2:25 okay get
2:34 can you hear me yeah you can hear you
2:35 love my
2:39 bracelet it's just a piece of leather
2:42 with a little wait with
2:45 a thingy on
2:47 it this is what the whole video chat's
2:49 GNA be like
2:52 guys okay so everybody can hear
2:55 us yeah I think they can hear us okay so
2:57 but now this picture looks weird is it
3:00 okay I think yeah it is okay uh hi
3:02 everybody I'm Jennifer Smith I'm
3:04 Lauren's editor here at random house so
3:06 um Lauren and I are going to chat for a
3:08 little bit and then about sort of the
3:10 writing the book Happy Pub day to Lauren
3:12 it's it's the first day I couldn't have
3:14 done it without you thank you thank you
3:16 it's uh Lauren's been a published author
3:18 for like 12 hours now so how does it
3:20 feel very strange because all I've done
3:23 is talk about how it feels so I haven't
3:25 really felt it because I've just been
3:28 trying to explain to people how it I
3:32 don't know feels yeah yeah um so sorry so
3:33 so
3:37 um we're like sitting so close I know um
3:40 so the first question is um why why it's
3:42 two parter um first of all why a book
3:45 and secondly why a novel because I feel
3:47 like a lot of actors do like a cookbook
3:49 or a memoir or a picture book and yours
3:52 have some pictures but mine mostly words
3:56 um I really wanted to do something I
3:58 want this is a story I wanted to tell I
4:01 I I don't enti know where uh the
4:04 creative impulse to do things comes from
4:08 I really don't I don't know um I don't
4:09 know why I woke up and wanted to be an
4:13 actor but um I knew that I did not want
4:15 to write a memoir I knew I did not
4:20 wanted write a book yeah that's good um
4:21 I don't like to cook so I would have
4:23 been much less interested I do like to
4:24 cook but I would rather read somebody
4:28 else's cookbook um and I really wanted
4:30 to talk about what it was like to I
4:31 wanted to try to tell a story about what
4:34 it's like to start out at at anything
4:35 and the and acting happens to be the
4:39 world I know the best um great so uh it
4:41 was announced last week that Parenthood
4:42 got renewed which I'm very excited about
4:44 because I love the show but also because
4:46 you were so productive as a writer while
4:48 on set so much more than you were isn't
4:50 that weird that I'm more productive with
4:52 another job they always say if you want
4:54 something done give it to a busy person
4:56 like busy sort of um but I wanted to
4:58 hear about sort of your writing routine
5:00 on set and off yes I think there's
5:02 something about the Parenthood day which
5:05 is where uh also where the idea to write
5:08 came from because sometimes I'm off for
5:10 three hours or the afternoon or just the
5:13 morning or I have a day and there's
5:16 nothing really that can fill that time
5:18 um I couldn't do a play you know I
5:20 couldn't like go shoot a movie so I
5:23 thought what kind can I kind of give
5:26 myself to have a creative outlet and um
5:28 and so this is what it was and the and
5:30 the easier thing about Parenthood is I
5:32 have a trailer that and I get I have a
5:36 TV that gets like three channels and so
5:38 um there isn't much to do there it's not
5:40 an attractive trailer there's no good
5:43 art in there the bathroom's terrible I
5:45 can't there's nothing like to play with
5:47 you know so I would sit in my computer
5:51 and um and it's quiet and I did get a
5:53 lot done there so I'm glad that we have
5:55 22 Episodes for me to continue to get
5:57 things done don't get cable or any art
6:00 no well I have cable but it's okay okay
6:02 um so was this is your obviously your
6:03 first book was there anything that sort
6:04 of surprised you about the writing
6:05 process or what was your favorite part
6:08 or worst it really really surprised me
6:12 how much would happen if I would just um
6:15 work and it really surprised me how much
6:16 the characters and the world would take
6:21 on a life of their own and speak back to
6:24 me at risk of sounding insane or direct
6:29 sort of go in an unexpected Direction um
6:31 but as you I think said to me many times
6:33 like you can't you can't revise
6:35 something that isn't
6:39 there and um so sometimes even when I
6:42 didn't feel that I had that I was saying
6:45 exactly what I wanted to say I tried to
6:47 push through and no matter what I came
6:49 up with it was better than nothing yeah
6:52 that is true always better yeah um so
6:54 did you find it isolating it all after
6:56 you know acting so collaborative um or
6:58 did you like the creative Independence I
7:00 liked it both I found it isolating and
7:02 sometimes I would see friends or whoever
7:05 at the end of the day and and I would
7:08 feel insane like I would feel like I
7:11 hadn't like talked to anybody and and I
7:14 would feel really strange
7:17 um uh I didn't like sitting that was the
7:19 that was um I don't know if I have to
7:21 get like one of those treadmill
