2010 Black Writers Reunion and Conference

Title: Black Writers Reunion and Conference
Location: Atlanta
Link: http://www.blackwriters.org/
Description: Established in 2000, the Black Writers Reunion & Conference is well known for its engaging workshop presenters, outstanding topics, inspirational ambience, and professional organization. While BWRC does not discriminate against participants of any race, BWRC is the only touring conference with the added cultural bonus of being presented both by and for Black writers.

BWRC’s mission is to educate, support, and motivate aspiring, emerging, and published writers. We promote and encourage artistic expression and growth through skill development in the art, craft, and business of creative writing in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama as well as business and career endeavors in professional writing. Through diverse workshops, seminars, critiquing services, pitching sessions, writing contests, and awards, we have brought together thousands of writers from around the world to study, develop new skills, learn advanced techniques, hone their crafts, boost confidence, earn recognition, make new friends and reconnect with old ones, gain new readers and fans, and share with each other the unique and unparalleled experience that has firmly established BWRC as one of the preeminent writing and publishing conferences in the country.
Start Date: 2010-06-23
End Date: 2010-06-26

Texas African American Book Club Cruise

Hello, My name is Traci Crews-Sutton, owner of What’s Your Destination? Travel Event Agency. I would like to personally invite you and your book club members to the Inaugural Texas African-American Book Club Cruise.

We are pleased to have sailing with us 3 Phenomenal authors.
Vincent Alexander – www.vincentalexander.com
Dr. Moe Anderson – www.drmoeanderson.com
and ReShonda Tate Billingsley – www.reshondatatebillingsley.com

We are offering an early bird special and additional discounts for book clubs who bring 15 or more members/guests.

Visit my website at www.whatsyourdestination.com and click on book club cruise. Or email me for additional information.

News: Issues of Race in SF

Good Worlds and Bad
Pure escapism and dystopian visions appeal to consumers unhappy with the here and now.
By Rose Fox — Publishers Weekly, 4/13/2009

As Barack Obama’s election puts a new spin on the national perception of race and racism, small speculative fiction presses are looking for non-white readers and authors. Two new publishing companies have the specific mission of reaching readers of color who are tired of being relegated to secondary roles—when they appear at all. Many science fiction fans know of two prominent black speculative fiction authors, Samuel Delany and the late Octavia Butler; few can name a third, and even authors of color are sometimes hesitant to write (or unable to sell) books with non-white protagonists. “We definitely want to show Asians and African-Americans in speculative fiction, because we don’t think there’s a large representation for the rest of the community,” says Diane Williams, senior editor of 22nd Century Press. “On Web sites like the Black SF Society and the Black Authors Showcase, a lot of people say they can’t find quality books with non-white protagonists in this field. African-Americans don’t seem to know where to find black SF authors, and no one else knows they’re out there, either.”

Mikki Kendall, publisher of fledgling press Verb Noire, sees a similar need. “People of color like to escape from reality, too,” she says. “It’s not much of an escape if the images of the future or alternate realities make it clear that they still are not quite good enough to be a hero, a heroine or even a damsel in distress. What fun is it to read about princesses if the only person that resembles you in the story is the scullery maid?” Kendall and co-founder Jamie Nesbitt Golden decided to launch Verb Noire in February, after numerous blogs erupted in a heated conversation about race and racism in speculative fiction. An informal online drive for donations to cover the press’s initial operating costs raised over $7,700 from about 250 individual donors in less than a month, and their first book is due in May.

Writers of all backgrounds have begun veering away from Tolkien-inspired European fantasy settings and drawing on mythology and folklore from other parts of the world, particularly Asia. Cyberpunk authors first began exploring Asian settings in the 1980s, and the rest of SF is starting to catch on. “Liz Williams’s Inspector Chen series is a near-future, Far Eastern, urban fantasy setting with Chinese characters, and is based on Chinese and Buddhist cosmologies,” notes Jeremy Lassen, editor-in-chief of Night Shade. “John Courtenay Grimwood’s novel 9tail Fox features a Chinese-American police detective in a future San Francisco, and the story and title play around with Chinese folk tales and myths. Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a forthcoming SF novel set in Thailand, and features POV characters of Chinese, Thai and Malaysian descents. This is the type of narrative I’m interested in, books that present a non-homogeneous view of the future.”

