Today we welcome multi-published author Delia Latham to The Diamond Mine!!
Our giveaway will be the choice of the drawing winner, between one of three of her novels:
Destiny's Dream (First book in the Solomon's Gate series),
Goldeneyes, or
Jewels for the Kingdom (First Heart's Haven book). Leave a comment after the interview for a chance to win your choice of one of these books!!
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A long-held dream is finally coming
true…and becoming a nightmare that pits the gentle heroine against great evil.
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Who is the golden-eyed stranger
who moves in the shadows of their broken lives?
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Her past could destroy her future.
His could destroy his soul. Divine intervention may be their only chance at
love.
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Welcome to The Diamond Mine, Delia!! Let's begin with some information about your latest books.
My most recent release was At First Sight. It’s part of Pelican
Book Group’s Pure Amore line. At First Sight just won The 2016 Laurel Award from Clash of the Titles!! The books in the Pure Amore line are wonderful, sweet romances that celebrate purity before
marriage—without being preachy or making abstinence the central focus. However,
since those books are available exclusively through book
club subscription, let me focus on the traditional release just prior to At First Sight.
Love
in the WINGS is part of the Heart’s
Haven (HH) collections. HH books are all set in the same East Texas
location—Angel Falls, a small, fictional town nestled along the edge of the
Angelina National Forest. Heart’s Haven is a cottage-rental facility owned by
crusty old Andrew Hart, who has the greenest of green thumbs and a kind heart.
He doesn’t talk much, but folks often see him chatting away with…apparently
nobody. It is said he sees and speaks with angels, but Hart neither confirms
nor denies that rumor. Rumors aside, it’s a fact that the majority of folks who
move into the charming HH cottages fall in love…a whole other legend that’s a
part of the HH charm.
Love in the WINGS
is part of the third four-book HH collection. It takes place around Easter at
Heart’s Haven, during a time of spiritual oppression that affects the entire
town. Here’s the short blurb:
When a spiritual attack on Angel
Falls lands barely civil Aria and Corbin on the battlefront as part of a team
of Prayer Warriors in God's Service (WINGS), they must fight for their town,
their church, and their pastor. Some battles can only be won in a prayer
room…can love be won there too?
Note: Heart’s Haven books are individually
written by myself and three other authors: Mary Manners, Tanya Stowe, and Marianne Evans. Each collection
includes one book by each of us. There are currently three collections, with
another awaiting release dates. Tanya Stowe and I also co-authored A
Cowboy Christmas, as well as Love
Comes Lately, which is a short FREE READ from Pelican Book Group.
Wow, you're a busy writer, aren't you? It's obvious that you love to tell a good story!
So, which part of story writing do you enjoy most: Crafting the
plot, developing the characters, describing the setting, delving into the inner
workings of the main characters and their motivations, or another aspect of
story-telling?
I have to confess…I love it all.
The whole world of writing has me in its grip, from the first seed of an idea
to the grueling edits that some writers detest. But if I had to choose just one
favorite part, it would be developing the characters. My books are very much
character driven. I love getting inside their heads and finding out who they
are and what makes them tick…and then putting them in situations outside their
comfort zones. Fun stuff!
Absolutely! I'm right on that page with you. That part is always fascinating to me, too.
You’ve written quite a few books! I’m curious about how you
get your story ideas. I know that when writing for a series, there is a general
framework the story fits into, but what comes to you first? The idea for the
plot, or the characters in the story, or something else?
It varies, but most of the time
I get an idea for a plot, and then build characters around that central idea.
For instance, my upcoming series is Paradise Pines. It’s an old fishing lodge
someone revamped, creating one dwelling on the bottom floor and another on the
top floor. Miss Angelina Love (who may or may not be an angel) “lives” in the
ground floor unit and rents out the large upper apartment on a seasonal basis—all
three months or not at all. That’s the hard-and-fast stipulation.
