Leah Busboom's Blog, page 2
May 21, 2019
Are You a Closet Romance Reader?
Now that I’m a romance writer, my secret is out in the open. But, once, I too, was a closet romance reader – afraid of the sneers and funny looks if I even breathed the name Susan Elizabeth Phillips or mentioned that I had actually read the unabridged version of Gone with the Wind.
My true mettle was tested one day at work when we were asked to talk about our hobbies. At that time, I worked for a large corporation and I was the lone female manager in an engineering development area. All the managers were settled in a conference room in order to meet our new third line manager. He was truly a nice guy and I enjoyed working for him. He asked each of us to go around the table, introduce ourselves and describe things that we liked doing outside of work.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up when he said that. But, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I had some time to formulate my answer as he had started with a guy at the far end of the table from me. I decided to listen to what everyone else said and then come up with something. I certainly didn’t want to embarrass myself by blurting out the first thing that should come out of my mouth – “I love reading romance novels”. Keep in mind that the room was full of testosterone and geekiness. I just didn’t fit in.
One man told about building a playhouse for his daughters with his bare hands using only a hand saw, hammer and nails. Another gave a dissertation about how he built a circuit to control his coffee pot and toaster. How did he know how to do that? Someone had lovingly restored a 1967 Mustang. He was so proud that at the end of the project there were no spare parts lying dejectedly on the garage floor with a sign on them that said “what do I do with this?” Stories of woodworking, bowling, fishing, hunting and an occasional golf story filled the room.
My palms began to sweat. Should I mention my love affair with my new, shiny bread machine? Who knew you could make wheat bread one day and rye bread the next? How about the pine cone wreath I assembled in my basement and now had proudly hanging on my front door? Dare I mention that I aced a ribbon making class and am now looking forward to wrapping Christmas presents that look like they were done by a very well trained elf?
When my turn finally came I told about training for a Centurion bicycle ride with my husband (all true), that I was in a ladies bowling league proudly bowling on a team named the ‘Guttersnipes’ and that I was a rabid Minnesota Vikings fan. Go Vikes!
Whew! Disaster averted. At least I wasn’t laughed out of the room. But, my true love was nestled safely inside my purse. Maybe I could read a few chapters in my car during lunch.
My true mettle was tested one day at work when we were asked to talk about our hobbies. At that time, I worked for a large corporation and I was the lone female manager in an engineering development area. All the managers were settled in a conference room in order to meet our new third line manager. He was truly a nice guy and I enjoyed working for him. He asked each of us to go around the table, introduce ourselves and describe things that we liked doing outside of work.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up when he said that. But, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I had some time to formulate my answer as he had started with a guy at the far end of the table from me. I decided to listen to what everyone else said and then come up with something. I certainly didn’t want to embarrass myself by blurting out the first thing that should come out of my mouth – “I love reading romance novels”. Keep in mind that the room was full of testosterone and geekiness. I just didn’t fit in.
One man told about building a playhouse for his daughters with his bare hands using only a hand saw, hammer and nails. Another gave a dissertation about how he built a circuit to control his coffee pot and toaster. How did he know how to do that? Someone had lovingly restored a 1967 Mustang. He was so proud that at the end of the project there were no spare parts lying dejectedly on the garage floor with a sign on them that said “what do I do with this?” Stories of woodworking, bowling, fishing, hunting and an occasional golf story filled the room.
My palms began to sweat. Should I mention my love affair with my new, shiny bread machine? Who knew you could make wheat bread one day and rye bread the next? How about the pine cone wreath I assembled in my basement and now had proudly hanging on my front door? Dare I mention that I aced a ribbon making class and am now looking forward to wrapping Christmas presents that look like they were done by a very well trained elf?
When my turn finally came I told about training for a Centurion bicycle ride with my husband (all true), that I was in a ladies bowling league proudly bowling on a team named the ‘Guttersnipes’ and that I was a rabid Minnesota Vikings fan. Go Vikes!
Whew! Disaster averted. At least I wasn’t laughed out of the room. But, my true love was nestled safely inside my purse. Maybe I could read a few chapters in my car during lunch.
April 23, 2018
Lasting Chances
JUST PUBLISHED! Here's the third (and final) book in the Chance on Love series.
