avg_rating: 3.79
name: Lauren Belfer
about: Lauren Belfer’s most recent novel is ASHTON HALL. Booklist called it "exquisitely illuminated." Fiona Davis said ASHTON HALL is “a brilliant, immersive story rich with intrigue and historical detail, and a stunning achievement.”Lauren grew up in Buffalo, New York, and decided to become a writer when she was six years old. By the time she was in high school, her literary work was receiving rejection letters from all the best publications. Some of these letters included the initials of the person doing the rejecting, which she interpreted as encouragement. After graduating from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Medieval Studies and Art History, she worked as a file clerk at an art gallery, a paralegal at a law firm, an assistant photo editor Lauren Belfer’s most recent novel is ASHTON HALL. Booklist called it "exquisitely illuminated." Fiona Davis said ASHTON HALL is “a brilliant, immersive story rich with intrigue and historical detail, and a stunning achievement.”Lauren grew up in Buffalo, New York, and decided to become a writer when she was six years old. By the time she was in high school, her literary work was receiving rejection letters from all the best publications. Some of these letters included the initials of the person doing the rejecting, which she interpreted as encouragement. After graduating from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Medieval Studies and Art History, she worked as a file clerk at an art gallery, a paralegal at a law firm, an assistant photo editor at a newspaper, a fact checker at magazines, and as a researcher and associate producer on documentary films. All the while, she was getting up early in the morning to write fiction. Her first published short story was rejected 42 times before it found an editor who loved it (this was before the days of self-publishing). Her second published story was rejected only 27 times. Lauren’s debut novel, CITY OF LIGHT, was a New York Times bestseller, as well as a New York Times Notable Book. Her second novel, A FIERCE RADIANCE, was named a Washington Post Best Novel, an NPR Best Mystery, and a New York Times Editors’ Choice. It was included in the Goodreads posting, "20 Moments that Changed History: A Reading List." In a four-star review, USA Today said that Lauren's third novel, AND AFTER THE FIRE, “swells with life’s great themes — love and death, family and faith — and the insistent, dark music of loss.” AND AFTER THE FIRE received the inaugural Book Club Award of the National Jewish Book Awards.Lauren has an M.F.A. from Columbia University, and she lives in New York City.To learn more about Lauren and her work, please visit her website and follow her on social media:LaurenBelfer.comFacebook.com/AuthorLaurenBelferTwitter: @LaurenBelferInstagram: @LaurenBelfer1 ...more