Just a quick hello…

June 9th, 2009 by Leslie

Hey, folks… I know I’ve been underground just writing away like a fiend, LOL! I came up briefly for air and we had a crazy-ridiculous chat about the Crimson Moon series and then I was back to the grind :) This year just turned out to be insane because of the number of projects I took on like a nut, but I really couldn’t resist… I want to try my hand at so many different things. The real problem is trying to manufacture another 8-10 hours in a given day, BIG GRIN!

But thanks so much for hanging with me nonetheless. I hope everyone has a great summer!

BIG HUG and Much Love, Leslie

PS: Stay in the Light!

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Mother’s Day musings…

May 11th, 2009 by Leslie

I hope everyone had a Happy Mother’s Day weekend—BIG HUG! This is a time that can be bittersweet for many, especially if your Mother is on the other side of the veil… or if you are thinking of a Grandmother who has gone on to glory. I’m right there with those folks who’ve experienced such a profound loss. Folks who still have “Mom” around have a different view; it’s impossible to describe the void when Mother’s Day rolls around and you don’t have your Mom. So, I’ll share some brief thoughts on what helped me make the return to Mother’s Day as a happy occasion (and, yes, having great kids around you helps immensely.)

I don’t have to tell anybody who has (or who had) a fantastic mother and/or grandmother, how much of an anchor this soul is in one’s life. We are talking about the person who carried you (in the case of one’s mother) up under her heart for 9 months… or in the case of a grandmother, that’s who pressed you to her breasts and comforted away all your boo boos. These fierce women warriors would love you hard as well as spank your behind, because they loved you enough to try turn you into a civilized human being (LOL) – preferring that they’d send you for a switch than to have an unforgiving world spank you later in harsh terms when you grew up. They poured positive values and self-confidence, love, discipline, respect, integrity, and so much more that is indefinable into your heart, mind, and spirit, all while also nourishing your body and protecting you from harm as best they could with whatever resources they had.

These women are the one’s who prayed for you when your your problems were too big for them to handle alone, prayed to Jesus that they not kill you when you got on their last nerve (LOL), prayed that goodness would always find you… always wanted more for you than they wanted or had for themselves, hoped for you harder than they hoped for themselves, and cried tears of joy for you when you came into the world… or got dressed to the nines for your senior prom or won awards or graduated or got married — pick a milestone. That’s love.

And, yeah, they also made mistakes simply because these ladies were/are human. But as we got older we also learned that the mistakes they made were because “we kids” didn’t come with an owner’s manual, and whatever happened wasn’t due to a lack of love—so we still love the source of any annoyance or pain they bestowed upon us in the raising of us, regardless.

So, with all that said, how in the heck can you look forward to the holiday if you don’t have those ladies in your life any more? Well, I’m not saying it’s easy, but it does require a shift in perspective… because let’s face it, when it comes to Mom not being around, I don’t care how old you are, the first time it hits you—you feel orphaned.

I know this because my grandmothers and mother are all gone… my older Aunties—those great ladies in much of my writing are all gone. This year my cousins called me up, bereft, because their mother was gone (happened last year to many of them), and no one knew what to do… even though we’re all mothers.

That made me realize that my mother must have also gone through this when my grandmother died. Funny (ironic) how you never seem to think of your mother as having a weak spot. That’s like kryptonite to a super hero, the deity of Mom. Yet, as kids, we never knew (or saw) her experience that loss to its fullest extent. That made me think back on what she used to do to, probably to help her cope.

Here’s the “Helen” recipe…

1. Leading up to Mother’s Day, she brought fresh cut flowers into the house—something bright like daffodils, because my grandma’s fav color was yellow.

2. She made a butter pound cake—the only thing she could bake (my grandma’s recipe—and my Mom was NOT a baker… she was good with other types of stuff, but a baker she wasn’t.)

3. She wore a piece of my grandmother’s jewelry on that day… and we kids filled in the rest with our crayon-decorated cards and burned pancakes with under-cooked bacon, which she seemed to relish.

