Kate Perry's Backstory

It started in a sushi restaurant on Castro Street in San Francisco. As I picked up a clump of seaweed salad with my chopsticks, it hit me. And I gasped.

       Nate looked up. "What's wrong?"

      "What if a woman's boss gives her a real loathsome task to accomplish?"

      He groaned and picked up his beer bottle--posthaste.

      Not quite the reaction I was looking for. So I decided to prod him, because sometimes he needs that. "Wouldn't that make a great book?"

      "Uh..." His eyes got that wide, panicky look he gets when I talk to him about anything writing related.

      "Well?" Frowning, I set the chopsticks down. "Can't you see it?"

      "Uh..."

      I deflated. "You don't see it at all, do you?"

      "To be honest, the storyline seems a bit thin," he replied tentatively.

      A bit thin? I shook my head. Nate just didn't understand because he wasn't a writer. No biggie--I'd explain it to him. "No, listen, love. There's a woman." I paused for effect. "And her boss gives her a sucky assignment."

      "It sounds, uh, promising."

      Hmm. Obviously, he still didn't get it. "But it's a real doozie of an assignment."

      "Uh-huh."

      The waitress chose that moment to bring our sushi platter over. Nate smiled at her and dug in enthusiastically.

      I wasn't ready to give it up. I stabbed a piece of salmon and waved it at him. "It's not just a doozie of an assignment. The boss wants the woman to find her a sperm donor."

      "Uh-huh." He nodded absently while he looked over our selection.

      "A sperm donor," I said a touch louder, just in case he didn't hear me. Then I smiled at the people sitting to our right, who were goggling at us, probably wondering what kind of roll we had. I held up a piece with my chopsticks. "Rainbow Roll."

      Then I turned back to Nate. He's a concrete kind of guy--he needs a lot of detail before he can really picture something. So I elaborated. "Only the woman--her name is Katherine--doesn't know how to go about finding a sperm donor. Because her boss doesn't want one through the usual channels--she's a control freak."

      On a roll, I leaned forward, which was a mistake because my tee shirt dipped into my wasabi and soy sauce. "So Katherine has to meet all these guys to make a list of viable donors," I said excitedly as I dabbed my shirt with water. "Only she's socially inept. I mean, beyond inept. Like she walks up to guys and asks them what their sperm count is."

      "You're making this up as you go along, aren't you?" Nate asked in his calm way as he swiped a piece of pickled ginger.

      Heck yeah, I was. "No. I've given this quite a bit of thought."

      Nate grinned. "Have you, now?"

      "Yep," I lied.

      But even if I was improvising, I could totally see it. Katherine's in a bar with a PDA that has a spreadsheet of important features the sperm donor has to have, and she walks up to random guys asking them bizarre questions. The first scene came alive in my head as I stared absently at a Sapporo poster on the far wall. It was so vivid, my fingers began to twitch with the need to type it out.

      But I couldn't do that right now, so I did the next logical thing: I stuffed my face with sushi.

      "Um, love?"

      I looked up at Nate. My mouth was full, so I just lifted my eyebrows.

      "What are you doing?"

      Miraculously, I swallowed the wad of rice and fish without choking. "The faster we finish eating, the sooner I can go write the first chapter of PROJECT DADDY."

      "PROJECT DADDY?"

      "Yeah." At his blank look, I sighed. "The book we just brainstormed. The one about finding the perfect sperm."

      "Ah." He nodded. "Now it all makes sense."

      I smiled. I knew he'd get it eventually.

Visit Kate Perry's website.

Comments

[Allison Brennan]

Great backstory for a great book!

[Kate Perry]

Thanks Allison. :)

[Susan Hatler]

Fabulous book. Those must've been magic Rainbow Rolls--hey, is that what inspired you to create Kat's neighbor, Rainbow? Good thing you weren't eating Hamachi.

[Jennifer Elbaum]

Loved the book and loved the story! Well done!

[Kate Perry]

Susan: one day I'll name a character Hamachi in your honor. Jennifer: your check is in the mail. *grin*