Sarah asked Kristen Ashley:

Hey, Kristen! I'm currently reading Colorado Mountain series, actually those are the first books of yours I started reading, but I immediately fell in love with them!!! What made you write Max and Nina's story? Anything "special" you got inspiration from or...? :))

Kristen Ashley I actually love it that you asked this question, Sarah, because THE GAMBLE always had a special place in my heart because of where the story came from and it might not be what you're thinking (I don't know a gorgeous, gruff but wonderful and kind man in an A-Frame, alas).

I started reading romance when I was really rather young. Harlequin Presents, by the dozen. My mom read them, had the subscription, new ones every month, and I devoured every one. To the point that four a month were not enough so I was at the library all the time. This graduated to me stealing her slightly more saucy "bodice rippers" and hiding that I read them from her (or not hiding -- I THOUGHT I was hiding them but nothing ever got past my mom, they weren't THAT saucy back in the day and I think as an English major, she was thrilled I loved to read like she did).

I have told the story a lot about how I always had difficulty sleeping, and from when I was young, I used to tell myself stories to put myself to sleep. When I started reading romance, the stories I told myself would become romances. Eventually, I would remember where I drifted off and then start at that point the next night...and the next...and the next...

In the end, I decided to write these stories down (thus my current career :-)).

But you can imagine that I'd made up hundreds and hundreds of stories over the decades of putting myself to sleep making them up.

Now my brain is a little foggy after some travel this weekend but in sitting here, I think I can recall two of my favorite scenarios that I'd always go back to in making up my stories. Both of which I've used in writing books I've published.

One was the hero and heroine having to hide out in a cave. I don't know where this came from but I always loved that idea. Just the two of them...in a cave. Personalities can't be hidden when it's just two of you in a cave! I used this scenario in FANTASTICAL in my Fantasyland series.

But the number one scenario I often used when telling myself stories to put myself to sleep was the hero and heroine meeting right before the heroine falls prey to a very bad flu and the hero exposes his true colors of love and attention and kindness while nursing her back to health.

This is where THE GAMBLE springboarded from. Max and Nina had a bumpy beginning, but all Nina needed to know about Max was what she learned when she was delirious with the flu.

And the promise he showed then panned out. :-)

So there you go. I don't think I've ever told that story to that fullness. So thank you for asking!! xx

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