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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.

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. 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.

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). She became the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, received the 2008 ESSENCE Magazine Storyteller of the Year award, as well as the 2009 Romantic Times Booklover's Convention Career Achievement Award for Paranormal Fiction. 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").

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

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. 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.

Banks' official website was updated to reflect her death from cancer on August 2, 2011, at the age of 51. 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) (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 Legend Series.

Vampire Huntress Graphic Novel Books

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 (2010)

Betrayal of the Trust Books

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

Articles

• Fiction Factor – Building Characters Through Realism
• Authors Supporting Authors Positively

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. "Leslie Biography". Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) leslieesdailebanks.com August 2006
3. Our Authors: L.A. Banks Archived July 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine AccessRomance.com
4. ^ "Leslie Esdaile Banks". Lew Klein Awards. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
5. ^ admin (September 18, 2011). "L.A. Banks (1959-2011)". Horror Writers Association. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
6. Access Romance Archived January 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine accessromance.com
7. Gotham Beach Entertainment gothambeach.com
8. "BooksofSoul.com Presents Interviews with Authors Leslie Banks and Michele Andrea Bowen". PR.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
9. "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.
10. Leslie Banks fansite Archived June 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
11. News of Banks' cancer battle
12. Fundraising for Banks' medical care
13. Boog, Jason. "L.A. Banks Has Died". Retrieved August 2, 2011.
14. ^ Graeme (June 6, 2019). "L.A. Banks / Leslie Esdaile". Book Series in Order. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
15. Harris, Charlaine; Kelner, Toni L. P., eds. (August 2010). Death's Excellent Adventure.

External links

• Leslie Esdaile Banks Website at the Wayback Machine (archived January 10, 2014)
• The Vampire Huntress Legend Series Website
• Crimson Moon Novels Website
• Official Leslie Banks MySpace
• neteruacademy.com
• L. A. Banks at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Interviews

• Romance in Color
• The Sister Circle Book Club
• WritersNewsWeekly.com Literary Spotlight

Reviews

• Paranormal romance Reviews
• The Best Reviews

• 1959 births
• 2011 deaths
• 20th-century American novelists
• 21st-century American novelists
• African-American non-fiction writers
• African-American novelists
• American crime fiction writers
• American romantic fiction writers
• American women novelists
• Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania
• Deaths from adrenocortical cancer
• Philadelphia High School for Girls alumni
• Urban fantasy writers
• Writers from Philadelphia
• American women science fiction and fantasy writers
• American women romantic fiction writers
• 20th-century American women writers
• 21st-century American women writers
• Speculative fiction writers of African descent
• Women crime fiction writers
• Novelists from Pennsylvania
• American women non-fiction writers
• African-American comics creators
• American female comics writers
• 20th-century American non-fiction writers
• 21st-century American non-fiction writers
• 20th-century African-American women writers
• 20th-century African-American writers
• 21st-century African-American women writers
• 21st-century African-American writers