Interview Scott Tenkman

by

S. E. Schenkel

1) Scott, would you introduce yourself to the rest of us? Give us enough background to anchor you in our minds.

As far as appearances go, just think of a guy who looks like a mixture between Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney. Then think of the exact opposite of that person and you’ll have my self portrait! Actually I’m 33 years-old and I drive a mini-van, which in the book I call the “Castration Mobile.” I’m happily married with three little boys, so it’s non-stop action in our house from the minute they wake up until the minute we pass out from the shear exhaustion that comes from having three small children. I work in Information Technology for a great company, and I’ve always wanted to write a novel so after I hit 30 I figured why not? Now I’m published and it’s a dream come true.

2) How long have you been interested in writing? And what was the catalyst that got you started?

I started to get interested in writing back in high school, which seems like a lifetime ago. At that time I wanted to be a writer for Seinfeld, which was on the air at the time. I used to write out scenes I would include in each episode, and I just fell in love with writing then. I then went onto college and majored in Accounting/Finance because of the numerous job opportunities available with these degrees because, as we all know, it’s difficult to depend on writing to support your family. I didn’t do any writing in my twenties as I worked my way through college and started my family and career. But then I hit 30, and 30 is a great time to take stock of your life and reflect on your dreams and aspirations. I remembered how much I loved to write when I was younger, so I dove back in and here I am today.

3) I love your title: Desperate House Dad. It’s a very clever “connect”--intentional or not--with the TV series, Desperate Housewives. Can you tell us how you arrived at that choice?

I literally sat up in bed one night at 3:00 AM and it hit me: Desperate House Dad. And then I started writing right then and there. It was easy for me to come up with the story line since I’m married with three small children and I work from home, so I thought a funny story about a stay-at-home dad would be perfect. And most of us have seen that great 1980’s movie Mr. Mom, so I thought a perfect name for a present-day Mr. Mom would be Desperate House Dad. The beauty of the title is that readers instantly have an idea of what the book is about.

Another funny twist is that I wrote over half the book before I even told my wife. I wanted to start it to see if I was any good at it, so about halfway through I thought I had something special so one night I just blurted it out to her. She then sarcastically says, “I didn’t even know you could read!” I must be rubbing off on her! I then told her that, “I think looking at Sports Illustrated does technically count as reading.”

4) The tagline for your book refers to it as a “humorous feel-good story”. Are we talking about a nonfiction “tell all”? Or is this a work of fiction?

This is a fictional book, but it reads like real life so readers can relate. Now there is some truth to Desperate House Dad, as there is in all fiction, and this is the one item that worries my wife the most because she thinks people will believe all of it relates to our family. Throughout the book I try to take seemingly boring tasks, like taking your children to the doctor or getting their pictures taken, and then I add my own comedic twists to them. So all of the scenes in the book are either totally made up or a blend of what my family actually experienced and the comedic twist I added to them.

5) How big of a part does humor play in your book? In your life?

Humor plays a huge role in the book, and in fact it plays the biggest role. My goal is to have readers either laughing out loud or smiling throughout the entire book. My editor said it is “one of the funniest books she’s ever read,” which is a huge compliment considering her many years of experience.

Humor plays a big role in my life, and I think all parents have to resort to humor at times because raising children is so stressful. I find if you take a step back and laugh at yourself and your children from time to time, then it helps relieve the stress that comes with raising children. Because, let’s face it, as parents sometimes you have to laugh to keep yourself from crying. Like the time your child squeezes an entire tube of toothpaste into their hair, or the time they lock themselves in the bathroom so they can eat an entire bag of Oreos without you interrupting. At the time you may not be laughing, but looking back on these times hopefully you’ll be smiling.

6) Tell us about the main characters in Desperate House Dad.

The main characters are Paul Logan and his wife Jenny. The story revolves around Paul who, for financial reasons, decides to become a stay-at-home dad. It then follows Paul through the day-to-day grind of caring for his young children while adding slide splitting humor into the decision of buying a mini-van, joining a stay-at-home dad’s club, taking a child to church, grocery shopping, visiting the pediatrician, getting the kids’ pictures taken, and having a vasectomy.

Paul’s wife Jenny is perfect for putting up with Paul’s antics and is the rock of the family. She now is thrust into the role of being the bread winner while having a husband that stays at home, so she has difficult emotions in having to miss out on all of those precious moments at home with the children.

7) Where does this book stand in the scheme of things? Is it the first you’ve written? The first published? Do you have a drawer full of previous attempts--like the rest of us?

I’ve been blessed in that this is the first book I’ve written, and to have it published is a dream come true.

8) What are your plans for the future? Can we look for another Tenkman title coming out soon?

I’m about 70% finished with my next novel, and it’s similar in that it’s humorous real life fiction, but this one is more focused on suburban life. After the birth of our third child my wife and I couldn’t play man-to-man defense anymore, so we had to resort to a zone defense, and there are a lot of holes in that zone. Consequently, my free time down is down to zero unless I write at midnight every night, so I’m having a hard time finishing the book. But I promise you won’t be disappointed in my next novel!

9) To whom have you dedicated this book?

I dedicated this book to my beautiful wife Shannon and my three little boys, Caleb, Nate, and Sam. They are my inspiration, and they also give me endless amounts of material to use on a daily basis!

10) When and how often do you sit down to write? And where?

When I do find the time to write, which is few and far between since my Honey-Do List is so long it has a table of contents, it’s usually late at night after the kids are in bed. I like to make outlines of the chapters on paper first before turning on the computer to start typing away. And even when I’m not writing chapter after chapter, I’m always thinking of new story lines to include in my next novel.

11) Are there any other authors in the family?

Nope, I’m the only family member to be published so far.

12) Describe what it feels like to know that your work is just about to make the acquaintance of the reading public.

I’d say I’m both extremely excited and nervous at the same time. I’m excited in just the thought of someone buying my book and setting aside time in their busy schedule to read something that was nothing more than thoughts in my head a couple of years ago.

I’m nervous just thinking of how readers will react to certain chapters in the book, and whether or not those that know me will try to relate everything to my family. When you write something like this, you really put yourself out there on full display, so it’s a little unsettling to say the least. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat!