SAG HARBOR, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- In nearly every city and town, one can find close-knit communities. Sheila Cole Nilva takes readers into one small New York City community in her new novel, Don't Try It on Eleventh Street! (now available through AuthorHouse).
Nilva's novel takes place on one fall day, Oct. 29, 1974, between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and noon. Don't Try It on Eleventh Street! depicts this brief time through the eyes and minds of her 17 characters in their own words.
There are muggings and shootings. Pimps and druggies roam the block. Adulterers shield their lovers in the cozy confines of historic brownstones. There are prostitutes, like Barbara Jones and Sissy Smith, who live in fear of their Doberman-loving pimp, Jackie. Neighbors Bea and Harold Barber and Bunny and Poopsie Bronfman have shared their past, but lately Bunny and Harold are sharing a good deal more. Bea knows. Poopsie does not.
There are Old Ellie and Old Mary P. who perch on their stoops waiting for any soul to listen to them. Big Pete is a repeat petty offender, yet he is an itinerant friend to all on the block.
The out-of-the-ordinary, daring combination of characters in Don't Try It on Eleventh Street! captivates readers, allowing them to experience life on Eleventh Street and witness the triumphs and tragedies of its residents.
"Nilva's (book) is gritty, earthy, crooked, tough and raw. Her stories unflinchingly reflect the seedier side of downtown New York City life with awesome and clarity and truth," Anthony Smith, author of Machine Gun (St. Martin's Press), says.
Nilva has enjoyed a long and busy writing career that has carried her throughout 76 countries. She has published articles in Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle, Elle (France), The New York Times, New York Daily News, London Daily Telegraph and Women's World, among others. Don't Try It on Eleventh Street!, her first novel, was a finalist for the Heekin Group Foundation Award. Nilva was selected by Annie Proulx, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Shipping News, for the Ucross Foundation Fellowship and Nilva's novel was a finalist for the 2003 Pushcart Press prize.
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