Jen Lancaster's Blog, page 11

Girls in Trucks

I have a book due next week which is why there's been nothing but crickets around here for the past month. I'm sorry about that but I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to my writing and I only want to put out my best work. That means anything that isn't part of a page count isn't happening. (Ask me about my dead plants, empty fridge, and filthy floors, too.) However, Fletch is upset right now. When Fletch is upset, I put my deadline on hold because his happiness is more important than anything. Do you guys remember back in April when we bought a pickup truck? We were looking for something with a crew cab in which could haul dogs and garden supplies and antiques. Fletch budgeted $5000 for the truck and he spent months doing research and talking to dealers. (He doesn't really have a day job.) He found a couple of contenders, he visited various dealerships, and he finally found what he thought was the right truck at Napleton Ford in Libertyville. He took it for a test drive, inspected the CarFax, and ultimately decided to make a purchase because of the low mileage. I didn't think 100K miles seemed low AT ALL, but I know zip about trucks. He assured me that in a big ol' Merican truck, they can go a good 200K miles. He drove the truck maybe fifteen times and put less than 500 miles on it in total. But lately we...

What's Your Number? - UPDATED WITH WINNERS!

Okay, winners will have just received an email from me and from Karyn, but in case you're looking here first and not your inbox, they are: With- Wendi Roach, Heidi Eicher Withouth - Amy Goddard, Arlene A (aecarb), and Amy (seanamy) Thanks so much for playing! * * * This is my friend Karyn. Nope, she's not the bride. She's the one with her feet in the air. I chose this shot because it best sums up everything Karyn is. I've known Karyn a number of years ago but I knew of her long before that because she was my nemesis. She'd turned her website SaveKaryn.com into a book and sold a movie about it, too. I'd log on to her site, read about her success, and I'd use my bitterness about what she'd accomplished as motivation to start my own website and write my own book. (Still waiting for the movie, though.) When I finally met her, she won me over in the first five seconds and she's since become one of my dearest friends. Isn't she adorable? Anyway, even though she sold her memoir to a movie studio, that's no guarantee it would ever see an audience. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the movie doesn't get made. Which sucks. But that's not the kind of detail that stops Karyn. I mean look at the top picture; if she doesn't care about pesky stuff like the laws of gravity, she's certainly not going to worry about percentages. So she...

What's Your Number?

This is my friend Karyn. Nope, she's not the bride. She's the one with her feet in the air. I chose this shot because it best sums up everything Karyn is. I've known Karyn a number of years ago but I knew of her long before that because she was my nemesis. She'd turned her website SaveKaryn.com into a book and sold a movie about it, too. I'd log on to her site, read about her success, and I'd use my bitterness about what she'd accomplished as motivation to start my own website and write my own book. (Still waiting for the movie, though.) When I finally met her, she won me over in the first five seconds and she's since become one of my dearest friends. Isn't she adorable? Anyway, even though she sold her memoir to a movie studio, that's no guarantee it would ever see an audience. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the movie doesn't get made. Which sucks. But that's not the kind of detail that stops Karyn. I mean look at the top picture; if she doesn't care about pesky stuff like the laws of gravity, she's certainly not going to worry about percentages. So she wrote a novel and called it Twenty Times a Lady. And she sold another movie based on her book. And this time? Karyn's movie got made. You can see What's Your Number in theaters everyone September 30th! To celebrate the coming film and the re-release of the Twenty Times...

Knowledge Is Power(?)

While reading last night, I ran across the word "merlon" and I didn't know what it meant, so I looked it up. According to the Kindle dictionary, a "merlon" is "the solid part of an embattled parapet between two embrasures." Well... thanks very much for the clarification. (In my head I've decided it's the red wine that wizards drink.)

The Last Blast of Summer Giveaway - UPADTED WITH WINNER!

UPDATE: And the winner is... Jackie Nelson! Jackie, I'll be emailing you shortly to get your shipping info. For everyone else, thanks for playing and happy reading! * * * I'm now halfway through the second book in the Game of Thrones series and I'm pretty much driving Fletch crazy at this point with all my talk of Imps and smallfolk and kingslayers. When I called him for dinner by suggesting he join me in sharing meat and mead, he begged me to please, for the love of God, read something else. And I will. Eventually. So, if due to my George R.R. Martin suggestion, you're making your own bannermen family nutty, I offer you this small fix: I'm giving away this collection of fun beach reads today to one lucky winner to enjoy before the summer's over. I love each of these books so much - Beth Harbison's story is witty, soulful, and introspective (with bonus '80s nostalgia, so you know I'm all about that,) Celia Rivenbark is my liberal Southern soul sister, and Laurie Notaro not only invented/perfected the funny essay but continues to raise the bar. To enter, write the phrase "Winter is coming"in the comments section. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Entries will close at 5:00 PM CST and I'll pick a winner by random number generation. One entry per person/IP address and void where prohibited and all that jazz. Good luck! Now I've got to go see a man about a dragon...