Now, older, I realized what she was doing—she was honoring the life my grandmother led by keeping a part of her alive. She’d have on gospel in the kitchen while she was baking and having her own communion with that great ancestor—and we never realized it. My grandma loved her gospel; my mom was an Episcopalian by marriage… so when the gospel came on, it meant Mom was going deep into her roots for some sustenance and strength.

Then, I remembered something she’d told me long ago. Helen said, “Honey, there is nothing I want more in this world than for my children to be happy.” She didn’t say successful, married, famous, nothing like that. She didn’t identify a career path or a station in life for us (she never added a disclaimer or qualifier that would make HER happy.) Her statement was simple and unselfish. She just wanted us to be happy, by whatever definition we used to determine joy.

Think about how profound that is. Grieving, unhappiness, not living one’s dreams, feeling guilt, anguish, doubt… pick a negative emotion—that means that all your mother’s hopes and dreams are being dashed when you allow that into your space. It means that everything she sacrificed so that you didn’t have to go through some of her tough roads and battles was for naught. Therefore, by extension that means, to honor your mother—shine.

Thrive, dance, sing, be of good cheer, do your best, reach for the stars. Especially if your mother is an angel on your shoulder now, (or if your grandmother is), then wouldn’t they want the very best for you? That means joy must be at the foundation of your life. Deep, abiding, joy. That’s what a mother wants. If you’re a mother, you know that when your children aren’t happy, you aren’t happy. But when they are doing well in all their endeavors, when your kids are thriving, you as a Mom are on top of the world.

I hope this rambling is making sense (smile.) Forgive me for going off on a tangent, but I had to do this blog on the day after Mother’s Day, hoping to reach out to someone who was having a rough time. I wanted to say gently, “Hey, it’s okay. It’s gonna be alright. Keep that great lady near you; honor her traditions on the day you miss her most, so she’ll be a little closer to you. Bring a piece of her back alive through you or your kids, and give your children a piece of their grandmother’s love through you.”

The one thing I’ve found about love is this, the more you give it out, the more it returns to you from the most unexpected sources. When that happens, I’m convinced that it’s the angels speaking through people. You know what I mean… like when you do a nice gesture for a neighbor, totally expecting nothing in return—then somebody you don’t know in the supermarket let’s you ahead of their full cart in line because you only have a few items.

Mundane, but magical, moments like that happen all the time. They tell me there is something out there bigger than me in the Universe… and if I believe that, then I know Mom and Nana are still around smiling, loving me and mine, and dancing when I put flowers in my house and make a pound cake. I know your mother angels are dancing for you, too.

BIG HUG and sending out love and Light,

Leslie!

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RT… and a bunch of other stops :)

April 27th, 2009 by Leslie

Houston, a chat, then Orlando, then Philly… What a ride!

The Texas Library Association was a fun, two day experience (for me—even though it lasted almost a week), that rivaled Book Expo America just in size and scope… but the best part of all was being surrounded by bibliophiles (BIG SMILE!) Oh, yeah, they take their books seriously—and I met FABULOUS folks who hand-recommend our books and keep the light of reading for pleasure alive.

However, somewhere on the way home from Texas, on the plane (no doubt), I got a real crazy bug (strep throat), that morphed into a full blown yucky thing that almost threatened to have me cancel my trip to The Romantic Times Booklover’s Convention in Orlando, FL. Perish the thought.

Between the TLA convention and RT, I followed doctor’s orders and laid down… well, almost (chuckle), as I was still on deadline and we had an on-line chat scheduled to discuss the last book in the VHL series. So, there was no falling down and not doing those things. My compromise was to sleep a lot during the day, then get up like a vamp and make some tea, to do as much as I could and then crawl back to bed. It was ugly… very ugly, LOL!

But the chat revived me—it was insane! Spoilers abound, we talked about the upcoming Young Adult series that will continue the legacy into the next generation, the graphic novels, the manga, and even touched a little on the newest book in the Crimson Moon Novels series—then we had to cut it off so I could crawl back to bed and get healthy enough for RT as to not infect anyone (smile!)

