Colgan, Jenny 1971-

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COLGAN, Jenny 1971-

PERSONAL: Born 1971, in Ayrshire, Scotland; daughter of teachers; married Andrew Mueller (a marine engineer). Education: Attended Edinburgh University.

ADDRESSES: Home—London, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins Publishers, 77-85 Fulham Palace Rd., Hammersmith, London W6 8JB, England.

CAREER: Novelist. British National Health Service, administrator, for six years; worked as a cartoonist and stand-up comedian, London, England. Appears on radio programs.

WRITINGS:

Amanda's Wedding, HarperCollins (London, England), 1999, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Looking for Andrew McCarthy, HarperCollins (London, England), 2001.

Talking to Addison, HarperCollins (London, England), 2000, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Working Wonders, HarperCollins (London, England), 2003.

ADAPTATIONS: Amanda's Wedding was adapted as an audiobook, Brilliance Audio, 2001, and film rights were optioned by Warner Bros.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Do You Remember the First Time?, for HarperCollins.

SIDELIGHTS: As the author of Amanda's Wedding, Looking for Andrew McCarthy, and Talking to Addison, novelist Jenny Colgan has ridden a wave of popularity as one of the main success stories of the new British "chick literati." Often sharply criticized by the British literary establishment, this genre is exemplified by Helen Fielding's best-selling Bridget Jones's Diary. In a BBC News Online interview with Helen Bushby, Colgan responded to criticism of the chick-lit genre, noting: "Young women aren't stupid. We do actually know the difference between literature and popular fiction." Colgan went on to ascribe the success of chick lit to the fact that it is "funny—good, solid comedy writing."

Discussing how she got started on her first novel, Colgan noted on the HarperCollins Australia Web site: "I started writing Amanda's Wedding, and once I hit about twenty pages I realized I'd written longer than I'd ever written anything in my life. And I thought 'I wonder if I can keep going?'—and that's the way you write a book. Suddenly I found I'd got to The End." She believes budding authors can easily follow her path to success, suggesting during an iVillage.co.uk interview that aspiring authors "Join classes, write all the time, read as much as you can and keep at it. It's just about putting in the time."

Published in 1999, Amanda's Wedding is the story of Londoners Mel and Fran, two twentysomethings who are horrified to learn that the third member of their childhood trio, Amanda—an uppity, shallow brat who has burned them one too many times—has landed Fraser McConnell, a Scottish lord, as her fiancée. Compounding their annoyance is the fact that, during their university days, Mel—who serves as narrator—had a huge crush on Fraser. Finally, Mel, Fran, and Angus, Fraser's offbeat brother, combine forces to try and thwart Amanda's ambitions and save Fraser from a fate worse than death. Booklist reviewer Diana Tixier Herald wrote that Amanda's Wedding "unfolds like a movie and will please readers who yearn for sophisticated humor and a happily-ever-after ending."

Colgan began writing her third novel, Talking to Addison with the idea that all good-looking, successful men are interested in computers and probably Star Trek. Her novel follows Holly Livingstone, a florist in her late twenties who moves into a shared apartment and promptly falls in lust with one of her new roommates, Addison, despite the fact that he is a shy, nerdy type who spends most of his time at his computer. "At once unpredictable and endearing, this book should find its way into the hands of those ready for a chuckle at the expense of contemporary life," wrote Nancy McNicol in Library Journal. Working Wonders, Colgan's fourth book, focuses on a town planner who finds new inspiration after meeting vivacious management consultant Gwyneth Morgan.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2000, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Amanda's Wedding, p. 6; July, 2001, Joyce Sarlicks, review of Amanda's Wedding, p. 2029.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2000, review of Amanda's Wedding, p. 1630.

Library Journal, November 15, 2001, Nancy McNicol, review of Talking to Addison, p. 96.

New Statesman, September 24, 2001, Jennie Bristow, review of Talking to Addison, p. 52.

People, January 28, 2002, Allen Salkin, review of Talking to Addison, p. 43.

Publishers Weekly, December 4, 2000, review of Amanda's Wedding, p. 51; November 12, 2001, review of Talking to Addison, p. 33.