Lau­ren Belfer toured exten­sive­ly for the Jew­ish Book Coun­cil with her nov­el And After the Fire, which won the Nation­al Jew­ish Book Award. Her debut nov­el, City of Light, was a New York Times best­seller. A Fierce Radi­ance was a Wash­ing­ton Post Best Nov­el. Ash­ton Hall was rec­om­mend­ed by The New York Times Book Review. Lau­ren grew up in Buf­fa­lo, New York, and lives in New York City.