The nice surprise in all of this was, when I left Philadelphia it was raining, cold, and about forty degrees—when I touched down in Orlando, it was sunny, balmy and about seventy-five with NO humidity. Awesome! And, of course, it was like a high school reunion, where you walk five feet, see someone and scream and hug, then go another five feet and repeat the crazy process. I’m not even going to start naming names, because if I do I’ll accidentally leave someone out and cause drama—because everyone there is a beloved friend. But I must tell on Kimberly Kaye Terry—who always has the craziest funniest panels as the multicultural moderator, no less than Cari does, and that wild fairy godmother of mine, Renee Bernard, who chairs the erotica panels… can I tell you we all cut up until I was wiping my eyes? All in all it was a blast, although just coming off a bout of strep and mad-crazy deadlines, I found I was lacking the stamina to stay up and hang at the pool bars. I promised a couple of times to show up and made the fatal mistake of laying across the bed to regroup for a moment, only to hear the phone ringing the next morning with my “wake up” call! LOL! Yeah… this year the old girl couldn’t hang—my bad, smile.

Unfortunately, I had to also leave on Friday, couldn’t stay for the huge book signing that always takes place on Saturday because I had to keynote for my high school reunion luncheon (The Philadelphia High School for Girls) that Saturday, which mean leaving Friday in enough time to get home without the risk of flight delays. But I did get a chance to sign EXCLUSIVE graphic posters with Anne Elizabeth, who put together a fabulous giveaway… so look for them to be issued in future contests (BIG GRIN)—Anne is a sweet pea! (Funny, smart, pretty, and ENGAGED—so we squealed around in our booth, LOL—her big day is in August, wish her love and happiness!) Then, I did a small private signing on Thursday to try to make up for it… so it was all good. Here’s a couple of pics from the Are interview I did while there, which will air on May 11th at 9:30PM ET, and I’ll also put the link up on the website by then, too. After that date, it will be archived at: What’s Hot In Romance.

(More pics are being sent in via Facebook–Kimberly Kaye Terry has a bunch, as do others :) )

However, coming back home to my high school friends to do a keynote made me more nervous than any interview or appearance I’ve ever done in my entire life. I graduated n 1977—more than thirty years ago… maaaan how time flies, BIG GRIN! So to come back and see a bunch of friends and teachers, as well as many new faces I hadn’t known, was an amazing feeling. I was humbled by the outpouring of live and the award—THANK YOU GHS, especially the class of 221 (and my girls, my Sorority sisters, Jai and Vanessa, who gave me pink roses—bless you.)

That was all the medicine that I needed—that and some sleep, smile, which was why I couldn’t push to another event… Penn relays weekend was this past weekend, too—where all of my college buddies were in town and out partying on Saturday night. But this year, I listened to my body and climbed in bed and watched something ridiculous on the Sci-fi Channel until I dozed off to sleep. A relapse is out of the question.

See, I’m learning! :)

BIG HUG and Much Love, Leslie!

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Where is the 4/16 chat being held at 9PM EST?

April 13th, 2009 by Leslie

My apologies, folks asked and I forgot to post where you could go to get in. Here is where you sign in… The new chat room page to register and login is:

http://www.leslieesdailebanks.com/newchat

Remeber… this is for The Thirteenth, book 12 of the VHL series… and there WILL be spoilers :)

Take care, Hugs, Leslie!

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Chat on 4/16 + Post Holiday catch up…

April 13th, 2009 by Leslie

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to all… I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with their families! Me, I got out of the house for the first time in 10 days–seriously… and went to church.

I had what “I thought” was the flu only to learn it was strep… arrggghhh! Nasty bug thingie that I caught on the road leaving Houston. Truthfully, I think it was just the Creator’s way of telling me to slow down and to rest. I did a little bit, smile… the first few days I had no choice. But then deadlines still loomed and work was yet to be done. My office looks like a rat’s nest, ha ha ha… mail and papers have piled up to a disgraceful level. Tax receipts are everywhere—I don’t even want to discuss that (the mother deadline of them all!) Alas… What can I say?

However, one must still make way for fun in one’s life… so after tax day, on April 16th we’ll be doing an on-line chat to discuss The Thirteenth (book 12 of the VHL series.) Our chat facility got a bug, too—yeah, yeah, when it rains it pours… so you will need to “re-register” (takes 2 min.) in order to get in. the time in 9PM, EST, April 16th. There will be spoilers, so if you haven’t yet finished The Thirteenth, be warned—there is no way to hold these folks on the chat back, LOL!

