Los Angeles, US: '50 First Dates' actress Drew Barrymore has signed a deal with an American publisher to issue a collection of funny and emotional autobiographical essays.

Barrymore, who turned 40 this week, said the pieces will not be heavy read, reported People magazine.

‘I love stories that are humorous, emotional and welcoming, and that is my goal in writing this book,’ Barrymore said in a statement.

The book, which is not yet titled, will include stories about Barrymore ‘living on her own at 14 (and how laundry may have saved her life), getting stuck in a gas station overhang on a cross-country road trip, saying goodbye to her father in a way only he could have understood, and many more adventures and lessons that have led to the most important thing in her life, which is motherhood,’ Dutton, the publishing company, said.

‘We are thrilled to welcome Drew Barrymore, a true American icon, to the Dutton list, and can't wait to help bring her wonderful writing to the world,’ Ben Sevier, publisher of Dutton, said.

Barrymore, who hails from the famed Barrymore family of American stage and cinema actors, has two daughters with husband Will Kopelman.