Announcing LET THERE BE LIGHT by Efrem Sigel Click here to order LTBL
In LET THERE BE LIGHT, Sigel’s collection of 15 prize-winning stories, each story stands on its own—while together, they offer a singular portrait of a man, his community, his world.
In the title story, “Let There Be Light,” set in a fading coastal town in Ivory Coast, Peace Corps teacher Howard Gold battles inertia and neglect to get streetlights repaired so his students can study at night.
In “The Sculptor,” a beautiful surgeon is married to a sculptor whose philandering provokes a stunning act of vengeance, shocking the quiet neighborhood where Howard and his family live.
In “Uncle Isaac,” ten-year-old Howie learns who, in his mother’s fractious family, must step forward to save a favorite uncle from jail and disgrace.
R.R. Bowker says this about the collection: “Gripping and evocative, Sigel’s stories move like a spotlight across a Jewish community, its members linked by love, sorrow, hope and the enduring search for meaning.”
What they say about LET THERE BE LIGHT:
“Efrem Sigel superbly shows the human comedy in all of its richness and profundity. Moving, poignant, vibrant, his intimate and universal stories are treasures.” WILLIAM WOOD, novelist
“These stories are exquisite explorations of loss, longing, and the quiet resilience of the human spirit. Sigel renders his characters with a painter’s eye for detail and a musician’s ear for rhythm. His stories illuminate the spaces where memory and life intertwine.” RABBI DAVID SCHUCK
“Sigel has given us wonderful stories, masterfully written, fascinating in their details, deeply humane in the vision of family they evoke. An awesome achievement.” MAX BYRD, novelist
“In these funny-sad stories, Efrem Sigel captures the complex inner lives of adults in a Jewish community much more threatened than we realize. Tender, never preachy, his book celebrates the enduring virtues: compassion, persistence, dignity, unshowy piety.” JUDITH SHULEVITZ, literary critic
This unique work is a powerful companion to Sigel’s most recent –and highly acclaimed–
novel, THE DISAPPEARANCE.
Click here to order LET THERE BE LIGHT. At the same time, you can add THE DISAPPEARANCE and save 25%.
REVIEWERS AND READERS AGREE: THE DISAPPEARANCE SOARS
To order The Disappearance, click here
When Joshua and Nathalie Sandler’s only child, 14-year-old Daniel disappears one flawless summer day in a tiny hamlet in Western Massachusetts, their world changes in an instant. Over the next year Joshua neglects everything to search ceaselessly for their son while Nathalie, a beautiful and gifted cellist, withdraws into herself, unable to play a single note of music.
Reviewers and readers alike agree: what Sigel has done in this moving novel is to transform tragedy into art. The twin mysteries—what has happened to Daniel? can a marriage that has come apart piece by piece be made whole again?—drive the story forward to an unforgettable conclusion.
“Sigel’s powerful, elegantly crafted second novel explores the impact of the disappearance of a boy shortly before his 14th birthday. A subtle and probing look at the consequences of a tragedy.” Publishers Weekly
“The story takes place over the course of a year and it is gripping, emotional and tender. The novel has a deep emotional core that will resonate with any reader.” Booklist
“The Disappearance is an emotional ride that made me care about this couple. The language sang on the page like a beautiful piece of music. It is one of those rare books that crosses genres and speaks to readers. I didn’t want it to end.” Ann Hite, Internet Review of Books
“From the first paragraph of lush, gorgeous prose, in which Sigel describes Joshua running toward the light, I knew this would be a heartbreaking, yet uplifting book. Flawless pacing made it extremely difficult to put down. In The Disappearance, Efrem Sigel has crafted a haunting, beautiful novel of tragedy’s aftermath, with deeply human characters.” Allison Campbell, LibraryThing.com
People Magazine gave The Disappearance 3 ½ stars out of 4). The American Booksellers Assn. named it An Indie Next Notable Selection
Order The Disappearance together with Let There Be Light for a special saving. Click here.
Introducing
Juror Number 2: The Story of a Murder, the Agony of a Neighborhood by Efrem Sigel
“In the early morning hours of June 7, 2007, five young men, all gang members, all involved in peddling crack cocaine, were playing dice in the courtyard of East River Houses, a New York City Housing Authority project in East Harlem. Three of the players were members of the Bloods gang; two were Crips. At a little past 4:30 a.m., a lone shooter, a Blood, entered the courtyard and began firing at the dice players. Within minutes, two young men were dead, one, a fellow Blood, killed by accident; the other, a Crip, assassinated at point-blank range.
