A peek at Surrender the Dawn, and I'm hiring a crew!

I'm about halfway done with Surrender the Dawn, the third book in my Destiny series. This book doesn't release until August 2011 (which seems awfully far away!)  But that's the publishing business. I thought I'd tease you with the first 2 paragraphs:

March 26, 1814 Merchants Coffee House, Baltimore, Maryland

“Miss Channing, no privateer in his right mind would consider a woman investor. It is simply bad luck.”

Raucous laughter—all male—shot through the tiny coffee shop that smelled more like ale and sweat than coffee.

Wrinkling her nose beneath the odor and bracing her heart against the mounting impediment to her well-laid plans, Cassandra rose from her seat, avoiding the myriad cynical gazes fastened upon her. “It is merely foolish superstition, Mr. McCulloch. I assure you, my money is as good as any man’s.” 

Snickers and grins interspersed with the occasional salacious glance continued to fire her way. But Cassandra brushed them off as naught but excess chaff. After an hour of sitting in the muggy male-dominated room, listening to various merchants selling shares for the equipping of their vessels into privateers, she had grown numb to the attention.

When the customs agent had finally announced eight shares offered at two-hundred dollars each for the equipping of a Letter of Marque, the Contradiction—a one-hundred and three ton schooner out of Dorchester, housing one long nine, ten men and captained by Peter Pascal—Cassandra had raised her hand. With her one thousand dollars, she could purchase over half the shares rather than be one of many investors in a larger, better equipped ship. Owning more of a privateer meant higher returns. And she definitely was in dire need of higher returns.

  Also, if you got my newsletter, you were able to read an excerpt from Surrender the Night, which comes out in less than 3 months!  Which reminds me,  February is Surrender the Night month where each week on this blog, I'll be posting some interesting stuff about the book, included an in-depth look at the characters, interesting history I discovered, a trailer, and free excerpts. Plus everyone who enters will have a chance to win a free signed copy!
So tell your friends to drop by and enter! 

Also, next year, I'm recruiting hard-working, courageous, sea-faring men and women to be part of  "MaryLu's Motley Crew"   

Qualifications Include 

1. Ability and Desire to write reviews of my books on as many online bookstores you can find!
2. Willingness to hand out bookmarks (provided) to interested readers, bookstore clerks for stuffing in bags, and to secretly stuff them in the store's best-sellers! (Arg.. that be the sneaky stuff)
3. Willingness to mail out postcards (provided) to everyone on your mailing list
4. If you liked my book, tell as many friends and family you can find
5. Check local libraries and if they don't have my book, request it
6. If your church as a bookstore, tell them about my book. I'd be happy to send them a free copy if they'd like.
7. If you have a blog or are on Facebook, chat about my book 
8. If you know of any local bookclubs, suggest my book
9. Ability to pray and ask God to touch people's lives through not only my books, but other Christian authors

Wages

1. A free, signed copy of each new release
2. Free bookmarks, postcards and fridge magnets (for handing out but you can keep some too!)
3. Your picture displayed on the crew page of my website. 
4. Access via a password to a secret part of my website (the captain's cabin) where you will get privileges no one else will receive (this is still in the works)
5. An additional gift, yet to be determined, but something associated with each new book, like a coffee mug, pen, or totebag, bubble bath...etc.

So think about it. If ye think ye've got the stuff to join me crew, send me your name, address, your mugshot, how many of my books have you read, a list of reviews and other things you've already done, if any,  and a signed statement saying you agree on pain of death to do all the things listed above. I'm thinking I need to limit the number of my crew (or the ship will sink!) So get your name in early.  If for some reason, you can't or are unable or not interested in doing the requirements, please don't apply. I won't hold it against ye, but I need a crew that won't mutiny on me. I'm sure ye understand.
Send your applications to:   marylu@mltyndall.com and put MaryLu's Crew as the subject.