A Jen-uine Delight

Photo by Jeremy Lawson

To celebrate International Chick Lit Month right here, we're all doing tributes to some of our favorite authors. Here is what Gail Allison had to say about Jen Lancaster.

About five years ago, I was packing for my first business trip (On an airplane! By myself!!) and decided that was as good a reason as any to buy a new book. But I didn’t want just any book. Oh, no. I was going to LEARN something and be a real businesswoman on this trip. (Epic fail, in case you’re wondering.) I walked over into the ‘serious’ section of the bookstore and began to peruse the biographies. I was going to learn about someone else, and how they persevered through tough times. I was going to see if these lessons could be applied to my life. I was going to read all abou....oooh! There is a lovely blue dress hanging from a pink quilted hanger on the front of this book! I MUST HAVE THIS! After the dust had cleared, I took a closer look at the full title of the book that I had just snatched off the shelf: "Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office" by Jen Lancaster.  I grinned to myself as I took the book up to the cashier. Yup. This was going to be a great business trip.

I couldn’t wait to get on the plane and start reading it. Luckily, the seat next to me was free because about four minutes into the book I was snorting in a completely unsuccessful attempt to conceal my hysterical laughter. I still warn people about Jen Lancaster’s books when I recommend them. If you’re looking for a book to read on public transportation, and you like having an empty seat next to you, buy this book! You’ll be convulsing with random bursts of laughter so often that you’ll have a completely empty radius of seats around you.

Once I got home, I was more than delighted to check out Jen Lancaster’s website, where she details her everyday life (when she’s not busy writing, editing, or out on book tour of course). With six memoirs under her belt as of May 1st, as well as one novel, Jen knows what she’s doing with the written word, but never gets repetitive or boring. Her straight-up, take-no-prisoners attitude leads the way through a series of everyday adventures ranging from hiring a personal trainer and trying to lose some weight to attempting to wrest her husband away from any number of Rachel Ray-inspired kitchen disasters. Jen’s writing is light and funny (crazy hilarious, in some cases), but she always comes back to the heart of the story. Yes, she’s decided to hire a personal trainer and gets stuck with the perfect blonde whose name is (of course) Barbie, but she still puts in the hours and tries to improve herself. The story never ends at the punchline for Jen, which is why I love her writing so much. It’s real life, but in bold font. And I think we can all attest to the fact that real life never ends at the punchline.

A word of caution: Jen isn’t afraid to make her opinions known, and occasionally peppers her conversation with four-letter-words. I’d say her books are a solid PG-13, so if this is a concern to you, either be ready for it or steer clear. I can’t say enough how much I enjoy her books and her website, though. She really appreciates her fans, her posts are written in the same tone as her books, and she even hosts giveaways! Come for the hilarious, stay for the free books!! All of Jen Lancaster’s books are permanent fixtures on my shelf. They’re funny, honest, and so enjoyable that you’ll read them again and again. I know I have.

Her latest memoir, "Jeneration X: One Reluctant Adult's Attempt to Unarrest Her Arrested Development; Or, Why It's Never Too Late for Her Dumb Ass to Learn Why Froot Loops Are Not for Dinner," was published this week and I can't wait to get my hands on it! Check out the trailer for it, as well!

Aside from her website, you can also find Jen on Facebook and Twitter.

More by Jen Lancaster: