Goodreads asked Laurie Dennis:

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

Laurie Dennis I read an account of the Ming Dynasty's founder in the Cambridge History of China. Zhu Yuanzhang was a goat herder and farmer in the Huai River valley, the youngest son in a large family. And then he lost everything. When I learned how Zhu emerged from calamity to become the founding emperor of one of China's greatest dynasties, I was hooked. I've been pondering, reading and writing about this fascinating personality ever since.

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