Goodreads asked Leta Blake:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Leta Blake My inspiration for Smoky Mountain Dreams began in two very different ways. The character of Christopher was conceived in a flash when I took my daughter to Dollywood at Christmas time. We attended several of the live shows and there was a young man--blond, not crazy-beautiful but attractive enough--who was just singing his heart out on the stage, and I wondered, "How does this become your end point? Or is it an end point? Do most of the people working at places like Dollywood have secret dreams of stardom, or are they happy where they are with the success and notoriety the job allows?

I'd tell you more about Jesse, and maybe his is the more interesting tale of inspiration, but it would be pretty spoilery to tell too much. But he was inspired by a real life person whose loyalty and devotion I have always found to be amazing, but, more importantly in a romance novel, incredibly romantic.

flag