Delia Latham's Blog, page 14

October Clash of the Titles. Vote Now!

Autumn leaves are falling from the
trees, and we've raked in some great books 
for this month's Clash of the Titles!

Vote for your Fave!
Scroll through these releases and cast your vote for your fave.It's a tough choice, but it's up to you to determine our Clash
Champion!



Love's Faithful Promise  by
Susan Anne Mason

Widower Dr. Matthew Clayborne is devoted to two things: his work with
wounded soldiers and his four-year-old daughter, Phoebe. When Deirdre
O’Leary, a feisty New Yorker, arrives requesting he use his skills to
help her stricken mother, he has no idea how his life is about to
change.

~~~~~~



Feta and Freeways by Susan M.
Baganz

Nikolos Action is the lead singer of the band and doesn't
realize love is right in front of him until their manager, Tia, is
almost killed trying to save his life. After years of ignoring her is it
too late to earn her trust...and her love?~~~~~~ 



Dangerous Alternative by Kelli
Hughett

Hollywood grip, Levi Boulter unknowingly puts himself in
the crosshairs of a murder plot. Now, he'll do anything to keep the
woman he loves safe, even if it means losing her forever.~~~~~~ 


Inconceived by Sharyn Kopf

Realizing you’re a spinster is one thing; understanding what that means
and how to handle it is another. And, it would seem, Jolene, Uli and
Catie still have a ways to go before they truly comprehend what God is
trying to show them not only in their desire to marry but in their
longing to have children of their own.


~~~~~~ 



Child of Dust by Shoba Sadler


After the sudden death of her parents, Vietnamese
socialite Cao Kim Lye steps out of a world of crystal and chandelier to
enter the dust and chaos of working-class Hanoi when she goes to live
with her Amerasian chauffeur and his adoptive family at a shop cum
living quarters.



VOTE BELOW!
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October 2016 Clash Survey

Good things from Vinspire Publishing

Friendship Shindig Gift Basket WINNER

Thank you to all the authors who shared such beautiful posts
on friends and friendship during September!
And CONGRATULATIONS to 
RENETTE STEELE,
who won the fantastic gift basket!

The South, Football, and Life

Congratulations to Janet W. Ferguson and the novel Tackling the Fields for taking home this month's Clash crown! We're pleased to feature this guest post, which gives us a little insight into Janet's book and football...yes, football!

In the South, most of us love football. It’s something we talk about, cheer for, and spend time watching with friends, whether in person or as a group viewing it on TV. The adrenaline seems to flow as the leaves begin to turn from deep greens to those fall yellows and oranges, a chill touches the air, and those pads and helmets are put on.
My husband played high school football. He was a center. I’ve always watched the sport at whatever school I attended, and of course, in Mississippi, a lot of us follow the SEC games. I never thought a whole lot about why we enjoy watching so much or about the injuries the players battle with—until my son played the sport.
His junior year, he tore his ACL and his shoulder labrum participating in this sport he loved. And he was not able to make a comeback. I saw the game through different eyes as he struggled with the loss. He missed the comradery, the goal, the discipline, the friendship. Everything about being a part of a team.
While he was going through three of four surgeries that he ended up having, I began writing Tackling the Fields. It combines this love for a game with the loss of a dream for one character and the loss of innocence for another. It was a challenging, almost painful, book to write. But in the end, God heals our wounds and helps each of us recover from our broken places.
He’s there to free each of us from the heartaches that try to take us captive.
About the book:
Cole Sanders is a changed man. The university quarterback questions his direction in life after serving on a mission
trip in Honduras. Things that used to fill Cole’s ego seem empty after witnessing the developing country’s extreme poverty and the death of a precious child. The one glimmer of hope through his confusion is the fresh perspective he now has about his tutor, Audrey. She possesses something beautiful inside and out—something that might help him become the person he wants to be.

