Ellen Meister, a Jericho resident and the author of The Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, recently announced her second book, The Smart One, which is on sale on August 5 and was published by Avon A, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

The book is described as a funny and sexy tale of love, family, and transcending the childhood identities that mark us all.

"I'm very excited to welcome this new novel into the world. It's a sister story with a plot that was inspired by a macabre discovery right in my own town. If that sounds a good deal more serious than my first book, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, it is," said Meister. "While I think there's a still a fair amount of wit in this story, thanks to the voice of my main character and wisecracks from her comedy-writer love interest, the focus here is on the relationship of the three siblings: Bev (the smart one), Clare (the pretty one) and Joey (the wild one). No wonder I was so thrilled when Library Journal called it 'character-driven' and 'fast-paced' with 'great dialog.' I'm especially excited to hear people saying The Smart One will make a great book club read. I hope so."

Meister will be celebrating her second book at a launch party on Friday, August 8 at 7 p.m. at Borders Books & Music, located at 425 Jericho Turnpike in Syosset.