Delia Latham – Real Life & Fictional Romance – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Contemporary romance author, Delia Latham shares how she met her husband and how her hero and heroine meet. Every time you comment, you name goes in the drawing for your choice of her 3 e-books in the Solomon’s Gate series, Destiny’s Dream, Kylie’s Kiss, or Gypsy’s Game. Deadline: March 17th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Delia:

The Stuff of Heroes
Writers of romantic fiction often give their characters all the amazing attributes they wish they had themselves (i.e., beauty, brains, riches and romance); send them on the exciting adventures they imagine themselves enjoying; and create lives for them that are more exciting, more fun, and far more romantic than their own realities. 
And that’s okay, because fiction is, after all, a place where readers escape their own humdrum, every day existence for worlds that are more exciting, more adventurous, more fun, and more romantic. The same kind of fantasy world the author was seeking when she wrote the book. So both writer and reader are happy.
Perfect!
My real life hero and I celebrated our 38^th wedding anniversary in February. Nearly four decades, four children and four grandchildren later, I can say this for sure: It’s been quite a journey! J Life is not a fairy tale. We’ve had ups and downs, highs and lows, good times and bad ones. But through it all, with the help of God and the stubborn insistence of love, we’ve hung in there and made it work…together.
That’s what love is. Sticking it out when the situation seems “un-stickable.” Making it work when things appear “un-workable.” Continuing to love even when your real-life “hero” or “heroine” suddenly seems completely unlovable.
So what was happening in my life when I met my husband?
Well, I was eleven years old. Johnny was approaching 16, and dating a girl he was crazy about at the time. I first saw him in a little church with a congregation of no more than 30-40 people (and that’s probably a generous estimate). My hair was pulled back in a ponytail so tight it slanted my eyes, and I still had the sprinkling of freckles on my nose that I so detested.
I took one look at the tall, skinny, wavy-haired guy with eyes the color of the sky on a sunny day…and I was a goner. I filled an endless number of notebooks with his name, written in a hundred fancifully created versions of my still-developing handwriting. Many of those pages also included my own first name and his last…and every time I played house with my friends from that day forward, my name was Mrs. Johnny Latham.
Needless to say, a few years passed before he noticed me, and my heart was broken a number of times, watching him date other, older girls. But oh, the joy, when he finally looked at me and actually saw me!
That’s how I met my real-life hero. It’s fun to look back on, a cute story to tell, but hardly the stuff romance novels are made of. 
My heroine, Gypsy Lovell, met her hero in a much more interesting manner.
She’d gone to Solomon’s Gate, a Christian dating agency, in search of a husband. Not a date…a husband. She needed him right away, but only for six months, at which time she fully intended to give the man a generous reward and send him packing—while she enjoyed a huge inheritance only available to her if she was married and stayed that way for at least six months. 
Unfortunately (or fortunately, in this case), Jal Garridan was having no part of a temporary marriage. The handsome Romanian doctor wanted a forever love, and certain inside knowledge made him pretty sure Gypsy was the woman with whom he’d find it. When he laid out his terms, the lady fumed and stewed, but eventually agreed to the deal. She had no choice…not if she expected to seal the deal on her inheritance in time.
Gypsy’s story (Gypsy’s Game) releases March 16 from White Rose Publishing. 
About Delia: Born and raised in Weedpatch, California, Delia Latham moved to Oklahoma in ’08, making her a self-proclaimed California Okie. She loves to read and write in her country home, and gets a kick out of watching her husband play Farmer John. She’s a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings. She loves Dr. Pepper and hearing from her readers. Contact her through her website or e-mail delia AT delialatham DOT net.
About the book: Gypsy Lovell stands to inherit an enormous amount of money from a father who never gave her anything but a ridiculous name. Even now, he doesn’t make it easy. A stipulation in the man’s will demands that Gypsy be married in order to claim what is hers.
Desperate for the monetary windfall that could save her ailing mother’s life, Gypsy visits a Christian dating agency, hoping to find a temporary husband. Someone easy to handle for the required six months, and easy to get rid of when she no longer needs him.
Jal Garridan is neither of those things, but he’s willing to take on the challenge presented by the beautiful stranger—on his own terms.
What Gypsy doesn’t know is that Solomon’s Gate is a dating agency with a Divine connection. What she finds there may save more than her mother’s life. It may save Gypsy’s soul.
What about you? How did you meet your real-life hero?
Come back March 11th for contemporary romance author, Linda Yezak.