Verb Noire explicitly welcomes submissions from white writers, focusing on the manuscript’s content rather than the author’s background. Lassen does the same at Night Shade, with caution. “I’m very aware of the problems of appropriation of non-white culture by white writers,” he says. “I’m very conscious of the fact that I have two Brits and an American writing about Far East Asian cultures and characters. Particularly in SF, exotification of ‘the Other’ has been and continues to be a problem, and genre fiction only amplifies the ugliness of appropriation.”

Expanding the genre to include non-white and non-Western narratives may well benefit readers of all backgrounds by kicking speculative fiction out of its whitewashed ruts. “What I have seen as both a publisher and a reader is a great deal of the same content being recycled, depending upon what is selling at the time,” says Bryan T. Marshall, the publisher of Mermaid Publishing. “If you look at the Locus bestseller lists you’ll see vampires, zombies and wizards everywhere. What is missing is a new concept.” Lassen says much the same about science fiction: “I think that simplistic, white or white/passing views of the future were anachronistic back in the ’80s and they are anachronistic today.” Kendall is more acerbic: “Do we really believe that only white heterosexuals with no physical or mental impairments are worthwhile representations of our future?”

These publishers may be inspired by Overlook Press’s success with translated speculative fiction, which now makes up about 10% of its list and is marketed to mainstream readers without any emphasis on its origins. “We didn’t acquire Max Frei’s wonderful contemporary epic The Stranger because it was foreign literature or because it came from Russia,” says publisher Peter Mayer. “It’s just a marvelous book that has sold everywhere. I don’t think there is a specific market that drives English-speaking readers to foreign literature in translation; it is simply that the best readers read books regardless of their provenance. There is not a specific Marcel Proust readership or a Franz Kafka readership, for example. Readers don’t go into bookstores looking for translations. They just look for books they may want to read.”

Publishers Weekly

Interview with Cheryl Robinson

Author Cheryl Robinson has penned her latest novel about a forty-three year old woman falling in love with a twenty-five year old man.  In Love with A Younger Man (NAL Trade, January 2009)is more than a new twist on the hot topic and growing trend of relationships between older women and younger men. It is about the sacrifice that some women make in their personal life in exchange for a lucrative career. Often forgoing family, friendships, and the work life balance needed. Moreover it is about redefining self and rediscovering love. 
 
A bestselling author and native Detroiter, Cheryl Robinson has been known for writing novels with a twist, portraying women who face the odds and succeed. Cheryl began her literary journey in 2002 as a self-published author of two novels; Memories of Yesterday and When I Get Free. Memories of Yesterday, the story of Winona Fairchild, a single mother of two concealing her HIV status, and Porter Washington, the man who falls in love with Winona before learning of her status. Memories of Yesterday appeared on the Essence Bestseller list in July 2004, which was a major accomplishment for an independent author. It was later re-released in January 2005 by NAL Trade a division of The Penguin Group under the title, If It Ain’t One Thing in a two book deal that included the sequel, It’s Like That. If It Ain’t One Thing, now in its third printing, also appeared on the Essence Bestseller list in September 2006 and numerous other best seller lists including The Dallas Morning News.
 
In addition, Cheryl signed two more book deals with NAL Trade; Sweet Georgia Brown (January 2008) is the story of Georgia Brown, a humble housewife determined to become a household name and her obnoxious husband Marvelous Marvin, a popular syndicated morning radio host who readers love to hate, and In Love With A Younger Man (January 2009), the story of a very successful female corporate professional who falls in love with a man eighteen years her junior while on a one-year paid sabbatical, and although fictional, the story does at times mirror Cheryl’s current relationship. She also contributed to the anthology These Are My Confessions with her novella entitled Strapped. It was the first African-American erotica collection released by AVON Red, a division of HarperCollins Publishing.
 