7:25 desks it was so that was was so crazy is
7:27 to sit that long because I haven't had a
7:30 a job that requires sitting you know in
7:32 a long time so that was just strange my
7:44 us yay yay okay hi sorry this is why s
7:45 sucks you guys this is what I've been
7:47 saying all along the video chat is
7:49 confusing to me it's still confusing I
7:52 don't understand what is going on and
7:53 thank you for sticking with us we'll
7:55 stay here and we'll talk for a long time
7:58 to the point where you want us to shut
8:00 up okay a little bit more for me and
8:02 then we'll we'll open up to questions um
8:05 so um not to open myself up to
8:07 complaints but what was the editorial
8:10 process what you expected
8:13 um I actually first of all you're a
8:18 wonderful editor and I learned a lot and
8:21 it was it was something that it was a
8:26 partnership I can see being
8:28 um brought with as I can see being
8:30 really difficult because it really is a
8:32 partnership it really is somebody you
8:35 need to work well with and and um and
8:38 trust and I would say at times I
8:40 actually expected this is I was always
8:43 like this about uh you know Hollywood
8:44 too I I I always thought somebody was
8:46 gonna be like it's terrible it's
8:48 horrible you should throw this all out
8:50 and start all over again like I expected
8:52 like you know scary I expected you to be
8:54 like who do you think you are you're
8:56 insane and you'd be like no I really
8:57 like it and I was like remember in the
8:59 beginning I had to be like Jen just cuz
9:01 you like Parenthood don't you be easy on
9:03 me you tell me you tell me if this is
9:05 terrible and you were very positive and
9:06 encouraging and then also extremely
9:10 exacting and um and and precise and I
9:12 would say in some cases I didn't take
9:14 your good ideas just because I was
9:17 trying so hard to be independent and not
9:20 and not feel like I you know was leaning
9:22 I really wanted this to be my successor
9:25 failure and it is I mean it was it was
9:27 good I mean I think the best the best
9:28 writer out relationships it's really a
9:29 dialogue and I feel like you have those
9:31 authors who take every single note
9:33 because they're like you're my editor of
9:34 course I'm gonna listen to you and then
9:35 you have the ones who are like I'm an
9:36 artist I'm not taking anything and you
9:38 are sort of somewhere in between where
9:40 you you thoughtfully considered every
9:42 everything and then um and then took the
9:44 ones that you want to and I would say
9:46 some of the most helpful and now I see
9:49 it myself um and I saw it really in
9:52 Reading when I read the audio book but
9:55 there are a lot of habits I have or even
9:58 tastes I have that have to do with
10:00 working mainly from script yeah so I
10:02 really like dialogue and it's harder for
10:04 me to slow down and kind of set the
10:07 scene and say she picked up the pen and
10:10 wrote on the you know because my mind
10:12 fills that in as an actor I'm used to
10:14 thinking o and then I'll do this or you
10:17 get a stage direction or but so so that
10:20 was challenging to me to to um to set
10:23 the scene yeah um but I see when I read
10:25 the audiobook I there were places where
10:28 I thought this is a lot of dialogue so
10:29 I'll fix it next time
10:31 oh well yes well you want to talk so
10:32 you're working well you're you're you're
10:35 working you're starting new book a
10:36 second book do you want to talk about
10:38 that at all or not really because you're
10:40 no I mean I I
10:43 Envision I Envision this character the
10:46 same main character having her first
10:49 year in Los Angeles and in the way that
10:51 it isn't she doesn't have like huge
10:55 successes or um you know she doesn't
11:00 become uh well known or anything but
11:02 I would like the idea of at least this
11:04 character maybe some of the others in
11:06 Los Angeles for a year whether she goes
11:08 back to New York or stays in Los Angeles
11:11 I'm not sure um but I like kind of
11:14 centering the world around the cast of a
11:16 show yeah and I don't know if the show
11:18 will succeed or fail or what kind of
11:20 show exactly it is don't say
11:23 anymore don't give it all okay and then
11:25 at the end you don't even have to buy it
11:28 and then draw my um so actually I want
11:30 to talk about that so for was it hard
11:32 for you to balance the book is
11:34 ultimately hopeful in terms of like
11:36 prospects with acting but you know was
11:37 it hard just balance that with the
11:39 realities of it's obviously sort of a
11:41 tough you know it's a tough business and
11:42 I had a librarian actually I was talking
11:43 with this book with a lot of librarians
11:45 who said you know is this book okay for
11:46 my teenage daughter who's obsessed with
11:48 theater and I immediately was like oh
11:49 it's totally fine like it crosses over
11:51 to ya and she was like no no no I mean
11:52 like is it going to crush her hopes in
