The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death (28 page)

Jamie, who was already in her pajamas, gave me one last look and then turned out the light.

“Ow,” I said as my shin smacked into the bed frame while I was trying to climb into bed. “I think that’s gonna leave a bruise.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the following people who were essential in the before, after, and during of the never-ending completion of this book, which took so long it has now become legend: the amazing Bruce Tracy, the lovely Jenny Bent, and the hilarious Lore Carillo (whose creative genuis gave birth to the ubiquitous “Flaming Tantrum” and whose generosity didn’t permit her to argue when I announced I was stealing it), the guy who said it was okay to write that he touched poop in our basement, Libby McGuire, my family, Kim Hovey, Beth Pearson, Laura Goldin, Amelia Zalcman, Brian McLendon, Kate Blum, Diana Franco, Ryan Doherty, Dave Dunton, Jamie, Greg, Jeff Abbott, Dona Passannante, Meg Halverson, Bill Hummel, Kathy Cano-Murillo, Theresa Cano, Amy Silverman, Cindy Dach, Deborah Sussman Susser, Kartz Ucci, Erica Ashcroft, Heather Megyesi, Nancy Ragghianti, Grace Dunstan, Michelle Loyet, Michelle Jennings, Sharron Reed, and the rest of the cupcakes that I adore over at the IG board.

And thank you to my Nana, who I love and miss very, very much.

Muchas gracias,
Laurie

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

L
AURIE
N
OTARO
was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She packed her bags for Eugene, Oregon, once she realized that since she was past thirty, her mother could no longer report her as a teenage runaway. She is the author of
The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club, Autobiography of a Fat Bride, I Love Everyone (and Other Atrocious Lies), We Thought You Would Be Prettier, An Idiot Girl’s Christmas,
and the novel
There’s a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell.
She is currently at work on a plan B (to take effect when her book contract runs out) including selling hot dogs at Costco, selling hot dogs from a street cart, selling hot dogs at high school football games, or being the stop sign holder for road construction crews. At press time, she is still married, and she has an adorably disobedient dog that wears sweaters and loves chicken strips. (Clearly, Notaro has no children.)

ALSO BY LAURIE NOTARO

There’s a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell

An Idiot Girl’s Christmas

We Thought You Would Be Prettier

I Love Everyone (and Other Atrocious Lies)

Autobiography of a Fat Bride

The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club

This is a work of nonfiction.

Some names and identifying details have been changed.

Copyright © 2008 by Laurie Notaro

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Villard Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

V
ILLARD
and “V” C
IRCLED
D
ESIGN
are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Notaro, Laurie.

The idiot girl and the flaming tantrum of death: reflections on revenge, germophobia, and laser hair removal / Laurie Notaro.

p. cm.

eISBN: 978-0-345-50718-1

1. Notaro, Laurie. 2. Humorists, American—20th century—Biography. 3. Young women—Humor. I. Title.

PS3614.O785Z4675 2008

814'.6—dc22     2008005250

www.villard.com

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