This one is my personal favorite! I would be honored if you would read it...
Two cute kids, a couple of rescue dogs, baseball and one amazing photograph of a mountain - what do these have in common?
They each contribute to bringing two wounded hearts together. Megan Chesterfield and Gabe Williams both lost someone they loved, but can they find love with each other?
A tiny job ad in the local newspaper and their love of baseball brings them together. But a job promotion tears them apart until Megan realizes that a chance for lasting love is right under her nose. You will laugh and cry as these strong independent souls traverse the ups and downs of falling in love. Do they get their happily ever after?
Lasting Chances
This one is my personal favorite! I would be honored if you would read it...
Two cute kids, a couple of rescue dogs, baseball and one amazing photograph of a mountain - what do these have in common?
They each contribute to bringing two wounded hearts together. Megan Chesterfield and Gabe Williams both lost someone they loved, but can they find love with each other?
A tiny job ad in the local newspaper and their love of baseball brings them together. But a job promotion tears them apart until Megan realizes that a chance for lasting love is right under her nose. You will laugh and cry as these strong independent souls traverse the ups and downs of falling in love. Do they get their happily ever after?
Lasting Chances
March 24, 2018
Why I Love My Female Leads (Part 2)
Truth be told, I love all my characters. But, the three female leads in the Chance on Love Series are my favorites. Here’s why:
Paige from Taking Chances
Paige is unique in that she didn’t appear in the first book, Second Chances. When I started writing Taking Chances, I decided to tell the story from Paige’s point of view, not Danny’s.
Paige is a tiny spitfire – her nickname in high school was Mighty Mouse. She is a planner – her personal life and career are carefully constructed. She'd rather stick to the status quo, even if it’s boring, than rock the boat. When Paige meets Danny, he upsets her carefully crafted plans because she’s not looking for a relationship.
I love that Page fights her attraction to Danny – her “just friends” speech is an attempt to keep him at arm’s length. She naturally wants to lead with her head – but her heart eventually wins over.
Paige has several preconceived ideas that Danny also upsets. She’s bound and determined never to date a jock – yet here comes Danny, the ultimate jock who turns her world upside down.
Men misjudge Paige because of her diminutive size. The golf scene is an example of this – all her male playing partners immediately dismiss her as having any ability to play the game. But, she proves them wrong when she out drives them on her tee shots and scores better than most of them for the round.
Paige is able to control Danny’s giant puppy when he cannot. On their deep sea fishing adventure, she catches the bigger fish. Paige is naturally competitive and she can hold her own despite her small size. Danny admires her for this.
Her evolution from avoiding risks to taking risks is fun to watch. Paige eventually realizes that the best things in life are the unexpected events – not always the carefully planned ones.
I think you’ll enjoy reading Paige’s story, Taking Chances. It’s available on Amazon in Kindle or paperback format. Amazon link
Happy Reading!
Next installment – Megan from Lasting Chances.
Paige from Taking Chances
Paige is unique in that she didn’t appear in the first book, Second Chances. When I started writing Taking Chances, I decided to tell the story from Paige’s point of view, not Danny’s.
Paige is a tiny spitfire – her nickname in high school was Mighty Mouse. She is a planner – her personal life and career are carefully constructed. She'd rather stick to the status quo, even if it’s boring, than rock the boat. When Paige meets Danny, he upsets her carefully crafted plans because she’s not looking for a relationship.
I love that Page fights her attraction to Danny – her “just friends” speech is an attempt to keep him at arm’s length. She naturally wants to lead with her head – but her heart eventually wins over.
Paige has several preconceived ideas that Danny also upsets. She’s bound and determined never to date a jock – yet here comes Danny, the ultimate jock who turns her world upside down.
Men misjudge Paige because of her diminutive size. The golf scene is an example of this – all her male playing partners immediately dismiss her as having any ability to play the game. But, she proves them wrong when she out drives them on her tee shots and scores better than most of them for the round.
Paige is able to control Danny’s giant puppy when he cannot. On their deep sea fishing adventure, she catches the bigger fish. Paige is naturally competitive and she can hold her own despite her small size. Danny admires her for this.
