There's something irresistible about the delicious dichotomy of Valerie Mason. She describes herself as half tomboy, so you're as apt to catch this Cajun-spicy 20-year-old from the small town of Monroe, Louisiana four-wheeling or playing with her pet boa constrictor, Mitch, as dressing up in vintage outfits ("I love hippies," she professes). "I'm the type of girl who can just chill and hang out with the boys," she says. "I always had pet snakes and lizards that we caught in the yard. I also like going four-wheeling with a big group. Sometimes the four-wheelers get stuck in the mud and you have to push them out. I don't mind getting dirty—it's fun!" After cleaning up, Valerie switches gears and puts her six years of jazz-dance and ballet classes to use. "I don't have dance shoes anymore," she says, "but I play around in the living room." Just don't ask her to demonstrate if you see her at a club. She laughs at the suggestion. "People would think I was crazy if I busted out with a ballet move. Everybody already cracks on me for the old-school 1970s and 1980s CDs in my car. They ask, 'What are you listening to?'"

One of the people Miss September listens to, we're delighted to say, is Holly Madison, who encouraged her to submit Polaroids for Playmate consideration. "I found Holly on MySpace, e-mailed her and asked if I had a chance," reports Valerie. "Holly said my pictures looked great, and the magazine asked me to come in. I tested on an episode of The Girls Next Door, and when I saw myself on the show, which I watch all the time, I thought that was the coolest thing ever. I can't wait to hold the magazine in my hands so I'll know it's real."

For Valerie, it's real and getting realer. She recently moved into the Playmate House near the Mansion and plans to take acting classes—"like every other Playmate," she says, laughing. A few readers should be cheered by her taste in men. "I like shy guys; the mysteriousness intrigues me. If I had to make the first move, I wouldn't mind." Marriage is a distant thought. "I'm not going to say never, but I don't see the point right now," she says. "If you can find somebody you like having sex with and love at the same time, perfect. In the end, I don't really care if I'm single or with somebody, as long as I'm happy. Right now, living at the Playmate House is the experience of a lifetime."