Leslie Esdaile Banks
BornLeslie Ann Peterson
(1959-12-11)December 11, 1959
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedAugust 2, 2011(2011-08-02) (aged 51)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Pen nameLeslie Esdaile,
Leslie E. Banks,
Leslie Banks,
Leslie Esdaile Banks,
L. A. Banks
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
Alma materWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Bachelor's degree)
Temple University (Master's degree)
Period1996–2010
GenreAfrican American literature, crime suspense, dark fantasy/horror, non-fiction, romance, women's fiction
Notable awardsEssence Literary Awards Storyteller of the Year (2008)
Best 50 Women in Business Award for the State of Pennsylvania (2008)
Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Paranormal Fiction (2009)[1]
SpouseMichael Esdaile,
Aldean Banks
Children1
Website
leslieesdailebanks.com

Leslie Ann Esdaile Banks (née Peterson; December 11, 1959 – August 2, 2011) was an American writer under the pen names of Leslie Esdaile, Leslie E. Banks, Leslie Banks, Leslie Esdaile Banks and L. A. Banks. She wrote in various genres, including African-American literature, romance, women's fiction, crime suspense, dark fantasy/horror and non-fiction.

She won several literary awards, including the 2008 Essence Literary Awards Storyteller of the Year.[2][3]

Biography

Leslie Ann Peterson was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She married Michael Esdaile,; they had one child, a daughter, Helena Esdaile. The couple divorced and she remarried, to Al Banks, in 2000.

She attended University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, where she earned her undergraduate degree and then attended Temple University's School of Communications and Theater, earning her masters in fine arts.[4] Before she began writing full-time, she worked at The Women's Opportunities Resource Center, where she helped develop micro-entrepreneurial career curriculums for women of low income in Philadelphia.[5]

Banks contributed to magazines and newspaper columns, and wrote commercial fiction for five major publishers: St. Martin's Press (NYC), Simon & Schuster (NYC), Kensington Publishing (NYC), BET/Arabesque (NYC), and Genesis Press (MS).[6] She became the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, received the 2008 ESSENCE Magazine Storyteller of the Year award,[4] as well as the 2009 Romantic Times Booklover's Convention Career Achievement Award for Paranormal Fiction.[5] Books 1 and 2 of The Vampire Huntress Legend Series (Minion and The Awakening, respectively), have been optioned for Hollywood films by GothamBeach Entertainment and Griot Entertainment. Originally a nine-book series, The Vampire Huntress Legend Series has been expanded to twelve (the last being called "The Thirteenth").[7]

In addition, Banks wrote the book series for the network cable series "Soul Food," as well as the novelization of the movie "Scarface."[8]

Illness and death

In June 2011, it was announced on Banks' website that she had been diagnosed with late-stage adrenal cancer. It was revealed that due to the extreme costs of her medical care, her family opened up a charitable fund in her name in one of the local Pennsylvania banks. The literary community also rallied around the ailing author, with several supporters starting a series of auctions where the proceeds went towards Banks' medical care.[9][10][11] Authors including P. N. Elrod, Heather Graham and Charlaine Harris donated books and services to raise funds for Banks, as did others in the literary community.[12]

Banks' official website was updated to reflect her death from cancer on August 2, 2011, at the age of 51.[13] She is survived by her daughter, Helena Esdaile.

Bibliography

As Leslie Esdaile

Romance novels

  • Sundance (1996)
  • Slow Burn (1997)
  • Love Notes (2001)
  • Love Lessons (2001)
  • River of Souls (2001)
  • Love Potions (2002)
  • Still Waters Run Deep (2002)
  • Tomorrow's Promise (2002)
  • Through the Storm (2002)
  • Sister Got Game (2004)
  • Keepin' It Real (2005)
  • Take Me There (2006)
  • Better Than (June 2008)

Romance novellas

  • "Home For The Holidays" in Midnight Clear (et al.) (2000) (*)
  • "Time Enough for Love" in After the Vows (et al.) (2001) (*)
  • "Valentine's Love" in Candlelight and You (et al.) (2003) (*)
  • "Shameless" in Sisterhood of Shopaholics (et al.) (2003) (*)
  • "A 'No Drama' Valentine's" in Valentin's Day is Killing Me (et al.) (2006) (*)

Alexis Grant

Men of the Delta Force Series

  • Sizzle & Burn
  • Locked at Loaded

Non-fiction

  • How To Write A Romance For The New Market (1999) (*)

As Leslie E. Banks

Drama, TV adaptation novels

  • Soul Food: For Better, For Worse (October 1, 2002)
  • Soul Food: Through Thick and Thin (March 1, 2003)
  • Soul Food: No Mountain High Enough (September 30, 2003)

As Leslie Banks

Non-fiction

  • "Light at the End of the Tunnel" in Chicken Soup for the African American Soul (2004) (*)

As Leslie Esdaile Banks

Crime and suspense

  • Betrayal of the Trust (2004)
  • Blind Trust (2005)
  • Shattered Trust (2006)
  • No Trust (final book) (September 2007)

