L.A. Banks (Leslie Esdaile Banks) was a writer of urban fantasy, and passed at only 51 years of age on August 2, 2011 from adrenal cancer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Born in 1959, she was a Sagittarius who lived in Pennsylvania her entire life, attending the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. She was just diagnosed with cancer in June, 2011. She spent her remaining weeks in the hospital with family and friends, and fans helped raise money through charity events to help pay for hospital bills.
She wrote crime, romance, and more under various pseudonyms such as Leslie Esdaile, Leslie E. Banks, Leslie Banks, and Leslie Esdaile Banks - she was a prolific and constant writer.
Her first fantasy novel was Minion (2003), which began the Vampire Huntress Legends series. That continued with The Awakening (2003), The Hunted (2004), The Bitten (2005), The Forbidden (2005), The Damned (2006), The Forsaken (2006), The Wicked (2007), The Cursed (2007), The Darkness (2008), The Shadows (2008), and The Thirteenth (2009). Her Crimson Moon series began with Bad Blood (2008) and also includes Bite the Bullet (2008), Undead on Arrival (2009), Cursed to Death (2009), Never Cry Werewolf (2010), and Left for Undead (2010).
Banks's last blog posting was in Spring 2011, when she wrote, "time is always a fleeting resource because one’s Muse can be so fickle..." Unfortunately, she was unable to finish her new series about angels, which started with Surrender the Dark in 2010, but the next novel, Conquer the Dark, will be released this year. She also contributed many stories and novellas to urban fantasy and paranormal romance anthologies.
I can't believe that such a brilliant mind and warm soul have been lost to us. Aside from being a gifted author, LA presented strong female and African-American characters and was truly a trail blazer.
Here's to ya, LA; we love you.