11:55 terms of want to be an actor so how was
11:56 it was it hard to sort of because you
11:58 did talk about like how it's baby steps
12:01 and yeah I mean I knew I wanted it to be
12:05 a kind and hopeful story and so I you
12:08 know I would never Crush anyone's hopes
12:12 and dreams on purpose um but yeah to me
12:15 it's about the realities somewhat it's
12:16 about the realities of someone who
12:20 really deserves to be there yeah and um
12:22 and still is going to face all kinds of difficulty
12:24 difficulty
12:27 um but yeah I guess I wanted it to be
12:29 encouraging not just to somebody trying
12:32 to be an actor but to the idea of your
12:35 20s as a time when the learning curve
12:39 for everything is huge and and and you
12:41 don't know if you're going to get what
12:45 you ultimately dream of you know yeah um
12:48 so um this is I know not your favorite
12:49 question in the world but even though
12:50 the book is fiction there's obviously
12:52 you know it's sort of loosely based on
12:53 your experiences do you want to sort of
12:56 like set the record straight on how like
13:01 I mean to me I guess I there's no
13:04 um there's a piece of me in all of these
13:05 characters and that was part of the fun
13:09 too of creating a world there's a piece
13:11 of me and the old asmatic agent there's
13:14 a you know there's so it's it's it's not
13:15 just that main character it's a world I
13:18 know and like but it was similar to me
13:20 to the process of acting which is I
13:22 started from things I knew and then kind
13:24 of fictionalized a l which is like any
13:25 debut novels I me I think there's
13:27 especially of debuts there's always sort
13:29 of a lot and it's true it's not just
13:31 everybody will go right to Franny but it
13:33 really is it sort of fits of everything
13:35 but there's no there's no relationship
13:37 I'm trying to talk about there is no
13:41 there was no you know person who none of
13:42 the other characters are stand-ins for
13:45 you know a person in my real life and so
13:47 in that way it's not like it's not like
13:50 I'm writing a me you know like I sort of
13:53 thinly veiled a memoir or something um
13:55 so okay speaking of the old asthmatic
13:57 agent Barney who my favorite charact you
13:59 know I love Barney um I was my not more
14:02 Barney um so he's really funny and the
14:04 book is really funny and it's it's
14:05 actually even for funny people it's not
14:07 always easy to to be funny on the page
14:08 and I feel like sometimes my notes to
14:10 you were literally just like you funnier
14:12 and you did it immediately and and but
14:13 the but the book has sort of a lot of
14:15 heart to it too was it did that come
14:16 easily to you the humor part wasn't hard
14:17 to sort of balance the two it was hard
14:19 to balance the two I I think I
14:23 envisioned it more the way I speak which
14:25 is um I think a lot of people are
14:27 probably Envision no I know and I hope
14:29 you're not disappointed but I found it
14:32 hard to structure a 350 page novel in a
14:35 Snappy sort of voice that's not
14:36 ultimately I don't think it's
14:39 sustainable necessarily I think it would
14:41 have been easier in a memoir to write the
14:42 the
14:45 way I you know try to be on a talk show
14:48 or something but I was surprised at how
14:51 much um I don't know Nostalgia I had for
14:54 this time and that I wanted to bring
14:57 some depth to these characters in this
15:00 story and you know I will say so far in
15:03 the work I've done on this next one it
15:06 is slightly brighter I would say and
15:10 it's easier to make fun of La it's a
15:13 place that is pretty funny and I think I
15:15 in in the parts of me that reached back
15:18 to that time in New York I I feel real
15:20 affection for it and it doesn't and it
15:22 wasn't a funny time yeah you know it it
15:25 was and I think for most people um
15:27 there's such vulnerability in in
15:29 starting out and that's just kind of
15:32 what came up to me you know um I think
15:35 as this person grows and gets more
15:37 confident and you know gets in more like
15:38 originally I conceived it as like a
15:40 bunch of wacky scrapes of like audition
15:42 mishaps and that's just not what it
15:44 turned into yeah well I mean it's really
15:46 the New York part it's such a love
15:47 letter to the city I mean it's so it's
15:49 so much fun to sort of the 90s thing
15:50 where you have Time Square being this
15:52 very dangerous place and I kept calling
15:55 you out on think like the mcdlt Jen was
15:57 like I I wrote about a mcdlt does anyone
15:58 know what this is it was a sandwich
16:01 McDonald's had in the '90s where the hot
16:03 part was hot on the hot side and then
16:06 the cold part was uh you know it was
16:08 kept your lettuce and tomato separate
16:11 does anybody care about this like no um
16:13 and then so you could have the two
16:14 together and not because we have such
16:16 problems with our lettuce getting hot
