Monday, May 24, 2010

Jen Lancaster ate my brain

Sometime this past summer my sister emailed me about a book she was reading that she couldn't put down.  Over the course of the next few days, she kept emailing me little tidbits that had me in hysterics and then finally she wrote "I think I might have to go to the doctor because I just shouldn't be laughing this much" or something like that.  Quite a recommendation and so I immediately picked up the book in question: Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster.

And boy was my sister right!  I DIED reading this book!  She so perfectly nailed so many parts of my life -- it's like she was inside my own brain as she talked about writing, procrastinating, getting in shape, procrastinating, thinking about what to wear on tour, reality TV, etc etc (and though the book is about more than that, these are the parts that really hit home for me).  I mean, Jen holds nothing back and she's fricking hilarious.

Naturally, I bought her entire backlist and have been cyber-stalking her ever since.  Her most recent book, My Fair Lazy, just came out and in reading the first few chapters I wanted to email her a millions times and say "OMG me too!"  Her story about a rat in the house -- we had that (a mouse, but pretty much the same talk with the four legged furry creatures that their JOB is to rid the house of such things); her story about winging over what luggage to buy for tour -- been there and boy have I done that (I dragged my mom around to seven different stores looking for just the right bag); going to a "writing retreat" while under deadline and knowing that really you're going to hang out and swim and not write -- totally done that!

So you can imagine my insane glee when I found out that Jen would be signing in Charlotte!  My hometown!  We rarely get authors and I've always wanted to go see how other authors do presentations on tour and so I *had* to go.  Luckily, my mom (also a fan) was in town and so we hopped in the car and off we went.

Everyone packed in to see Jen!
Of course, we forgot it was Race Weekend so a 20 minute drive turned into almost an hour and ended with me going way too fast down country roads to avoid the interstate.  But luckily, Jen was also a little late (due to said race weekend traffic) so I didn't miss anything!  Also, granted, the store perhaps wasn't expecting such a huge crowd and the set-up was a little awkward (probably over half the people there couldn't get into the area where Jen was because of people clogging the narrow entrance so we were spread out through the store with some people literally climbing the shelves trying to see her).

this was my view, you can see Jen's
head under the D in Video
But OMG it was so so worth it!  Jen is HILARIOUS in person!  She's the type of person you want to claim as your best friend (and I know everyone else there felt the same way I did).  She's just awesome.  She read a bit from her book, answered questions (lots of questions about reality TV that had my mom asking "who?" because clearly she doesn't watch as much as I do :)

While waiting for our time to stand in line (people stood in line according to what color ticket they got when they came through the doors), my mom and I headed over to the YA section where I ran into a display for The Dead-Tossed Waves which made me all squealy and happy!

Yes, I pet it a bit.
And then.... it was my time to stand in line to meet Jen.  I'm not going to lie, I got pretty nervous.  I mean, she's just a huge idol of mine because I love her writing and her wit and the way she's so honest about so much of this industry.  I'd been thinking about meeting her for WEEKS and I was afraid that I'd sound like an idiot or forget to tell her how wonderful I think she is.  And what's funny is that I *know* authors are people too but still!  And Jen was being wonderful because she was taking her time with each person or groups of people and you could tell that each conversation meant something to her.

It was time for Mom and I to meet her and I honestly can't remember much of what I said.  I'm pretty sure I told her how big a fans my entire family is of hers (I'd bought a copy of her book for her to sign to my sister) and then how I'm a YA author with Random House and how much Such a Pretty Fat meant to me cause I'd read it right when I found out that I was going on tour so it just really cracked me up on such a personal level.

Her eyes got bright when I said I wrote and she said "Who are you?" at which point I told her I wrote post-zombie apocalypse books and she started laughing and telling me about a project she was working on.  And then she asked if I had a card because she reads a lot of YA and thankfully I did have a card and then she said she'd read my books!  *faints*  She even tweeted about meeting me the next day!

Seriously, meeting Jen Lancaster was just pure amazing.
 
Mom, Jen and I.  I <3 Jen Lancaster!

9 comments:

Unknown said...

OMG!! I'm so jealous--I love Jen Lancaster *squee*. She is pure hilarity. When I saw Charlotte on her tour, I was thrilled (Columbia, SC gets even fewer authors than Charlotte) but, alas, my schedule just did not work out. *sad face*

Are you reading her blog? She doesn't post much but it's worth the wait. It's www.jennsylvania.com (I think I spelled it right...)

BTW, my students are reading TFOHT as part of our dystopian unit and LOVING it!! I've already lent out my copy of THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES multiple times, too. Keep writing that fabulousness!

Unknown said...

I love Jen Lancaster I have seen her twice on her trips to Houston. Her books and blog are my favorites!

Abby Stevens said...

It's awesome to see that even authors get nervous about meeting their favorite authors. :)

Chris {frecklemama} said...

Yes, her blog is hilarious and worth the wait for new posts! If I have to have bladder surgery (again) I'm going to have to send her the bill. I almost wet my pants every time I read anything she writes. :-)

Daisy Whitney said...

One of the many reasons I love book signings -- you never know what kind of connections you'll make!

Jana said...

I was at the signing Friday night too! My sister and I got to go to her signing last year for Pretty in Plaid and were thrilled that we were able to meet her again this year. I read her Tweet yesterday about reading TFOHT on the airplane so I checked out your site and will definately be reading your books!

Unknown said...

I had never heard of this author before! I've just added her to my TBR list. Thanks for the rec!

Anonymous said...

hello carrie, my name is windy and im 14 years old. im reading the dead-tossed waves now and i love it. its a thrill and very suspenceful. i would love if you could share your secrets with me about how you write. i try to write but its hard for me. i get so far and then i quit. i am trying to write books and i think of things all the time on how to write. my friend kileigh told me about your books and how she loves them. she told me i need to keep writing and that i should talk to you to get help on my writing and how not to abandon it. im a big fan and i love your books. maybe i will one day be able to write as well as you (:

Fifa 14 Ultimate Team Coins said...

I really like Jen Lancaster I've observed the woman's two times on her behalf outings in order to Houston. The woman's publications as well as weblog tend to be my personal faves!

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