Jen Lancaster's Blog, page 9

Chick Lit Is Alive and Well and Living in Lake County

Hey, all! I'm cross-posting this from Facebook, just in case anyone comes here who doesn't go there. Anyway, I'm super honored to be the author the lovely ladies of Chick Lit Is Not Dead chose to help them roll out their newest feature, 5 Things I'd Tell Teen Me! (Added bonus, if you read the interview, you'll see what the new novel is about!) (Sorry, Mac and Mia fans - there's new sheriff in town named Lissy Ryder and she demanded her story be told next. She's very pushy like that.) You can read the interview here AND register to win one of five free books! Happy anniversary to Chick Lit Is Not Dead and happy reading!

A Quick Reminder About Spring Break Book Tour!

If you're in Florida or Arizona, here's a quick reminder that I'll be seeing you soon! Below, I'm posting the event details, including each store's policy for writstbands and backstock so everyone should be on the same page (reading pun intended.) Again, because I appreciate the time and effort it takes these stores to bring us together, I ask that you please honor their rules. TUESDAY, MARCH 6 MIAMI, FL Books & Books 265 Aragon Ave Coral Gables, FL 33134 8 PM Phone: (305)442-4408 GUIDELINES: * Copies of IF YOU WERE HERE and backlist purchased from Books & Books will be eligible for signing, but books purchased outside the store will also be honored. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 VERO BEACH, FL Vero Beach Book Center 2145 Indian River Blvd Vero Beach, FL 32960 6 PM Phone: (772) 569-2050 GUIDELINES: * Copies of IF YOU WERE HERE and backlist purchased from Vero Beach Book Center will be eligible for signing, but books purchased outside the store will also be honored. Please note: If you bring a giant bag of books that have not been purchased at the store, prepare to wait until after others with books purchased at the store receive their signings. THURSDAY, MARCH 8 JACKSONVILLE, FL Barnes and Noble 10280 Midtown Parkway Jacksonville, FL 32246 7 PM Phone: (904) 928-2027 GUIDELINES: * Wristbands will be handed out for the signing line beginning at 9am the day of the event. Copies of IF YOU WERE HERE and backlist purchased from Barnes...

You Know Who You Are

An Open Letter to That Guy, You met a girl who appealed to you. Maybe you liked her hair or her face or her figure. Maybe you liked her easy smile or her quick laugh. Maybe you liked what a good sport she was when you "met cute," accidentally taking her skim-mocha-no-whip instead of yours, or tangling her up in your dog's leash. For whatever reason, something about this girl made you want to find out more about her. So you asked her out. You enjoyed your date, so you asked her out again. Turns out you liked her so much that you suggested you date exclusively. You introduced her to your friends and your family. You found yourself seeking her counsel on little things, like what tie you should wear or if you should order in Thai food for lunch. And at some point, you found yourself not being "you" so much as "you and her." You started thinking about your future. And you couldn't imagine it without her in it. So you spent weeks looking for just the right ring and you agonized over the perfect way to ask her to marry you. And she said yes. And it was the happiest day of your life. Then you spent a year helping her plan every minute of the Big Day. There were no decisions she didn't run past you, from napkin color to whether or not you should write your own vows. This wasn't her wedding; it was...

The Bungalow Giveaway! (The Book, Not An Actual Beach House) UPDATED WITH WINNERS!

* * * VOTING NOW CLOSED! WINNERS ARE: Mac - who won't leave home without her (his?) iPad and passport Sarah - who insists on taking a book from the library Laurel - who's a little superstitious and brings her St. Christopher medal I'll be emailing each of you to get addresses (which is how you'll officially know if you're the Mac, Sarah, and Laurel who won.) Thanks for playing!! * * * Last month I had to travel to New York for business. This is where it would be fun to say, "By business, I mean monkey business!" because New York's that kind of town. But pretty much I just went to meetings all day, every day, except when I met my friends Caprice and Blackbird for various fish-based meals before crawling into bed at 9:30 PM. Anyway, I'm someone who can normally amuse myself in public situations without a lot of outside electronic stimulus (read: quietly judge everyone in the vicinity) but when I fly, I'm loaded for bear. And by loaded for bear, I mean I board carrying an iPad (for games and in-flight surfing and movies), a Kindle, an iPod Touch (which is also loaded with movies in case the iPad goes down, as well as music), an iPhone (because it's a phone but because it also houses my music library), etc. But as my dear friend Alec Baldwin* recently learned, flight attendants aren't kidding when they say you have to stow all that shit upon...

The Bungalow Giveaway! (The Book, Not An Actual Beach House)

Last month I had to travel to New York for business. This is where it would be fun to say, "By business, I mean monkey business!" because New York's that kind of town. But pretty much I just went to meetings all day, every day, except when I met my friends Caprice and Blackbird for various fish-based meals before crawling into bed at 9:30 PM. Anyway, I'm someone who can normally amuse myself in public situations without a lot of outside electronic stimulus (read: quietly judge everyone in the vicinity) but when I fly, I'm loaded for bear. And by loaded for bear, I mean I board carrying an iPad (for games and in-flight surfing and movies), a Kindle, an iPod Touch (which is also loaded with movies in case the iPad goes down, as well as music), an iPhone (because it's a phone but because it also houses my music library), etc. But as my dear friend Alec Baldwin* recently learned, flight attendants aren't kidding when they say you have to stow all that shit upon takeoff and landing, so in addition to the Best Buy I normally lug, I always have an old school book with me. I attended a bookseller's convention last fall and as one of the perks, attendees were encouraged to circle the floor, stuffing as many free books in their gratis tote bags as possible. Wait, that was my interpretation. In actuality, this organization posted a sign asking guests to "not be greedy." As...