16:19 what and so I said mcdlt and Jen was
16:21 like do you mean BLT I was like no I
16:24 never heard of person I went back and
16:25 watched the commercials and it seemed
16:27 like a pretty ridiculous sandwich right
16:29 um so did you ever have a file and was
16:33 it doodled as oh yeah I that's also
16:34 something those haven't gotten their
16:36 order yet there's filofax do we have a
16:38 book we could show do we have a book I
16:40 just signed like the 10,000 million of
16:41 them they're are great one of my
16:42 favorite parts of the book is there are
16:44 filofax pages that are covered in Lauren
16:47 Doodles um throughout throughout the
16:52 pages um so did you have one a
16:55 mcdlt yes I had file of facts
16:59 and so maybe maybe we should
17:02 show more doodled page more more
17:05 um it's something that is only recently
17:07 gone out of use you know which is that
17:10 you had to write your appointments down
17:12 and then you would get no I'm gonna
17:14 answer this Franny Banks has to do with
17:17 um in the story Franny and Zoe the
17:19 Salinger the two Salinger short stories
17:21 come into play and that's uh partially
17:24 where Franny's name comes from answer to
17:27 somebody's question I just saw um but
17:29 one thing I miss even though and I've to
17:31 revive it and it doesn't quite happen is
17:34 is to write down the my week because at
17:37 the end of the year you look at at the
17:38 pages and you can see the weeks that
17:40 were full and the weeks that were empty
17:46 know and just that tactile and then at
17:48 the end of the year you sort of put it I
17:49 would put it away and I would get fresh
17:52 new pages and there's something you know
17:54 that you don't have you don't have when
17:56 you write it on your phone yes let's all
17:58 try to keep our appointments in a book
18:01 um doodled horses are Doodles I'm sorry
18:02 I get distracted by your good questions
18:04 doodled horses are Doodles because it's
18:05 one of the only things I know how to
18:07 draw you did it really well thanks you
18:09 wrote about it before you drew them and
18:10 I was wondering the whole the whole
18:12 process how the horses and hats were
18:13 gonna turn out they turned out really
18:16 nicely um so um I was gonna ask you how
18:18 Franny and Zoe sort of made its way into
18:20 into the book but also what are some of
18:21 your favorite alltime favorite books
18:22 which is a question I actually have to
18:24 say I hate because it always like all
18:25 the books you read go out of your head
18:27 immediately well also people keep asking
18:30 me what's my f my most recent favorite
18:32 book and and I keep saying the same
18:34 thing because once I started trying to
18:37 work on my next book I stopped reading
18:39 yeah because I feel too guilty because
18:44 I'm supposed to be working you and um so
18:47 I don't know um uh I don't I can't even
18:49 give a list of favorite books
18:51 necessarily I just saw somebody say oh
18:56 she looks so exhausted thanks guys
18:58 wow really feeling great she been really
19:00 busy she's she's been running around you
19:02 it's wonderful Lighting in here let me
19:05 tell you the overhead fluorescent is I
19:08 recommend it highly I'm just gonna do
19:09 the rest of it like this should we do
19:11 some audience questions now Kate yes
19:12 let's do audience questions because
19:15 that's what I'm doing anyway um um wait
19:17 but what were you saying though oh
19:20 favorite book uh uh only that again en
19:25 channeling a time of um in the world of
19:26 of being in your 20s and and maybe a
19:29 little earlier that that
19:31 um those that Salinger stuff was
19:36 especially important then and um and
19:37 it's just always something that has
19:40 stuck with me and it's something for a
19:42 while it was even woven into the plot
19:44 more that she has finds this huge
19:46 parallel and then it just didn't make
19:48 sense it's one of the things I sort of
19:51 um dropped I love the character of Dan
19:54 too chrisell the best who would who
19:57 would I see playing him I don't know
19:58 because all these people have to be in
20:05 like May Whitman playing playing Franny
20:07 May Whitman my TV daughter although May
20:09 has such confidence but she could act it
20:11 she could you know I just see you need
20:15 somebody like spunky and and special um
20:17 so uh yes there's pictures at the
20:20 signing you guys but we're figuring out
20:22 how to do them it may be like a I'm
20:26 sitting at a desk and you stick your
20:27 head in but we're going to do pictures
20:30 for sure um I don't have my file effects
20:33 from 1995 or it would have come in way
20:36 handy because we had it was really we
20:39 put the art Department to um uh it was
20:42 it was a yeah a lot of work to to get
20:45 what I thought would be kind of a simple
20:48 um you know uh thing I would stand at
20:50 the signing but I have to sign oh you
20:52 did that for guys doll you had to stick
