Jen Lancaster's Blog, page 19

You're Right, Germany - Gucci Was SO Yesterday

Apparently the German edition of Bitter comes out tomorrow. If you've got any friends who sprechen Deutsch, let them know they can order here. Maybe if Germany likes me enough, I'll be the second coming of Hasselhoff. (But probably not.)

Forty-Two Candles

Sometimes my Twitters require a visual aid, so here goes... Me: You like like Jake Ryan today. Fletch: Yeah? Me: (squinting) Well, sort of. Actually, you look like Jake Ryan if he was twenty-five years older and after a bender. Fletch: In other words, I look like Vince Vaughn. "You say Vince Vaughn like it's a bad thing." Now we're going to have birthday cake. But we're probably going to sit at the table, not on it.

Yeah, I'm Going There... TEAM SNOOKI

So... apparently I'm not the only one working on a novel. Snooki's writing a book, too, titled A Shore Thing. The second the announcement was made, every literary blog and pop culture site exploded, mostly with speculation on whether or not Snooki has even read a book. (According to the New York Times, she has. Snooki's library contains Twilight and Dear John.) Per the S & S press release, the novel will "revolve around a girl looking for love on the boardwalk - one full of big hair, dark tans, and fights galore." In each article I've read, this is the point where everyone starts trash-talking Snooki and Simon & Schuster and bemoaning the state of publishing. I'm not going to do that because I don't see this book as being a harbinger of the apocalypse. Now I can understand why other writers might be upset at the notion of Snooki getting a book deal. I mean, this is the girl who didn't know what to do with chicken once it fell on the floor. (Hint: throw it away.) But Snooki won't be writing A Shore Thing alone. I don't have firsthand confirmation on this particular project, but books of this nature almost always have a ghostwriter. Sometimes the ghostwriter does everything, sometimes they get ideas from the celebrity and flesh them out on their own, and sometimes it's a true collaboration. My point is a skilled ghostwriter will not only be proficient in putting together a coherent narrative but...

I'm Still Alive

When I go more than two weeks without blogging, I inevitably get notes asking if I'm dead, accompanied by a little frowny face. To be very clear, I'm not dead. But I thank you for your concern and I appreciate your finding the appropriate emoticon to sum up the state of my mortal being. The thing is, I have a column due before Monday and a book due in a month and obviously those deadlines are taking precedence over Important Wallpaper Removal Blog Updates, Now with 20% More Photos. (Please insert the emoticon of your choice here.) To prove I'm not dead, here's a photo of me having a spirited conversation with Trisha Yearwood last month. (Apparently she likes me.) (No, really, I swear.) (She announced it in a room full of bookselling reps and I count this as one of the five most awesome moments of my life.) (Which I am still actively living. As I'm not dead.) Yes, she IS very tall as I'm almost 5'8". No word on whether she and Garth would like to visit us at the ol' homestead (particularly as contact information was not exchanged, nor any sort of mentions made) but I'm too busy in the Word Factory anyway. Plus not all of the wallpaper is gone yet. But if you happen to run into her, please let her know I'll be free in a month. And the walls will have been repainted. More importantly, I plan on being alive then, too.

Like Tapas, Only With Words

Bit of a mixed plate for you today - none of these bits are enough for a proper entry, but maybe by being served together, they'll add up to a whole meal. * * * Did you see Stacey's response to my post yesterday? She killed me dead and now I have a sore throat from laughing. * * * Also, I'm not sure when my new column's going to be posted in the Trib, but here's a link to it on the Tribune Media Services page. * * * This is from Fletch's "blog" on Facebook. Much as I like to discourage him fr...

The Elephant In The Living Room

At some point I'm going to learn to make announcements prior to the last minute. Today is not one of those days. But so you know, my friend Stacey Ballis is doing some book signings this week and Fletch and I will be there. Okay, maybe Fletch won't be at the second one, but he's definitely coming tonight as he's currently in the middle of a steamy bromance with Gina's boyfriend. Here are the specifics: Tuesday September 14 7pm Reading/Signing Barnes and Noble Webster Place 1441 W. Webster Chi...

We Interrupt This Short Break

Hey! Look at me! Typing on the internet! Haven't seen THAT in a while, eh? So, before I can get to the story of my prolonged absence, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that my friend Stacey's new book Good Enough to Eat comes out today. Here's the thing - this book is certainly Good Enough to Buy on its own merits in terms of plot, characters, and dialogue. Stacey is an accomplished writer and her stories never cease to hold my attention. What you may not know is that she's my best friend and...

Some Things Can't Be Explained In 140 Characters

How to give me a heart attack in four simple steps: 1) Be a distant temp job acquaintance of mine and mention your love of chick lit (five years ago.) 2) Wholeheartedly agree when I ask if you'd like to borrow some books (five years ago.) 3) Read and return said books (five years ago.) 4) Accidentally leave NAKED PICTURES OF YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS IN SAID BOOKS, WHICH I FINALLY FIND NOW THAT I'M UNPACKING FIVE YEARS LATER. Splat. Am dead now. On the up side, I'm a lot less embarrassed about all...

Cardboard Canyon, Let Me Show It To You

Hey, you know what was a GREAT idea? Deciding to move a month before I have to turn in a new book! Ha, ha, no stress here! So, until I get through this... And this... And this... I will leave you with this.... (my Trib column that I completely forgot to post earlier this month) and this.... (deets on how to win lunch with my best friend Stacey and me) and this... "Fuck you, Labradoodle." If you'll excuse me, I'm off to find an IV drip full of Xanax...

The Polite Thing To Do...

...would have involved pushing the slipped shade back on my head instead of whipping out his iPhone. So, yeah... still dealing with this move. Back soon with gratuitous swimming pit bull footage!