Well, this was just a quickie to touch base and to say hi, folks… talk to you on the 16th.

Much Love, and Stay in the Light!
Leslie :)

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“The Hueman Experience,” Medgar Evers College, and more…

March 30th, 2009 by Leslie

Hey, Family – BIG SMILE! I was out on the road this weekend and the destination was The Big Apple!

Maaaan… where do I begin? As always, the first stop was Hueman Bookstore in Harlem—where NYC Street Team showed up and showed out! They came with wine and cheese, raffle give-aways… presented Marva Allen with a gorgeous “Thank you” necklace, and they packed the house to standing room only. Had to be 100+ folks up in there.

It was crazy-crowded on a Friday night, despite traffic issues happening around the city at rush hour, and we had a guest VIP come to the event—Jan Harrison of Moontide Pictures—the new production company that has the VHL movie option… and the principle was there answering questions, allaying readers’ fears, explaining that the script would be one that they would be proud of (I haven’t even seen it yet so this was brave of Jan—BIG HUG—because lovers of the series don’t play, smile.) That’s like walking on stage at The Apollo; when you come to Hueman talking about you have the VHL movie rights, folks were all over that like nobody’s business… but she handled it like a superstar, so as they say, it was all good. Manie Barron (my agent) came, cut man in the corner, ha ha ha, in case either of us got beat down—smile. But it was very cool, all good, all love… family.

From there… OMG… Street Team introduced me to Floridas Tapas—a Spanish cuisine restaurant that will make you “smack yo’ Momma,” deep sigh. Appetizers just kept coming… seafood in every imaginable sauce, along with what we dubbed “grown folks juice,” this ridiculous Sangria concoction with fresh fruit in pitchers the color of the Caribbean sea blue… accurately dubbed, blue Sangria… nobody was feeling pain… then one ST member, who shall remain nameless, added Chambord to it all on the next go round, and we had this purple sangria that was OFF THE CHAIN.

I had to remind folks that I still had to get up in the morning to do a tribute to Octavia Butler at Medgar Evers College—but was anybody listening to protests? Not, LOL!

The paella came and I literally experienced a food-gasm… it just didn’t make sense how good this food was. Now mind you, all this is going on while these two fierce Flamenco dancers, an adroit couple, were stomping the hell out of the stage—getting down with the castanets and vibe… Spanish guitar thumping—awesome. What can I say… you will see influences from this in future work, I am so sure :)

I dragged myself out of there, stuffed to the gills and still had homemade coconut flan, then begged my Street Team, no mas, por favor! LOL

A warm, fluffy bed was calling my name by that time, so I jumped in a cab and headed for Brooklyn, where I crashed and burned for the night at the Marriot and got up to get a 9AM car to Medgar Evers College for their National Black Writer’s Conference. This year was dedicated to Octavia Butler’s contribution to speculative fiction, and honoring her life’s achievements… but that also meant I got a chance to see old friends in sci-fi, as well as connect with new writers in the genre.

Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes brought their wonderfully precocious five-year old son, Jason—a true cutie who asked us all to “feel his muscle,” BIG GRIN. He came armed with superheroes in a knapsack, and I got a chance to see how much he’d grown since a baby—wow! Time flies! Plus I got to give out some live hugs to my two good friends and to personally congratulate them on their NAACP Image Award win—that was awesome.

Met up with my girl, Julia Shaw, Publicist/Event Planner, who organized the event (used to do pub for BET), and my sister-girl, Linda Duggins, (Dir. Multi-cultural Publicity, Hatchet Book group), who introduced me to a crime/thriller/paranormal author—this brother is tight… David Rivera, Jr. He gave me his book, “Playing in the Dark,” with this demon in it set in Israel—scared the beejeebers out of me! I read that mess alone in a hotel room, and then read the other book he gave me, “Street Sweeper,” (non-paranormal crime thriller), on the train… so I cannot wait to see what he does with the latest relationship book he has coming out in April with full-figured heroines (thank God someone tackled the plus-sized sisters!) See below for a synopsis of his work. THANK YOU for the books, David! Remember, we will sage it all out, bro’, smile!

