The Passion Project That Put Lauren Sanchez's Wedding To Jeff Bezos On The Backburner

Lauren Sánchez was romantically involved with a number of men before she got engaged to billionaire Jeff Bezos. But over a year after Bezos popped the question in May 2023, Sánchez wasn't in a hurry to rush down the aisle. Instead of being all-consumed with wedding planning immediately after her engagement, her attention went to writing her children's book, "The Fly Who Flew to Space." It's about a fly named Flynn who isn't good in school, but gets an unexpected opportunity to go into space. The book's take home message is all about believing in yourself in the face of adversity.

You might think that she got the inspiration for the book from Blue Origin, her fiancé Bezos' space exploration company, but instead, inspo struck while she was flying a plane with her kids: Sánchez has had her pilot's license for over a decade, and she has three children, one that she had with her ex-boyfriend Tony Gonzalez and two with her ex-husband Patrick Whitesell. Sánchez told Extra what happened on the flight that sparked the idea for the book. "A fly was stuck in the cockpit and we looked around and I was like ... 'Oh, this poor little fly.' My kids were like ... 'Think about what this fly can see. It's gonna go back and go, 'Mom, you're not going to believe what happened.'" And from there, the concept of Flynn the fly was born.

Lauren Sánchez also got to tie in the character with struggles she's had in her life. Flynn the fly has trouble staying focused at school, which is something that Sánchez had trouble with; she was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia in college. "Everyone thought it's a learning disability. It's not," she explained to Extra. "It's a learning difference. And that's what this book is for. It's for kids who feel out of place because they're not learning the same way everyone else is in class but they're going to be okay." Her book came out in September 2024, which means that Sánchez was freed up to be able to focus on her wedding to Jeff Bezos, once the richest man in the world. However, she might have some other distractions along the way having to do with the book, in the form of a lawsuit.

Even though Sánchez said she got the idea for the book from an experience from her own life, there are those who beg to differ. Sánchez was sued by Alanna Zabel, a yoga instructor and children's book author, over the book, which Zabel said was her idea that she'd once told to Sánchez when she was her yoga teacher years ago. 

We're guessing that Sánchez hopes the lawsuit gets resolved soon, so she can focus on her big day. We don't know yet when the wedding will be, nor do we know which designer Sánchez will be choosing for her dress — Sánchez has rocked a number of amazing looks over the years, so we're sure that whoever she chooses, the wedding dress will be incredible.