jennsylvania

Sixteen, No, Forty Really Self-Promote-y Candles

What are you doing on March 24th?

If you're in the Chicago area (or, as I like to say, If You Were Here), join me for what's going to be the coolest event ever!

What:  A screening of the beloved John Hughes classic film Sixteen Candles, coupled with onstage conversation, audience Q&A, and a book signing! 

Who:  Do I need to mention the signing is with me?  Because the signing is with me if that wasn't abundantly clear. 

Where:  Theater Wit, 1229 West Belmont, Chicago, IL

When:  2:00 PM, Saturday, March 24th

What Else:  Tickets are $40 and the price includes admission, a signed copy of the paperback release of If You Were Here, and a champagne toast! 

Why:  Because there's an entire generation who's never seen the glory that is Jake Ryan on the big screen!

The event is limited to 100 people, so if you're interested, buy your tickets here and now!

(This is the paperback cover.  It's the same book as the one with the welcome mat, except this edition has a Q&A and a reader's guide in which I detail exactly which incidents are true, as well as a sneak preview of Jeneration X.)

As a quick reminder, here are the deets to my Spring Break Book Tour for the IYWH paperback release:

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

MIAMI, FL

Books & Books

265 Aragon Ave

Coral Gables, FL 33134

8 PM

 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7

VERO BEACH, FL

Vero Beach Book Center

2145 Indian River Blvd

Vero Beach, FL 32960

6 PM

 

THURSDAY, MARCH 8

JACKSONVILLE, FL

Barnes and Noble

10280 Midtown Parkway

Jacksonville, FL 32246

7 PM

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 9

PHOENIX, AZ

Barnes and Noble

21001 N. Tatum Blvd.

Phoenix, AZ 85050

7 PM

 

Finally, tour dates and cities for the memoir Jeneration X will be coming as soon as the events are nailed down!

(This is the cover of Jeneration X.  Get it?  It's a ceral box!  Also, I get in trouble if I don't show the cover often enough, so there you go.)

Thanks and I hope to see you out there somewhere this spring!

(P.S. Yes, I'll post a photos of Fletch's hateful photos tomorrow.  Or, you could just come to the Sixteen Candles event and see it live and in person.  Totally your call.)

 

If You Were Here (in Florida)

Every year when we plan book tour cities, I promise the folks in Florida that I'll do my best to get there.

And I have always failed you, Florida.

Until now.

Which is why I'm delighted to announce Jen's Spring Break Book Tour, coordinating with the paperback release of If You Were Here!

Before I get to the details, here's a look at the new cover and step-back (the page behind the cover that peeks through.)

Get it?  The house is a cutout and it opens to a bucket of yellow paint.  I'm crazy in love with the new look for fiction because hopefully this will lessen the amount of angry email I receive, admonishing me for buying Jake Ryan's house and changing my name to Mia without explanation. 

I wish I were kidding.

Actually, that's why I felt it was important to include a reader's guide with this book along with a behind the scenes explanation of what is and isn't true.  (Hint: a lot less than you'd expect.)  I'll make the reader's guide available free/online as soon as the paperback comes out in March.

Or I could just tell you about everything in person at the following events:

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

MIAMI, FL

Books & Books

265 Aragon Ave

Coral Gables, FL  33134

8 PM

 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7

VERO BEACH, FL

Vero Beach Book Center

2145 Indian River Blvd

Vero Beach, FL  32960

6 PM

 

THURSDAY, MARCH 8

JACKSONVILLE, FL

Barnes and Noble

10280 Midtown Parkway

Jacksonville, FL  32246

7 PM

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 9

PHOENIX, AZ

Barnes and Noble

21001 N. Tatum Blvd.

Phoenix, AZ  85050

7 PM

We're hoping that those who don't live down there might be on spring break at that time, in which case I look forward to meeting non-Floridians, too!  If you're not in Florida (or Arizona) fear not, because I'll be doing some other fun events, like a John Hughes bus tour of the North Shore.

Two months after that, I'll be on a national tour for the new memoir Jeneration X and probably again in the late fall for my yet untitled novel. 

What I'm saying is you'll see a lot of me next year.

I should probably start working out again.

Most likely I'll just spray-tan.

See you then!

One More Week

After two weeks on the road I can sum up the current state of my household in three words:

Everyone's gone feral.

Phoenix, San Diego, Portland, and Seattle, see you guys this week!

Fletch, Loki, Maisy, Libby, and assorted cats, see you guys on the news.

In Case You Missed Them - Tour Dates! And a Bonus Excerpt!

I may have mentioned two or three (thousand) times that my first novel If You Were Here comes out next Tuesday.

What's it about? 

It's about toilets raining from the ceiling. 

It's about a spite-fueled campaign to bring down a local gang member and Stephenie Meyer. 

It's about forty-five dollar light bulbs and turf wars over ornamental cabbages and why HGTV causes smart people to make terrible choices. 

It's about how one fictional teenager with a brush-cut and a birthday cake completely alters everyone's life and bank account. 

It's about vaguely homicidal and occasionally naked Polish grandmothers. 

