Kate-Book, the website for Kates, by Kates, and about Kates

By Kate E. Stephenson

In this fourth week of July 2012, I hereby call to order the 2nd meeting of the Kate-Book.com book club. Every week, we shall be reading a tome either (a) penned by an author named Kate or (b) that includes a character named Kate. If you missed last week’s meeting, here’s what went down.

Club members, this week meet KATE PERRY.

Kate Perry lives in San Francisco. She likes piña coladas, getting caught in the rain, yoga, and champagne. She’s a kung fu master, has raspberry-colored dance sneakers, and loves mayonnaise with her fries. Voted by her friends as the woman they’d most want to stroll with down a dark alley, Kate’s as likely to be spotted at the opera as she is doing tai chi in Golden Gate Park.

Kate’s the author of the bestselling Laurel Heights series (Perfect for You, Close to You, and Return to You) as well as a number of other books, including Playing Doctor, and the Guardians of Destiny series, for those who like their romance with a kick-ass twist. Find her books on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and bookstores near you. She loves talking with fellow Kates so send her an email at kate@kateperry.com.

Without further delay, we’ll let Perry introduce herself by answering the following questions.

Who named you Kate and why?

I named me Kate. My mother named me Katia, after a character in “Doctor Zhivago.” Kate is an awesome name, don’t you think? All great, strong women in history have been named Kate. I recently read that they discovered a papyrus scroll that indicated Cleopatra preferred to be called Kate, too.

How did you become an author?

I was in a funk. I was on the fast-track for “world domination,” but I had doubts I really wanted that. So I quit my job and made a list of things I was passionate about. You know—the usual kinds of things: cheese, wine, martial arts, books, tutus, cupcakes. I posted the list on a wall and I threw a knife at it. The blade landed on “books.” So I thought, Sure, I can be an author.

Just think: I was this close to becoming a tutu designer.

What was the muse for your first completed/published book?

Money. Remember how I said I quit my job? I didn’t have a trust fund to fall on (damn my parents!) so I had to make it pay off as soon as possible. It took me two years and six books to get published. Determination, thy name is Kate.

What are you currently working on?

So many things! Are you ready for this? Hold on to your britches.

1. Y’all will be happy to know I’m beginning the next Laurel Heights book: Gwen’s story. She’s an eccentric gourd artist with a secret that a super hot private investigator wants to uncover. If you aren’t familiar with Laurel Heights, Return to You is currently free on Amazon and iTunes.
2. A good friend of mine and I are launching a new line of travel romance novels called Destination Love Stories. We love to travel, and we love romance—it was a no brainer.

The books contain real hotspots in exotic locations—places we’ve experienced ourselves—combined with a sexy adventure. We’re releasing the first three books, set in San Francisco, Maui, and London, on July 27th.

What is your greatest accomplishment to date?

Not getting myself kidnapped and sold into white slavery.

What’s your favorite word?

My beloved says it’s “Jerry.”

What’s your least favorite word?

“Can’t.” Pish.

Who’s your favorite literary character?

LYMOND!

Did I just scream that?

Can I just add that Dorothy Dunnett was brilliant, and her Lymond is the ultimate proof? He was the perfect anti-hero: handsome and twisted, with unshakable motivation but questionable actions. Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles aren’t for everyone, but if you get into the rhythm of the language, they’re amazing.

What’s your favorite quote?

“Have you ever wondered if there was anything more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?” —Zoolander

If you weren’t an author, what profession would you like to try?

Bodyguard, for action movie stars like Tom Cruise or Russell Crowe. I could pose as their girlfriend, but secretly I’d be defending them. Not that I’ve thought about this much.

If you could do one thing in your life over, what would it be?

I’d get out of that Bank of America branch and into the getaway car three minutes sooner. Sigh.

And now that you’ve gotten to know her better, it’s time to read. Here’s an excerpt from Kate Perry’s book Return to You, Laurel Heights Book #3.

Michael didn’t mean for it to happen. In fact, even as his tongue played hide and seek with Olivia’s, he wondered what the hell he was doing. He only knew there was no damn way he was stopping.

She tasted delicious—sweet and rich. The taste of chocolate lingering on her lips was erotic. He’d never be able to face chocolate chip cookies again without getting hard.

He speared his fingers into her hair at the nape of her neck and tilted her head. His left hand wrapped around her ribcage, high enough so it brushed underneath her breast.

“Wait.” She pulled back—not completely but too much as far as he was concerned.

Her lips glistened, her chest heaved, and her hand rested on his abs, wreaking havoc with his control. Logically, he knew it was miles away from the danger zone, but the one-eyed monster down there refused to believe it. “What is it?”

“Shouldn’t we talk?”

“We’ve been talking.” He moved his left hand till his fingers traced the curve of her breast just above her bra’s wire.

Her eyes became more unfocused. She licked her lips and asked in a sexy rasp, “I mean, shouldn’t we straighten things out first?”

“First?” He nuzzled her jaw, down her neck.

Her head fell back and she moaned—long and low. “Michael, I have something to tell you.”

“What?” Without removing his lips, he eased her back onto the blanket.

Suddenly he was back in time. It was her sixteenth birthday and they were having a picnic. Just like it was yesterday, he remembered the look on her face when he gave her the locket and told her how much he loved her.

He raised his head and looked down at her. She wasn’t anything like the girl he left eleven years ago. A woman of action. Sultry… He shook his head.

She licked her lips. “What is it?”

He traced a finger down her cheek to her mouth. “Tell me quick, because I’ve wanted you too long to wait much longer.”

Olivia studied him for what seemed like eons before nodding. “Then don’t wait.”

Okay, that got me all worked up and left me hanging! I’m off to finish this scene … until next time, Book Clubbers.

Kate’s Book Club is a column on Kate-book.com featuring interviews with authors named Kate, as well as reviews of books starring Kate characters. It runs on Kate-book.com every other Wednesday at 10:30am, and is written by the self-admitted bibliophile Kate E. Stephenson, who you should follow on Twitter here. Oh, and write to her at KateAuthors@KempsConsulting.com to suggest authors and books we should read for future columns.