“It took ten and a half years, but in December 2017, a man went on trial in Manhattan for this double murder. I was juror number 2 in that trial.”
Juror Number 2 is a timely, compulsively readable memoir, true crime story and societal expose. Beyond the drama of a murder trial, Sigel takes you inside families, schools, the NYPD, gangs and crime in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods—to highlight what’s working and what isn’t.
To order Juror Number 2, click here. To SAVE big, order Juror Number 2 along with
Let There Be Light and The Disappearance,
What they say about Juror Number 2
“Novelist Sigel turns his sharp eye for detail to a beautifully written hybrid of true crime and memoir. After serving as a juror on a 2017 Manhattan murder trial, The People v. Abraham Cucuta, Sigel was moved to examine the societal ills that cause underprivileged youth in New York City to turn to selling drugs and joining gangs. True crime buffs and fans of memoirs will be enthralled by Sigel’s irresistible mix of clear reporting, empathy, and thoughtful examination of the link between poverty and violence.” BookLife, October 28, 2020; Publishers Weekly, Dec. 21, 2020
“Truly compelling. Impossible to put down. A powerful piece of writing.” —novelist Max Byrd
“Sigel writes with compassion. The trial takes up the first half of the compact, engrossing work. [In] the second half. . . he skillfully puts a human face on the denizens of run-down housing projects, overwhelmed schools, and the police. An absorbing account that will especially speak to advocates of social and criminal justice reform.” —Kirkus Reviews, July 2020
“Engrossing, engaging and so well written. Such a gift to show the humanity of the men who were caught up in this.” —Wendy Kopp, founder, Teach for America
“Compelling and insightful. Juror Number 2 mesmerizes as it explores the intimate relationship between education and violent crime in New York’s housing projects. Not to be missed.” —John Lescroart, bestselling author
“Riveting. Far more than a courtroom drama; it challenges all of us to ask hard questions about our individual roles in promoting changes that can save and improve lives.” —Joseph Johnson, Provost, San Diego State University; founder, National Center for Urban School Transformation
“Powerful. Exceptionally well written. From his unique vantage point as a juror in a murder trial, Sigel’s memoir brings us face to face with the young men in East Harlem who turn to gangs and crime—their fractured families, their economic deprivation, their lack of access to quality education. Juror Number 2 is a call to action.” —Patty Machir, executive director, Futures and Options
Efrem Sigel is the author of two novels, more than 30 published short stories and memoirs and hundreds of articles. His OpEds on education appear in the NY Daily News.
The Writers’ Press Recommends: The Sixth Conspirator by Max Byrd
Acclaimed historical novelist Max Byrd delivers a riveting account of America’s secret mission to track down the conspirators in Lincoln’s assassination. The Sixth Conspirator is both a fascinating spy story and irresistible love story.
What they say about The Sixth Conspirator
“Will delight any Civil War buff.” —New York Times Book Review
“As in his highly acclaimed novels, Jefferson, Jackson, and Grant, Max Byrd tells the tale with witty and fast-paced writing that kept me turning pages.” —Cokie Roberts, award-winning author and TV journalist
“I absolutely love this novel!” —Diane Johnson, New York Times bestselling author
For more about The Sixth Competitor and to order, click here: https://maxbyrdbooks.com/
Call for Submissions: Published Writers
The Writers’ Press (TWP) is dedicated to publishing exceptional fiction and nonfiction. Preference given to authors who have published at least one novel, story collection or work of literary nonfiction. Send a query about your manuscript to: queries.thewriterspress@gmail.com with the subject line: QUERY. Include your name, mailing address, email, phone, a brief bio with the details of your previous publications AND a brief synopsis of your book. If interested, we will ask you to email the first 1,000 words of your book as a pdf. Please do NOT submit any copy unless invited.
What we like: We have an old-fashioned preference for literary novels with plot, character and setting: memorable stories with memorable characters, told in a straightforward way. Genre novels have little chance unless they transcend the genre to become literature. We love mysteries and thrillers but please bring us characters and settings that stay with us long after we discover who did it or how the good guys won.