I Ain't Said Nothin' But A Word...

I wrote once before about a friend who thinks it is the funniest thing that I never drank Kool-Aid until I was well into my teens. Every time the subject comes up he is rolling on the floor with laughter. I can’t help but laugh myself because what family back in the day didn’t raise their children on Kool-Aid? Well, mine didn’t. My first experience with Kool-Aid was at a cousin’s house during a summer break. I thought it was the coolest thing to be able to make a full pitcher of drink from that little packet of colored powder and a bucket load of granulated sugar! When I returned home and shared the experience with my mother she looked at me like I’d told her we’d built an atomic bomb out of shoe leather and toothpaste. She was not amused and it was many years later, after her first grandson was born, that she finally broke down and allowed Kool-Aid into her home. It was also that presweetened variety as well, not the little flavor packets that you could sweeten yourself. My dear frien

Why the sudden onslaught of self-promotion? Why so much about me? And why do I want people to vote for my ABOUT.ME page? Because I write. It’s what I do. More importantly, it’s what I love to do. Many would say I do it well. Just as many might disagree. I know that I do the very best that I can and with every new book, I try to do a better job than I did on the story before. I’m successfully published in the contemporary romance genre. But romance is not the only thing that I write as proven by my newest book, RESTED WATERS . Personally, I did not consider my first book a romance novel. Neither did hardcore romance fans! Some clever editing made it so. Hardcore fans didn't necessarily agree. Some proponents of more literary writings have been known to malign romance writers and their work. Castigating what one does not know comes easily to some folks. But hey, who am I to throw stones when I once lived in that same glass house myself? I remember well when I would readily dis

Since embarking o n this journey of shameless self-promotion I’ve been asked “what” about me and “why” this endeavor. I thought it only fair to respond since there have been so many new visitors here and to my About.me page. So, “what” about me? I’m a storyteller. I endeavor to do that by writing stories and writing them well. I discovered my knack for storytelling when I was a little girl. It started with a lie; a very elaborate, very detailed lie. I learned that when I lied to Daddy it only got me one hell of an ass-whooping. My beloved granny, on the other hand, helped me to see that when you refine those fibs into really good stories, then that is something else altogether. In middle school, I was good at fabricating reasons for never having my science homework. An astute science teacher recognized that I was most likely not going to have a career in the sciences. Acknowledging the poetry I doodled in the margins of my science lab book, she afforded me the opportunity to w

I know I’ve mentioned it before but marketing is not my strong suit. I do a better job of marketing other people than I do marketing myself. But I’m trying to get better. My newest venture is going to test my marketing fortitude and I’m reaching out wherever I can for assistance. About.me is a new website where you can quickly build a simple and visually elegant splash page that will point visitors to all the content you have around the web. In its infancy, About.me is marketing itself by launching a contest to find new faces for their fall promotion. The selected winners will see their About.me page featured in their campaign, which includes a giant billboard in Times Square. Visitors to About.me are allowed one vote per profile per day with the contest ending on September 20th. I want to win this contest. I have a great About.me profile. I created it myself. So I’m asking everyone I can to vote for me. And I’m asking you to please vote for me every day from now until S

There is no lack of controversy surrounding Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help and its recent big screen movie release. From being pissed about its historical accuracy, relevance, and context, to the age old argument about whether white authors should or can write black characters, too many have had much to say. Having read the book, I had some issues regarding her handling of the black vernacular, but they were my issues. As a writer I respect Kathryn’s right to tell her story her way. Had she told it the way others would have liked, it would have been their story, and not hers, and no writer would want that for themselves so why should they expect it from someone else. I say go write your own damn book your way if you didn’t like this one. Set in the early 1960’s in Jackson, Mississippi, The Help tells the story of African-American maids who care for the children and homes of wealthy white families. Encountering cruelty and racism, Abileen, played by Viola Davis and Minny, play

