Jen Lancaster: A Biography

Jen Lancaster, author of books such as "Bright Lights, Big Ass", "Such a Pretty Fat" and "My Fair Lazy" wasn't always a successful chick-lit author.

Jen Lancaster was born in November 1967.

Starting in August 1985, Jen began college at a Big Ten School. After two years, she flunked out and lost her father's funding. The following semester, she began college paying her own way through. Her major wass Political Science, and she eventually graduated with honors in May 1996.

Post-graduation, Jen lands a job at an HMO in Chicago in the technology sales department, where she lives with her boyfriend, Fletch. She works there for four years.

March 1999, Jen left her HMO job for a job at a technology company. She powered up the corporate ladder, landing at Associate Vice President of the company.

In September 2000, Jen was recruited to work for the company of one of her clients. She ran three product lines as well as sales teams across seven different states. After September 11, 2001 and the terror attacks, Jen was laid off.

Jen and Fletch got married in Vegas in the summer of 2002.

In September 2002, Fletch is also laid off from his job, making their financial situation more dire.

In December 2002, Jen launched her website, Jennsylvania, to vent her frustrations about her status of unemployment.

Jen attempted to do temp jobs until August 2003, when Fletch found employment again. Jen quit temping in order to start her writing career. She picked up a literary agent, published her first essay. Jen also began her first novel.

"Bitter is the New Black", Jen's first novel, is published on March 7, 2006. It details Jen's rise to the top and her subsequent fall - unemployment struggles and all in Jen's trademark snarky and funny style.

Lancaster's second book, "Bright Lights, Big Ass" is published May 1, 2007. Jen continues her snarky assessment of city living in this book. The book description reads, "Jen Lancaster hates to burst your happy little bubble, but life in the big city isn't all it's cracked up to be. Contrary to what you see on TV and in the movies, most urbanites aren't party-hopping in slinky dresses and strappy stilettos. But lucky for us, Lancaster knows how to make the life of the lower crust mercilessly funny and infinitely entertaining."

On May 6, 2008, Lancaster's third book, "Such a Pretty Fat" is published. Jen focuses on weight, weight loss, healthy body images and the lighter side of it all in this novel, still attacking it with her usual sense of humor.

May 4, 2010 marked the release of the fourth book. This time, "Pretty in Plaid" takes us back in Jen's life prior to "Bitter is the New Black". According to the product description, "Before she was bitter, before she was lazy, Jen Lancaster was a badge- hungry Junior Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn't know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive who found herself bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this hilarious and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life-and wardrobe-and reveals a young woman not so different from the rest of us."

"My Fair Lazy", Jen's latest novel, was released at the same time as the reprint of "Pretty in Plaid". "My Fair Lazy" is Jen's attempt to introduce herself to culture beyond the reality television she loves.

Jen currently lives in Chicago with her husband, Fletch and dogs Loki and Maisy.

Jennsylvania: Blog of Jen Lancaster