(BLACK PR WIRE) PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 2008--When author Leslie "L.A." Banks was reeling from the worst year of her life 17 years ago--her six-month-old daughter was severely burned and lost three fingers, her company fired her for taking time off to care for her daughter, her husband left her, she was on the brink of bankruptcy--she never dreamt that the writing hobby she had taken up in the wee hours of the night to keep her sanity and amuse her girlfriends would become her full-time profession, or that she'd be winning this year's prestigious Essence Magazine "Storyteller of the Year" Award.

"Winning this award was fantastically surreal... like that Cinderella moment when you realize that they've called you to try on the slipper--and then being giddy because it actually fit," Banks exclaimed during an interview from her Philadelphia home where she writes under the nomes de plume of Leslie Esdaile, Leslie Esdaile Banks, Leslie Banks and L.A. Banks, with several prolific book series ranging from romance, crime, paranormal and dark fantasy genres.

Banks' ability to jump between genres and crank out 25 pages per day makes her one of the most agile and fast-producing fiction authors today. Her fan base is worldwide and diverse; her books have been published in multiple languages. Banks has 4 of books launching in 2008, including the 11th installment in her 12-book Vampire Huntress series, The Shadows, which will culminate in a book signing tour and Comic-Con appearance.

For more information on author L.A. Banks, please visit http://leslieesdailebanks.com.