Marian P. Merritt - Lagniappe

Where the Bayous Meet the Mountains

Sunday, May 05, 2013

A Brand New World - Delia Latham



Lagniappe Welcomes...

Guest Blogger

Delia Latham

Check out her latest release, Lexi's Heart (Book 1 in the Heart's Haven Holiday Collection)




Ever wished you could re-create the world?

You know what I mean…. Return it to the way you think God meant it to be. Eliminate the things that bring tears and pain, erase all the crime and hate, and fill every heart with the love of God. Make it a regular Eden. 


Oh, wait…that is the way God created the world!

Mankind has done a top-notch job of messing it up, don’t you think?

That’s probably the reason I love Heart’s Haven—a collection of romance novellas that center around an East Texas cottage-rental complex and the people who live within its gates. It’s a sweet little make-believe world of love and romance, with that touch of the divine that angels bring. Heart’s Haven is owned by landlord Andrew Hart, a crotchety bachelor with a reputation for seeing and speaking with angels. Old Hart won’t confirm or deny it, but it’s a fact that wonderful things…amazing things happen in the eight, charming little rental units on his property.

Angel activity isn’t the only unusual thing about this little community on the border of the Angelina National Forest. Above the gate leading to each and every cottage hangs a wooden sign carved with these words: May love find all who enter here. Sweet, and kind of cute, don’t you think? (Especially considering the fact that a taciturn old guy who apparently never found love put them there!) The thing is, though…love does find all who enter, whether they’re looking for it or not. Which means romance abounds in these humble abodes.

That’s not to say love comes easy. Oh, no, we can’t have that! Heart’s Haven isn’t, after all, a true Eden. Love arrives, but it must conquer a myriad of obstacles to get there—and that’s what makes this collection fun to read. ☺


I’m Delia Latham, and the concept of Heart’s Haven was my brain child. I knew from the first that it needed a broader thought process than one person could manage all by herself. So I prayed about it, and sought out three other authors to help me build the romantic world of Heart’s Haven.

God led me to Tanya Stowe, Marianne Evans, and Mary Manners. When all three agreed to come on board and be my partners in prose, we four became one unique collection of romance stories.

There has definitely been joy in the journey. The four of us worked closely together (via e-mail) to build a fictional world made up of Heart’s Haven as a central location, Angel Falls as the hometown it occupies, a legend of love and a hint of the divine, with the presence of angels felt in some way by every tenant. But as we worked together to develop our little romances and interacted to build Angel Falls and people it with memorable characters, God did something even more wonderful. He formed a bond between four women who had never met one another face to face. He made us sisters and friends.

I believe in my heart of hearts that the success of Heart’s Haven is a God-thing, from the first seed of an idea to the end result. At the moment, that consists of one complete set of four Heart’s Haven books and…drumroll, please!...the kick-off story to a second set—the Heart’s Haven Holidays collection. At least one more collection is already in the making, along with some bonus stories that won’t be part of a set, but may be written by any one of the four authors, or co-written by more than one.
No matter what comes next in my personal writing journey, Heart’s Haven will always be a highlight—a landmark, or milestone that I will remember. It’s where I found three pieces of my heart I didn’t know were missing until God slid them into place. ☺

Here’s a blurb from my contribution to the second series. 

LEXI’S HEART is book one in the Heart’s Haven Holidays collection:


Her heart. His faith. Love Reborn.

Forty-three-year-old Lexi Carlisle’s abusive marriage ended three years ago. Deeply scarred by the experience, and helplessly watching her beloved mother succumb to Alzheimer’s, Lexi is devastated. After selling her fancy home, she rents a cottage in Heart’s Haven, a special place unlike any other. Slowly learning to live again, she despairs of ever delivering the message of love that burns within her heart for her ever-worsening mother. But Mitch Gaynor, a handsome Christian author, reminds Lexi that with God all things are possible, planting within her battered and distrustful heart the seed of hope for a miracle. But can she open her fortressed heart to God? And is Mitch a part of His plans for her future?

Discover the first set of Heart’s Haven tales on our blog, and join us on Facebook for fun launch parties as new books are released. We love interacting with our readers!


Heart’s Haven Collection #1



Jewels for the Kingdom (Delia Latham)


















Operation Breathless (Marianne Evans)



Dance with Me (Mary Manners)


















Who’s Delia?
Born and raised in Weedpatch, California, DELIA LATHAM is a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings. She’s a Dr. Pepperaholic and loves hearing from her readers. Contact her through her website her blog, or her Facebook author page (Delia Latham).


