Yesterday I was trying to decide if I really needed to head over to the Barnes and Noble in Union Square to meet/see Jen Lancaster for a third time. One friend reminded me that hasn’t stopped me with Tori Amos. Another said absolutely if I wanted to go. And the answer was yes. But I decided if I was going, I was going all out. Which meant I was running by Best Buy to buy another memory card to replace the one I oh so smartly left at home (because a camera in your purse is very useful in that state). It meant I was getting there in time to have a good spot (front row/center – check). And it meant I was coming bearing cupcakes from Sage General Store (nom).

Jen Lancaster - My Fair Lazy Book Tour

Jen Lancaster - My Fair Lazy Book Tour

I didn’t know it was possible, but the room was even more full than it was last year for her reading for Pretty in Plaid. It was starting to fill up well before 6pm. She started reading promptly at 7pm and shared the portion of My Fair Lazy where she buys her first car (in large part due to the refrigerated compartment - I agree, a nice feature!) and continues her explorations in expanding her cultural horizons by going to the Art Institute of Chicago. I find her work hilarious, but even moreso when she’s there in person reading. Facial expressions are a definite plus. If you liked her other books, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. I am about halfway in, and foresee wrapping it up before the weekend ends.

Me with Jen Lancaster

Me with Jen Lancaster

As always it was a pleasure to meet Jen. She told a story beforehand about her traumatic experience during the stop on her tour in Alabama (looks like she stopped by the Summit in Birmingham, an area I know well). I can’t recall all of the details, but high-level she had a run in with an ex-convict which traumatized her and led to her ending up with a hurricane the next day at her hotel in Houston. I joked as I gave her the cupcakes that I was there to apologize on behalf of the state of Alabama and that I came bearing sweet treats. She looked up, somewhat seriously, and asked if they were from Alabama. When I said no, she then said thanks. I told her they were from another area many in Manhattan want to claim is equally as far – Queens. She was lovely as always.

By the way (a little trivia), it never fails to astound me that:
1) No matter how much time/energy/money I put into the food portion of my blog, it’s this post on my first time meeting Jen that weekly draws in the most traffic. Perhaps it was the creative choice in name?
2) Do a Google search on “Jen Lancaster”. The third photo which comes up under images? Yeah, it’s mine. Not sure how that happened either!