Currently, Cheryl resides in central Florida and spends most weekends in Atlanta, Georgia, which is quickly becoming her home away from home. She is writing her next novel, which is the second book in a series that revolves around Olena Day.

• With your current book, a lot has been made about your reality inspiring your fiction. Tell us about your writing experiences with this book as opposed to your earlier books.

  Every book I have written have revolved around a woman who was broken in some way, but who finds the courage to move on from her past and live again. With In Love With A Younger Man, I put a little bit of my college experiences from Howard University into this book, but very little. For instance, there is a scene where Olena is reflecting about being a part of the fashion show at Howard and what she experienced at the after-party that was held in one of the row houses. None of that was fiction. I was one of the models in the fashion show my second year at Howard and yes, I did have a big crush on the fashion show director who happened to be gay, but I at the time I didn’t know.

  Aside from that, Olena is the first character I have written about who was single with no children and from that standpoint I can really relate to her.
  

• 
  How do you go about creating your characters and your plots? What inspires you?

  Often I’m inspired by the people I meet and the conversations that I overhear. I don’t consider myself to be nosey, but I must say I’m a great listener even when I’m not the one being spoken to.

• Is writing easy for you? Or, do you have to enforce a discipline to write, to review, to re-write?

  Writing is a process that is becoming easier for me. I used to never enjoy the revision process, but now it is one of my favorite parts in the process. My favorite part is the beginning. I love beginnings.

• Another slant on the previous question: Is writing getting easier for you, now that you are a published author? How much input do you get from your fans and critics?

  For me, being a published author does not make the process any easier. As far as input from fans and critics I get a fair share, but because I love hearing from those who have read my books I don’t think I could ever get enough.

• How much effort does it take for you to get a book published now as opposed to when you were getting started?

  I believe that getting my next book published depends on the success of my previous book combined with the belief my editor and publisher have in me as a writer. Publishing is not an easy business by any means. Now that I am published I have to pitch my ideas first to my agent and from that point my agent pitches the idea to my editor. However, my perception prior to getting picked up by a major publisher was that once I got picked up the process would be easy. Even distribution isn’t easier. Just because an author is published doesn’t mean you will see their book everywhere books are sold. However, you can order the book from any place books are sold because so many major distributors will carry the book.

• What are you doing to market and promote In Love with a Younger Man?

  I am connecting with book clubs across the country, marketing on various web sites that attract readers, doing blogtalk radio interviews. I have a web site, which is www.cherylrobinson.com and www.myspace.com/cherylrobinson

• Any plans for a next project? Will we see the same characters again?

  My next project will be released in April 2010. It is the story of Alicia Day and her two half sisters. Alicia Day was one of the supporting characters from In Love with a Younger Man. She is Olena Day’s niece. Aside from Alicia all of the characters are new. And the story has nothing to do with Olena’s story. But Olena may make a cameo.

Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts Booksigning

Title: Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts Booksigning
Location: Bright Lights Children\’s Bookstore
Click here
Description: Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts sign their books from the Amy Hodgepodge series at Bright Lights, 8461 So. Van Ness Ave.
Inglewood, CA 90305
Start Time: 2:00 pm
Date: 2009-05-02

Interview with Pamela Samuels Young

Pamela Samuels Young is a Los Angeles attorney and author of the legal thrillers, Murder on the Down Low, Every Reasonable Doubt, and In Firm Pursuit.

A former journalist and native of Compton, Pamela serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America.  She is a graduate of USC, Northwestern University and UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. 

Pamela earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and her master’s degree in broadcasting from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. After spending several years as a television news writer and associate producer, including stints at WXYZ-TV in Detroit and KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, Pamela took a break from the news business to serve as a Coro Foundation Fellow in St. Louis, Missouri. Pamela later returned to school and earned her law degree at UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. She practiced law at the Los Angeles office of O’Melveny & Meyers for several years and served as Employment Law Counsel for Raytheon Company.

She has served as legal consultant to the Showtime television series, Soul Food and is a frequent speaker on the topics of self-empowerment, diversity and pursuing your passion.