University senior Audrey Vaughn tutored Cole Sanders for an entire year and never imagined the popular quarterback would see her as anything more than a friend. After partnering with him on the mission trip, they are drawn together. And he appears to have changed for the better. To let Cole into her life, Audrey will have to overcome not only her brother’s distrust, but also the paralyzing fear still lingering from a past she’s tried to leave behind.

Cole can’t walk away from Audrey now that they’re back in Oxford. He’ll have to figure out how to keep her giant of a brother, a lineman on his football team, from killing him when the coach has his back turned. But can Audrey trust her heart to a player so similar to the one who stole so much from her in the past?  
PURCHASE ON  Amazon

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Friendship Month: My Mother, My Friend

by Stephanie Smith
As we celebrate National Friendship month, I searched the Bible for scripture related to friendship. I came across a few, but this one stood out among the rest: "Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?" (Proverbs 20:6 NLT)
Growing up, I was always close to my mom, but I didn't think of her as a friend—let alone my best friend—until I was a mom myself and could appreciate her steadfast loyalty and unwavering reliability.
As a kid, I wanted to spend all my spare time with my best friends, having sleepovers and sharing secrets. Our dreams were grand, and life seemed full of possibilities. BFF's 4-ever was our motto and in my youth I never questioned that loyalty. But, as we got older, sleepovers were fewer and further between, replaced by boys or homework. Before long we were out of school, getting married and having babies. The same people I'd promised to be BFF's 4-ever became virtual strangers.
When I was 22, on the road to divorce with a two year old to care for, who do you think I turned to for help? Not my friends, but my mom. Being single herself, she offered to help me raise my daughter until "one of us remarries." Can't get much more loyal or reliable than that! My mom became my anchor and best friend. She allowed me to give my daughter a better life; much better than had I been forced to raise her as a truly single parent.
23 years later, my daughter is grown and on her own. As it happens, my mom and I have never remarried so our pact of living together is still firmly in place. I can't imagine our lives any other way, but if God blesses us with finding love, I pray that no matter what we will never be too far apart. Looking back, I realize she's the one person who's been there all along, patiently waiting for me to see she was and always will be the most reliable friend I'll ever have. I'm proud to call her my best friend. She is a gift from God and I love her with all my heart.



Stephanie Smith lives in the Pacific Northwest and enjoys listening to Christian rock music while she writes, spending time with her family, watching British television, or reading YA fantasy novels. After September is her first novel. Read more about Stephanie.





Leave a comment on every Chirp 'N Chatter Friendship post in September for a chance to win the fantastic virtual gift basket! (See the 09/01/2016 Gift Basket post.)

Writing Tips: Tuning in to Local Dialect (Gail Kittleson)

(A writing tips post)
Gail Kittleson
Lost in the gorgeous musical score of Saving Private Ryan, I sailed into our little town after attending our country church. I stopped for appropriate stop signs, looked both ways, and continued into our alley and then the garage. Getting out of the car, I glanced up to see our local police deputy had pulled in behind me and stood with arms akimbo. I hadn’t noticed anyone following me at all.I took a few steps his way. “What did I do?”“You never slowed down.”“Never...but I stopped at the stop signs.”“I’ve had my lights on from the highway, and you never slowed down. That one family has little kids, so I think they’d appreciate it if you took it a little slower next time.”“Um...OK.”He’s a friendly man, and kind. His daughter plays with my granddaughter, and we often see him at softball games.As the week passed, I pondered his words: You never slowed down. About midweek, it dawned on me what he had meant.I’m pretty sure he meant, “You didn’t slow down at the 45 mph sign just north of town.”That had to be it because, obviously I did slow down several times as I passed through the intersections leading to our home.Here’s the catch. For him, never means didn’t.It’s not an obscure meaning, and most people around here understand both. But in this situation, his rendition of never became confusing. And that’s the way dialect often works. One person calls the breading mix you eat with turkey dressing. Another calls it stuffing. And the list goes on.It behooves us to delve into the particular nuances of the area about which we’re writing. When my World War II scenes take place in rural Iowa where I spent my childhood, this conundrum can emerge.For example, I know what farmers mean when they say, “separate hogs.”But that phrase brought a question from my editor at one point. I explained that most folks in northern Iowa farm country know that separating hogs means to weed out the smaller ones from the larger, usually for the purpose of vaccinating or preparing for market.But my editor had never heard of this process. It’s one of those phrases I needed to consider a bit closer, since some of my readers might not recognize the wording, either. In the end, we left it in, partly because the story takes place during World War II, so the reader expects dialect to have changed since then.I’m glad for this morning’s reminder about dialect. I’m even happier that it came without an expensive driving ticket.
Pearl Harbor attacked! The United States is at war. But Addie fights her own battles on the Iowa home front. Her controlling husband Harold vents his rage on her when his father's stroke prevents him from joining the military. He degrades Addie, ridicules her productive victory garden, and even labels her childlessness as God's punishment. When he manipulates his way into a military unit bound for Normandy, Addie learns that her best friend Kate's pilot husband has died on a mission, leaving her stranded in London in desperate straits. Will Addie be able to help Kate, and find courage to trust God with her future?
Late blooming women's fiction author Gail Kittleson writes mostly WWII stories of overcoming fear and finding one's voice. She and her husband enjoy family in northern Iowa and the Arizona Ponderosa pine forest in winter. Gail taught college expository writing and facilitates memoir writing and fiction workshops.