And it neatly answers the question, "What if Paris Hilton were my landlord?"

You can read an excerpt here.

As for the tour, please check with the individual bookstore regarding their policies about signings as they will vary. 

Sometimes tickets are required, sometimes a purchase is required.  Sometimes they'll only allow one older book to be signed from your collection.  I'm extremely grateful these stores are taking the time, effort, and expense to host us.  Please note any criterion the individual bookseller sets is meant to keep lines moving and accommodate as many readers as possible, so I ask you to please respect their rules.

Here's where I'll be:

TUESDAY, MAY 3

WASHINGTON, DC 

BARNES & NOBLE

555 12th St. NW

6:30 PM 

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4

RICHMOND, VA 

SAM MILLER’S RESTAURANT (The Boat Room)

1210 East Cary Street

*Books sold by Fountain Bookstore.  Please note this is a ticketed event.

6:30 PM 

 

THURSDAY, MAY 5

ATLANTA, GA 

BARNES & NOBLE

2900 Peachtree Road NE

7:00 PM 

 

FRIDAY, MAY 6

DALLAS, TX

BARNES & NOBLE

7700 West Northwest Hwy

7:00 PM 

 

SATURDAY, MAY 7

CHICAGO, IL 

BARNES & NOBLE

1441 West Webster Avenue

6:00 PM 

 

TUESDAY, MAY 10

NEW YORK, NY 

BARNES & NOBLE

33 East 17th Street

7:00 PM 

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11

PHILADELPHIA, PA

BARNES & NOBLE

1805 Walnut Street

5:30 PM 

 

 

THURSDAY, MAY 12

PITTSBURGH, PA

BARNES & NOBLE

100 West Bridge Street

Homestead, PA  15120

7:00 PM 

 

FRIDAY, MAY 13

KANSAS CITY, MO

UNITY TEMPLE

707 West 47^th Street

*Books sold by Rainy Day Books  - Please note this is a ticketed event.

7:00 PM

 

TUESDAY, MAY 17

PHOENIX, AZ

BARNES & NOBLE

21001 N. Tatum Blvd.

7:00 PM 

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18

SAN DIEGO, CA

BARNES & NOBLE

10775 Westview Parkway

7:00 PM

 

THURSDAY, MAY 19

PORTLAND, OR

BARNES & NOBLE

12000 SE 82nd Avenue

7:00 PM 

 

FRIDAY, MAY 20

SEATTLE, WA

THIRD PLACE BOOKS

17171 Bothell Way NE

Lake Forest Park, WA  98155

6:30 PM 

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

MILWAUKEE, WI

BARNES & NOBLE

2500 N. Mayfair Rd

Wauwatosa, WI  53226

7:00 PM 

Thanks, and hope to see you (if you were here!)

Coming Soon to a Town Near You (Maybe)

Here's the preliminary list of 2011 If You Were Here tour cities...

TUESDAY, MAY 3

WASHINGTON, DC

BARNES & NOBLE

555 12th St. NW

6:30 PM 

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4

RICHMOND, VA

SAM MILLER’S RESTAURANT (The Boat Room)

1210 East Cary Street

*Books sold by Fountain Bookstore

6:30 PM 

 

THURSDAY, MAY 5

ATLANTA, GA

BARNES & NOBLE

2900 Peachtree Road NE

7:00 PM 

 

FRIDAY, MAY 6

DALLAS, TX

BARNES & NOBLE

7700 West Northwest Hwy

7:00 PM 

 

SATURDAY, MAY 7

CHICAGO, IL

BARNES & NOBLE

1441 West Webster Avenue

6:00 PM 

 

TUESDAY, MAY 10

NEW YORK, NY

BARNES & NOBLE

33 East 17th Street

7:00 PM 

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11

PHILADELPHIA, PA

BARNES & NOBLE

1805 Walnut Street

5:30 PM 

 

 

THURSDAY, MAY 12

PITTSBURGH, PA

BARNES & NOBLE

100 West Bridge Street

Homestead, PA  15120

7:00 PM 

 

FRIDAY, MAY 13

TBA

 

TUESDAY, MAY 17

PHOENIX, AZ

BARNES & NOBLE

21001 N. Tatum Blvd.

7:00 PM 

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18

SAN DIEGO, CA

BARNES & NOBLE

10775 Westview Parkway

7:00 PM

 

THURSDAY, MAY 19

PORTLAND, OR

BARNES & NOBLE

12000 SE 82nd Avenue

7:00 PM 

 

FRIDAY, MAY 20

SEATTLE, WA

THIRD PLACE BOOKS

17171 Bothell Way NE

Lake Forest Park, WA  98155

6:30 PM 

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

MILWAUKEE, WI

BARNES & NOBLE

2500 N. Mayfair Rd

Wauwatosa, WI  53226

7:00 PM 

Will post the details for the May 13th event after they're confirmed, so there's one more city to be named.

Overall, I'm really happy to be hitting some new places this year and returning to some old favorites.  I'm sorry if your city isn't on the list, but we did all we could to accommodate the requests we had.  Again, thank you all for casting your votes!

(And winter reading list is coming tomorrow!)