A book which will make you laugh and cry

My lovely writer friend Fiona Cassidy's second novel is released today.

Fiona is one of us three Northern Girls - all Poolbeg authors who tour the country talking about writing, reading, Simon Cowell and other such things. We are very supportive of each other but I have a feeling this book is going to make my exceptionally jealous - because I have a feeling this book is going to hit the top spot, which it rightly deserves too.

Anyone for Me? is about this...Meet feisty, fun-loving Ruby Ross thirty-four, mad red hair, mad (in general), adopted and searching for answers . . . like, precisely whose genes are responsible for the mad red hair . . . She's impulsive, compulsive and unaware of what she s about to unleash in her quest for the truth. Isobel Ross is larger than life (despite being a serial dieter) and lives in a picturesque cottage in Donegal in the grounds of a manor-house hotel but why are the new hotel-owners so keen to get rid of her? She's harbouring secrets from the past and fiercely protective of her adopted daughter Ruby. Can she stop the wilful Ruby from opening a nasty can of worms? Throw in Ruby's forthcoming nuptials to the lovely Luke, a bling-loving bridesmaid in the shape of her best friend Frankie, a wedding planner called Gabriel who wears more make-up than the bride-to-be and you have chaos. Add to the mix a dusty box found by chance which leaves many questions unanswered, and you have a bewildered and rather ferocious Ruby asking is there . . . Anyone For Me?

This funny and moving tale about adoption is told with Fiona's trademark acid sharp wit, but where it comes into its own is that Fiona knows exactly how Ruby feels. She is adopted too, you see and she is an inspiration when it comes to seeking out answers about her own past. The book is not only hilariously funny, but raw and poignant in places because Ruby's feelings are drawn from Fiona's own experiences. But as Fiona would say herself - she gives the reader the ending she would have wanted for her own search.

Read it. Laugh, cry, and then - if you haven't already - pick up a copy of Anyone for Seconds? Fiona's first book.

I promise I'll not feel that jealous, honest.