There were so many people and old friends there—authors, filmmakers, publishers, media… dang–good friend Clarence Reynolds from PW (Big Hug), Brother G, Moira Griffin, Asli (Invisible Universe)—if I start naming names, I know I’ll get in trouble by forgetting someone dear (much love, don’t be mad, LOL!), plus I met other breakout authors… like an author new to me, but who is DEEP—that I shared a panel with… this sister is out of Chicago.. Nnedi Okorafor… she does The Shadow Speaker and The Windseeker… which is this awesome blend of African (Nigerian) legend, mythology, and mysticism (the people could fly kind of stuff.) I will be looking for her work, because after hearing her read and listening to her on the panel, I was blown away.

But overall it was an honor to be called to the joyful task of reading “for Octavia” and participating on panels for the purpose of moving this genre forward. Dr. Brenda Greene did an amazing job (along with her fabulous staff-Candice Newberry in particular) of pulling together diverse talent and scholars in the field to give Octavia her due, as well as facilitating our giving back to the community.

Street Team came out and represented all the way through the reception—which had wonderful Caribbean food and a jazz quartet. From there we jumped in cabs and I connected with my sister… who has a project out as well—for those of you in NYC, give Liza Jessie Peterson some love April 25th where she’ll be performing live in NYC: American Keloids: A Love Sonata in Three Movements. See Liza’s powerful medicine magic at work in an excerpt from her new play “Down The Rabbit Hole” showcasing at the the Triad Theatre on April 25th. Directed by Stacy Waring.

Can you tell I had fun? BIG SMILE Yeah…

I dragged myself on Amtrak home, but was all into the books I’d collected along the way. Had my nose in Rivera’s book, too mad that I didn’t get a chance to get Nnedi’s before I left (dang!) Then I stayed up like a nut last night to watch a sci-fi movie that Ann-Marie from SFSNNJ sent me, “Teeth,” OMG—it was CRAZY! I laughed so hard… corny, cheesy, great fun! You must see this outrageous flick, LOL!

However, it is time for me to get back to writing… I have a short anthology submission to do for “Death Takes a Vacation” (Charlaine Harris is lead on that one), working on non-VHL-related shape-shifters and second-sighters, smile… must be in before I jump on a plane to Houston tomorrow to head to the Texas Library Association event, but still have to give a talk tonight at my alma mater (U of P, Wharton School.) Whew… there are just NOT enough hours in the dag-gone day, smile.

Be well, y’all… that’s my two cents for the day. Stay blessed and Stay in the Light!

Hugs, Leslie

Here’s info below on Rivera’s work…
THE LAST PREJUDICE
by David Rivera, Jr.
Strebor/ATRIA Books
Original Trade Paperback
Publication Date: April 14, 2009
ISBN 1-59309-235-0
288 pages

David Rivera, Jr. burst on to the literary scene with his series of erotic thrillers—Harlem’s Dragon, The Street Sweeper, and Playing in the Dark. The series was truly a first of its kind, marrying spellbinding erotica with captivating detective stories that left readers at the edge of their seats and wanting more. Now with David’s latest literary venture, THE LAST PREJUDICE (Strebor/Atria Books; 1-59309-235-0; Original Trade Paperback; April 14, 2009; $15.00/$19.99 Can.) he continues to thrill readers in a fresh new way, proving his versatility and solidifying his position in the ever evolving publishing landscape.

In THE LAST PREJUDICE, readers are invited to meet a complex and beautiful set of characters that are guaranteed to intrigue and challenge their views on what is considered beautiful and sexy.

At first glance, the three plus-sized women in David Rivera, Jr.’s THE LAST PREJUDICE go through the same relationship trials and tribulations that many women go through. But when forced to deal with the added social stereotypes, and sometimes personal insecurities of being a full-figured woman, their true personalities come to surface.