Pamela is an in-house employment attorney for a large corporation in Southern California, an adjunct professor at the University of Redlands’ School of Business and the legal columnist for Global Woman magazine. She still finds time to serve on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

A desire to see engaging female and African-American attorneys depicted in today’s mainstream legal fiction motivated Pamela to start writing despite a busy legal career.

Her short story Setup is featured in the Sisters in Crime Anthology, Landmarked for Murder.

Pamela’s newest release, Murder on the Down Low, was an “Editor’s Pick” by the Black Expressions Book Club.

Pamela shares her writing expertise via articles on fiction writing at BizyMoms.com, where she is a featured expert. When attorney and best-selling author Pamela Samuels Young isn’t practicing law, you can usually find her penning her next legal thriller.

Visit Pamela’s website at www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com. To invite Pamela to your book club meeting or event, email her at pamelasamuelsyoung@gmail.com.

• Legal thrillers have such broad appeal, whether the attorneys are ambulance-chasers or high-priced corporate lawyers. Can you explain the fascination?

  I think people love reading about people they love to hate and attorneys are perfect for that role. Also, legal thrillers give the reader the opportunity to root for “justice.”

• So, tell the truth: Can practicing law be as exciting as one of your novels?

  No way! Much of my current practice involves providing advice and counsel aimed at keeping my company out of court. Unless you’re a prosecutor or public defender, most lawyers don’t spend all that much time in court and rarely see the kind of drama played out on shows like Law & Order and The Practice, two of my favorites legal dramas.

  However . . . my second novel In Firm Pursuit is actually based on a race discrimination case I tried in federal court several years ago. A guy terminated for sexual harassment sued the company, claiming he was wrongfully terminated. I represented the company and we won at trial. In the book, I added lots of imaginary legal drama that didn’t occur in real life. So I guess that proves that the real life practice of law isn’t as exciting as the imaginary legal world I created.

• What can you tell us about Vernetta Henderson, the lead character of your novels? Of course, the question must be asked: How much of her is you, and vice versa?

  Vernetta grew up in Compton, California, and so did I. Vernetta worked at a large corporate law firm where she was one of only a few African-Americans. So did I. Vernetta is married to an electrician. I’m married to a plumber. So yes, I’ve put a lot of my own experiences in my novels through Vernetta. They say write what you know, and that’s exactly what I did.

• Care to share any hints as to what your next novel will be? Will we see more of Vernetta Henderson?

  My next book, Buying Time is my first stand-alone. But don’t worry, Vernetta, Special and Jefferson aren’t gone for good. I have lots more legal drama for them down the line.

  In Buying Time, Waverly Shaw is a down on his luck lawyer. But just when he’s about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential to solve all of his problems. In his new line of work, he comes to the rescue of people in desperate need of cash. But there’s a catch. His clients must be terminally ill and willing to sign over rights to their life insurance policies before they receive a dime. Waverly then finds investors to advance them thousands of dollars—including a hefty broker’s fee for himself—in exchange for a significant return on their investment once the clients take their last breath.

  The stakes get higher when Lawrence Erickson, who’s bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General, hires Waverly to broker the insurance policy of his cancer-stricken wife. But Waverly’s clients start dying sooner than they should and Erickson —who has some skeletons of his own to hide—is unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder. With two determined federal prosecutors hot on his trail, Waverly is on the run, and this time, the price is on his head.

• Needless to say, your novels have been well-received. What has been the reaction at your book tours? How have fans received you at book signings and readings? Any comments from other attorneys?

  The reception to my books has been tremendous! It’s really what has kept me going in the face of rejection from the publishing industry. I started writing because I was fed up with never seeing women or people of color depicted as savvy, hot shot attorneys in the legal thrillers that I read. So I decided to create my own characters. My fan mail has been so uplifting. The readers who’ve taken the time to write to me to let me know they enjoyed my books have been people of all ages and races. One of my favorite fan letters came from a 75-year-old white attorney I met at a book signing in Atlanta. I was so pleased that he took the time to write me a complimentary letter (which he sent to my publisher, I guess because he doesn’t use email) about my first novel, Every Reasonable Doubt. Book clubs have also supported me. I love bonding with them at their book club meetings.