The Last Blast of Summer Giveaway

I'm now halfway through the second book in the Game of Thrones series and I'm pretty much driving Fletch crazy at this point with all my talk of Imps and smallfolk and kingslayers. When I called him for dinner by suggesting he join me in sharing meat and mead, he begged me to please, for the love of God, read something else. And I will. Eventually. So, if due to my George R.R. Martin suggestion, you're making your own bannermen family nutty, I offer you this small fix: I'm giving away this collection of fun beach reads today to one lucky winner to enjoy before the summer's over. I love each of these books so much - Beth Harbison's story is witty, soulful, and introspective (with bonus '80s nostalgia, so you know I'm all about that,) Celia Rivenbark is my liberal Southern soul sister, and Laurie Notaro not only invented/perfected the funny essay but continues to raise the bar. To enter, write the phrase "Winter is coming"in the comments section. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Entries will close at 5:00 PM CST and I'll pick a winner by random number generation. One entry per person/IP address and void where prohibited and all that jazz. Good luck! Now I've got to go see a man about a dragon...

Libby Lessons

Check out the left cheek action going on here. What did Libby learn today? Bees bite back.

The (Mid)August Reading List

One of the best things I've ever read isn't a book at all. Rather, it's a journal post by Neil Gaiman and it includes the greatest line ever written: George R.R. Martin is not your bitch. Okay, fine, feel free to argue that other authors have tossed out a few better one liners, e.g. "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times," or "Happy families are all alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." But personally, no other line has spoken to me more as an author, which is why I quote it all the damn time. Honestly, I get frustrated when readers complain about my not writing enough... or enough of what they want. You'd be shocked at the vitriol in some of the mail I've received about If You Were Here. There's a small faction who are completely incensed at my having penned a novel instead of another memoir. But here's the thing - Fletch and I have worked so hard to create a normal, secure life. We've made the kind of decisions that specifically insure that crazy shit happens a whole lot less often. For example, we bought a house where we wouldn't have run-ins with our neighbors because I don't actually enjoy having run-ins with our neighbors. (Of course, Fletch does. But fortunately, lawn maintenance has become his ad hoc nemesis, so it's all good.) Point? Our lives are calm (ergo boring) by design. Another drawback is that in...

So This Is How I Spent My Thursday Afternoon

Camera would have been more steady if I hadn't been laughing so hard. Sorry about that. Afterward, Fletch and I paid $10 to get our picture taken with the second-place monkey on our lap. I'd show it to you now, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be our Christmas card.

"Do I feel lucky?" Well, Do Ya, Punk? UPADTED WITH WINNERS!

*This contest is now closed because the winners have been picked at random. They are... Tricia who blogs here Peach who blogs here Gingermandy who blogs here Caprice will be emailing each of you to get your shipping information. I appreciate you all for playing along at home! Stay tuned for a couple of other cool book giveaways (namely Beth Harbison and Laurie Notaro) which I'll do in a few days after I get a little more in front of some looming deadlines. Thank you! * * * Who's up for a giveaway? If your answer is, "I am, I am!" then this is your lucky day. To celebrate the release of my friend Caprice Crane's new novel With a Little Luck tomorrow, we're giving away signed copies today! Here's the official description: If love is in the cards, then somebody stacked the deck. Los Angeles radio DJ Beryl "Berry" Lambert, whose name means luck, doesn't much believe in it—although, thanks to her dear old gambling dad, she's a bit superstitious, certain that everything happens for a reason. She keeps a four-leaf clover in her wallet, never takes off her horseshoe necklace, and won't tempt fate by walking under a ladder or opening an umbrella indoors. Ever. When it comes to love, though, she could use a little luck. Two disastrous relationships back-to-back can mean only one thing to a woman who knows that everything good or bad happens in threes: A third Mr. Wrong is imminent. But fellow DJ...