Midlife Bites: Anyone Else Falling Apart, Or Is It Just Me?

Guest Bio: Jen Mann

I'm Jen Mann (my real name) - I write a blog and New York Times best-selling books.

I'm a hybrid author. I'm published by Ballantine (Penguin Random House) and I also self-publish. I've had traditional and self-published books hit the New York Times best-selling list. I am represented by Steve Troha and Erin Niumata at Folio.

I started a podcast in 2019 with Denise Grover Swank called Two Midlife Mommas.

I am married to the Hubs, I have two kids: Gomer and Adolpha (not their real names - their real names are actually worse).

I started this blog in April 2011 and in a few month's time I grew to 70 regular readers (most of whom I am related to). In December 2011, I wrote a post called "Overachieving Elf on the Shelf Mommies." It sat dormant for a week and then suddenly out of nowhere it went viral. (Don't ask me how. I wish I knew. If I did, I'd do it every single day. Right?) Overnight I gained several thousand followers on Facebook. At last check, I have over 1 million followers on social media. Since then I've worked really hard to entertain my readers and to keep people coming back for more.

I live in Kansas. It doesn't blow as much as you would think. I've lived in New Jersey, New York, Iowa, and Illinois before and I can say that Kansas isn't the worst place I've lived.

This blog is called People I Want to Punch in the Throat, not Rainbows and Unicorns. I'm a funny writer who was once described as "acerbic with a surprising warmth." I like that description a lot, so I keep using it. I've also been described as Erma Bombeck - with f-bombs. Erma would hate that, but I think that's high fucking praise. If you don't have a sense of humor and you can't laugh at yourself, then this isn't the place for you. Thanks for stopping by, but don't waste your time leaving in a huff, it just makes me want to hire a band to see you out the door.

I write a lot and it can be a bit overwhelming. If you're not sure where to start reading, try Jen's TOP 11 Favorite Posts, these aren't the most popular, but they're my favorites.

I've done a lot of speaking and I really enjoy it. I've spoken at numerous conferences and events around the country, including BlogHer, Mom Summit 2.0, Blog U, Idaho Writer's Guild, Missouri Writer's Guild, and more.   

I do write sponsored content occasionally, but only for brands I really, really like. I like to work with brands that are a good fit for me and my audience. A couple of the brands I've worked with are  Responsiblity.org, Hallmark/Shoebox, and Enell. (All of my favorite things: booze, sarcasm, and supportive bras.)  

If you laugh out loud, almost pee yourself or spit out your drink when you read my blog, then do me a favor and share it with your friends.