I typically have more ideas for paintings than my schedule allows, so I jot them down to browse later for inspiration. Having done a piece on same-sex marriage just prior to this , I probably would not have revisited that subject again quite so soon. However I was contacted by Scott & Scott gay romance authors who published a series of books under the name Romentics about using a piece I'd done titled In the Face of Darkness (no longer available) for the cover of their new book. After reflecting on what they had told me of the story, I described to them the concept I already had for Kiss Me Senator. And as the saying goes, the rest is history.