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"The
Interview with L.A. Banks"
THE ROCK: Who is L.A. Banks,
tell us something about you?
Banks: L.A. Banks... I've been having an
absolute BALL writing the Vampire Huntress Legends series. I call it
my "rant" at the TV, the news that comes on and haunts
me with chilling truths about how terrible people can treat each other.
But in my series, the good guys get to come out on top and my slayer
gets to handle evil the way it should be dealt with.
THE
ROCK: Where are you from, and currently residing?
Banks: Philly
THE
ROCK: Are there any other writers in the family?
Banks: Not published writers, but there
are plenty of folks who wrote letters, poetry, journals... literature
from the heart. I have a young niece who is awesome (go Anoa!), and
my mother when living, would write letters to God and tuck them in her
Bible on behalf of other people's troubles. So, yeah, you could say
I come from a long and very quiet line of writers.
THE
ROCK: When did you start writing?
Banks: When I was in my thirties.
THE
ROCK: What prepared you to become an author?
Banks: Nothing, LOL! I backed into this
career quite by accident. But every story that was told at the family
feast tables, dinner table, every experience, et al, became rolled into
this ability to weave a yarn.
THE
ROCK: What inspired you to become a writer?
Banks: Circumstances of being destitute
and at home with a little baby who had severe medical concerns forced
me to try my hand at making a living from home. A short story contest
in Essence Magazine gave me hope and the format I needed... the rest
is history--even though I never submitted my story to them. The concept
was born from that, however.
THE
ROCK: What inspired you to write your book?
Banks: I watch the world around me, and
with over 24 titles in print, that's a hard question to answer. The
nightly news and world news spurs my Vampire Huntress Legends series,
politics fuels my crime series need I say why these days? smile)...
relationship dynamics fuel the romances I write. It's hard to pinpoint
one thing, but being a keen observer of life -- I think -- is what does
it.
THE
ROCK: Tell us about your newest creation. What is the
premise?
Banks: The newest creation is Scarface:
The Beginning. Dark Horse Press asked me to write the prequel to the
movie, Scarface--setting the infamous Tony Montana in Cuba two years
before he was deported to America. That was an AWESOME project, so much
fun... because I got to develop all the elements that made that icon
who he was in the flick. I even got to come up with the scenario about
how he got his scar. THAT was a fun project!
THE
ROCK: Any publishing contracts in the working?
Banks: Yes, (BIG GRIN), all the time...
scratch the old adage: "Publish or perish." The real
deal is: "He/she who is without a contract, perishes."
THE
ROCK: Have you ever self-published? Why or why not?
Banks: No. For me, I tried my hand at my
first manuscript, my girlfriends sent it out to publishers (because
I had no faith that it would ever be a book--so they did it behind my
back), and I got picked up by Kensington on the first try. I was blessed,
and in those days- early/mid-nineties... self publishing was waaaay
more expensive and seemed too mysterious to me at that time. Now, everyone
is doing it. Times change, technology brings down costs. It's all good.
THE
ROCK: What are "traditional publishers" looking
for?
Banks: If I knew the flat out answer to
that, I'd be in Oprah's position, LOL! Chile... the vagaries of the
publishing mind change with the wind. If one person's book hits it big,
then everyone for a moment wants "that." No different
than Hollywood... not much innovation--a lot of following on the last
hottest thing. The key, I think, for any author, is to bring that new
thing to blow the doors off the market and you can't do that by following
what's already been done.
THE
ROCK: If you were a publisher, what would be your niche?
Why?
Banks: Paranormal... simply because I like
the bizarre... but also comedy, becuase I like to laugh.
THE
ROCK: For an author, is having a publishing contract with
a "traditional publisher" important professionally? Why?
Banks: Yes! To me, because that's how I
eat and feed my family. Professionally I think it's important because
it tells others that your work meets a certain editorial standard.
THE
ROCK: What are some of your professional and personal
achievements?
Banks: NY Times best-selling list was a
hottie, smile... Romantic Times Best African American Fiction, Slam
Jam Best Romantic Suspense... a lot of awards, but you never forget
that first book being published in the first place.
My
daughter... that's my heart and soul.
THE
ROCK: Who are some of your favorite authors?
Banks: J. California Cooper, Tina McElroy
Ansa, Tananarive Due, Diane McKinney Whetstone, Pearl Cleage... the
list is very long, I have a LOT of favorites.
THE
ROCK: Where do you want to be in 5 years?
Banks: Writing scripts for Hollywood productions
as well as continuing to write novels. In five years I'd like to be
in a position to broaden the types of projects I write.
THE
ROCK: Where can readers find you?
Banks: www.vampirehuntress.com or at www.vampire-huntress.com.
Thanks so much for interviewing me! Good luck with all your endeavors.
THE
ROCK: Thank you very much, Ms. Banks.
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