James Otto, ‘Last First Kiss’ Inspires Romance Novel

James Otto's music has served as the soundtrack to a lot of his fans' love lives, and now it has even inspired a romance novel! 'Last First Kiss' is the title of a new book by Lori Leger, a Louisiana native who is a big fan of the country-soul singer and his song of the same name.

"I love to use music as inspiration for my writing, so I download a lot of country music, my favorite genre," says the author. "The first time I heard Mr. James Otto belting out a song called 'Last First Kiss' in his deep, soulful base, I fell in love. In love with the story behind the song, the lyrics, as well as the title. It's all about finding, failing, or losing the one person you thought you'd spend the rest of your life with, then actually finding that person. You can only have one first kiss with a person, and if you're lucky ... it will be the last first kiss you'll ever have."

'Last First Kiss' is the second book in Leger's 'La Fleur de Love' series. The story opens with a tragedy, as its male and female protagonists both lose their spouses in a car accident. The book follows their gradual love story as they juggle their grief with their feelings toward one another.

'Last First Kiss,' the song, is on the deluxe version of James' 2008 album, 'Sunset Man.' "This is my last first kiss / Never knew love could feel like this," the married father of one sings in the chorus of the soulful ballad, which he co-wrote with his wife, Amy.

James is currently on tour, with a stop tonight (March 23) in Louisville, Ky., followed by shows in Alabama and Missouri. See his concert schedule here. While the singer-songwriter is currently working on new music for an upcoming project, he's still enjoying chart success. He co-wrote the Zac Brown Band's 'No Hurry,' which is currently in the Top 15 (and climbing) on the Billboard country songs chart.