Jessica Pan's Blog: Graduates in Wonderland

THE BALLERINAS, Rachel’s novel, is out now!

Did you read GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND and wonder if I was ever going to publish that novel that I wrote and re-wrote and re-wrote while emailing Jess from New York and Paris? Well, there’s no meet-cute-British-duke-romance in it, but my debut novel, THE BALLERINAS, is out TODAY!

The novel is about Delphine, a 30-something choreographer returning to Paris.  As she reunites with old friends, deep secrets start to emerge, threatening to destroy everything and everyone at the Paris Opera.

I still li...

Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come book by Jess out now!

 

I love all of my children equally! The American one on the left is messy, loud, optimistic, sassy and uses the letter z far more often. The British one on the right is more subdued, wittier, has a better grasp of European history, often judges the louder American one. I’m sad to report that as today is their book birthday, they are both GEMINIS!!! I know, I’m surprised, too. But I still love them. SORRY I’M LATE, I DIDN’T WANT TO COME is out TODAY in the USA and the UK.

Do I want you to...

New book from Jess – out in May 2019!

Hello!!

Jess here! Some updates since Graduates in Wonderland ended:

Rachel moved back to Paris! I’m visiting her TOMORROW via the Eurostar and I will be sleeping on her sofa. I still live in London! I’m still with Sam Singer! I still really like him so it looks like this just might stick! And I wrote a book about living as a gregarious insane extrovert despite it going against every fiber of my being and it’s coming out next year!

I am currently in a self-enforced social media blackout to...

I met David Sedaris

About ten years ago, I got a letter in the mail when I was living in Australia (the first time). I opened it and all it said was, “I’m so sorry I missed you. – David.”

That was it. No other evidence of who it was, except that the return address on the envelope was from Paris.

So a man, named David, was in Paris pining for me and he had tracked me down in Australia to tell me. But he was locked in a tower with no wi-fi or electricity, so he could only scratch out this letter to me, just to ma...

The Graduates on the new Gilmore Girls

So we know this is super-late, but cut us some slack—they took ten years to get back on the air, we can take a few weeks to process. Of course, we’re talking about the Gilmore Girls re-boot. Gilmore Girls, after all, is so important to us that we used to sneak into the apartment upstairs (where they had a better TV) to watch it.

If we’re being totally honest, Rachel’s had a few months to process this all. Jess waited to watch the new episodes until Christmas so she could watch with her mom. T...

Be Part of Our Emails!

Get the postbox ready…

Our book is our emails from Beijing to New York, Paris to Beijing, Melbourne to London. But that was before we knew you – and now we want you to be a part of our emails!

Get a round-up of our favorite things, what we’re up to, and travel tips, plus any ridiculous wisdomthat’s currently getting us through life. We also both have upcoming books, so stay in the loop. Sign up below:

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And here’s a bag we spotted in Glasgow that...

Michael Phelps and I Have A Lot in Common

Finally. An excuse to write about Michael Phelps. I wrote about cupping in GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND, because it was possibly the most terrible experience of my life. Here’s an excerpt in my letter from Beijing to Rachel in New York:

Anyway, we actually lost a little bit of time together because I got sick. It’s bitterly cold in Beijing, the air is dry, and I had a sore throat I couldn’t shake. My dad told me to go see a real doctor, but I’ve always wanted to try Traditional Chinese Medicine....

Rachel’s Kindle Ebook Launch: Old Hollywood Beauty Tips

Did you know that Marilyn Monroe used to shave her face? That Grace Kelly wandered around in turbans? That Napoleon tried to forbid Marie Antoinette from wearing high heels—and she didn’t comply?

No? Good news, then: Rachel’s Old Hollywood Beauty Tips eBooks are out today! Get your copy now!

And, because we love you so much, here’s a little taste (from Volume II!)

Shrink Your Pores

You know how you didn’t know pores were a thing until you were a teenager and some magazine told you they were...

Elves f**k and have better clothes than you

I went to elf school in Iceland and wrote about it for Jezebel:

“Every time I see a local ripping off a tourist for some ‘authentic’ experience, I think, ‘Who the hell is going to fall for that?’” Dylan, my ex-roommate, remarked a few months ago over breakfast. “And then I think, ‘Oh wait. There’s you.’”

“Why?” I asked.

“You paid money to shear a sheep in New Zealand,” he replied.

“So what? That was a great experience,” I said. (It was disgusting.)

“You’re the kind of person who would pay m...

Kate Bolick “Spinster” Profile

When I (Jess) was back home in Texas this summer, I picked up “Spinster” by Kate Bolick at Barnes and Noble, even though I’m not really the target audience. I’d read compelling reviews and wanted to know what the fuss was about.

I ended up reading this on the plane back to London – and finishednearly half of it before we’d landed. I was hooked. I wanted more of Kate Bolick’s life and more of her philosophy.

That weekend, I woke up toemail from an editor and old friend who wanted to know if I...