• With the variety of nominations that your books have received, what do you do to promote your books?

  Book clubs are a big focus of my promotional efforts. My sisters all over the country have given me such tremendous support. I make book club appearance both in person and via speaking phone. I even did a book club meeting in the San Francisco Bay Area and patched in another book club in the D.C. area via speakerphone at the same time. I also do a lot of motivational speaking and writing workshops. Libraries and churches are also big on my promotional list. If you take a look at the tour page of my website, you’ll see that I rarely turn down an invitation. And of course, I’m all over the web and have even done a virtual book tour.

• Is being a published author what you expected it would be? What has been the biggest challenge to you?

  Before I was published, I didn’t realize that very few authors these days get promotional support from their publishers. The biggest challenge has been trying to get my name out there. My first two legal thrillers Every Reasonable Doubt (BET Books) and In Firm Pursuit (Harlequin) were traditionally published. But my third book, Murder on the Down Low is self-published. While I don’t have a big publisher behind me, I’m really pleased at my promotional success. I was offered a distribution deal from the Independent Publishers Group, so Murder on the Down Low is on bookstore shelves, which is a big coup for a self-published novel. Frankly, I’ve landed much bigger publicity as a self-publisher. For instance, Murder on the Down Low was featured as an Editor’s Pick by Black Expressions magazine and was featured on the cover of Publisher’s Weekly (March 2, 2009 edition). Nothing like that ever happened with my traditionally published books. And I can see the snowball effect of word-of-mouth publicity. Like I said, my sisters have really been talking up my books and I truly appreciate it!

Interview with First-Time Author, Tammy Fournier

Tamara K. Fournier founded Vision Development Corporation (VDC) in reflection of her own personal success story. P.I.E.C.E.S.: A Booster’s Story is her story. Born in Columbus, Ohio and raised in the Church, Tammy’s connection to her spiritual foundation began at an early age as the sister of a minister and wife to a minister’s son. Her life course took a turn for the worst when she divorced her husband of 14 years and married a Dominican drug dealer. Swept off of her feet and into the fast lane, her life spun out of control, and the end result was her 3-year sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women and Franklin County Pre-Release Center.

During her incarceration, Tammy did much soul searching. Having the spirit of a born leader, she knew and understood that her true purpose was to give back to her community through outreach. Today, she is currently the Program Director for the Revival Development Corporation at Trinity Baptist Church. Her ministry has been working hands-on with several Re-entry and prison programs, personally working with and cared for hundreds of at-risk youth in Educational Development Empowering Network (E.D.E.N.) after-school program and Camp Healthy Kids summer camp, as well as being a Life Coach and Motivational Speaker. Life experiences have led her to the creation of VDC and the completion of her first novel.

• What led you to write P.I.E.C.E.S.? Do you remember the moment that you wanted to write your story?
  While working at Triple Crown Publications, and reading hundreds of submissions, I realized that many of the stories published by TCP were similar to my own story. During my employment at Triple Crown I assisted with the plotline of the book Crackhead by Lisa Lennox. It was then that realized I had a strong desire to write my story and my “baby” was born.
   
• Walk us through the process: How did you write your story? How did you edit and review it?
  Because my book is based on my life experiences, I began writing my book by first outlining the time period in my life that I wanted to focus on. Knowing that I would be writing a sequel, I knew from the start where I wanted the book to end. My love affair with Julio was a truly moving love story and I wanted to share that experience with the world. I also wanted to use my story as a cautionary tale for anyone that has stumbled in life’s journey. Upon my completion of the novel’s first four chapters, I shared my writing with friends and family members, and used their comments and critiques to help further the storyline.
   
• What steps did you take to getting it published? Did you search out for an agent?
  Having previous experience working in the publishing industry, I was fortunate to have several contacts and friends who were interested in my story and helping me to get it into print. I reached out to my friend, Joylynn Jossel, who read the book, believed in me and secured my two-book deal with Urban Books.
   