20:53 your head in I'm sorry we're trying to
20:56 figure it out but I'm trying to I'm not
20:59 coming to the UK have I read my editor's
21:00 books are you kidding I love them they
21:02 are wonderful and you should read them
21:05 too out recently this is what happiness
21:07 looks like thank you
21:10 on it's fun to do this with Jen because
21:13 she doesn't get to do it as often
21:14 although you've done more author events
21:17 than I have yeah but not on the scale
21:19 what you're doing but I like talking to
21:20 you so thank you for doing this because
21:23 it helps it helps me not feel nervous
21:24 cuz I still have I'm nervous I am
21:26 nervous the nervous you know like
21:27 probably Kelly RI is not more like
21:28 nervous than you when you're giving
21:30 interview so you I don't know I don't
21:32 know you don't know maybe Kelly Ripa is
21:34 nervous I had fun probably not as
21:36 nervous as me though um so do we want to
21:38 actually do some like video sessions or
21:40 are we doing that hi graham crackers I
21:42 give you a shout out I'm just gonna
21:46 Rogue do questions that I see this has
21:49 gone off the rails keep keep some text
21:52 ones okay um what has been the best part
21:53 of this premere week finally that it's
21:56 here I have been nervous and waiting and
21:59 I am excited to be talking to you and
22:01 saying thank you to all the people who
22:03 have been so sweet reading up to this
22:06 and it's exciting to sort of um to be
22:08 here it's a long process being a writer
22:10 I mean Laur yeah I mean Lauren start you
22:11 started this book you know well over two
22:13 years ago and we acquired the book two
22:14 years ago it's so it's it's been a long
22:17 time coming yeah TV where you're filming
22:20 an episode and then it comes out uh yes
22:21 well and even I mean sometimes you do a
22:23 movie and it takes a while but you can
22:25 kind of move on and forget about it in a
22:27 way and then also it's you know a lot of
22:29 other people's hands go into it so by
22:31 the time you see it it's something else
22:32 it's not just the last thing you did
22:35 it's oh there's music and you know they
22:37 adjusted the color and in this case you
22:39 can't blame the director although I'm gonna
22:40 gonna try
22:41 try [Music]
22:42 [Music]
22:45 um Fred is in California taking care of
22:49 his child um I okay the title oh that's
22:51 interesting how do we come up with the
22:54 title well the title was originally um
22:56 faster funnier louder which is something
22:58 Barney Sparks says to her and is also an
23:00 old theater expression and I thought it
23:02 would be funny given how much he speaks
23:05 in cliche that he gives her this
23:06 profound advice that in a way is
23:08 profound and in a way is the simplest
23:10 thing you know it's like it's there's no
23:14 place like home or something and but um
23:19 the Publishers felt the director blame
23:21 in blaming the director the Publishers
23:23 felt that it was felt too much like
23:26 theater like too inside and too and it
23:27 was a little too Punchy like the book
23:29 has a lot of heart and that was sort of
23:32 set up to be like this very right yeah
23:34 sharp it sounds sharp Som a little bit
23:36 whistful yes but you came up with that
23:37 in about two I was so scared to tell
23:39 well because I know that's right and and
23:41 I because I had actually thought I
23:43 thought that someday somebody maybe was
23:45 going to be a suggestion because to me
23:47 that was it's just a passage in the book
23:50 where Franny is dreaming of someday when
23:53 she will not be in this place where she
23:55 doesn't have any money and doesn't have
23:57 a job and doesn't have a boyfriend and
23:59 you know that someday she will feel like
24:01 she belongs on I think she's walking
24:03 down Fifth Avenue and I do like cheese
24:06 balls but not cheese balls I like I like
24:09 cheese Crispies and I don't even like
24:10 cheese puffs I just thought cheese puffs
24:13 is funnier but I like crunchy cheese
24:15 puffs but I try not to eat them but I do
24:16 like them
24:19 myself um was I influenced by any of my
24:21 high school English teachers I would say
24:23 I had uh first of all I was an English
24:24 major at Barnard college and that whole
24:27 time was a huge influence on me and I
24:29 had a drama a teacher named Brian Nelson
24:32 in high school who was also just a very
24:36 smart um person who um was a huge
24:39 influences and and is writer himself now
24:41 um hi Brian Nelson that's nice of you
24:44 you guys are so fast um did I ever
24:45 accidentally walk into the wrong
24:48 audition like Franny um just not
24:51 entirely but uh it's I was trying to
24:54 show the world of these confusing
24:57 audition rooms um where you always feel
24:59 like you're in the wrong Place uh no
25:01 matter no matter what what was the worst
25:03 audition you ever had I couldn't even
25:05 pick one I couldn't even pick one here's