I love Cambria, California,
which is a little town on the Central Coast. During one of many visits to the
area, I decided I simply had to set a book there. But as I started to work on
ideas, they tumbled in hard and fast, and since I didn’t want to toss so many
great story possibilities, it became a series. Most of my books incorporate
angels in some way. (This wasn’t in my writing plan originally, but God seems
to guide me in that direction. Who am I to question Him?) No one can state for
a fact that Miss Angie is an angel, but everyone loves her, whoever or whatever
she is. She may or may not own Paradise Pines Lodge. But she is, for a fact, a
beloved character who loves to quote scripture and who quietly guides the lives
and loves of her tenants during their three-month stay at the Lodge.
I know this is a lengthy answer,
but I couldn’t think of a simple one. I’ll just wind it all up in a little
nutshell: God leads. I follow. He dictates. I transcribe. From the first idea
to the last edit, He’s at the helm. I’m just along for the ride.
Good answer, and a very interesting one as well. Do you work from an outline, or craft it as you go?
I think of myself as a pantster.
When I first started writing, I’d sit down in front of my computer, think up a
killer opening sentence, and just start writing. But after I sold the first
couple of books, I hit an industry wall. Turns out, you can’t sell publishers
and editors on a contract by saying, “Hey, big news! I’m going to write a book
about a man and woman falling in love on the coast of California.” They want a
fairly detailed synopsis of the overall story. So I’ve reached a point where I
at least think through the plot enough to come up with a synopsis gripping
enough to hook an editor into asking for an entire manuscript. Then I sit down and start writing off
the top of my head. J Sometimes the resulting
story veers considerably from that original synopsis, but I now believe having the synopsis fuels my enthusiasm
and gives me the impetus (sometimes sadly lacking!) to sit down and write.
Sounds like you've got a good system in place!
I'm curious. What books did you love as a child?
It would be easier to think of
books I didn’t love! (LOL) Back then, I read everything I could get my hands
on—including the backs of shampoo bottles and Comet containers…and the dictionary.
(LOL) But a few stand out in my mind. Early on, I lost myself in The Bobbsey
Twins and Trixie Belden. Then I became enthralled with Nancy Drew and The Hardy
Boys. Later, it was Emilie Loring and Grace Livingston Hill. I carried the
latter two into adulthood with me. I often see Grace Livingston Hill reflected
in bits and pieces of my writing, so I must have been greatly influenced by
sweet, clean love stories.
I always love finding out the authors that inspire other writers.
When you write, do you need quiet, do you listen to music,
or can you write anywhere no matter what’s going on?
When my four children were
young, I wrote at one end of the kitchen table while they played or watched
television. Their background hoots and hollers and laughter didn’t bother me in
the least, and I always came up out of my writer’s fog if one of their cries
was a distress cry. (Weird how a mother can tell the difference in a mad yell
and an “I need help” cry, isn’t it?) Then the kids were all in school, and I
went to work as a staff writer at a large daily newspaper. It wasn’t exactly quiet there, but it was certainly more
peaceful than a house full of children. I did well with that. But when I
finally went for it—set out to reach a lifelong dream, and started writing
novels—my kids were all adults. It was just hubby and me at home, and I
absorbed the quiet like a sponge. I discovered I couldn’t write with background
music, or the television on in the same room, or a conversation going on
outside my open office door. I really needed complete quiet. Now I can write
with some distractions, but I still prefer not to. I want uninterrupted
silence. Leave me alone while I create fictional people and other worlds…thank
you very much. J
I hear you!
Have you ever based a character on you or another person in
real life?
The closest I’ve come to doing
that was in Jewels
for the Kingdom, the first of the Heart’s Haven books. My heroine in
that book, Pia Peretti, was based loosely on a woman I’d met online and whose
life and story fascinated me. She owns a Christian-based jewelry company, and
often gives away specific pieces to specific people based on a specific nudge of the Holy Spirit. She’d
shared some of those experiences with me, and I’d received one of those “Spirit-filled
gifts” from her myself. I was absolutely enthralled with what she did, and how
it worked for her, so I asked permission to use that premise in a story line. I
seriously wanted to name my heroine Christy, as an honor to my friend, but for
legal reasons, my publisher wouldn’t allow it.
Do you have a favorite character from your stories?