• What have you done to promote your book? What’s it like to do booksignings and readings? Any interesting stories to tell?
  In my position as a Program Director, I work hands-on with at-risk youths and incarcerated men and women. Through my work in this field, I’ve been able to promote my book in several youth programs as well as correctional facilities across Ohio. I use my story to teach others how to overcome the challenges that we face everyday. I believe that each of us have a Purpose, and once you’ve discovered your individual Purpose or calling, you should use it to empower those around you. I believe that my Purpose is to be an advocate for the misplaced and misrepresented in our society. By sharing my story, I hope to prevent others from making the same mistakes I’ve made.

  My first official book signing was the most stressful, nerve-racking, fulfilling, wonderful experience of my life. I worried about it until the day of the event and ended up having the time of my life sharing my experiences with my friends, family and colleagues. I planned the event for 50 people and, on the day of the event, I had only sold 10 tickets! However, by the end of the event, we had over 100 guests and standing room only. The highlight of the evening was when Joyce Beatty presented me with a proclamation from the State of Ohio.
   

• Is being a published author what you expect it would be? What has been the reaction of your readers?
  It continues to sink in daily that I am a published author. At times it’s overwhelming to think of this accomplishment, considering that, in the early 1990s, I was certain that my life was over. For this reason, and many others, I am so grateful for God’s grace and mercy. I know that each day we have a fresh opportunity to get it right.
   
• Any plans or hopes for P.I.E.C.E.S. – bestseller lists, theater play, movie options?
  My dream is to see P.I.E.C.E.S. on the big screen and to watch the characters in the book come to life in an American Gangster-meets-Medea style.
   
• Any lessons learned about writing or promoting your book?
  I have learned that writing is therapeutic process, especially when you tell your own story.
   
• Any plans for another book? How about any other artistic endeavors?
  Currently, I am writing the sequel to P.I.E.C.E.S., which will pick up where the first novel ends, with Tara heading off to prison. My desire is to tell a very realistic tale of prison life from a female perspective. I don’t think prison life is often told from that view.
   
• What other books or authors are you reading?
  I just started reading Living At The Next Level by B. Courtney McBath. Next, I plan on reading Tavis Smiley’s Accountable.

Booksigning – Kimberla Lawson Roby

Title: Booksigning – Kimberla Lawson Roby
Location: Rockford, IL
Link out: Click here
Description: Barnes & Noble
7200 Harrison Street
Rockford, IL

Go to www.kimroby.com for complete tour locations
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2009-01-13

Baldwin’s Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin

Baldwin’s Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin
by Herb Boyd

Available December 2008

Baldwin’s Harlem is an intimate portrait of the life and genius of one of our most brilliant literary minds:James Baldwin.

Perhaps no other writer is as synonymous with Harlem as James Baldwin (1924-1987). The events there that shaped his youth greatly influenced Baldwin’s work, much of which focused on his experiences as a black man in white America. Go Tell It on the Mountain, The Fire Next Time, Notes of a Native Son, and Giovanni’s Room are just a few of his classic fiction and nonfiction books that remain an essential part of the American canon.

In Baldwin’s Harlem, award-winning journalist Herb Boyd combines impeccable biographical research with astute literary criticism, and reveals to readers Baldwin’s association with Harlem on both metaphorical and realistic levels. For example, Boyd describes Baldwin’s relationship with Harlem Renaissance poet laureate Countee Cullen, who taught Baldwin French in the ninth grade. Packed with telling anecdotes, Baldwin’s Harlem illuminates the writer’s diverse views and impressions of the community that would remain a consistent presence in virtually all of his writing.Baldwin’s Harlem provides an intelligent and enlightening look at one of America’s most important literary enclaves.

Interview with Essence Magazine’s Storyteller of the Year, Leslie Banks

New York Times bestselling author, L.A. Banks has penned over 35 novels and 12 novellas in a wide range of genres and is the recipient of the 2008 Essence Magazine Storyteller of the Year Award, as well as the 2008 Best 50 Women in Business Award for the State of Pennsylvania.