As L. A. Banks

Crime and suspense

  • Scarface, The Beginning, Volume 1 (2006)
  • Scarface, Point of No Return, Volume 2 (TBD)

Paranormal

The Vampire Huntress Legend Series
  1. Minion (trade paperback) (2003) (mass market) (2004)
  2. The Awakening (trade paperback) (2004) (mass market) (2004)
  3. The Hunted (trade paperback) (2004) (mass market) (2005)
  4. The Bitten (trade paperback) (2005) (mass market) (2005)
  5. The Forbidden (trade paperback) (2005) (mass market) (2006)
  6. The Damned (trade paperback) (2006) (mass market) (2007)
  7. The Forsaken (trade paperback) (2006) (mass market) (2007)
  8. The Wicked (trade paperback) (2007) (mass market) (2008)
  9. The Cursed (trade paperback) (2007) (mass market) (2008)
  10. The Darkness (trade paperback) (2008) (mass market) (2008)
  11. The Shadows (trade paperback) (2008) (Book 11) (2009)
  12. The Thirteenth (trade paperback) (2009)

NOTE: The Darkness (10), The Shadows (11), and The Thirteenth (12) are called The Armageddon Finale to The Vampire Huntress (trademark) Legend Series.

Vampire Huntress Graphic Novel Books[14]
  1. The Hidden Darkness #1 (2010)
  2. The Hidden Darkness #2 (2010)
  3. The Hidden Darkness #3 (2010)
  4. The Hidden Darkness #4 (2010)

Neteru Academy

  1. Shadow Walker: A Neteru Academy Novel (trade paper back) (2010) (mass market) (2010)
Betrayal of the Trust Books[14]
  1. Betrayal of the Trust (2004)
  2. Blind Trust (2005)
  3. Shattered Trust (2006)
  4. No Trust (2007)
Crimson Moon novels
  1. Bad Blood (2008)
  2. Bite The Bullet (2008)
  3. Undead on Arrival (2009)
  4. Cursed to Death (2009)
  5. Never Cry Werewolf (2010)
  6. Left for Undead (2010)
Dark Avengers Series
  1. Finders Keepers (2008)
  2. Loser's Weepers (2008)

The Dark Series

  1. Surrender the Dark (2011)
  2. Conquer the Dark (2011)
Paranormal novellas
Anthology or collection Contents Publication date Editor Comments
Stroke of Midnight Make It Last Forever 2004 Sherrilyn Kenyon

Amanda Ashley

L.A. Banks

Lori Handeland

 New York Times bestseller extended list 2004
Dark Dreams If The Walls Could Talk 2004 Brandon Massey
Death's Excellent Vacation[15] Seeing Is Believing Aug 2010 Charlaine Harris

Toni L. P. Kelner
Voices from the Other Side: Dark Dreams 2 Natural Instinct 2006 Brandon Massey
Love at First Bite Ride the Night Wind 2006 et al.
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding Spellbound 2006 P.N. Elrod
Vegas Bites 2006 L.A. Banks, et al.
Creepin' Payback is a Bitch 2007 Monica Jackson
Dark Delicacies 2 What the Devil Won't Take 2007 Del Howison

Jeff Gelb
On the Line 2007 Donna Hill

Vincent Alexandria

L.A. Banks
Hotter Than Hell Equinox 2008 Kim Harrison

Martin H. Greenberg
The Darker Mask 2008 Gary Phillips

Christopher Chambers
The Ancestors Ev'ry Shut Eye Ain't Sleep 2008 L.A. Banks, Tananarive Due, and Brandon Massey ISBN 978-0-7582-2382-1

Articles

References

  1. ↑ Strock, Ian Randal (August 2, 2011). "Author L.A. Banks Dies". SFScope.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  2. ↑ Our Authors: L.A. Banks Archived July 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine AccessRomance.com
  3. 1 2 "Leslie Esdaile Banks". Lew Klein Awards. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  4. 1 2 admin (September 18, 2011). "L.A. Banks (1959-2011)". Horror Writers Association. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  5. ↑ Access Romance Archived January 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine accessromance.com
  6. ↑ Gotham Beach Entertainment gothambeach.com
  7. ↑ "BooksofSoul.com Presents Interviews with Authors Leslie Banks and Michele Andrea Bowen". PR.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  8. ↑ "LABANKSAUCTION.ORG (at the WayBack Machine Archive), Donated, Designed and Maintained by Charles & DC DeVane, DCD Productions, Organizer of the Items, Distribution & Details by Jo Carol Jones, Marketing by Sheila Clover English of COS, Renee Bernard & Anne Elizabeth". LA Banks Auction. DCD Productions. August 2, 2011. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  9. ↑ Leslie Banks fansite Archived June 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ News of Banks' cancer battle
  11. ↑ Fundraising for Banks' medical care
  12. ↑ Boog, Jason. "L.A. Banks Has Died". Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  13. 1 2 Graeme (June 6, 2019). "L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile". Book Series in Order. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ Harris, Charlaine; Kelner, Toni L. P., eds. (August 2010). Death's Excellent Adventure.

Interviews

Reviews

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