Saki Kawashiro was born in Tokyo, Japan. An avid reader, after graduating from college she worked as a bookseller in Fukuoka, in Southern Japan. While manager of the store’s cafe she invented a recipe for the café menu—“My Ex-Boyfriend’s Favorite Butter Chicken Curry”—which included a vignette about their breakup, which went viral. Author Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Before the Coffee Gets Cold) made an appearance at her bookstore and Mr. Kawaguchi’s editor inspired Saki to write a novel about her adventures, and she became Saki’s editor. The result is The Ex-Boyfriend’s Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee, which is Saki’s first novel.