Lancaster, Jen 1967-

PERSONAL:

Born November, 1967; married, September, 2002; husband's name Fletcher. Education: B.S. (with honors), 1996. Politics: Republican.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Chicago, IL. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Worked for an HMO; associate vice president of a technology company.

WRITINGS:

Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered, Smart-Ass; or, Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office (fiction), New American Library (New York, NY), 2006.

Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self- Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why It Often Sucks in the City; or, Who Are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? (fiction), New American Library (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to Web site Snarkywood.

SIDELIGHTS:

Jen Lancaster's book Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered, Smart-Ass; or, Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office is a fictionalized memoir of the author's unapologetic quest for power and money, and what happened when she lost her lucrative job as vice president of a firm. At first, her live-in boyfriend's salary was enough to carry them along, although in less fashionable style than she would have liked. They married, mainly in the hope of receiving numerous cash gifts, but when Lancaster's husband also lost his job, they spiraled further downward, eventually struggling even to hang on to an apartment in a low-rent neighborhood. Lancaster began an online blog about unemployment, and eventually took up work with a temporary agency. In a sarcastic and self-mocking tone, she chronicles the transition from carefree spending on penthouse apartments and designer clothing to struggling to find enough money to pay for groceries and housing. Bitter Is the New Black had its origins in Lancaster's unemployment blog, which brought her enough attention to facilitate the sale of her book.

Some reviewers noted a similar tone in Lancaster's work to that of the chick-lit genre, such as transcriptions of e-mail and instant messages, reproductions of lists compiled by the central character, and so forth. The book is different from most, however, in that the central character is not searching for a man. It is "distinctive and hilarious," according to Cara Seitchek in Small Spiral Notebook, and "the underlying reality of the author's story gives the book a depth and strength that chick-lit novels can lack." A California Bookwatch reviewer called Bitter Is the New Black a "refreshing comedy" full of "hilarious moments."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

California Bookwatch, April, 2006, review of Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered, Smart-Ass; or, Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office.

Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2006, review of Bitter Is the New Black, p. 30.

Publishers Weekly, February 7, 2005, Jason Anthony, article about the sale of Bitter Is the New Black, p. 14; December 12, 2005, review of Bitter Is the New Black, p. 50.

ONLINE

Conversations with Famous Writers,http://conversationsfamouswriters.blogspot.com/ (November 12, 2006), interview with Jen Lancaster.

Jen Lancaster's Home Page,http://www.jennsylvania.com (November 12, 2006).

Jen Lancaster's Myspace Page,http://www.myspace.com/jennsylvania (November 12, 2006).

Small Spiral Notebook,http://www.smallspiralnotebook.com/ (November 12, 2006), Cara Seitchek, interview with Jen Lancaster and review of Bitter Is the New Black. *