Friendship Month: The Gift of Friendship

by Dorothy Johnson
A sweet friendship refreshes the soul. Proverbs 27:9 I’ve been counting my blessings this week—specifically, close friendships.On Monday, I discovered that one of my writing buddies had talked about our friendship on her blog and directed her readers to my site with the suggestion that they follow me! She was already very special to me, but this endeared her even more. …there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 As the week progressed, I spent time with friends I grew up with. We share so much history that they know the good, the bad, and the ugly about me and still love and accept me just as I am.I talk with my sister-friend numerous times every week. Neither of us has a sibling, but we’ve shared so many secrets that we’re closer than sisters. It doesn’t mean we always agree, but we love each other and respect our differences. Not long ago when I asked if I had made her angry, she said, “I never get mad at you.” (I bet I try her patience though.)A true friend is the gift of God, and he only
who made hearts can unite them. —Robert South Wednesday at Bible study, I sat beside a woman I’ve come to cherish. Although I haven’t known her as long as those childhood friends, we have a heart connection that transcends time. Over the past ten years, we’ve shared our faith and prayed together more times than I can count. She helped me through a difficult period, and hopefully, I’ve comforted her, too. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Eph. 4:32 Another Christian friend and I spent most of an afternoon this week working through a misunderstanding. We knew we could set things right when we made the time to talk honestly about it. Our bond was strengthened in the process.A friend is what the heart needs all the time. —Henry Van DykeOne of the things each of these relationships has in common is that while we’ve laughed together and celebrated one another’s victories, we’ve also cried together during difficult times. Nearly always, at some point, we joined in prayer over those tears.I thank God for the sunshine these folks and a few others bring to my life. I’d love to hear about your treasured friendships, too.
Dorothy Johnson and her husband, Terry, live on a ridge overlooking the Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas. A lover of God, she blogs about life and faith at http://www.reflectionsfromdorothy.com.Dorothy took up fiction writing after attending a writers’ retreat in 2011. She just finished her first novel and recently joined American Christian Fiction Writers. Leave a comment on every Chirp 'N Chatter Friendship post in September for a chance to win the fantastic virtual gift basket! (See the 09/01/2016 Gift Basket post.)

