December 26, 2011

What HOME means to me

by Calisa Rhose

Hi Anna! I’m so happy to be here. I visit so many friends who are hosted by you and I’m honored that today is MY turn! You can find all of the HOME TOUR blogs on my website in the News/Blogging News tab.

This is a special post for me. It begins the countdown to my BIG SALE PARTY on my own blog on January 1, 2012! Whistle! Confetti! Streamers!

Even though HOME releases on Wednesday, December 28th from The Wild Rose Press, starting today I will keep track of commenters. The day following the New Years Day party, on my blog, I will be giving away the first copy of HOME to one lucky commenter! The more you comment this week, the greater your chance to win! Don’t forget to leave your EMAIL ADDRESS in your comment!

So let’s get this countdown started!!!!

DAY SIX!!!

BLURB:
What could a gypsy and a Vietnam veteran have in common?

Silvertown’s outcast, Poppy Tippen, has loved football hero Sam “The Force” Callahan forever. But he never seemed to know she was alive. Now he’s home from the war and she suddenly finds herself comforting him from the demons of “that damn war.” Is his attention merely an escape from the haunting nightmares? Or does she hold the interest of the only man she’s ever truly loved?

Sam Callahan’s only solace from the war nightmares wrecking his life comes in the unlikely form of a gypsy girl with stigmas of her own. He’s known Poppy his entire life, but there’s something different about her now. Something special he desperately wants to hold on to. Can he convince her she’s the only thing he needs to put the past behind him?


Excerpt:
“I’ll always want you, Poppy.”
Her head shook in automatic denial. “You’ll want a girl who fits your life. Not some gypsy with no family lineage to brag about. Your momma won’t accept that, either. She’ll make you choose someone like Connie, someone who fits into your world. Not the girl everyone avoids and whispers about behind her back. You’re gonna be the town’s doctor. You need an uppity wife who will make you proud.”
When Sam laughed, his chest shuddered against her back. Deep, husky, real. He turned her in his arms and looked down at her, smiling. “Poppy, do you honestly think I give a damn what people think? Look at me! I’m the town outcast, the survivor who should have died saving the others, not be here planning a future that includes a wife, a medical practice. “I shimmy under park benches, run from my mother’s lipstick, for God’s sake. I wake up screaming and crying over nothing in the middle of the night, crawl under my bed and hide, shaking,
until morning. Hell, I can’t even be a doctor because I haven’t finished school yet.”
“I didn’t know. It must be awful for you.” No matter how it hurt Poppy to know he used her, it felt much worse to know how he hurt alone. “The only time it isn’t awful is when I’m with you. When I think of you.”
*****************************************
Get your copy of HOME on December 28th at The Wild Rose Press.
Find Calisa at her website/blog http://calisarhose.wordpress.com
On twitter @Calisa_Rhose and Facebook @Calisa Rhose
She loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at calisa.rhose@gmail.com 

27 comments:

Callie said...

Woo hoo. So excited for you Calisa, and I know what a great read Home is.

Best of luck and success with it.

Beth Trissel said...

I'm very excited for you too, Calisa, and I enjoyed the excerpt. HOME sounds very intriguing. I like that the heroine is named Poppy 'before' the hippies really got going. I mean during that time, sure. :) But unless she changed her name, she was born before that era I'm assuming that's her gypsy background. I'm interested to know how the hero met her in the first place--her being from the wrong side of the tracks, and in those days it really mattered. I assume it was school, I just envision gypsies moving around too much to stay in one place long enough to attend school regularly, but maybe that's just my notion of gypsies. I don't know much about them, except my dad said when he was a child in the Shenandoah Valley of VA (1930's-40's), a caravan of gypsies camped out in the orchard not far from their farm from time to time. His mother was afraid they would kidnap him. People feared they stole children. I'm not sure what they supposedly did with them

Calisa Rhose said...

Thank you Colleen!

Calisa Rhose said...

Beth- Well, they met by living in the same very small town. Though he was quite a few years older than her, her mother owns a store in their town so everybody sort of 'knows' Poppy, or at least who she is, but that's all in the book. :) Oh- gypsies were thought to steal kids to raise as their own back in the day. I heard that they were thought to collect children like puppies. lol I'll have to do more research to see what truth is in that. Thanks for stopping by.

Maeve Greyson said...

Yay!!! It's coming down to the wire, Calisa. Have you reached critical mass on the MY FIRST BOOK IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH scale? I can't wait to enjoy your read. Best of luck to you, my friend! :-)

Christine Warner said...

Calisa, I've been following you already (but not in a stalkerish way..lol) and I love the premise of your story and know I'd love the heroine :)

So excited for your release and so excited for you!

Much success and best wishes :)

Calisa Rhose said...

Maeve I reached that over the weekend when I realized HOME is already available on Amazon! People are READING MY BOOK!!!!!

Thanks for all the love and support and I'll see you at your blog Friday!

Calisa Rhose said...

You are such a fabulous friend Christine! Thank you for the stalkerish support! lol

Beth Trissel said...

Interesting about gypsies, Calisa. I want to learn more about the children thing too.

Vonnie Davis ~ Romance Author said...

Hi Calisa , I finished reading HOME last night. I was so excited I could download it before its official release. I left you a review on Amazon. I must say that I feared for a while that Sam and Poppy were related because of the history you hinted at for the scrimshaw doll.

Ladies, this is a heart-warming read. Don't pass it up.

Susan Macatee said...

Congrats on your new release, Calisa! Sounds like an intriguing story.

Calisa Rhose said...

Beth- we can compare notes.

Calisa Rhose said...

Oh Thank you Vonnie! I'm so excited you read and liked HOME! You're my first to read and review it!

Calisa Rhose said...

Thank you Susan! I hope so. :)

Becky said...

Congrats on your new release, Calisa!
Sounds like an intriguing story and I have added it my list to get.

beckyqward@gmail.com

Calisa Rhose said...

I hope you enjoy HOME, Becky. Thanks for considering me for your tbr!

Liz Flaherty said...

Love the excerpt, Calisa, not to mention the time period. Good luck with the release and have a great time with it!

Lynne Marshall said...

Well, I'm a day late and a dollar short because I'm on digest at WRP, but I couldn't miss your launch blog for Home!

Wow - sounds like an emotional read, and I LOVE the name Poppy.

Happy for you!

Joya said...

Congrats, Calisa! This looks like a wonderful book and I love the cover. :)

Mimi Barbour said...

This is exciting Calisa and so much work to be blogging all the time during this season. I love the name of your heroine "Poppy" and the excerpt left me intrigued. I wish you the very best of luck!!
xo Mimi

Calisa Rhose said...

Thank you Liz. I'm hoping to do well. ;)

Calisa Rhose said...

You're not at all late Lynne! This will be running all week so be sure to go back to any blogs you missed and get your name in for an extra chance to win this weekend!

I love Poppy's name. When she told me what it was, I knew she was right. Glad you made it by!

Calisa Rhose said...

Wonderful to see you here Joya! Thanks. I love the cover, too.

Calisa Rhose said...

Thank you Mimi! It's been a challenge (esp today going to 3 blogs!). But well worth it. This scene is one of my favorite because of the emotional content in it.

Calisa Rhose said...

Thank you Anna! This has been a great kick off and you were a wonderful hostess!

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Thanks for being my guest! You had a wonderful 'turn out.'

Calisa Rhose said...

Thank you for hosting me on the first day of the contest week Anna! I've had such fun!