Delia Latham lives in Bakersfield, California with her husband, Johnny. She is mother to four adult children and “Nanny” to four grandchildren, whom she defines as “the cutest little scalawags on the topside of the earth.”

A former newspaper Staff Writer, Delia is a frequent contributor to her hometown’s regional publication, Bakersfield Magazine. She also writes greeting card verse, short stories, articles, and songs. Her editing and proofing skills have been utilized by numerous authors, including Dr. Chuck Wall, founder of the Random Acts of Kindness movement.

Tell us a little about your family and your call to write.

I’ve been married to my husband Johnny for 34 years. We have four adult children, and four grandkids who are absolutely the cutest little scalawags on the topside of the earth – no, really, they are!  We all live in Bakersfield, California, where I was born. All of my siblings live here, as well. It’s just a down home in the desert kind of place to be, I guess.

My call to write? Well, let’s see. I’ve loved words ever since I learned what they were. I discovered I could write in third grade, when I won an essay contest. After that, I wrote all the time … poems, songs, little stories, whatever.  I figure, hey – God gave me a passion for writing and the ability to do it well. He must mean for me to use it for His glory. Don’tcha think?

How did you get your first “writing break?”

I signed my first book contract before really finding out what the publisher was all about. Turns out, it was pretty much a POD thing. After the initial devastation, I decided to make lemonade, and started asking the advice of other authors. They were wonderful! I got so much encouragement and help from writers I didn’t even know, and I learned so much about book marketing. It was an invaluable lesson! That POD publisher provided me with beautiful cover art and made the book available on Amazon.com – two positives. I ran with it and managed to create a decent web presence for myself and my book. In the process, I came into contact with a representative of Vintage Romance Publishing, and they ultimately contracted my second novel, Goldeneyes.

What do you write and why this genre?

I write inspirational romance with an occasional dash of what most folks would term “paranormal.” I prefer to call these otherworldly events “miracles.” No matter what you choose to call them, in my books they’re Heaven-sent and God-given.

Why romance? I guess I’m just a romantic at heart. I truly believe God has a special someone for each and every one of us … the trick is to be patient enough to wait Him out. If we can do that … yes, I do still believe in happy endings!

Why inspirational? It’s a way to witness to others. When I’m writing, I’m outspoken and oh-so-admirably bold. But in a one-on-one, face-to-face situation, I’m really a pretty shy person. So writing gives me the opportunity to share my faith with others in a way I could never do otherwise.

Do you have any recent contracts and up coming releases?

Goldeneyes releases March 30 – as I mentioned earlier, through Vintage Romance Publishing. I have a couple of other books floating around out there looking for a home, and a couple still in the works. (leave a  comment to win a copy!)

What do you hope to accomplish through your novels?

A sense of accomplishment. A heritage for my children, something they can hold in their hands when I’m gone and say, “My mother wrote this. It’s a part of her.” And, again, I hope God can use me as an instrument to touch the hearts of others. Whether it’s to provide encouragement, or a nudge in the direction of salvation, I’ll write the words if He’ll give them to me.

And now for the tough questions…

How do you balance being a mom, wife, and writer?

It definitely is a balancing act. Writing, probably more than any other profession, can take over your life if you allow it to happen. Early on, I realized I had to create some rigid boundaries. Women who work at jobs outside their homes work certain days and hours, and their families understand that they can’t be interrupted there, except in emergency situations. Ideally, when that working woman departs her workplace, she’ll leave the job behind and put on her other hats – those of a mom and a wife.

As a writing mom, I eventually learned to put all of that into practice even though I work from my home.

Did you write when your children were at home? Why or why not?

Yes, I did. I’ve always written. It’s not something I could just stop doing because there were children in the house.

If you did write when your children were at home:

When did you find the time to write, and did you ever feel like you were neglecting your children when you write?

I think every working mother sometimes feels guilty for not being with her children more. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be two places at the same time? Supermom – the perfect, stay-at-home mother who still brings in that necessary second income. Yeah, right.

I wrote when my children were at school, and when they were sleeping. I cooked up a lot of (mental) plots while simultaneously cooking dinner or doing laundry. If they were good plots, I remembered them later, with pen in hand. You’d be surprised at the notes you can jot down in the dentist’s waiting room … on a park bench during the kids’ playtime … in line at the DMV … you get the picture.