Sell Out

The bad news? The Sixteen Candles event has already sold out. Thanks to everyone who signed up and I'll see you in March! For those who missed out, I'm really sorry. None of us involved in setting up the event had any idea the seats would go so quickly. The good news? Here's a shot of my nemesis, The Beard. Googly eyes - they're not just for craft projects anymore! Granted, Fletch isn't all ZZ Top yet, but that's only because it's been a month since he stopped shaving. Ladies, DO NOT LET YOUR HUSBANDS TRY THIS AT HOME. Anyway, the best news? I'm doing a book giveaway tomorrow, so hope to see you then!

Sixteen, No, Forty Really Self-Promote-y Candles

What are you doing on March 24th? If you're in the Chicago area (or, as I like to say, If You Were Here), join me for what's going to be the coolest event ever! What: A screening of the beloved John Hughes classic film Sixteen Candles, coupled with onstage conversation, audience Q&A, and a book signing! Who: Do I need to mention the signing is with me? Because the signing is with me if that wasn't abundantly clear. Where: Theater Wit, 1229 West Belmont, Chicago, IL When: 2:00 PM, Saturday, March 24th What Else: Tickets are $40 and the price includes admission, a signed copy of the paperback release of If You Were Here, and a champagne toast! Why: Because there's an entire generation who's never seen the glory that is Jake Ryan on the big screen! The event is limited to 100 people, so if you're interested, buy your tickets here and now! (This is the paperback cover. It's the same book as the one with the welcome mat, except this edition has a Q&A and a reader's guide in which I detail exactly which incidents are true, as well as a sneak preview of Jeneration X.) As a quick reminder, here are the deets to my Spring Break Book Tour for the IYWH paperback release: TUESDAY, MARCH 6 MIAMI, FL Books & Books 265 Aragon Ave Coral Gables, FL 33134 8 PM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 VERO BEACH, FL Vero Beach Book Center 2145 Indian River Blvd Vero Beach,...

I Don't Like Your Beard

I'm on book deadline. Again. That's why I haven't been around here much. Sorry about that. I have a very short period in which to get this one done so by the time I hit my goal every day, the last thing in the world I want to do is sit at my computer any more. (Fortunately I bought a fancy chair a few books back. The first three memoirs were written on this stupid wooden IKEA desk chair that didn't bend, flex, swivel, or give in any way. Hate that chair. Hate that chair SO MUCH. Yet when I finally got an Aeron, Fletch wouldn't let me throw Ol' Woody away, claiming that someday it would go in the Jen Lancaster Museum, next to my Barbie head and good burying shovel.) (I am currently unaware of any pending museum plans.) (I think he may have been drinking when he mentioned it.) Anyway, in my last post, a couple of things were going on - I was deeply engrossed in a stupid hidden object game and I didn't have a new literary agent. Now I have a fine new literary agent and I'm still deeply engrossed in a stupid hidden object game only now I'm on Level 32. (Am very impressed with my own ability to find hidden lotus flowers and yachts.) What else? Fletch has grown a beard so I've been quite busy actively hating it for a couple of weeks now. Dogs are fine. Libby ran off with...

Oxy-MORON

There's no other way of saying it... sometimes I'm just a dumbass. The background here is I recently made a major professional decision - I left the literary agency I've been with since 2003. (We had a great run and I have nothing but good things to say about them, yet it was time for a change.) Because it's really disrespectful to seek other representation while still under contract - kind of like finding a new spouse while still married to the old one - I'm currently a free agent. Right now I should be contacting writer friends/editors to find out who might share my artistic vision. I should be scanning deals in Publisher's Marketplace to see which agents represent authors I admire. I should be placing the finishing touches on my new memoir proposal so said agent has something to sell right out of the gate. And I should be booking a trip to New York to take meetings. "Should" is the operative word here. What I have been doing is playing this free game I downloaded on my iPad. "Free" is also an operative word because I'm pathologically opposed to forking over $1.99 for an app (except for Still Tasty which is essentially an online keep-my-dumb-ass-from-getting-food-poisoning-again program.) I like to say that the ghost of Steve Jobs does not need my dollar. (Too soon for Steve Jobs jokes?) Anyway, instead of doing my professional due diligence, I've been lost in the world of an iPad children's game because...

Sucks To Be You, 2011

I keep running across blog posts and tweets and articles summarizing last year, all of which can be condensed into three words: 2011 Blew Goats That's pretty much my assessment, too. Having lived through far more difficult times, I can't say that 2011 was my Worst. Year. Ever. but it definitely ranks in the top five, possibly the top three, at least in terms of stress and annoyances and situations going sideways. Seeing how we experienced three hundred and sixty-five days of illness (both of human and pet variety), professional catastrophes (oh, hi, one third of all bookstores closing), and overall worst case scenarios, I planned to ignore the holidays and start fresh in January. I decided we'd skip decorating/baking/shopping/entertaining and all the other assorted bits of holiday frippery because I just couldn't get behind putting a bow on the shit sandwich that was 2011. I was resolved. Fletch was not. He insisted we give this awful year a Viking funeral, setting it all on fire and sending it out to sea. I'm not sure how, exactly, but the nihilist/cynic I married somehow morphed into the unholy love child of Martha Stewart and Clark W. Griswold, playing the Bing Crosby Christmas channel 24/7 while slapping lights, pine boughs, and glitter on every item in this house that didn't move. And he even managed to decorate those items that did move. (It's hard to look noble while wearing jingle bells, but Loki pulls it off.) (Shame. Now in convenient hat form.)...