On one hand, there’s Noreen Klein, the empowered diva who gets – and often takes – what she wants out of life, including sexy men. She knows what she wants and is confidant in her curvy size-24 figure. However, Dahlia Ortega, who recently has removed herself from an abusive relationship, is a pretty but self conscious full-figured woman with a new found thirst for dominating men. Finally, there’s Kat Davis. Kat once had a stellar body, but as a result of a pregnancy that added 60 pounds to her frame, she now must contend with a new body and voracious sexual appetite. As the three women bond and support one another in the ups and downs of their juicy romances and chaotic lives, the characters bring to surface how cultural biases against voluptuous women can create dissension and mayhem when lust is in the air.

David Rivera, Jr., has been writing short stories for his own entertainment since high school. He’s inspired by the writings of contemporary black male writers that have emerged in the past few years. His first book, Harlem’s Dragon, has been met with great enthusiasm by other writers – most notably by Zane, as well as literary critics. He holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology and a Master of Science degree in Public Administration. Visit his website at: www.DavidRiveraJr.com.

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Major Date Corrections…

March 20th, 2009 by Leslie

Hi folks, thanks for bearing with us–I have a few date “fixes” on the website, and I wanted to be sure everyone had the right info. My webmaster will fix them on the websites tonight, but for now this is the best way to be sure folks get them quickly.

1. Next week, the National Black Writer’s Conference at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn NY is being held on Saturday, 3/28/09 — NOT 3/24… my apologies!

2. The dates for ComicCon in California are listed incorrectly as July 15-16, when ComicCon is being held July 23-26… again, my apologies and here’s the link: ComicCon I will be signing at The Dabel Brothers Productions booth while there.

Ok… that’s the update for now… thanks again for understanding!

Hugs, Leslie :)

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SFSNNJ

March 18th, 2009 by Leslie

Yep… I’m still on the road and on the go while on deadline… crazy, LOL! But…

On Saturday, March 14th, I had the good fortune to be invited to speak at a really great group in North Jersey. The Science Fiction Society of Northern New Jersey (SFSNNJ) is a group of really cool, warm, fun individuals who came out on a Saturday night just to hang with “moi” at Borders Books and Music in Ramsey, NJ.

Here are some pics they put up on their SFSNNJ website (just click on the link.) It was St. Patty’s Day weekend, and they could have been anywhere else, but I was honored that they chose to spend it with me… and man, did we have some laughs—BIG SMILE!

That’s one of the best parts of this “author” profession – you get to meet wonderful people from all walks of life, interests, and cultures from all over the world. I just got email from Poland—very cool… and I have a bunch of ladies whom I love from Australia (and of course my Dragon Rider ‘sister of the soul,’ Sandra, from Scotland.) It’s all good, as they say.

SFSNNJ is now on my radar as a place to definitely visit regularly. I even found out that they love my buddy, author Jonathan Maberry (he writes cool stuff like zombies, smile, “Cryptopedia,” “Patient Zero,” plus a bunch more; most excellent dude)—who I went to Jr. High School with—small world!

You never know what to expect when you leave your home to embark on a book event odyssey :) Sometimes it’s good, sometimes not, but I always learn something new. This go ’round I left my house at 3pm… took the 3:49pm 30th Street Train R7 to Trenton, changed there and caught a train to Secaucus, then jumped on another train to Mahwah. (Coming back I got on the 10:14pm and it was 2:30am when I walked in the door–all worth it.)

However, it was 7:30pm when I arrived for the 8pm talk, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. But Josephine was there waiting for me with a big smile and a warm hug, and the laughs started in the car and lasted until we stood on the train platform with Ann-Marie discussing B and C level Sci-Fi Channel horror flicks waiting on my 10:14pm train home. I learned I wasn’t the only one who enjoys cheesy Sat. night low budget monster movies with popcorn curled up on the sofa (okay, so maybe I do need to get a life, but it makes me happy, LOL!) :)

Right now I’m on a mission to find a flick that was recommended for its sheer ridiculousness, “Teeth,” which will be my treat to myself after I finish this werewolf book, ha ha ha—gotta love it! Thanks SFSNNJ for a wonderful time!

Much Love, Leslie!