25:07 one that was really particularly
25:08 horrible that I was talking about the
25:10 other day I auditioned from Mike Nichols
25:13 you know who that is giant director um
25:15 and I was so
25:18 nervous and I had prepared but I was so
25:20 nervous I left out an entire page of the
25:22 scene so it made no sense I went from
25:24 one line and then he gave me or somebody
25:26 gave me the next line and then I was
25:28 like but they're all wearing blue or
25:30 something like it made no sense and he
25:32 was so nice and didn't really say
25:34 anything and I mean didn't say that I
25:38 like oh you dropped a page and um but I
25:39 still think about it because that was my
25:40 one chance to audition for Mike Nichols
25:43 and it was over you brought a lot of
25:45 emotional truth to this in the book
25:47 those are the fun I mean they make me
25:49 I've read this book probably I can't
25:50 count how many times those make me laugh
25:51 out loud every single time God you're
25:54 nice I there will be more um because
25:56 there's no matter how many times you
25:58 have a bad audition and think that you
26:00 can't possibly ever go through that
26:03 again it will happen and some new the
26:05 phone rings somebody's eating a sandwich
26:08 you got interrupted there's a siren
26:10 going off outside I mean it's just an
26:14 endless parade of things that can yes f
26:17 for bucks
26:20 um Diane Keaton here's the thing about
26:26 Diane Keaton uh said to me um one day
26:27 and it's in the acknowledgements in the
26:28 book When We Were doing the movie
26:30 because I said
26:33 so you know you should write a book and
26:36 I was I thought wh why would she what
26:37 but it was it's something about the
26:39 power don't ever forget it of someone you
26:40 you
26:43 admire lifting you up and saying
26:46 something nice and and and giving and
26:47 saying I believe in you for no
26:51 particular reason I just um do you like
26:54 the water bottle I um I just uh I don't
26:58 know she just yeah saw she just was
27:03 encouraging and and it meant so so much
27:05 um you love the wedding polka dot cake
27:06 in that movie
27:08 movie
27:10 um sorry I'm reading things they're
27:12 moving really fast yeah they're moving
27:14 really fast there's not yet a book tour
27:17 in Europe I am going to Spain this summer
27:19 summer
27:22 um come to Minnesota I do
27:24 regularly but not for this book Ray
27:27 Romano or Jason Ritter I don't know I
27:29 don't know if we have of them for the
27:32 show next year so I can't even I can't
27:35 even try like get my hopes up to to to
27:37 think about either story because we may
27:38 not have the
27:45 actor to yeah do it so um Jason Jason
27:49 Jason Jason Jason wow uh maybe Sarah
27:51 will get really career focused Sarah
27:55 needs to stop sleeping on a pull out bed
27:59 and um and and anywhere from there would
28:02 oh Ray Ray nice okay see this is exactly
28:06 how yeah Ray for sure
28:11 um how about Seth I know John Corbett uh
28:12 I haven't read 50 Shades of Gray Am I
28:14 the only person in the universe you Mak
28:18 me blush again just talking about it I
28:21 haven't read it Jason Scott Patterson
28:24 you haven't read it either um Digger
28:28 Digger Chris aaman good one Katie
28:30 what's more nerve-racking opening night
28:32 on Broadway or debuting your first novel
28:32 I think they're all pretty
28:35 nerve-wracking and I would like to try
28:38 to pick a next hobby or pursuit or
28:42 career that was that had it was easier
28:46 and not so um not so scary but I don't
28:49 know I also feel here's something about
28:51 writing the book completing it um was it
28:53 I felt
28:57 really um you know it's it is not
28:59 perfect but I was better at the end than
29:01 I was when I started and I thought God
29:04 what else could this apply to like if
29:06 you just kind of put your mind to
29:09 something and and practiceing it was
29:10 incredible how much you I mean you were
29:12 great to start with which is why I
29:13 wanted to buy the book because you have
29:15 a great voice that's sort of naturally
29:17 funny and charming and the characters
29:18 were great but it was amazing watching
29:20 over the course of like the you know
29:22 couple years we worked on it by the end
29:26 it was just yeah long time so take that
29:28 guys no matter what if you have practi
29:31 makes you better if not perfect it's not
29:33 me on the cover of the book it's a nice
29:36 we we really that was another thing Jen
29:38 was incredibly helpful with the cover
29:39 she found that photograph of the
29:42 Brooklyn Bridge and we needed a person
29:45 on it and we kept getting these examples
29:47 of people who I just didn't feel looked
29:51 like even the back of Franny like you
29:52 know for those who read the book they
29:53 looked like the perfume lady version of
29:57 Franny it looked like an ad for someone
29:59 you know thinking about their life and I
30:00 was like it's spunky she's got to have
