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Jennifer 8. Lee

superstition

08-08-08 Very Special To Certain Times Reporter!

If you see the Times' Jennifer 8. Lee today, ask her for a special blessing, or just to touch you, because this is probably her luckiest day since, like, August 8, 1988. But get in line, because everyone wants a piece of her! "Supposedly, I will be part of a segment that will air on 08/08/08 @ 8:08 a.m. as part of the Today show. (Guess why)." Also, Lee has three radio segments. Don't be L8! [Jennifer 8. Lee] (Photo by Jennifer 8. Lee via New York)

newspapers

Times Reporter Jennifer 8. Lee: Your Source for Numerology

The Olympic Games in Beijing start on 8/8/08. That's no coincidence—8 is a lucky number to the Chinese. Numbers-obsessed NYT reporter Jennifer 8. Lee must be so excited! She wrote yesterday's Times article about Chinese couples getting married on dates and times that include the number 8. And she adjusted the number of chapters in her book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, to have 18 chapters instead of 19. (But that was to appeal to the Jews, who love Chinese food.)

books

Stuff Jews Like: Chinese Food and Books

You might have already known that Jews love Chinese food, especially on Christmas. But did you know that "Jews as a group buy 23 percent of all hardcover books printed"? That's according to according to Stuart M. Matlins, EIC and publisher at Jewish Lights and Skylight Paths books. Jennifer 8. Lee, NYT reporter and author of Chinese food book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, subjected herself to an "audition" to have her book included in the Jewish Book Network. In fact, she changed the number of chapters in her book from 19 to 18 (a significant number meaning "life") simply to appeal to the chosen tribe! So a Chinese-American author walks into a room of 200 Jews at the Book Expo... More »

fameballs

Please Respect Jennifer 8. Lee's Chinese Name!

New York Times city reporter and author of new book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles Jennifer 8. Lee is sad. As she notes in her blog, "Someone added my Chinese name to my Wikipedia entry in simplified :( form." Oh, the perils of fame! "I have never in my life used the simplified character," Lee adds, "even when I was in Mainland China, I always wrote my name out with the traditional character... In case you are wonderig, my Chinese name means competitive. It's an unusual name for girls, and very striking. In traditional character it looks like two men running side by side (competition, get it?). You lose that in the simplified, sadly." Sad! (Click for offending entry.) More »

Oh, Jenny Book-pimping Times reporter Jennifer 8. Lee is confused about why her book is being so steeply discounted, even though it's, like, the number one Chinese food book on Amazon. "Not sure why, but Amazon just upped the discount on The Fortune Cookie Chronicles from 34% to 40%." [Fortune Cookie Chronicles]

struggling writers

How To Game Stephen Colbert, By Jennifer 8. Lee

When Times reporter Jennifer 8. Lee worked out of the Washington, DC bureau, she became famous for hosting a blizzard of parties that upended the beltway social scene and no doubt required a tremendous supply of energy on Lee's part. The writer put no less work into her appearance on Comedy Central's Colbert Report to promote her book on Chinese food. To prepare for the five-minute appearance with tricky, tongue-in-cheek host Stephen Colbert, Lee consulted with at least four buddiesDaily Show writer Rachel Axler, Lee friend "Dana," an unnamed Random House editor and Lee friend "Alexis." Their overwhelming advice? Don't try to be funny, and for the most part Lee didn't. But she did study some talking points, presented along with video of her on the show after the jump. More »

Jenny 8. Lee's forthcoming food-porny book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: now with excerpts!

books

Jenny 8. Lee's Acknowledgments Could Use a Good Edit

The acknowledgments section of your book is not really the place to get all flowery and "express yourself." You thank your agent, the publisher you probably haven't met, your 'rents, and the friends who put up with your bitching over the last two years. If you're Times reporter Jennifer 8. Lee, however, and you've just written a book about the Chinese food diaspora called The Fortune Cookie Chronicles—well, the acknowledgments section might take on an overlong, strange life of its own. (Remember her totally adorable blog overshares?) In four pages of hugs and kisses, she probably thanks you! Excerpts, plus shots of the whole damn thing, follow. More »

writers write

Jennifer 8. Lee's Editor Lavishes Her With Praise

At first, we thought Jenny 8. Lee's oversharing was just on this side of adorable, if mildly grating. We're reconsidering our assessment in light of her latest blog post, which reproduces, in full, the gushing letter she received from her editor, Jon Karp, upon the submission of her first draft. We can't help but think that Jenny has just bought herself a one-way ticket on the Schadenfreude Express. More »

writers write

Jennifer 8. Lee Gets Blog, Immediately Adorably Overshares

Somewhere at the nexus of self-promotion/congratulation, reflexive ass-kissing, and totally charming genuine enthusiasm is New York Times metro reporter Jenny 8. Lee's new website. As we learned a while back, her new book used to be called The Long March of General Tso, but apparently that title was too confusing—there was some concern that people would think it was a book about the Chinese military. Because people are stupid. Now it's called the Fortune Cookie Chronicles, which should play better on the "synagogues and college campuses" Jenny plans on hitting on her book tour. Also, it seems that Jenny is an overachiever—her editor, Jon Karp, had contracted her for 90,000 words, and it looked like she was going to be 20,000 over. But Karp told her not to worry, as they could just change the typesetting: "Perhaps you did something similar in high school when you had to turn in a term paper." Uh, right. We were always turning in papers that were just too long. Anyway: Watch that space! She'll be posting cat pictures within weeks.The Fortune Cookie Chronicles