Jane Sigaloff is the first British author to have a novel published in the highly acclaimed Red Dress Ink imprint. Having studied history at Oxford University, Jane entered the allegedly glamorous world of television, initially as tea-and-coffee-coordinator for Nickelodeon UK before progressing to researcher and then assistant producer. Her contracts took her to MTV and finally to the BBC, where assignments included a royal wedding interview. But it was her spell as a talk-show researcher that gave Jane a keen insight into human behavior and a lively sense of humor about relationships, both reflected in her brilliantly funny debut novel, Name & Address Withheld. Although Jane was born and bred in the UK, her surname hints at a colorful family background, with her roots somewhere in Austria, the Czech Republic and Russia. But since the Kids from Fame and the Brat Pack days of the 1980s, Jane’s been especially enthusiastic about all things American. As a student she spent a month pondering the meaning of life (and sales tax) on a road trip across North America, and the following year returned to work as a camp counselor. As an adult she tries to visit New York as regularly as she can to top up her energy levels and to shop at Banana Republic.
Since 2000 Jane has enjoyed a double life as a part-time personal assistant, which has given her more time to write and feel guilty about not going to the gym. She has never consulted an agony aunt.
Her second novel for Red Dress Ink will be Lost & Found.
As an agony aunt (the British version of an advice columnist), Lizzie Ford has helped people through all sorts of problems, both in her column and on her radio show. She shares a flat with her best friend, Clare, and has just met Matt Baker, who might be the man of her dreams, at a work party. One big problem: Matt is married, and he doesn't know how to tell Lizzie. Matt's wife, Rachel, is a workaholic who has been neglecting her husband, assuming she'll be able to win him back once she lands the big advertising campaign she's been lobbying for. But Matt has fallen in love with Lizzie, even though he can't quite bring himself to leave Rachel. Sensing the distance growing between her and Matt, Rachel decides to write to an agony aunt and chooses Lizzie, leading to a showdown that will shake all three of them out of their complacency. Although some readers may find the adulterous Matt an inadequate, if sympathetic, hero, Sigaloff's first novel is without doubt an engaging romantic comedy. Kristine Huntley
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