Oh, wow…that’s really hard to
answer. I loved Jack Kelly’s odd role(s) in Goldeneyes—at
least, I did in the book’s Part Two. I loved Pia Peretti, who was a dim
reflection of my cyber-friend, Christy. David Myers—Pia’s love interest and the
minister of the Falls Tabernacle in the Heart’s Haven books, tugged at my heart
with his ministerial wisdom and humor. (Of course, being a handsome hunk with
mismatched eye color made him hard not to love!) It’s really hard to choose a
favorite, but I’ll say this: Gypsy Lovell, from Gypsy’s
Game (Solomon’s Gate series, Book 3) was so much fun to write. She’s
unlike any other female character I’ve written, and it was interesting to
explore that off-the-beaten-track kind of personality.
Some characters are such fun to write!
Now, is there a common underlying theme to your work that you
hope the reader will benefit from?
Well, there are the angels that
keep swooping into my books… (LOL) But overall, I consider my writing a
ministry. I hope readers find something to encourage them when life threatens
to overcome; to give them hope when the world feels hopeless; and to lead them
toward the cross, when that’s the last direction they ever planned to take.
That's wonderful, Delia! Do you have a life motto or favorite scripture?
I have several favorite
scriptures. The two I most often share, because they’re most on my mind are
these:
Psalm 51:10—Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and renew a right spirit within me.
That’s my prayer each morning,
because I’ve come to realize that I need a brand new, clean heart at the start
of every day. And that right spirit thing? Oh, yeah. It definitely needs
renewal on a constant basis.
Philippians 4:8—Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things.
I love this one because it lays
out in clear, impossible-to-misunderstand detail, exactly what should be within
the mind of a Christian. Nothing ugly or impure…just goodness and truth and all
things godly. If my mind strays into areas that don’t fit this roadmap, I know
I’m off course and need to change my direction.
Those are two precious scriptures to live by. Thanks for sharing that.
What are you working on now?
With one book left to write, I’m
taking a short break from the Paradise Pines Series to work on The First Noelle, a Christmas novella
for Pelican Book Group’s annual Christmas Extravaganza. Here’s a blurb. This
one should be available sometime around Christmas this year:
Noelle Joy stopped celebrating Christmas
ten years ago, when Trevor Holden skipped out on their long-planned Christmas
Eve wedding. He destroyed her trust in men, crushed her belief in God, and left
her cynical about love. Gone is the bright, cheery spirit of the girl she
thinks of now as “the first Noelle.” Stronger and savvier, the new Noelle would
never be found waiting at the altar for a groom who didn’t show.
When a famous-but-mysterious architect
commissions her to decorate his mansion for a holiday event, Noelle finally
returns to her hometown. Even as she finds an unexpected peace in facing ghosts
from the past, her fiercely private client disturbs her. Michael Holliday is
kind and considerate, but far too handsome…and hauntingly familiar.
Holliday didn’t choose Noelle to make his
home a Christmas wonderland by accident. She’s the only one who can do the job
he has in mind—and he hopes she’ll never leave. But he’s hiding a secret that
could destroy any chance of a relationship with the beautiful decorator.
A false persona. A shattering secret. Can
love break down these insurmountable walls?
Sounds like a wonderful story.
I'm so thrilled to have shared this time with you!
Thanks Delia!!
Thank you, Nancy!
Here's a short bio for Delia, along with her social and purchase links:
Delia Latham is a born-and-bred California gal, now living in
East Texas with her husband Johnny. She’s a Christian wife, mother,
grandmother, sister, friend, and author of inspirational romance. But above
all, she treasures her role as child of the King and heir to the throne of God.
She’s got a “thing” for Dr. Pepper and absolutely loves hearing from friends and readers.
Follow Delia at any of the following locations:
Once upon a time, in a far and
distant land…well, at least in another time and place…I was the lead singer in
a Country Western band. Even then, I wrote—songs, of course, both gospel and
country. (I was also working as a Staff Writer for the largest daily paper in
Kern County, California, and freelancing numerous articles to a regional magazine,
so I was writing a lot.) Had a grand
time with the band, but it was just a curve in the road of life that brought me
to where I am now.
Delia will give away an electronic copy of Sweet Scent of Forgiveness as a special, "early" gift to the winner who
Then Marcus Corman walks into her nursery looking
for a couple of special rose bushes. For the first time since she met her late
husband, Norah finds herself drawn to a man. Even so, she’s not ready to trust
love again.