A native of Philadelphia, Banks is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania Wharton undergraduate program, and alumnae of Temple University’s Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking program.  Ms. Banks began her career in corporate marketing for several Fortune 100 firms and worked as an executive for over a decade at Xerox, Hewlett Packard, and Digital Equipment Corporation.  She then subsequently evolved her veteran marketing experience into a solid entrepreneurial career as a marketing consultant within the economic development and community-based organization environment.

In 1992, Banks added another facet to her career, entering the publishing industry.  She writes under the pseudonyms: L.A. Banks, Leslie Esdaile, Leslie E. Banks, Leslie Banks, and Leslie Esdaile Banks.  She has won several business as well as literary awards, and writes in genres as diverse as romance, women’s fiction, crime suspense, and paranormal.  She has contributed to magazines, newspaper columns, and has written commercial fiction for a variety of major publishers:  St. Martin’s Press (NYC), Simon and Schuster (NYC), Kensington Publishing (NYC), BET/Arabesque (NYC), Genesis Press (MS), Parker Publishing, Harper, and Tor.  Her non-fiction work includes the riveting and motivational story of Bank’s life journey in her contribution to the Chicken Soup for the African American Soul anthology.

Banks has written the book series for the popular cable network television series, Soul Food and the novelization of the movie, Scarface. In addition, Banks penned a four-book crime thriller for Kensington/Dafina, beginning with Betrayal of the Trust, under her alternate pseudonym, Leslie Esdaile Banks.  From there, Banks transitioned into another hot genre—the world of paranormal fiction, in the form of the 12-book Vampire Huntress legend series under the pen name, L.A. Banks, as well as a hot new werewolf series, Crimson Moon.

Currently, Banks writes full-time, always working on multiple projects and anthologies simultaneously, and she resides in Philadelphia with her teenage daughter and her black labrador retriever.

• 2008 has been good to you. You won the 2008 Essence Magazine Storyteller of the Year Award, as well as the 2008 Best 50 Women in Business Award for the State of Pennsylvania. Were you surprised to receive such prestigious awards?
  I was absolutely stunned to receive those awards, LOL–seriously… the Essence one came out of the blue–my Street Team nominated me, fought for me, but given who else was up for that award, I assumed that they would get it.  But that just goes to show you the power of passion… my Street Team and readers are passionate about the series… so, yeah, it was very surprising and humbling to say the least.  I was honored.
   
• How have your fans and readers reacted to your success?
  They are the cause of it, they participated in it, and have been fabulously supportive.  If I didn’t have them, then what?  I really enjoy the notes of encouragement they send and all the love–I’m blessed to have them.
   
• You have written across a number of genres. Is it your diverse interests, a call to write different stories, or an agent selling you an idea? Are any of these genres near and dear to you than the others?
  I think, more than anything, what I write about is a function of who I am and what interests me.  I am a total romantic–so I write romance, I believe in “Obama-esque” couples, you know… when I see Michelle & Barack, I’m like–Yeah!  I believe in justice and the underdog, so I write crime thrillers where the good guy or gal triumphs in the end.  I believe that good will conquer evil, hence The Vampire Huntress Legends series… albeit a very graphic depiction of the spiritual battle (smile), but I flow my beliefs into a genre that’s fun for me to write.  I don’t think one can really separate it out… and when writer’s just write what their agents pitch, readers can tell.  The writing lacks the passion.
   
• How about a character? Do you have a favorite, or one that you want to spend more time with?
  LOL… oh, yeah… Carlos Rivera is my quintessential bad boy that I had so much fun writing.  Now that the series is over at book #12, The Thirteenth, I’m gonna miss him dearly   But that only means I have to create another one!
   