Friendship Month: What is a True Friend?

by Pamela S. Thibodeaux
Do you have a friend for whom you’d lay down your life?
We all know Jesus is such a friend and He did just that, but what about one in human form? How about one you’ve known for life?
I am blessed to have a few long-time (I’m talking since childhood) friends, some special friends I’ve known for shorter periods of time and even more blessed to have numerous acquaintances that I call ‘friend.”
Like you, Delia! :-) 
There are work relationships, writer friends, Internet friends, etc. But what is a true friend?
My mother and her best friend of 56 years passed away exactly 2 weeks apart. Made us all wonder if their souls had planned it that way. Is it possible they’d been friends before….in heaven or, if you believe in reincarnation, perhaps in another lifetime? Is it probable that, in unspoken agreement, neither cared to navigate life on earth without the other?
I don’t know for sure about any of these possibilities, but it is strange they met while working at the same place, made a connection that lasted a lifetime and left the worldly plane so closely together.
Proverbs 18:24 teaches us … “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”
That’s exactly the kind of friendship Craig Harris and Scott Hensley share. Fate had them neighbors, scandal had them brothers, but the two share a friendship many of us long for. Follow these beloved characters throughout the years as love crosses the lines of age and strengthens the bonds of friendship.



Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”




Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Amazon Author Page * BookBub

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Leave a comment on every Chirp 'N Chatter Friendship post in September for a chance to win the fantastic virtual gift basket! (See the 09/01/2016 Gift Basket post.)

Friendship Month: What a Friend We Have in Jesus

by Tanya Hanson
When I was a little girl attending Lutheran school, the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus was one of our standard sing-alongs in the classroom and at chapel. Sorry, but I thought the tune was a snore even at six years old. Let me have the rousing Onward Christian Soldiers any way! Even the doleful Go to Dark Gethsemane revved me up more.

But eight elementary-school years drilled the beautiful words into my mind. What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear, and what a privilege, yes, a privilege—to carry everything to Him in prayer.

I picked up on the warning of the peace we forfeit when we don’t bring Him everything in
prayer. And I got a lot of the hymn right. When I was discouraged, when I had trials and temptations, I prayed. I pleaded. Of course I prayed my eyes out during high school and
college and the start of real life. In adulthood, I prayed about big stuff, like my dad’s fatal car accident, and losing my “twin brother” Mike to cancer. I prayed about the little stuff, like a nasty headmaster or picky editor, or a rejection for a manuscript that had been pitched and requested. I got through it all.

But I wasn’t doing the rest of it. The unspoken “everything.” I didn’t thank Him enough, and worse, I didn’t simply praise Him.

Then cancer hit my household. My husband Tim.

Worse, the nightmare, the upheaval, the battle, started just one month after we lost Mike to a sudden, irrevocable cancer. Tim had grown up with Mike, and they met me in high school. Mike and I shared the same birthday and we celebrated 35 of them together. Everybody knows about my “twin brother” being dearer to me than any blood kin. Best man at my wedding. Pallbearer for my father. My son’s godfather. Ski trips at Tahoe, camping in the Sierras, my daughter’s birth, confirmations and graduations… Yes, every hill and valley of life, Mike had been at my side.

Until I needed him most. Until my husband faced surgery, chemotherapy, and complications, complications, and complications some more.

I felt angry. Alone. But I wasn’t. When I scrambled out of the initial darkness, I remembered another best friend. Jesus.

And I remembered the “everything.” On my knees, I promised my Lord and Savior I’d bring Him everything. My heart, my terror for my husband, my plea for a cure. My tears over losing Mike.

As well as the everything else. Each morning during those dreadful months of chemo and recovery, I stepped outside on the patio and prayed. But the first thing was thanksgiving, for my kids and grandkids, for the wise oncologist who gave me his home phone number in case I needed to talk, any time day or night. For neighbors who brought me food, for kind strangers on a cancer loop who got me through dark nights. Then of course, I begged for my husband’s health and life.

Those were the needful things, the expected things. The next thing I did, and sometimes I had to force it out, was simply to praise God.

It worked.

These days, my husband is cancer-cured, and we enjoy the blessings of our life to the fullest. Our three grandchildren including a newborn baby girl fulfill every dream we’ve ever had. Mike’s daughters will always be my beloved nieces. His wife, whom I call my sister-in-law, is coming this very weekend for some girl time even though she lives hours away. My wonderful friend and brother didn’t leave me alone, after all.

Nor did my Lord Jesus.

