5 Questions with Debut Author Calisa Rhose!

I first met author Calisa Rhose lurking around the boards at eHarlequin; I thought she was a hoot - plus she wrote a good cowboy story. As you guys may or may not remember, I have a serious soft spot for cowboys - the historical and the contemporary. And I was thrilled when, just a few months ago, she told me her debut novel (not with a cowboy, sadly) was coming out from The Wild Rose Press. That book, called Home, is now out and it's fabulous. See the cover below? Isn't that fabulously vintage? LOVE IT! So, I just had to have Calisa come by to talk writing - and her new book! On with the interview!


Do you have (or do you aspire to have!) a writing process?

Nope and nope. I write as I can on whatever needs my attention the most for edits, deadline or just whichever one calls to me at any given time. How do I finish anything you ask? When I need to finish, that project is the one I work on most steady.

When the writing gets tough, where do you get going?

In warmer weather I ride or just groom my horse, or read. In colder months I watch tv or read books I’ve been dying to enjoy. No matter the season I love spending time with my kids and grandkids as much as I can.

What are you listening to right now and does your listening choice influence your writing?

Right now I’m ‘watching’ House. By watching, I mean one eyeo n the show and one on the laptop. But yes, listening to music influences my writing. Not the words, but my moods as I write.

Coffee, tea, soda, hot cocoa w/ extra marshmallows  – what's your beverage of choice?

Coffee. Though I try to keep Dr. Pepper stocked and in summer I enjoy tea. Winter I may be found curled with a good book and marshmallowy hot chocolate on occasion.

   

Tell us one interesting thing about this book or its characters that didn't make in 'between the covers'?

Hm that was a year ago! *goes researching outtakes* Well, there really isn’t anything from HOME. No outtakes, no drastic edits. It was a very tightly written story from beginning to end. The only thing I can remember was in a scene when Poppy and Sam are walking and she notices what movie was playing. I originally had Gone With the Wind in it, but didn’t want one that old running so I researched a movie that released in the same month as HOME takes place (August).

About the Book:

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?

HOME is available now at The Wild Rose Press and on Amazon.

Small-town country girl Calisa Rhose lives in a semi-remote area of Oklahoma with her husband, five dogs, one cat and one horse. All of her three daughters and their families live within throwing distance. She’s a member of RWA and the local chapter OKRWA. She intends to nurture and continue to grow as an author with the help of her family and supporters.

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