• As “Storyteller of the Year,” you have to share some secrets.  What gets you started on a story?  Do you have to get into a certain mood for the story or a certain scene that you are writing? What provides your inspiration?
  Oh, yeah, I definitely have to be in the mood to write whatever scene I’m working on.  First, I have to let the story roll around in my head for about a week… I have to really cogitate on the characters, their motivations, their voices, even their names and backgrounds.  Then comes the time to write them.  If it’s a battle scene, I put on Luda, old DMX, Pit Bull Miami, LOL… if it’s a love scene, I’ve gotta get mellow, have a glass of Merlot, turn the lights down, put on soft jazz, light some candles, and get my head into that zone.  Most assuredly, one has to mentally be there to create what translates onto the page.
   
• Does writing for horror/paranormal present any challenges to you? It would seem that building to that moment of suspense can be more difficult than writing a romance story.
  It does have the additional challenge of significant research and the action/adventure quality of plot design is formidable in a long-running series.  The romances I write are what I call “my palate cleaners” in between the gore and paranormal adventures   However, attention to character detail is key in anything you write if you’re going to present believable characters–and that takes work no matter what genre.
   
• Going back to your fans and readers, vampire lore seems to have piqued everyone’s interest lately with the upcoming movie release of Twilight and the new HBO series True Blood. Your 12-book series, The Vampire Huntress, is drawing to a close with the soon-to-be-released, The Thirteenth. How have your fans reacted? Are you sure this is the end?
  BIG SMILE… With vampires, you are never sure it’s “the end” — but I am going to be coming out with a graphic novel version of the series in 2009, plus manga and a version of the tale young adults.  So, in that regard, I guess the danged thing morphed on me, LOL!  But the response from readers has been HUGE!
   
• And we know that we haven’t seen the last of your pseudonym, L.A. Banks, with the release of the Crimson Moon series.  How have your fans reacted to the start of this series?  Any surprises that you would like to share?
  People have been overwhelmingly supportive… so much so that, the big surprise is this is no longer a trilogy.  We’ve inked another 3 book deal taking it up to at least 6 books so far contracted for this series. The response to my werewolves and shadow wolves has been very cool.
   
• Do you have some favorite stories or authors to share?  For example, if I was to peek at your book shelves, what would I find?
  Wow, yeah, you’d find an eclectic mix… Tananarive Due (Blood Colony and The Living Blood series), Brandon Massey (Thunderland), Sherrilyn Kenyon (Archeron), Jonathan Maberry (Cryptopedia and Patient Zero–I got an arc, smile!)… then there’s biographies, Obama (The Audacity of Hope), Patti LaBelle, Phyllis Hyman… self help stuff from TD Jakes, Deepak Chopra… I mean, my bookshelf is like my sock drawer–a hot mess
   
• It looks like you have taken advantage of the Internet to promote your novels — Amazon, MySpace, your websites.  Do you get a lot of feedback? Do you look forward to the book readings and the booksignings?
  I get so much feedback sometimes that it’s scary, because I try diligently to answer all my email myself–which becomes daunting while crafting a novel… Hey, I don’t even answer my family, then, LOL!  But I do love people and look forward to going out and meeting folks.  I look at booksignings and readings as mini-focus groups, because people give you instant feedback–good or bad, it’s all good, because then you can know how to work better in the future.
   
• Do you have any tips for your fellow writers? Anything that has worked for you in writing, finding a publisher & agent, in promoting your book?
  Really hone your craft and your manuscript before submitting it by going to the conferences and taking the classes there.  I go to about 4-5 conferences annually, and I sit and listen in the workshops taking notes… We’re all still learning and polishing our craft, so that is the biggest thing I would say to do.  A really tight manuscript is hard to reject–and it’s a joy for agents to sell.  Once you have a deal, start marketing.  Set up that website, get your booksignings organized, and hit the street.  Great numbers mean a repeat in contracts with higher advances.  It’s really simple, just a LOT of hard elbow grease.
   
• With 2008 being such a banner year, any plans for 2009?
  In 2009 I’ll be writing like a fiend, LOL… graphic novels, manga, YA, follow-on books for the Crimson Moon, whew!  It’ll be the kind of year where I’ll look up and it’ll be 2010, LOL!  So pray for a sistah, would ya?  BIG HUG!