I still “get” the hymn. I pray, I try. I admit the “help me” and “thank you” prayers often take precedence over the downright praise, but I try. I truly do.

And my Best Friend knows.




California beach girl and country gramma Tanya Hanson lives on the Central Coast with her firefighter-husband. Close enough to their three grandchildren for a lot of spoiling, she also enjoys traveling with her personal hero and volunteering at the local horse rescue. She is multi-published in many genres, but inspirational romance always reminds her of God's great gifts of love and faith.



Contact:

Website   Petticoats & Pistols (Group Blog)


Leave a comment on every Chirp 'N Chatter Friendship post in September for a chance to win the fantastic virtual gift basket! (See the 09/01/2016 Gift Basket post.)

Blog Tour: Barbara M. Britton with Providence: Hannah's Journey

Leave a comment for a chance to win an e-copy of Providence!

Today we welcome debut author Barbara M. Britton. Barbara, welcome!

Thank you for hosting me on your blog today. I am happy to share my writing journey with you and the story behind “Providence: Hannah’s Journey.”

Are your characters based on real people?

In my Biblical fiction, my characters are based on people who appear in the Bible briefly, but we don’t know their full story. I also write about stories in the Bible that aren’t well known, and I pop some characters into the conflict. My other novels are based on real life situations that I have learned about, or experienced. I always enjoy hearing stories and wondering ‘what if’?

When did you decide to become an author?

This is tricky. I don’t know if I ever thought about being an author until I prayed for creativity. I had been teaching chapel to elementary students and was suffering from a bit of burnout at the end of the school year. I knew I had to craft new curriculum for the next school year, so I prayed, “Lord, hit me with some creativity.” I wrote my curriculum and then had a prompting to keep writing. So, I sat down with a pad of paper and a pen, and started a story. I knew nothing about the publishing business, or how to write a novel. My overnight success took nine years. I had a lot of learning to do.  Providence was my fourth book, but the first one to be published.

Do you have trouble saying goodbye to characters?

No. By the time I finish one book, I have new characters popping up in my head and talking to me about their story. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but as a writer, I wonder what I would do if I finished a story and no new characters showed up. I am happy to have another adventure to write.

What is your favorite book you’ve written and why?

This is a tough question because I love all the characters in my books. If I had to choose a favorite, I would say it is the second book I wrote. It’s a “Me Before You” story without euthanasia. All my books have to have a happily ever after. My second book also has been the toughest to edit. I have rewritten it about three times because when I was a newbie writer, I made newbie writer mistakes. Providence is at the top of my favorites because it was my first Biblical Romantic Adventure and my first book to be published. Yay, Hannah!

How did you come up with the title?

Hannah goes through several conflicts before she has her happy ending. The theme of her life, and the book, is God is in control even in the chaos of life. God has a plan for Hannah’s life and His providence brings it to completion. Usually, a publisher will change a title. I am fortunate that both my Tribes of Israel titles have held. I hope my next one holds as it is one of my favorites.

What did you edit out of this book?

I had to tone down some scenes in this book (she says blushing). My antagonist, Konath, was a meanie. I had to curtail his meanness a bit. I thought I would have to edit my second book in the series for sensuality, but I sailed through.

When you wrote this book, did you have an idea of how it would end at the beginning?

Absolutely not. I knew it would have a satisfying ending and Hannah and Gil would be together, but my last chapters were a blur. Many of my final scenes come to me when I’m cruising toward the end of the story. Trying to pull all the themes together is a tough task, and I guess the story needs to percolate while I write. I’ve heard at writing conferences that the ending of your first book will sell your second. Get it right, and readers want to read more of your stories. Get it wrong, and a reader will find another author to read. Endings have to rock and give the reader a satisfying conclusion to the story. I strive to do just that.

Want to learn more?

My website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

My real name is Barbara M. Britton. The journeys will continue in February with “Building Benjamin: Naomi’s Journey.”






Thanks to Barbara for stopping by today. Be sure to pick up her debut Biblical fiction, Providence: Hannah's Journey .


Visit all the stops along the tour