To win an electronic copy of Jewels of the Kingdom, leave a comment with your name and email address!


Delia, thanks for sharing!

Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe.

I pray that you find "a little something extra" in each of your days.

LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS TO WIN AN EBOOK COPY OF JEWELS OF THE KINGDOM!

Marian







18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry I'm late, Miss Marian...I had a senior moment. (Ouch!) I appreciate you letting me talk about my favorite subject here on Lagniappe! :)

Unknown said...

Can't wait to read your newest book! Miss you!
Debby Rippee
guysorme@gmail.com

Tanya Stowe said...

Awww! What a beautiful way to put it, Delia. It's perfectly true. I had 3 pieces of my heart missing and I didn't know it until I met my Heart's Haven friends! It's wonderful to be together and to write such affirming, positive stories. Thanks for listening to God and taking up the challenge.

No need to enter me in the contest. I've read Lexie's Heart and I loved it. Give someone else a chance to read this wonderful Mother's Day gift!

Anonymous said...

Marian, thank you for allowing me to visit here at Lagniappe again - and to talk about my favorite subject, Heart's Haven!

Liz Flaherty said...

Hi, Delia. I haven't visited Heart Haven yet, but I'm coming, I'm coming... :-)

LoRee Peery said...

Delia, how I enjoyed reading about the Heart's Haven journey, and yours as well. It is a heart-warming series where, as you said, love abounds. Blessings, my dear. My next order will include Lexi's Heart.

Donna B said...

Great series! Sounds like a wonderful place to live! Any available cottages right now??? LOL

Raquel Byrnes said...

I love the Hearts Haven series! I wish I could go and see the cottages and guests myself. :) Wonderful stories.

Marianne Evans said...

Delia, sweet Delia. I really and truly and from the depths of my heart don't know what I'd do without you, Mary and Tanya. Y'all are just....well.....THE BEST. Beyond that, words fail. Love you much, and thanks for creating such a wonderful world for us to play in and for including me!

Unknown said...

Delia, you're not late! It's a pleasure to have your guest post on Lagniappe! I love the Heart's Haven concept and enjoy sharing with readers!

Unknown said...

Debby, Tanya, Liz, LoRee, Donna, Raquel, Marianne thanks so much for stopping by. It's a treat for readers to see the connections made during the inception of Heart's Haven!

Sheila Holman said...

What a delightful blog post! As a reader fan, I just have to say that my life has been tremendously blessed through the friendships I've made at Heart's Haven. Connecting with these amazing women authors has opened my world to such added beauty, excitement, imagination, and intrigue. I love that I can trust that each of these authors write God-honoring stories, and I always experience special God-hugs with every book of theirs I read. I love the Heart's Haven collection, and am looking so forward to all the books yet to be added. Thank you Marian for hosting Delia. She is truly a dear...I am so blessed to have her in my world!

Sheila Holman said...

What a delightful blog post! As a reader fan, I just have to say that my life has been tremendously blessed through the friendships I've made at Heart's Haven. Connecting with these amazing women authors has opened my world to such added beauty, excitement, imagination, and intrigue. I love that I can trust that each of these authors write God-honoring stories. I always experience special God-hugs with every book of theirs I read. I love the Heart's Haven collection, and am looking so forward to all the books yet to be added. Thank you Marian for hosting Delia. She is truly a dear...I am so blessed to have her in my world!

Jody said...

Really enjoyed this post. Love to hear about a labor of love. Can't wait to go to Heart's Haven��

Anonymous said...

Sorry, all! I stepped out to have a little procedure done at the doctor's office, and slept the entire afternoon and half the evening away. But what a joy to come back to Lagniappe and find all of you here, and saying such sweet things. Love you all, and I'm thrilled that you love Heart's Haven too.
Donna and Raquel, I can check with the "powers that be" at Heart's Haven. Could be there's a cottage available - and what a great place to hide away and get some writing done! :D

Anonymous said...

An extra little note for Sheila Holman: Your post blessed me clear through! You shine...and you always brighten my day. I'm so glad God allowed our lives to touch. :)

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great series. Just the name caught my attention.

Anonymous said...

Jody, Heart's Haven is ready and awaiting your arrival! :)