I watch a lot of movies. There is little in the theaters now that I haven’t seen or will probably see before the weekend is out. It’s a “habit” of sorts that was necessary for a previous business operation. Now it’s a “bad habit” I enjoy for the sake of pure entertainment. Occasionally I will see a movie that did not inspire me in previews, which most folks passed right on by, that turns out to be an absolute delight. Midnight in Paris was one of those movies. I thoroughly enjoyed it and that surprised me. Recently I sat through Russ Pharr’s new film 35 and Ticking , which features an all-star ensemble cast with Nicole Ari Parker, Tamala Jones, Kevin Hart, Keith Robinson, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Meagan Good, Mike Epps, Clifton Powell, Jill Marie Jones, Kym Whitley, Luenell, Dondre Whitfield, Darius McCrary and Aaron D. Spear. As with most movies with predominately black casts, 35 and Ticking has gotten little, if any promotion. It hasn’t faired well at the box office but it’s a

When Tessa would walk into a room Joel would light up like a Roman candle. Other people had often commented about the look in his eyes when she was near. There was no denying the connection that existed between them, the energy vitalizing every aspect of their lives. She thought it so perfect that it was almost too good to be true. Then something changed, shifting into a pit of distant and cold. Now Joel barely acknowledges her gestures of affection. He has a mistress with no name, everything and everybody else consuming his time and attention. Life has become the lover he would seem to need more. He wakes each morning thinking of things that are not Tessa and when he lies down at night, sleep, not Tessa, is the only thing on his mind. Tessa misses his smile, his laugh, his touch, and the look in his eyes that says she fulfills the empty in his heart and is the light in the dark caverns of his mind. Tessa hates that perfect has turned out to be too good to be true.

I love dance. I love absolutely everything about dance! The CBS hit show, So You Think You Can Dance! , is by far my favorite dance reality show simply because it seems to treat dance more seriously, showcasing choreography across a range of genres and artists from companies like the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the American Ballet Theater. This show is more about the art and not necessarily the sport. Last night viewers narrowed the competition field down to the top four contestants, and my personal favorite, 23-year old Sasha Mallory made it to the finals. Sasha Mallory began studying ballet technique at the Royal Academy of Dance. She has trained at the Houston Ballet, the Boston Ballet and the Ailey School's summer intensives. Her specialty is contemporary, but there doesn’t seem to be anything this young woman doesn’t excel at. She is truly a gifted artist. Initially, Sasha auditioned with her 18-year old sister Natalia. The audition process uncovered some heal

Books are golden to me. I read constantly. I also watch much TV and am passionate about a good movie. Documentary films are my absolute favorite so I am just head over heels for Oprah’s new documentary club on the OWN network. The first original documentary, SERVING LIFE aired recently and I was hooked. Narrated and executive produced by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker the film takes viewers inside Louisiana's maximum security prison at Angola, where the average sentence is more than 90 years. The prisoners within its walls are considered the worst of the worst with prison sentences so long that 85 percent will never again live in the outside world. My character Manroot Tucker in my latest book Rested Waters , dies while incarcerated at Angola for the murder of his wife. Serving Life documents an extraordinary hospice program where hardened criminals care for their dying fellow inmates. Revealing the humanity that exists inside each and every one of us, the Angola pr

Music plays an important role in my writing process. It fuels my creative spirit and the right playlist can keep me writing like my life depends on it. Every so often a single song can inspire an entire story. The old Beatles classic, BLACKBIRD, performed by Dionne Farris was such a song. The story came when I needed it most, unfolding through my thoughts like an A-list movie across a big screen. A playlist that’s included treasures by Lauren Hill, Erykah Badu, India Arie, Macy Gray, Tracy Chapman, and my girl, Jill Scott, has had me writing like a mad woman, my life depending on it. Sometimes life just doesn’t get much better. Enjoy!

Leslie Esdaile Banks, author of the popular Vampire Huntress and Crimson Moon books succumbed to late stage adrenal cancer early this morning. A prolific author, Leslie wrote under the pseudonyms; L.A. Banks, Leslie Esdaile, Leslie E. Banks, Leslie Banks, and Leslie Esdaile Banks. Leslie was a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, who had penned over forty novels and twelve novellas in a wide range of genres and was the recipient of the 2009 Romantic Times Booklover’s Convention Career Achievement Award for Paranormal Fiction and 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. Leslie was also an adoring mother and devoted friend. She was a kind and generous spirit who touched the lives of many. She was one of my literary idols and a generous mentor, and her passing is a loss to us all. My sincerest condolences to her daughter and her family.