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Road trip…

March 10th, 2009 by Leslie

More tales from the road—BIG SMILE! I just got back from DC and Baltimore, but before I get into that wonderful excursion, I’d like to tell you about some key research that you might find interesting.

Just before I embarked upon my most recent road trip, I was fortunate enough to connect with an old friend from college (U of P), who is a renowned journalist. James Spady has over 2,000 articles out there in the world, and has interviewed some of the most interesting people—so to sit with him at the Penn bookstore café on Thursday, 3/5, and just kick it about his work, projects, my work, was an awesome experience. Then James dropped some science on me… after we talked about Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, Tupac, et al, and went into a history fusion of the minds. He has a project (among the many he’s penned) that took nine years to compile with H. Samy Alim and Samir Meghelli, entitled: “Tha Global Cipha,” published by Umum Press, ISBN# 978-0-9671741-2-9 (James Spady).

Okay, this is more than a shout out—this is a bibliophile’s dream. This book is A MUST to have on your shelf and in your library if you are an educator or a parent, as it delves into the true history of Hip Hop Culture, shows its vast expression across the Diaspora, and these creators of the 4 inch text went around the world for nine years interviewing everyone from Eve, Rick James, Jay-Z, Jill Scott, Mos Def, Pit Bull, Snoop Dog… hundreds of people too numerous to name here. So, you might still ask, “Why is Leslie tripping and so excited about this work?” Several reasons.

To understand the cultural shifts in music is to understand societal shifts in values, the issues they find most pressing and urgent, and deals with the politics of an era—simply stated, it’s the sound track of a generation’s life.

Yes, Hip Hop has misogynistic issues embedded within it, along with violence. But at the same time, that’s not all it’s been… and even within the “dark side” of the genre, there’s still something to be taken away from that, perhaps an “Oh, wow,” epiphany that something bigger than the music is broken and it is incumbent upon a generation ahead of the newest curve to step up (socially/politically/economically, not via censorship) to fix it.

Which brings me to a great segue about writing; in order to layer politics, economics, social issues, and drama into one’s work, you have to be open to researching and reading an eclectic mix of information.

The recently completed VHL series was so rich in layers because of following trends economically, seeing new breakthroughs in scientific research, military weaponry, going back and exploring the history of many cultures (as well as their religions), people-watching on the streets, and listening to current events happening in the world news.

A book like James Spady’s is one that allows intelligent discourse between generations and can help conquer some of the knee-jerk reaction to what folks my age might call “young people’s music,” once we realize that every generation has an explosion of self-expression that is directly correlated to what’s going on worldwide. Therefore, when I fell upon this tome, I had to share it with you all because people always ask me, “Leslie, where do you go for your research?” This is one of those sources; talking to experts in their respective fields is another—James and I sat for what was to be an hour and a half interview beginning at 1:30pm and didn’t move from the table until 6:00pm… and only then because his next interview tapped him on the shoulder to interrupt! LOL! That’s what happens when you get two writers together and they go “out” into the mind-bend zone—BIG SMILE! We hadn’t even realized that so much time had gone by!

That said… whew… DC! I had A BALL at Borders (Bailey’s Crossing)! It was a full house with lots of new faces—Street Team member Craig came with his fabulous toddler, Cameron—who is a cutie pie (laughing)… Cameron stole the show and my heart (I’m waiting on pics, Craig–grin), that little boy just just giggled and had himself a wonderful time (a true ball of energy and was so well behaved that I’ll have to ask Craig if he would consider giving up his family secrets about harnessing little boy energy for 2 hours—seriously, Cameron was a doll.) My fellow writer buddy, Chip Armstrong, packed the house (gotta consider that brother honorary Street Team)… bringing a slew of friends from his writing circle to the event, so we had a really solid dialogue about more than the books, but also about the rigors of writing, the process of getting published, and all many of things related to the craft of putting pen to paper.

Following that, a bunch of us went out to dinner at Fin & Porter, which was delightful. George, a professional magician and friend of Chip’s, (as well as his lovely wife Janet), wowed our table with slight of hand, turning stacks of one dollar bills into twenties, to which we all voted that he should go work on Capitol Hill to help out with the budget crisis, LOL! Seriously, George was awesome!

