Jennifer Weiner – I’d hate her if I didn’t love her

I’m not a chick lit fan. I have no objection on principle. I mean, I’ve certainly read my share of the lesbian equivalent – you know, those read-it-in-one-sitting novels that used to be published by Naiad Press. And, seriously, how can I take issue with the genre that gave us Miranda Priestly?

But my lack of enthusiasm for the chick lit cult aside, I am a true fan of one of its high priestesses, Jennifer Weiner.

My love of Weiner (OK, I often think like a 12-year-old boy, too, but it’s pronounced “Wine-er”) started on a lazy Sunday afternoon of watching movies, one of which was In Her Shoes.

I know the movie isn’t universally loved, but I enjoyed it enough to Google for more information. I learned that In Her Shoes originally was a book by Jennifer Weiner, so I hopped over to her site and began browsing. My crush started here:

“March, 2005: Jen attends a screening of ‘In Her Shoes’ in Los Angeles. Determined not to make a complete fool of herself, Jen holds it together for the first ten seconds, then bursts into tears the instant the Fox logo flashes on-screen.”

As I read the rest of her Author page, I realized that Weiner is not popular just because she knows the genre formula and has a decent editor. She’s actually funny. And a good writer. I read her whole site and can say honestly that the only thing I didn’t like was the fact that she has a Dell and a Vaio, not a Mac.

Why am I telling you this? Because Jennifer Weiner has been given a dream job – the kind that would make you hate her if she weren’t so damn likeable. Weiner just signed a seven-figure, two-year deal with ABC Studios to come up with ideas. Yep, that’s it. No quota. No commitment to be involved in production. Just think of ideas that might make good TV series. And lest you think I’ve misunderstood, here’s what Weiner said about it. “I hate to say this, but it’s a really fantastic deal. I don’t have to do anything.”

Of course, this got me wondering what I might come up with if I were given such a deal. After I went to a WNBA game in every city, had dinner at the White House with Hillary and moved to Santa Fe, I mean. The only idea I’ve come up with so far is about a lesbian vampire slayer who travels back in time to the days of Amazon warrior princesses and, well, that’s as far as I got. How about you? Do you have a show idea just waiting for a seven-figure contract? And what do you think of Jennifer Weiner’s new gig?