Her evolution from avoiding risks to taking risks is fun to watch. Paige eventually realizes that the best things in life are the unexpected events – not always the carefully planned ones.
I think you’ll enjoy reading Paige’s story, Taking Chances. It’s available on Amazon in Kindle or paperback format. Amazon link
Happy Reading!
Next installment – Megan from Lasting Chances.
March 17, 2018
Why I Love My Female Leads
Truth be told, I love all my characters. But, the three female leads in the Chance on Love Series are my favorites. Here’s why:
Samantha from Second Chances
Samantha holds a special place in my heart because she’s the first character that I wrote down. She was brewing in my mind for several years and I finally found time to write her story.
A career girl with a big heart – that’s how I would describe Samantha in one sentence. She has an embarrassing “meet cute” with the guy that she falls in love with. Samantha literally runs into Matt on his first day in the office. Not a great way to make a good first impression on your new boss. Her dog is the ugliest dog at the animal shelter – the one that no one wanted. But, Samantha sees beyond his physical oddities and falls in love with Harold’s winning personality.
An unpleasant childhood prevented Samantha from enjoying the fun things that we take for granted – a trip to the amusement park, going to a hockey game – even learning to ride a bike. She underestimates how easy or difficult something is, getting her into a few more embarrassing situations. The yoga story is a page from my personal life – yes, I fell asleep in yoga class one time. I’m also an appalling ice skater just like Samantha.
Samantha loves HGTV and decorating, so when Matt purchases the “fixer upper” she’s all in to assist him. She’s the “go to” person at work when someone needs help because she never tells anyone “no” (case in point: Cindy Loo’s sticky note emergency suddenly becomes Samantha’s problem).
Matt summed it up well when he told Samantha after their ice skating adventure, “You’re a cute dork”. She’s funny and isn’t afraid to make fun of herself. She wants to try new things – some that she likes and some that she dislikes. I love her for having a big heart, pulling for the underdog and keeping a “glass half full” attitude no matter the situation.
Next installment – Paige from Taking Chances.
If you want to read Samantha’s story Second Chances, it is ON SALE for a limited time in the Kindle Store on Amazon. Happy Reading!
Amazon link to Second Chances
Samantha from Second Chances
Samantha holds a special place in my heart because she’s the first character that I wrote down. She was brewing in my mind for several years and I finally found time to write her story.
A career girl with a big heart – that’s how I would describe Samantha in one sentence. She has an embarrassing “meet cute” with the guy that she falls in love with. Samantha literally runs into Matt on his first day in the office. Not a great way to make a good first impression on your new boss. Her dog is the ugliest dog at the animal shelter – the one that no one wanted. But, Samantha sees beyond his physical oddities and falls in love with Harold’s winning personality.
An unpleasant childhood prevented Samantha from enjoying the fun things that we take for granted – a trip to the amusement park, going to a hockey game – even learning to ride a bike. She underestimates how easy or difficult something is, getting her into a few more embarrassing situations. The yoga story is a page from my personal life – yes, I fell asleep in yoga class one time. I’m also an appalling ice skater just like Samantha.
Samantha loves HGTV and decorating, so when Matt purchases the “fixer upper” she’s all in to assist him. She’s the “go to” person at work when someone needs help because she never tells anyone “no” (case in point: Cindy Loo’s sticky note emergency suddenly becomes Samantha’s problem).
Matt summed it up well when he told Samantha after their ice skating adventure, “You’re a cute dork”. She’s funny and isn’t afraid to make fun of herself. She wants to try new things – some that she likes and some that she dislikes. I love her for having a big heart, pulling for the underdog and keeping a “glass half full” attitude no matter the situation.
Next installment – Paige from Taking Chances.
If you want to read Samantha’s story Second Chances, it is ON SALE for a limited time in the Kindle Store on Amazon. Happy Reading!
Amazon link to Second Chances
March 10, 2018
Coming soon! Lasting Chances
Two cute kids, a couple of rescue dogs, baseball and one amazing photograph of a mountain - what do these have in common?
This is the third book in my Chance on Love trilogy. Available in April, 2018.
I can't wait for you to read Megan's story!
This is the third book in my Chance on Love trilogy. Available in April, 2018.
I can't wait for you to read Megan's story!
