In the summer of a fourteen-year-old girl in Dolton Illinois had a dream A dream to become an actress like her idols Ron Howard and Vicki Lawrence But it was a long way from the South Side of Chicago to Hollywood and it didnrsquot help that shersquod recently dropped out of the school play The Ugly Duckling Or that the Hollywood casting directors she wrote to replied that ldquoprofessional training was a requirementrdquo But the funny thing is it all came true Through a series of happy accidents Jane Lynch created an improbablemdashand hilariousmdashpath to success In those early years despite her dreams she was also consumed with anxiety feeling out of place in both her body and her family To deal with her worries about her sexuality she escaped in positive waysmdashsuch as joining a high school chorus not unlike the one in Gleemdashbut also found destructive outlets She started drinking almost every night her freshman year of high school and developed a mean and judgmental streak that turned her into a real-life Sue SylvesterThen at thirty-one she started to get her life together She was finally able to embrace her sexuality come out to her parents and quit drinking for good Soon after a Frosted Flakes commercial and a chance meeting in a coffee shop led to a role in the Christopher Guest movie Best in Show which helped her get cast in The -Year-Old Virgin Similar coincidences and chance meetings led to roles in movies starring Will Ferrell Paul Rudd and even Meryl Streep in rsquos Julie amp Julia Then of course came the two lucky accidents that truly changed her life Getting lost in a hotel led to an introduction to her future wife Lara Then a series shersquod signed up for abruptly got canceled making it possible for her to take the role of Sue Sylvester in Glee which made her a megastar Today Jane Lynch has finally found the contentment she thought shersquod never have Part comic memoir and part inspirational narrative this is a book equally for the rabid Glee fan and for anyone who needs a new perspective on life love and successWITH A FOREWORD BY CAROL BURNETTExcerpt from Happy AccidentsIf I could go back in time and talk to my twenty-year-old self the first thing I would say is ldquoLose the permrdquo Secondly I would say ldquoRelax Really Just relax Donrsquot sweat itrdquoI canrsquot remember a time when I wasnrsquot anxious and fearful that the parade would pass me by And I was sure there was someone or something outside of myself with all the answers I had a driving anxiety-filled ambition I wanted to be a working actor so badly I wanted to belong and feel like I was valued and seen Well now I am a working actor and I guarantee you itrsquos not because I suffered or worried over it As I look back the road to where I am today has been a series of happy accidents I was either smart or stupid enough to take advantage of I thought I had to have a plan a strategy Turns out I just had to be ready and willing to take chances look at whatrsquos right in front of me and put my heart into everything I do All that anxiety and fear didnrsquot help nor did it fuel anything useful My final piece of advice to twenty-year-old me Be easy on your sweet self And donrsquot drink Miller Lite tall boys in the morning.
