Q and A-- Josi Kilpack

In honor of Mister's birthday (this week!  How did that happen?) we asked Josi Kilpack a few questions--


What would Sadie do for a toddler/preschool birthday?


Sadie would make white cupcakes with white frosting, and colored flowers made of royal icing a few days ahead. She’d be mindful of stains on the toddler’s clothing. Then she would play very basic games like pin the nose on the clown and musical chairs because fun should be simply, otherwise you overwhelm yourself and don’t want to do it again. There would be LOTS of decorations (non-toxic and out of the kids way, of course) and she’d take each child’s picture that she would send home with them as a memory of the day. She would love every minute of it.

Josi, the author, on the other hand, is not well known for enjoying things like holidays or birthday parties. She would find someone else to entertain them—McDonald’s or the local gymnastic’s studio come to mind. She might make the cake—but it would be chocolate.


What was Sadie's son like at that age-- what were his favorite recipes?

Shawn was a handful, but a cute handful. Seeing as she was a single parent, Sadie was very close to her children and very mindful of the holes in their life left when their father died. She was able to be on hand enough that Shawn didn’t get into serious trouble, but he was always looking for something new to do which kept Sadie on her toes. As for food—Shawn loves everything except nuts. Since Sadie loves to cook, they were a very good fit with one another. It may have even been part of Sadie’s downfall in that she learned many things could be soothed with food and now uses that information to pry into situations she perhaps ought not to.


Are Josi's own kids like Sadie's?

Josi has four kids, 3 girls and a boy, and Shawn was based in some respects on Josi’s son, Chris. Like Shawn Chris is a tender hearted boy, but ready to wrestle when adventure calls. One of Josi’s favorite memories of Chris was when he was about 7 years old and he called her to tell her he’d “accidentally” eaten the entire 1 pound container of strawberries she was saving for dessert. Little boys are priceless.

Thanks, Josi!!