get rid of Adalia.

Meanwhile, Adalia still worries about her owner finding her and taking her back to the plantation, and wonders what Morgan will think if he ever finds out she was a slave. Especially since his father owns slaves and if Morgan were to take over his family's plantation someday, he would become a slave owner himself.

And it turns out Morgan has a secret of his own. He loves the sea and would like nothing more than to be a sailor, but his father and the rest of society would look down on or even disown him if they knew. So he keeps these desires to himself.

What will happen? Will Adalia stay free or be taken back into slavery? Will Morgan find out that she was a slave, and what will he think if he does find out? Will Miss Emerald and her friends succeed in getting Adalia out of the picture? Will Morgan ever get to fulfill his dreams of becoming a sailor?

Find out by reading the book!! :)

I highly highly recommend reading Veil of Pearls! This stand-alone novel is wonderfully written, and really brings to light the struggle we all face to feel welcomed and popular, to fit in with the "cool crowd."Adalia hides her heritage to protect herself, but in the process becomes so enamored with the wealth and social scene that she completely forgets who she was. Morgan does what is expected of a man in his position, causing him to deny the things he really longs for. The book shows other characters' struggles, too, as Adalia sees that each of them is a slave in their own way - whether a slave to wealth and power, a slave to their beliefs and memories, or a slave to others.

You can buy a copy at a local book store, or order it online or download an e-book version from Amazon, CBD, Barnes & Noble, and more!

Check out MaryLu's blog, with links to her website, info on each of her books, and news about upcoming novels:  http://crossandcutlass.blogspot.com/

If you read Veil of Pearls or any of MaryLu Tyndall's books, let me know what you think!

Walks Alone

This is one of the best and most fascinating novels I've read in a long time. Walks Alone, by Sandi Rog, is about a young woman from Holland who is kidnapped by Indians while traveling from New York to Denver City. Her captor, White Eagle, is half French, but he looks and acts like the rest of the tribe. Anna's father had told her stories about the Indians he'd met years ago, so she is curious to know more about them. But at the same time she is terrified and furious that they've kidnapped her. 

Thus begins this exciting and suspenseful tale of mistrust, lost faith, broken relationships, and war between the Cheyenne and white men, while Anna tries to find her way to Denver City and her dream.

This is the first book I've ever read in e-format, and I am so glad I had it downloaded on my phone, because I could not put it down! Riding in the car, waiting at a friends' house, sitting by the pool... I read it everywhere! And I highly suggest you do the same.

You can check out Sandi Rog's blog here.

Heartless

I just read this incredible fantasy novel by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Heartless is the first book in her Tales of Goldstone Wood series. I have read some great fantasies, but this one was so original!! Yes, it's got a princess. Yes, it's got daring and handsome princes. Yes, it's got dragons. Yes, there are mysterious woods, enchanted gardens, and foreign lands. Yes, there are fairies and other magical creatures. But not necessarily the way you'd imagine them. Plus you've got a jester and a blind cat. With lots of mystery and magic, some fun and quirky characters, and plenty of dark and scary ones, I say this is one of the best fantasies I have ever read. And I can't wait to continue reading the tales of Goldstone.

You can visit Anne Elisabeth Stengl's blog here.