Upcoming Goldeneyes Contest Series

Stay tuned for an upcoming contest series - one truly great giveaway package per month, June through September - to be announced on my website on June 1. If you haven’t read Goldeneyes, now’s the time to do it! Knowing the characters and events in the storyline will greatly increase your chances of being entered into each month’s drawing.

Baby Talk

I get a kick out of listening to my grandbabies talk.

At 2 and 3, the two youngest are still in the baby stages of their vocabulary. Sometimes they make up their own words. Or, they might make a stab at saying the proper word, but it just doesn't come out quite right. If you've spent any time at all around toddlers, you know exactly what I mean.

Logan loves to watch "Super-Doo." Now, only those of us who know him and his likes and dislikes are aware that "Super-doo" and "Scooby-Doo" are one and the same. He's so into super heroes right now, with Spiderman and Superman being right up there at the top of the good list. But he also enjoys the silly antics of Scooby-Doo, loveable animated pooch that he is. Somehow, to Logan's 3-year-old way of thinking, Scooby has become something of a superhero too, I suppose.

Aidan's the two-year-old, and is capable of becoming quite frustrated when he can't make us understand what he wants - especially if he's already "told" us more than once, and we're just not getting it. But the truth is, most of the time we do get it. We know him. His baby talk has become familiar, and we know what each funny pronunciation is supposed to mean.

"Abbit meok" means he wants milk with Nestle's strawberry flavoring. There's a rabbit on the front of the Nestle's box, so this particular much-favored treat is "rabbit milk" - just hold the "R," thank you very much, and nevermind the fact you can't get milk from a rabbit. Candy is "it-ty." Pooh Bear is Pooh - imagine that! You see, sometimes he gets it right.

Sometimes when he says things wrong, it's just so cute. So we make him say it again and again, just to keep him talking.

Those times when we think God's just not hearing our prayers, do you think perhaps He's just getting us to say it again...just so we'll talk to Him? Because the truth is, sometimes we only do that (really talk to our Father...) when we want something.

And I wonder if there are times when we just don't speak the language the way God knows we're capable of, so we have to ask until we get it right. Maybe that's one of the ways He teaches us God-speak...things like praise and worship. It could be that He wants us to stop kicking and screaming and yelling and just say, "please." Or maybe He's holding the answer out to us, just waiting to hear "thank you."

One thing I do know. He listens, He hears, and He understands...even when we behave like spiritual toddlers. He's a perfect heavenly DaDa!

Clipart courtesy of ChristArt .

Delia Latham

Spotlight and Contest

I'm honored to be the spotlight author on Amber Miller's website this week (April 11-18). Come on over and check it out - and while you're there, be sure to leave a comment so you'll be entered in Amber's drawing for a FREE AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF GOLDENEYES.

Now...since you'll be out and about on the web anyway, why not stop in at my online newsletter? Find out how to get your name in the April Bookshelf drawing for a Goldeneyes T-shirt.

I'll leave the light on for you... :)

Delia Latham

CONTEST!

Hop on over to Tracy Ruckman's blog, Pix-N-Pens to take part in a fun, creative contest! You'll have a chance to win either a copy of my new release, Goldeneyes, or a Goldeneyes T-shirt - and your creative entry will be posted on Tracy's blog. Here's your chance to share a testimony.

See ya there!

Delia Latham

He is Risen...Indeed!

Luke 24:34—…the Lord is risen indeed!

My grandchildren had a grand time hunting Easter eggs in the back yard this morning. They got together a day early—the four cousins—so they could celebrate with the “other side” of their families tomorrow, on Easter Sunday.

It was, as always, a joy to watch them. They pushed aside bushes, peeked under outside furniture, peered into every hole in the ground, and even climbed up on top of every available object so they could see hiding places that were otherwise out of their line of sight.

As much as I enjoyed their wide eyes and excited chatter, it’s so much more important to me that they know what Easter is really about.

It’s nice that the kids can enjoy their little Easter bunny stories and colored eggs. Getting family together is always a good thing. But I fear that we, as adults, don’t do our part in properly teaching the little ones the importance and significance of this celebration of Jesus’ resurrection—and thereby, our salvation.

The story of the crucifixion is amazing…touching…heart-rending. It’s a vivid picture of ultimate love. That sacrificial bloodshed marked the beginning of hope for mankind.

But we must never forget that it was only the beginning!

Had Christ remained in that tomb, all that went before would have been without purpose. Had He not rolled that stone away and come forth as promised, all of the blood…the pain…the suffering… would have been forgotten as just another day in history.

But He did come forth! “He is risen indeed!” That means He rose… without a doubt. He conquered death…undeniably. He tossed away the shroud, rolled back the stone and walked away…in actual fact.He is risen…and we are saved!

Let’s tell our children that story. Let’s make sure they know that Jesus loves them enough not only to die, but to rise again.

Happy Easter, my friends! Rejoice and be glad in knowing that our Lord is risen…indeed.

Don't Make Me Come Down There!

I just received word that a devotional I posted on FaithWriters was picked up by an Arizona e-zine called EV Living (the EV stands for East Valley). No pay, but hopefully some good exposure, especially since they mentioned the March 30 release of Goldeneyes. (OK, so it doesn't take much to make me happy!) :D

Fair warning: Some of the punctuation somehow got dropped during their copy and paste. Just want you all to know it wasn't me who made those awful errors. (Isn't it sad to be so touchy about such things?)

Here's the link.

http://www.evliving.com/religion.php?action=fullnews&id=9288

Delia Latham

In search of inspiration

In my never-ending search for inspiration, I have turned to several Yahoo groups. For those of you who are familiar with my writing, I absolutely love Native American culture. Researching native cultures, whether through the Internet or books, is such a joy for me. Since beginning my second novel, I felt compelled to take my research a step further by getting in contact with the very people I love to include in my manuscripts. Hence, I turned to Yahoo and found myself joining not one, but three groups moderated by the same person. Fondly referred to as "talking circles", these groups have provided a constant source of inspiration. Not only do I gain fodder for my writing, but I have made some wonderful friends and gained new insight into the First Nations people as well. My heart has harbored an intense passion for these awesome people, their culture, and history for as long as I can remember. I know this passion was put there by God and I see Him directing my life to new and exciting adventures. Do you have a passion for something? Do you find yourself habitually writing the same basic theme into your books? Do what I did: Sign onto Yahoo and do a search. You might be pleasantly surprised by whom you might meet.

~*~ Linda Strawn ~*~