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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

You are here: Home / 3Ws / 3Ws – Jen Lancaster

3Ws – Jen Lancaster

October 24, 2014 Filed Under: 3Ws, author interviews, books are awesome, writing

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What do you create?

Professionally, I create what I hope are light, engaging reads.  I’ve written eight memoirs (despite having never pulled Chrysler out of bankruptcy) and three novels.  Thus far, seven of my books have hit the New York Times Best Seller List, which still feels surreal, particularly given the content.  For example, I wrote a weight loss memoir in which I didn’t actually lose any weight.  (However, Such a Pretty Fat did teach me to conduct a domain lookup, as I discovered the original title Pretty Fat linked to a big girl fetish site.)  Although I can’t imagine anyone will study my writing in a comparative lit class in 2114, right now, my work’s an excellent choice for airplanes, beaches, and anywhere else someone might need a laugh.

Personally, I’m perpetually monkeying around with something – whether it’s trying to arrange the perfect evergreen-based holiday tableau, refurbishing old furniture into something entirely fresh and new, or photographing dolls in a Twilight reenactment… because apparently I have a lot of free time on my hands when I’m not on deadline.

 

Why do you create?

I create because I can’t not create.  There’s never a point when both my hands and mind are idle.  I mean, I didn’t set out to be a writer – I simply had too many thoughts and feels about having been laid off that I was absolutely compelled to document it all.  That this ended up being my career?  Definitely a happy accident.  In retrospect, I feel like I’d have been better in the business world if I hadn’t been so busy mentally redecorating the conference rooms when I was stuck in boring meetings.

Plus, there’s such satisfaction in having created that it’s almost like an addiction.  I’m driven to find new forms of expression to perpetuate that high.  Sometimes it works, like how my furniture painting hobby turned into another line of business, and sometimes it doesn’t, like when commenters suggested I return to my job behind the perfume counter in response to the syndicated newspaper column I used to write.  Whether successful or not, I can’t stop chasing the creative dragon.

 

What do you consume?

The first thought to cross my mind here is – less.  I consume less now.  Last year, I had this big idea about recreating the Such a Pretty Fat experience.  I wanted a do-over because even though this memoir was considered a success (having spent a good portion of the debut summer on the Times list) I didn’t actually reach my goal of becoming thinner, which was sort of the whole point.

This time, I wanted to approach weight loss differently, looking at it more from a wellness perspective.  Sure, there’d be a Biggest-Loser-gym-rat component, but my theory was that if I approached weight loss from every aspect of wellness – not only physical, but also intellectual, environmental, social, spiritual, etc. – that I’d finally meet my goals.  Eventually, my editor and I decided to switch the focus to something less introspective, which is why I Regret Nothing (May, 2015) is more of a fun, bucket-list type-book.

I still decided to pursue the concept of wellness, not because I wanted word count, but because I needed to make healthy changes.  And I’ll be damned if my theory wasn’t right.  Because I concentrated on all aspects of wellness, I’m down forty very easy pounds so far, without ever writing a check to a personal trainer or sitting through a Weight Watchers meeting.  So, less.  I definitely consume less.

(Or was I supposed to answer about how I just can’t seem to quit The Real Housewives here?)

Links

Website: http://www.jennsylvania.com

Twitter: @altgeldshrugged

Facebook: AuthorJenLancaster

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1 Comment

Comments

  1. Eric Wilder says

    October 25, 2014 at 1:25 am

    Wonderful interview. Checked out the Twilight images. That’s great! Awesome stuff.

    Reply

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Internationally bestselling author of STAY, WHY CAN'T I BE YOU and SWIMMING FOR SUNLIGHT. THE PEOPLE WE KEEP coming from @gallerybooks on 8/3/2021

Allison Larkin
The trifecta. #wordnerd The trifecta. #wordnerd
Snoring so hard with that paw on her nose. 😍 #d Snoring so hard with that paw on her nose. 😍 #dailystelladog
Actually, the real question is: Why don’t YOU ha Actually, the real question is: Why don’t YOU have a giant seashell full of super balls on your desk? #authorsofinstagram #deskdecor #weirdo #superballs
Hey, it’s me! #authorsofinstagram (📸: @larkin Hey, it’s me! #authorsofinstagram (📸: @larkinjeremyj)
Back at it, because I knew the longer I waited the Back at it, because I knew the longer I waited the harder it would be to get back at it. Sticking to wide trails with good visibility during wild boar piglet season. #trailrunning
A few days ago, I took this photo of turkeys while A few days ago, I took this photo of turkeys while I was out on a run, marveling at how wild animals do not seem to mind when they see me. Once, I almost bumped into a deer, the way a couple might meet-cute in a rom com. We just didn’t see each other. I’ve always thought it was a fun little quirk. Not even bunnies are afraid of me. But this afternoon on my run, I came up over a hill and was suddenly within fifteen feet of a wild boar. Thankfully, a year or two ago I got curious about the big traps that show up trailside around the bay, looked them up and learned about how fast, ruthlessly aggressive, and unpredictable a wild boar can be. Otherwise, I might have (stupidly) thought I was in the middle of another one of my Snow White moments and been all “Hello there, Mr. Pig! Look at you!” believing that I could quietly observe in wonder. Instead, I knew this was a bad situation. The boar grunted and moved to the center of the trail. It felt very ‘You shall not pass!’ But I did not want to pass. I wanted to get away. I backed slowly for a few moments and then turned and ran faster than I ever have in my whole life. I’ve since learned that there’s no way that boar chased me, because there’s no chance of outrunning a boar (climb a tree if you can). But I know that boar saw me and also wasn’t happy about the surprise, and I had a moment, racing back over the hills I’d just run — not daring to look behind me more than once or twice in fear I’d lose my footing — when I truly did not know what would happen. I’ve been in scary situations, but they were a different kind of scary. I don’t think I’ve ever flat out run for my life before, but that’s truly what I thought I was doing. Right now I am still full of adrenaline and also exhausted and so so thankful to be okay.
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