It probably wasn't nearly as big a day for her.
But for me?
It kinda rocked.
My family, all of the members of my book club, most of my close circle of friends, a few people on the street and a handful of other acquaintances have all heard me mention over the past few years that Jen Lancaster is one of my favorite writers.
And now I've met her.
She was just as excited to meet me. (Don't you think she looks excited?)
I read a lot of different things by a lot of different writers. Sometimes I read dark and heavy things and some of it is for fun. With Jen, it's for fun. I like her first person, non-fiction stuff about making lots of money, losing all of her money, and then making it big as a writer.
And I like her newer foray into fiction, too.
She's got a good sense of humor and a lot of her stories are silly but she came to my attention when I needed some light reads. Both of my parents were ill and Jen's take on life was a great diversion while I sat in hospital waiting rooms and dialysis clinics. When I read her first book and found that it was a guilty, but easy way to pass the time I looked for another, then another, then another.
Now that I've read them all I continue to patiently wait for her next book to come out each year.
I've seen her appearances on several talk shows.
I've seen the videos of all of her pets on You Tube.
I guess I've read almost every word Jen Lancaster has ever written, too. (I'm kind of a stalker). I read her blog. I follow her on Twitter. (But I would never, ever, go to her house - because she hates that.)
Several times I have said if she ever came to the Twin Cities I was going to see her.
That worked out a couple of weeks ago when she visited the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Edina.
The internet said we would have to get armbands to get in, which they started passing out at 9 a.m. Making the jaunt in the afternoon from Brainerd meant we wouldn't arrive in Edina until 5. I was a little bit nervous but a couple of calls to the bookstore during the day left us thinking we'd still make it in. (But it also meant skipping the decent sit-down dinner with a before book-signing toddy we'd been planning on too.) It also meant sitting in metal folding chairs for over an hour in front of a row of very loud, excitable, noisy Jen fans that lived close enough to the book-signing to have had a before book-signing toddy (possibly several).
The crowd was big for Jen's appearance. It was also 99.99999999999 percent female. (One faithful awesome young father bopped in a couple of times to talk to his wife, who was waiting with the rest of us for Jen, but he whispered to her briefly and then quickly disappeared.)
Most of the women were enthusiastic followers. Some of the them wore pearls (which I expected because, well, Jen lovers know Jen loves her pearls.)
Most of the women also toted one or more of her books because Jen vowed to stay until every one was signed. I (might) have had seven.
My daughters are awesome people and each took a couple of my books up for me to be signed. In fact they are so awesome one drove me down and the other missed her softball game so she could meet us there and I could have my big night.
They have listened to me quote, refer, and comment on Jen Lancaster for years.
They might roll their eyes at me but they respect my respect for her. (Besides there's a little something called 'Harry Potter' in their lives that I just know would warrant a visit to see J.K. Rowling if there were ever a possibility.)
(See. See their support and respect?)
I gotta say, Jen's book reading was fun!
Even my mocking daughters enjoyed her.
The questions she took from the audience were answered with the humor I was hoping for. Not surprisingly the first question was from a lady there with some girlfriends who wanted to know if Jen would like to have a drink with them after the book signing. Because the thing about Jen and her books is ... you really do feel like you kind of know her.
She was polite when she declined looking at the crowd and predicting she might be there awhile.
Everyone laughed through her presentation on trying to live for a year like Martha Stewart. Mostly because it was a crowd that could relate to the silly stories she shared about her life with her husband, her pets, and her everyday trials. (Not legal trials - her struggles with the aforementioned husband and pets).
Ah! Good ole' Jen.
She also left us thinking that she might come back to the cities again soon.
I hope so.
I forgot to get one of my books signed.