The next day I headed to Baltimore, but confess that I got caught in Saturday grid lock traffic that I hadn’t anticipated on 295, got turned around prior to that and had trouble just getting out of DC with the circular navigation of those streets, and then was all twisted around when I got downtown B-More, OMG, LOL! Yes, I need one of those GPS thingies… but I stand by MapQuest, ha ha ha—old school. I was a half hour late, but the folks in Baltimore showed me much love. Everybody stayed and again, we had a full house at the Enoch Pratt Library. We closed the joint down! ‘Cilla from Bevland, Ms. Amy, Toks and her protégée (my Temple Alum sister), too many folks to name without forgetting someone, and many new readers to the series came out. Ms. Virginia Fore (the organizer and Library Director there) let us stay until the very last person got their book signed, even with the security guard tapping his foot—because folks brought BAGS of books with EVERY title… romances that went as far back as Sundance, through the Betrayal of the Trust series, and then all 12 of the VHL series… chile!

People were apologizing as they stacked books up for me to sign, but I told everybody that to me a dog-eared book and a stack is an honor to sign. That says someone loved my work enough to read it, pass it to a friend, drag it around with them in a pocketbook or backpack to work, take it with them to get it greasy while they ate lunch—hey (smile!) As an author, I’m like the Statue of Liberty—bring me your tired book, bring me your poor, downtrodden, dog-eared text… if it has my name on it, any of my pen names on it, I’ll sign it—BIG SMILE! So, up in B-More, that’s what I did… I signed and signed and we laughed and talked trash from a little after 2pm till well past 5pm, and then we got put out (in a nice way.)

My girl, and angel expert, Althea Wills, came and she got in my car, catching me up on all the latest… which was another hour before I pulled off to head home. I love the road, LOVE meeting all the people and placing faces with the names I have from the on-line communities… the only problem with touring is trying to squeeze in book deadlines. The beauty is—and I take this as a HIGH compliment from you all, much like a dogged book… the more I write the more stories you guys want, which means the less I should be touring, but the more books come out the more you want the signings, LOL! That’s all OK by me! THANK YOU for the LOVE and for sharing in my world by peeking into the craziness of my mind in print. I so deeply appreciate you all, there are simply not enough words.

Well, I’ve gotta get back to writing this werewolf book so we have a follow up to Undead on Arrival (due out 3/31/09)… next stop is Ramsey NJ this weekend, and then up to NYC for “The Hueman Experience,” and then the Brooklyn (Medgar Evers College) NY National Black Writer’s Conference. Gotta get this book done before I hit the road again, so I will be AWOL on email and Facebook for the duration.

BIG HUG and Much Love, Leslie!

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Added a new illustration gallery…

March 3rd, 2009 by Leslie

For those feeling the loss of the VHL series, we wanted to let you know that there’s more coming–just not in novel format. True, The Thirteenth is the last “book” in that epic saga depicting the life and times of the Neterus and their team members/family… but graphic novels are coming from the Dabel Brothers Productions, as promised, this year. The first look at some of their wonderful work (by artist Brett Booth and colorist Jess Booth) can be seen right on this blog if you look to the right. There you will see the first two renderings… one of Damali as an angel; another is a scene from The Thirteenth of Carlos and Damali fighting a huge demon. As images are completed of the team, etc., I’ll be uploading them to the new images gallery. We thought this was a better approach than adding them to static pages on the website because every time an illustration is added, if you’re connected to the blog, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Amazon Connect, etc., you’ll get a notification.

Also, don’t forget, we’ll be doing a manga prequel… action that starts “before” Minion and dovetails into that beginning of the series storyline, plus a whole young adult novel series that deals with the progeny of the Neterus and the Neteru Guardians. So, it’s over but not completely over as a series… this all has an interesting afterlife, so to speak–BIG SMILE!

OK, back to work for yours truly. I have been told that I’m not allowed to play on Facebook or the blog, et al, until I’ve eaten my peas and carrots :) LOL!

But here’s a pic from the Chicago Come Out and Play Party that I had to share before I click off email for the day! (Thanks Lissa!)

BIG HUG, Leslie!

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