Leslie Esdaile Banks

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]

Leslie Ann Peterson was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She married Michael Esdaile,^[when?]; they had one child, a daughter, Helena Esdaile. The couple divorced and she remarried, to Al Banks, in 2000.^{[citation needed]}

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]

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.^{[citation needed]}

• 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)

• "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) (*)

Men of the Delta Force Series

• Sizzle & Burn
• Locked at Loaded

• How to Write A Romance for The New Market (1999) (*)

• 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)

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

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

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

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.

1. The Hidden Darkness #1 (2010)
2. The Hidden Darkness #2 (2010)
3. The Hidden Darkness #3 (2010)
4. The Hidden Darkness #4 (2010)

1. Shadow Walker: A Neteru Academy Novel (2010)

1. Betrayal of the Trust (2004)
2. Blind Trust (2005)
3. Shattered Trust (2006)
4. No Trust (2007)

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)

1. Finders Keepers (2008)
2. Loser's Weepers (2008)

The Dark Series

1. Surrender the Dark (2011)
2. Conquer the Dark (2011)

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

• 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

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

• Paranormal romance Reviews
• The Best Reviews