AND THE WINNER IS....DRUMROLL....

***"You should see the Easter Bunny tatoo on my other cheek."***

Congrats, CHRISTYJAN!!!!!
Email me your address and I'll send out your GC!

Happy Fall Everybody!



Get out there and get you some pumpkins and candy!

NAME THIS PHOTO CONTEST!!

$10.00 GC to Borders!
Deadline for entries is Thursday 8 p.m. PST

NEW PHOTO CONTEST ...

Hey Everyone,

Because of the fires here in Los Angeles, Internet has been shaky,
blogging and uploading photos along with it..(this is my tenth try at posting)
So I couldn't
post pictures on Monday.

But...we will be having the photo contest tomorrow.

Come on back for a great new GC!

MCBB IS #2 ON THE BORDERS/WALDENSBOOKS BESTSELLER LIST!

This is in romance, of course, and I'm thrilled!
So... thank you to everyone who went out and picked up a copy, or told a friend - you made the 1st book in the NRR series a hit!

Today, I'm putting up a link to my new interview with hot romance blog, Romance Reviews Today...check it out!

http://romrevtoday.blogspot.com/

PRE-SCHOOL ANGST

A few weeks after my fourth birthday my mother sat me down on our cold, concrete back stairs and told me I would be going to pre-school. I had no idea what this meant, and my mother, bless her heart, didn't really fill me in all that much except to say that I would have fun and make some new friends.
I did and I did. Very simple.

But it's just not that way anymore.

Here is Los Angeles, there are 10,000 preschool to choose from (slight exaggeration) with varying philosophies. With some, an interview with your child is necessary, others are so fancy the yearly tuition is equivalent to a year at Yale. (Seriously) Some are 8 hours a day, some 3, some play based, others academic...some are geared toward children with special needs, others for children who have a love of tennis.

So, on one hand, the variety can be great - but on the other glass-half-empty pragmatic side of things, the idea that we need so many choices is nuts!

For years, my daughter went to the same place - a school that embodied my philosophy, which simply stated goes like this, "IF THE KID COMES HOME CLEAN AND PAINT-FREE, THE SCHOOL AIN'T DOING THEIR JOB!"

This may sound crazy to some of you. I mean, who really wants to deal with washing severely painted-on clothes and giving their child a bath every night because their face is painted like a tree frog?

I do.

For family reasons, we had to switch Isa a few months ago, into a different school for her last year of preschool. All through the school tour, through parent night and these past several months, I've tried to convince myself it's no biggie - it's a sweet school, lovely campus, even lovelier teachers - and not for nothing, but the kids who went there 30 years ago now send their own children!!
What the hecks my problem?
But every day, when my daughter comes out to the car, dirt free, paint free and passion free, I ache inside.
I know my mother didn't worry about this back in the day - and I constantly ask myself, why me? It's a preschool, for heaven's sake!! But I do...I want her back there where art is tops, dirt reigns and her friends, like Cheers, know her name...

So... I'm trying to get her back in the other school, and have already put my little boy on their list for next year... crazy L.A....crazy L.A. and all their damn choices...

"I NOW CROWN MYSELF YERTLE, QUEEN OF THE TURTLES"

This was SO hard. You guys are too funny and clever. I LOVED the Tortoise and the Hair. Loved Turtle is the new Black. Loved the bike helmet and the clips.

But Yertle is SOOOOOOO my daughter. This is exactly what she would be thinking and it just made me smile, made me think of her!


lisalmg, send me your name and addresss, and I'll get that GC out to you!

*****Next Monday, a whole new contest and a whole new prize!

PHOTO CONTEST MONDAY!!

THIS WEEKS PRIZE - 20.00 GC TO TARGET

ENTRIES MUST BE IN BY MONDAY AT MIDNIGHT PST

ETHAN CURTIS REVEALED

This cover is not my favorite, and sometimes I wonder why I made him blond, but despite all of that, Ethan Curtis of MILLIONAIRE'S CALCULATED BABY BID, is one of my favorite characters of all time. He's cruel, damaged, but at his core, he's desperate to be loved. My favorite type of hero...
When I write a character, I usually have someone in mind - as in, "Who would play this guy in a movie."
But this time around, I didn't.
I don't know why, maybe he was just so crystal clear to me from the get go.
At any rate, I thought we could play a little game today and see who you all think should play our man Ethan in the movie version of MCBB.


First up we have PAUL BETTANY. Don't think of him in DaVinci Code, with all that red eyes and chalky skin - that will just throw you off...



Up next for your viewing pleasure is HEATH LEDGER. Normally he doesn't do it for me, but he is blond and this picture is...well, NICE...


LEGOLAS.
Yes, I understand he's a fictional character.
And that his hair is long, and his ears are elf-like.
And sure, he's not wearing a suit.
But, you can kind of see it, right? Right? RIGHT?


Chef god, GORDON RAMSAY
As I said up top, I have a thing for angry, damaged men...and if they can cook - WELL...




Next is, JAMES BOND/DANIEL CRAIG
What is there to say...
Seriously, look at those eyes..



Okay, last but not least, THAT GUY FROM SEX AND THE CITY
...I love you Samantha Jones...




So? What do you think? Whose going to play the part of Ethan??

P.S. DON'T FORGET, PHOTO CONTEST MONDAY

AND THE PHOTO CONTEST WINNER IS......DRUMROLL PLEASE....

"MOMMY.....I DON'T WANT TO BE AMERICAS NEXT TOP MODEL!!!!!!"


mslindagene, you are HILARIOUS! CONGRATS!

******* BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY GREAT, AND INSANELY FUNNY ENTRIES, I'VE DECIDED TO GIVE OUT PRIZES FOR 3 HONORABLE MENTIONS! ***********MY OCTOBER BOOK, MILLIONAIRE'S CALCULATED BABY BID COMES OUT TODAY AND IS ALREADY #5 ON THE WALDENS BESTSELLER LIST. TO CELEBRATE, I'D LOVE TO GIVE OUT 3 COPIES OF THIS FIRST BOOK IN MY NO RING REQUIRED TRILOGY TO THE FABULOUS ENTRIES BELOW!!

********THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING, AND COME BACK NEXT MONDAY FOR ANOTHER PHOTO CONTEST!!




"Help me! I look like I've just survived an explosion in Elton John's closet!





"Ohhhh Mommy! How could you! You know that pink makes me look bloated."





"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to."





WHAT A GREAT CONTEST. THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING, AND KEEP COMING BACK!!

WINNERS, PLEASE EMAIL ME YOU ADDRESSES!!
laura@laurawright.com

NAME THAT PICTURE AND WIN A 20.00 BORDERS GC!

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS TUESDAY 8 P.M. PST

My son.
Lucca.

PRADA MOM DOWN ON THE FARM

I'm a country girl.

Well, I'm from Minnesota. And that's close enough.

I am one of five kids. "A litter," my mom used to say. She used to say this on Saturday morning with a psychotic glint in her pale blue eyes as she speedily got us dressed and ready to go out. Every week was a long week and by Saturday my mom was done. My father totally got this and wouldn't complain as he stuffed us all in the car and dragged us to one of his three favorite saturday morning haunts.
(As I'm sure you're asking yourself, "what could these haunts be?" I will list them below)

1. The car dealership.
aka, A young child's paradise where one can always count on a fabulous nutrient-free brunch...hotdogs, popcorn, donuts.
Oh My!
While we kids sat inside the largest Chrysler in the showroom, my dad would wander around and pretend to be interested in something topless and cherry red. Of course, the car salesmen all knew he would never part from the frugal little forest green Omni he'd sold them five years before.

2. The airport.
aka - Super cheap fun.
We all sat, scrunched up on top of the Omni and drew handfuls of peanut M&M's from the pounder bag my dad always had stashed in his glove compartment as we watched planes take off and land.
(fun as a kid, but at 14 I seriosuly wanted to throw myself down in front of a plane and end it!)

3. Apple Picking!
My favorite. My sister's favorite. My brother's favorite.
Whether it was apples, raspberries, beans or tomatoes, nothing was more fun than going to the farm. The fresh air and perfectly ripe whatever just changed our whole outlook on Saturdays...until we returned home anyway...but that's a story for another day.


Living in L.A. you'd think that finding a farm would be a next to impossible task, unless it's a farm of the FAT variety. But after living here a few years I actually found one. A real farm, and it rocks! I take the kids there all the time, and we pick the same kinds of things as my sisters and brothers and I picked - tomatoes, beans, raspberries... (my brood are great fruit and veggie eaters because of this farm.) It's a great way to get out of the actual city of Los Angeles and breathe some smogless air.

There's just one small issue.

Other Moms in L.A. have also heard about the Farm, and these chicks weren't raised in Minnesota so they don't understand the rules of working outdoors. Rules like, TALKING ON YOUR CELLPHONE IN THE MIDDLE OF A STRAWBERRY FIELD MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE A TOOL. Or this one, IF THERE'S MANURE WITHIN A ONE MILE RADIUS, DON'T WEAR YOUR HIGH HEEL JIMMY CHOOS. And their poor kids.. They walk around like little freaked out robots..."There is mud and animal smells here, Mommy."
Listen people, the Farm is a place to get dirty, talk only to your kids and leave wanting a nap. Get it or get out!

Of course, the Prada Moms will never abide by these rules, and will most likely keep wearing their Manolos instead of their shitkickers, but hey, I'm in L.A. - I'll take what I can get...


p.s. REMEMBER - MONDAY, PHOTO CONTEST - BORDERS GC

AND THE WINNER IS...

PLAYGROUND MONITOR.

lol, I just couldn't resist, "Listen to my Face!" Priceless.

MARILYN, send me your address, and I'll get that GC right out to you - CONGRATS!


Crystal - I have a 16 monther with a squirt gun too..I laughed so hard reading yours!
J - Hiiii-larious!
Maureen - I wanted to punch that nurse..
Tonya - what a story!!
Cherie - Love the "here comes trouble"I can just see it..
Jen - I get it..I totally get it!


Thanks for the entries everybody, and come back on Monday for...

NAME THAT PHOTO, with another great prize!~!!

Laura

MOMMY CONTEST UPDATE!

Hi All

Well, since this is such a new blog, and my newsletter isn't going out until today, letting everyone know about this contest, I'm going to change the end date of the contest to WEDNESDAY 8 P.M. PST.
Good luck!

Laura

Mommy Contest Monday

If you know me at all, you know I have an obsession with MOMS. Rich ones, granola ones, nanny ones, snooty ones, clique-ee ones etc! There are so many different types of 'em here in L.A. and I find each type utterly fascinating. Sometimes I can't believe how crazy judgemental the "no TV/no refined sugar moms" can be, or how high school clique-ish the "five baby classes a day" moms can be, or how uninterested in their children the "Prada moms" are.

Yes, these sound like stereo types.

But I see it and live it here every day, folks...and...

I LOVE IT!

Soooo, I thought it would be fun to have all of you share your crazy mommy stories with me, and each other, on Mondays. And what fun would it be without a prize for best story, right?

Here are the "sorta" rules:

*Story can be your encounter, something you observed, or one you were told about and, "you just can't believe she'd do that!"

*Make sure you give your story a title, so I can announce it on Wednesday.

*You have until 10 p.m. PST on Tuesday to enter.

*Best story wins a 20.00 GC from Starbucks.

Good Luck!