30:03 life and you know yeah and we looked for
30:04 a girl on a bicycle and it was hard to
30:07 find so we ultimately got um got someone
30:09 to to pose and I'm happy with how the
30:11 cover looks great yeah Lauren and I
30:13 designed it it doesn't usually happen
30:15 that way yeah um I don't know if I'm
30:17 going to direct an episode of Parenthood
30:19 Peter has directed some great episodes
30:21 and I think I have enough careers for
30:24 now I think I I think I have enough to
30:29 to focus on and um and but I would like
30:30 to direct
30:34 someday um Twitter I first of all I love
30:35 talking to you guys on Twitter I love
30:38 hearing from you I I love especially on
30:39 a day like today when I'm feeling
30:43 nervous to get your support and like
30:47 feel cheered on is really incredible and
30:50 then I get nervous sometimes when I feel
30:51 I'm letting you down I'm not tweeting
30:54 enough and like who can forget Mike
30:58 ell's um criticism of me that I gave me
31:00 a B on my tweeting I'm seeing him this
31:03 week we'll discuss it um but no it's
31:06 been really fun and and uh and nice to
31:09 hear from you oh A+ thanks Amber Martin
31:14 A++ plus A++ plus thanks W Melle W
31:16 Buel are there any parts of the book you
31:19 hope will really stand out to people any proud
31:20 proud
31:24 of I I really like um to me the sort of
31:29 last third of the book um and
31:31 you know I'm happy with how things kind
31:34 of all came together I like um the
31:36 wedding scene that for a long time Jen
31:38 was like where's the wedding scene
31:39 because I kept saying then there's a
31:40 wedding scene with I would get this
31:41 whole stck of pages and it would be a
31:43 fluid story and then there would
31:44 literally be a thing that just this
31:46 wedding scene and then like why you g to
31:48 write the wedding scene and then I wrote
31:49 the wedding scene and I like it and I
31:51 just like it as a relationship moment of
31:53 because I've definitely and especially
31:55 then had strange things where you're
31:56 like am I with a friend is this
31:58 something more and you know those are
32:01 always weird in uh in your 20s
32:05 especially writer block for sure and um
32:07 but not I I guess I think of writer's
32:09 block as something you have first of all
32:10 when you're already a published author
32:11 and then you go through a tough time
32:14 where you feel like you can't write I I
32:16 would have writers block day when I had
32:18 set aside a whole day to do my work and
32:20 I was like I'm gonna really get a lot
32:21 done and then I would not get anything
32:23 done Google Pao and then I would Google
32:26 patio furniture and truly I keep meaning
32:28 I have to take a picture of
32:31 of the Asian food ingredients um none of
32:34 which I have used um if they made a bad
32:36 Santa too which for a while they were
32:39 talking about making hi Josie uh Jossie
32:43 know her name is Jossie um and I don't
32:45 know then and there were like excited
32:48 phone calls about Bad Santa 2 and then
32:50 um then it never happened Welcome to
32:53 Hollywood guys it's only like half of
32:55 what anybody ever says happen yes Jen's
32:57 editing her next book too I'm editing it
33:00 too yeah yes yes you're editing it too
33:03 um movie I feel like if someday somay
33:07 maybe was anything it would be a um Tv
33:10 show uh but I'm not really there yet
33:12 seeing as how it just came out today but
33:14 no I mean I can't help but think how
33:18 much fun that would be and um and I so I
33:20 don't know that's the kind of stuff that
33:25 happens I guess after today um my oh the
33:27 movie I'm filming in Atlanta was great I
33:28 am done they're still working on it I
33:30 think it's going to be I mean it's
33:31 called right now A Fran Christmas
33:35 miracle um I don't know what it's going
33:39 to be called um yes I can read that
33:41 fast you can Bank on banks you know
33:43 what's funny about the first episode of
33:46 the show Christel you can Bank on banks
33:50 you can Bank on banks is a line in the
33:53 next book I'm working on uh Franny gets
33:55 an article about her in The Hollywood
33:58 Reporter and that's the kind of um
34:00 title they would give it my favorite
34:03 color it's
34:05 blue um hi
34:08 Robin um the TV show that doesn't exist
34:10 that people are already asking me about
34:12 um would be set in the 90s yeah but that
34:13 would be the first thing they would
34:15 argue about that' be the first budget
34:17 thing that to go they'd be like listen
34:19 it can't really be New York in the 90s
34:21 um but we would try
34:24 try
34:27 uh what hair color do I prefer on May I
34:29 think she's beautiful no matter what
34:31 she's very brunette right now which
34:33 makes her look more makes us look more
34:35 alike for the show which I think is nice
34:36 but I feel like she can get away with
34:38 literally anything do I like Dolly
34:40 Parton yes I
34:44 do I would like to do Broadway again um