Do you think it’s possible to give yourself fully to raising children, writing, and keeping in shape? If not, which one for you has to take a back seat?

Oh, keeping in shape lost out first and very early on! Of the other two, my family will always be most important. No job could be more important to me.

That said, I believe there’s always room for both family and writing, depending on how badly one wants to write.

Is it any easier writing now that your children are grown?

Of course it is. But those years of writing with children on my knees taught me things I could never have learned anywhere else. Time management, self-discipline, scheduling, organization, delegation … and a profound appreciation for the time I get to spend with my kids and grandkids.

Is parenting your grown children easier than raising them while they were young?

Yes and no. I can’t make them do things my way any more. That kind of rankles - we mothers do become accustomed to having things pretty much our way when the kids are little. Now they’re such …adults! LOL  But, at the same time, I gotta say it’s an incredible feeling knowing that now I’m their friend. The discipline thing is out of the way – I’ve taught them pretty much all I’m going to, nursed them through their childhood illnesses, comforted them through their teen heartbreaks – and now I can just enjoy the wonderful people they’ve become, and be glad they still like me!

What would you say to moms who can’t wait until their children are older so they can write more?

Don’t wish the good times away. They’re only little once, and you don’t get a chance to do it over, so do it right the first time. Children love you back … books don’t.

What interruptions in your writing didn’t you expect once your children were older and out of the home?

I’m convinced telephones are an instrument straight from Satan’s own storehouse of deadly devices. J And of course the Internet – gotta have it, but it’s such a distraction. It’s too easy to go online for twenty minutes of research and resurface a couple of hours later. Then there are the wonderful friends and family who worry about your solitary lifestyle, and make it their personal mission to save you. Shall I continue?

How do you handle these interruptions in your writing life?

I’ve learned to allow the phone to go unanswered during my writing time. I have caller ID, so if it’s my editor, I’ll know, and I’ll pick up. Otherwise, I have an answering machine, and if it’s important enough, they’ll leave a message. If I go on the Internet to do research, I set a firm time limit and stick to it. And my friends and family all know that when I’m writing they’re not going to talk me into leaving the house for lunch, or shopping, or a walk in the park. It took a lot of years – and getting a book in print – to be taken seriously as a writer, but I think we’re finally getting there.

How do you get back into the flow of writing after you’ve been interrupted?

If I’m really in the flow, it isn’t hard for me to get back into it.  What’s hard is being interrupted when I’m already having a difficult time. On those days, it’s hard enough to get back into the room, much less the flow! J I have to close my door, sit down at my desk, close my eyes, and just take a moment to breathe deeply and focus on the story. Breathing a little prayer for inspiration isn’t beyond me, either. Then I just dive in. Sometimes the only way to start writing is to start writing.

Has there ever been a time God told you to set aside your writing to focus on other areas of your life? If so, how did you handle that?

Not really. There have been times when I have chosen to briefly set aside writing for one reason or another, but never because I thought God was directing me that way.

Did you ever feel like you’ve “missed” God in regards to writing, that maybe you should be doing something else?

No. God’s gift and calling are without repentance, and I recognize my writing as a gift from God. He may at some point lead me to use that gift in another area, but He will always expect me to use it.

What advice would you give to writing moms who have their hearts set on publication?

Keep writing. Find yourself a corner to write in (preferably with a door you can shut). Enter that corner and close that door at the same time every day, and write something. Write anything … just write. Soon, it will be a part of you, and so familiar to your family that they won’t even realize you’ve created a boundary and it’s working. 

The one story that will definitely never get published is the one you don’t write

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Being a writer, like being happy, is a choice. It’s not always easy. Sometimes it won’t even seem possible, but it is – if you really want it. It’s important to be honest with yourself about that. How badly do you want to write? Because it will cost you – time and effort and a lot of absences from family functions.

But if you really want it, if you’re willing to make those sacrifices, it will also repay you in more ways than I have time to write about.

My thanks to Gina and all of her readers! This has been an enjoyable break. But now I gotta get back to my corner and shut the door. 

Thank you, Delia and for more information on this writing mom and author visit:

www.delialatham.com

www.themelodywithin.blogspot.com

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