The Day I Lost My Shaker of Salt

A big welcome to the fabulous, Jen Tucker. She'll have your busting a gut in no time with her wonderful novels - The Day I Wore My Panties Inside Out and her newest novel The Day I Lost My Shaker of Salt.

Let's dive into the fun! 

 

1.      What ridiculous shenanigans do we get to embark on next? Lord knows if panties are on the table first there are darker secrets hiding in your laundry basket.

I sense that I am among friends and it’s safe to tell you, right?  I seem to have these ridiculous days when my husband, Mike, leaves on long business trips.  The shenanigans find me!  I pinkie promise I do not go looking for them.  I had a dentist try to tell my three kids had a total of seven cavities, ants invaded my kitchen, and my dogs decided it would be a great day feast on ant traps.  I also shared my “party trick” in the new book and recalled meeting Grammy award winning rocker, Seal, in Las Vegas.  That weekend was one you will want to live vicariously through me.  

 

2.      With Halloween around the corner, what's the most ridiculous costume you'd wear if you knew you could get away with it?

 

Oh wow!  Honestly, I think I’d like to be a giant piece of pizza, or a Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Cream Pie.  One year I dressed up like Cruella DeVille and scared the pants off the neighborhood kids.   *Jen snickers*      

3.      Are you one who enjoys the holidays because you enjoy your family time or because you expect a ton of good stories to be told and you'll have your nancy drew hat on investigating what to write about next?

Oh.  My.  Gosh!  You scare me how well you know me!  Mike and I just took our buddy, Ben, a Purdue University student, to dinner.  I adore him!  He’s like the son I never had while I was 21 years old.  We wanted to spend time with him, but yes I had ulterior motives.  Ben has THE BEST stories about things that have happened to him in his 20 little years on the planet.  SIDEBAR: I cannot tell you details now, but you will see Ben on a wildly popular reality show this fall.  I’ll be sure to give you a heads up about it when I can.  Anywho…after Mike and I parted ways with him, I got in the car, buckled up, and said, “I’m totally using that crazy birdbath story in my new book!”  No one is safe from Jen Tucker…  No one! 

So back to my Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson issues, right?  I love the holidays!  It’s about cheesy sweaters, double dipping in the ranch dressing with your veggies, and too much eggnog.  If something interesting happens, in my presence, between the pumpkin pie and mistletoe months, it’s fair game fodder.

4.      If I came to your home and looked in your refrigerator, what would I find?

 

Let’s go take a photo!  I’ll show you the inside and outside.  It’s like a two-fer!

On the outside, we have some crazy photo booth wedding pics starring me, hubs, Gracie, and my BFF, Nancy.  You will also find a painting by Gracie titled Pancake Daddy, and a drawing she made in kindergarten featuring her and her boyfriend, Matt Lau-wee (Lauer) just to name a few little goodies.  On the inside, you will find some I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray, left over mac & cheese, and Gracie’s Hello Kitty cup with this morning’s milk inside.  My fridge leads an exciting life.

5.      Do you wear pants while you work?

Much to my husband’s chagrin, I do wear pants.  Poor fella.  They are usually of the yoga or denim variety.

Quick Five

1. Princess or Wicked Witch – Princess with wicked tendencies J

2. Pumpkin Spice Latte or Hot Carmel Apple Cider – I gotta go Hot Carmel Apple Cider.

3. Rain boots or Snow boots – Ugh, the pressure!  If I could have Gracie’s Hello Kitty boots in my size, I’d go rain boots for some serious puddle jumping.  I love my Uggs though, and cannot betray them.

4. Chocolate cake or Cheesecake – That’s kind of like asking me to choose between my children, JJ!

5. Pumpkin Patch or Apple Orchard – I love going to the apple orchard where we hop on a hayride to the pumpkin patch.  See, you can have it all!  Thank you, JJ, for letting me pop over, Red Rover.  I had a blast XOXO 

Jen Tucker has never met a gluten free cupcake that she didn’t like.  A former teacher and educator, she has worked with children in school, hospital, and enrichment settings. In her years at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, it was Jen’s job to bring the “hands on fun” into the visiting exhibitions in the galleries.  Jen broke away from writing children’s books and thematic units in 2011 with her memoir, The Day I Wore My Panties Inside Out which was a semifinalist in the humor category in the 2011 Goodreads Book Awards. She is a monthly guest blogger at the website, Survival for Blondes where she marries humor with preparedness. Jen lives in West Lafayette, Indiana with her husband, Mike, and their three children. 

You can purchase (AND SHOULD) Jen’s latest book, The Day I Lost My Shaker of Salt, here.  You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, her blog or on her website at Princess with a Pen.