I’ve been a fan of Jen Lancaster’s style since reading her first book ‘Bitter is the New Black.’ I’ve loved her edgy, yet fun and self-deprication throughout her career. She is one of my non-fiction heroes.
And when I found out she was coming to nearby Pasadena, CA (to Vroman’s Bookstore), I had to go. And quickly persuaded my husband to go–because that’s what good wives do.
By the time we got to the bookstore and I purchased the two books by her I had on hold, there were a LOT of people waiting. We grabbed seats and proceeded to hold onto our seats for a good 10 minutes before I got antsy (we were still about an hour out before the start of the author program)–so I decided to walk around the store while my husband (his normal sci/fi book was put into our car so the bookstore didn’t think we didn’t purchase it there) started reading Here I Go Again by the author.
He got 49 pages into the book before the event began. I did not browse and buy a ton of other things. Oh, and I decided not to start on the book until after the program, so that I didn’t get halfway through the book in the hour that we had.
Jen started off by letting the audience know to get pictures now, because in ten minutes she would probably be sweating a lot. And after that was a lot of laughter. A LOT. My husband and I were probably the most vocal of the laughing contingent, but there were a ton of things that were funny.
For example ‘Having a sister is like having a best friend you hate.’ While I don’t have a sister, I’ve seen enough of people’s relationships to feel like this is a great statement (and true!).
She also answered my question about asking if she ever held back (which I figured she does rarely) and told us a story that is not to be printed. YAY!!!!
She was super nice, responsive and I was so incredibly happy once I met her. Loved her rainbow scarf and while she was told people in LA ‘don’t read,’ the audience at Vroman’s on Friday night totally dispelled that myth. I also didn’t get very nervous, I ended up clamming up and not saying a lot of what I wanted to say, but had to push along because there was a REALLY long line.
I think my only real complaint (apart from the chairs) was the way the signing physically was conducted. There could have been some better crowd control to get everyone’s signed items quicker. Overall, I was super happy with the event, and cannot wait to dig deeper into Twisted Sisters.
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