Time has not been kind to me. I once was very beautiful. I once was cherished.
Now?
I’m a scrimshaw doll. I was created for a child and cursed to protect a woman. I’ve been protecting those seeking true love well before 1716 when my story began being recorded. It all began with a gypsy man named Enzo, and his wife Rosa, whom I was made in the memory of.
I have been many places and seen many countries. I have traveled by ship, horse and automobile.
I am not known by a name to these people of the modern world of 1967. I know Poppy loves me by the way she sees me through her eyes. Names are not important as long as those who possess me are faithful.
Today I sit in an antique doll shop in Silvertown, Oklahoma; owned by Henna Tippen, the lover of my lost Enzo’s ancestor. I had ended up in Hollywood, owned by a woman who was cousin to Sam Callahan’s mother, but upon her death (by a means I will not claim) I was left to Sam’s mother.
Now if you don’t know Sam, he was a soldier and doctor in Vietnam. He was a star, a small town hero in his own right, before the war took it all away. Sam returned home to care for his mother when his father died unexpectedly…after selling me to the gypsy woman.
Did I have anything to do with Dr. Callahan’s death? I’ll not admit anything.
Henna gifted me to her daughter, the last blood descendent of Enzo, and a lovely girl with a spirit that will not be denied. I watch over Poppy now. Will Sam prove to be the love of her life and free them both of unhappy loneliness? She’s loved him as long as she can remember, or so she confided to me.
I don’t know where I’ll go next, but I’m sure it will be an adventure you can bet on.
Is there such a common thing as Fate, or is it my curse? I have many stories for you to read and discover the answer for yourself. Other books have come before HOME, so you can go back in this blog to read about those.
In the meantime, I leave you to wonder this… Who is Rosa? What have you gleaned of me thus far? I encourage you to reveal all.
Until we meet again…
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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.
She’d love to hear from readers at calisa.rhose@gmail.com and you can visit Calisa’s website to find out about her books on the Bookshelf page. Also on twitter @Calisa_Rhose and Facebook/Calisa Rhose
HOME by Calisa Rhose at The Wild Rose Press and Amazon and B&N
talesofthescrimshawdoll.wordpress.com 
Rosa, love reading about your adventures.
Thanks be to the heavn’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder.My travel through time will be for naught.
Rosa, I’ve known you for as long as I can remember. Yet–I never really knew you at all. Never, would I have dreamed that you had already lived through many lifetimes of adventure.
My great-grandmother, Gigi, learned of your protective powers in my infancy, the day she visited Henna’s doll shop and placed you gently in my arms, to alleviate the ‘shadow of a bound spirit’ the old gypsy woman saw lurking in my eyes. Through the years I discovered the shadow Henna spoke of was cast by my own identical twin sister, a shadow not even you could chase away. For you offered your protection to my twin as well as to me, defending us equally.
My sister never believed in the curse of betrayal. She took you for granted, assuming no power was greater than her own. In my hour of need, she stole you from me, hawking you in a pawnshop to finance her escape from embezzlement charges.
But greed was her downfall. In the end, you had your revenge. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
—Darcy Vaughan
Hello Rosa, I’m Julia from Thicker than Water http://amzn.com/B008U8NKCO. You are correct. Your beauty has long since faded. By the time I meet you, you’re extremely ugly. But my best friend, Pam, adores you for some uknown reason. I hope you’re not driving her truly crazy and her grief for her husband is what is making her act the way she is. I also hope she’s wrong, and you’re not killing my friends. If so, as Pam says, I could become one of your victims.
Hi Rosa, I’m sorry I thought you were spooky when I first saw you in Lucas’s house. But I know you brought us together, so I love you for that. See you soon. Love, Tessa
I will admit that my trek across the country didn’t help my looks much. I started out pretty enough for a princess and by the end I looked like a street urchin. ~Rose
Rosa, my mother saw something beautiful in you. Myself, I don’t see it at all. I think, if not for you, my mother might still be alive. It was because of your curse that she took her own life. I know your secret.
Daira G.