34:50 but boy is it tough and I uh my god um
34:53 I'm answering clearly a random slew of
34:55 questions but I figure that's what we're
34:58 here for i' H would I dye my hair ever
34:59 I've dyed my hair every color in the
35:02 world and it's so fried I I can't dye it anymore
35:04 anymore
35:08 um hi Nora Lizzie and mo
35:10 mo
35:13 um will I be on bun heads I don't know
35:15 people ask me this I don't think you
35:17 need me on bun heads Sutton Foster is
35:20 awesome and uh I think it's such a
35:23 wonderful show and
35:26 um they don't need me I love that Kelly
35:29 Bishop too um Fred has not read my novel
35:30 yet he's just starting it I just gave it
35:35 to him um can we go to Mexico City for
35:38 dinner I'm in New York you know what I
35:39 don't have a good Mexican restaurant to
35:42 go to in New York anybody I don't we
35:44 don't I don't have a do you oh no I'm
35:46 just expecting
35:48 that my sister and I were trying to go
35:50 out last night and we really had a tough
35:54 time figuring out a place to go
36:01 how
36:03 much I can't go to dinner with you
36:04 tomorrow I'm
36:08 sorry um American Idol really oh it's 2:
36:10 am. guys go to
36:12 sleep my favorite thing to do in New
36:13 York City is walk and I'll tell you and
36:16 I'm not just saying this because because
36:20 of this my my favorite thing to do in
36:21 New York City which I try to do every
36:22 time I'm here is walk across the
36:25 Brooklyn Bridge it just makes me feel
36:28 like I'm in New York and um I don't know
36:30 it's a nice I have friends in Brooklyn I
36:34 can like go over and and visit them um I
36:36 can't hang out with you the Random House
36:37 open house because I have to work but
36:40 I'll say hi and we'll um take
36:43 pictures um is Peter reading your book
36:48 now he better be no I think he is I feel
36:51 I I have to say I don't feel very
36:54 um like when I think of you know I think
36:58 this is I I hope that there are men and
36:59 who will read the book and I hope that
37:02 my the men in my life my boyfriend my
37:03 dad and other good friends will read it
37:06 but it's to me they're not your Target
37:07 demographic it's not the even though I
37:10 said the opposite in USA Today well you
37:12 were being politic which is
37:13 understandable but [Music]
37:14 [Music]
37:17 um uh you've done it all movies TV
37:18 Broadway which is your favorite and
37:21 books and author um of the
37:24 four I don't know it's it's not it I
37:27 don't think it's uh medium specific it's
37:28 it's it's more
37:32 um Project Specific some projects are
37:35 just have a great life to them and have
37:37 a great energy to them um this movie I
37:40 just did was a ball and really fun and
37:43 just a great group of people and um and
37:45 you know all these shows and Oliver
37:47 Platt is in the movie which was so fun
37:49 because I hadn't worked with him since
37:50 guys and dos he's he's been he's my
37:53 friend and I see him all the time but um
37:55 but I hadn't like worked with him in
37:57 another capacity in so long so that was
37:59 really fun yeah so maybe one more
38:02 question um just cuz Lauren has to go go
38:05 talk no I oh yes I have to go do Watch
38:10 What Happens live but weirdly not live
38:12 because airing on Thursday I'm probably
38:14 not supposed to say that but I am doing
38:16 it tonight and I'm pretending like it's
38:18 live on Thursday this is part of
38:22 Hollywood guys so one more question
38:24 let's see someone write a good
38:28 one I'm doing Ellen on Monday no but
38:29 that's also weird because it's airing on
38:31 Tuesday Ellen were air on Tuesday the
38:33 7th what kind of advice would I give to
38:35 Young aspiring authors you're so nice to
38:38 ask me given that I am a new at it
38:42 myself but I again was really moved by
38:44 just set yourself a goal of words and
38:48 just fill it and worry about how it all
38:50 fits and how you're going to fix it later
38:52 later
38:56 um and in the same vein advice to young
39:00 actors would be um there's so much you
39:02 can do now that you couldn't do when I
39:04 was starting out in terms of research
39:08 there's so much uh to see and you should
39:11 be educated to in in you know what's out
39:13 there and what you see yourself doing
39:16 and you know where you think you can fit
39:19 and you can read so much and great uh
39:23 you know plays and um scripts and so
39:25 just educate yourself as much as you can
39:30 um well and I think we're gonna say good
39:32 night thank you guys so much for being
39:35 here thanks Lauren for chatting with us
39:38 um everybody I know you all pre-ordered
39:39 a copy of someday someday maybe but feel
39:42 free to order a second one um or an Audi
39:45 book or a Kindle um or sorry or an ebook and
39:47 and
39:50 uh no brand specific um but thank you so
39:52 much thank you all for being to I hope
39:54 you all love thank you to Germany thank
39:55 you to Italy thank you to Norway thank
39:59 you to everywhere Brazil Spain Mexico