Yesterday, I had the pleasure of sitting down with author Leslie Banks in a workshop at Robin’s Bookstore. She is the most down to earth, funny and real person you’d ever want to meet. I first met Ms. Banks at the 2007 Philadelphia Writers’ Conference. I was signed up for a completely different workshop and slipped into her workshop on day two of the conference (thanks Joey for the recommendation).

In case, you’ve had the misfortune of not hearing about her, here’s a brief bio from her website:

Ms. Banks has penned over 30 novels and 11 novellas in a wide range of genres and is the recipient of the 2008 Essence Magazine Storyteller of the Year Award. A native of Philadelphia, Banks is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania Wharton undergraduate program, and alumnae of Temple University’s Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking program…

She writes under the pseudonyms; L.A. Banks, Leslie Esdaile, Leslie E. Banks, Leslie Banks, and Leslie Esdaile Banks. She has won several business as well as literary awards, and writes in genres as diverse as romance, women’s fiction, crime suspense, and paranormal. She has contributed to magazines, newspaper columns, and has written commercial fiction for a variety of major publishers: St. Martin’s Press (NYC), Simon and Schuster (NYC), Kensington Publishing (NYC), BET/Arabesque (NYC), Genesis Press (MS), Parker Publishing, Harper, and Tor. Her non-fiction work includes the riveting and motivational story of Bank’s life journey in her contribution to the Chicken Soup for the African American Soul anthology.

Book 11 of the Vampire Huntress series, The Shadows, was released this month and Robin’s Bookstore played host to a book signing and writing workshop. I was on the fence about going (driving into Center City during rush hour is maddening) and changed my mind by Tuesday. Wednesday I called hoping there was still a space left. There was and I was on my way to speak to one of the masters.

Arriving at the bookstore 15 minutes late, I hoped I hadn’t missed much and that I could slip in without interrupting. Well, no chance of that happening. I was the first person there and not many people signed up for the event. What!? I would have her all to myself?! I could ask the “dumb” questions without feeling like an amateur? After going through the star struck portion of the evening, one other person showed up and the workshop was underway.

Ms. Banks went through the whole framework, components and “secrets” of writing a great, believable and authentic story. One thing I will remember is never, ever, ever end a story the way Bridge to Terabithia ended without setting your readers up for it in the beginning. Never throw your readers off the ride they’re on with an ending that isn’t true to the story. Point taken.

How could I have possibly been on the fence about attending this event? I would have missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Having an award-winning author, that I love to read, all to myself for an hour. It was a very informative workshop and laughter was sprinkled throughout.

If you ever have the great fortune of meeting or taking a workshop with the great Leslie Banks, don’t hesitate to attend. The experience alone will be well worth the trip. In the meantime, pick up one of her books and hold on for the ride.

See you in February Ms. Banks!

My friend Monique called me early this morning asking what my plans were for this evening.  It seems she finally wants to sit down (over dinner) and talk about my helping her to design a website.  I have been telling her for some time that she needs a web presence, and now she’s taking the plunge.

I don’t claim to be the best web designer out there, or know all there is to know about web design.  But, I do know more than a few things and it is a major part of my current job.  So, I thought this would be a good opportunity to walk through how to design a website for the person who is not a web designer.

Stay tuned for a tutorial on how to create your own web presence.

This tutorial will be geared toward the non-techie, non-designer.  What are some questions you may have as a first timer?

I give up.  I am raising my white flag.  I just can’t seem to wrap my brain around this pattern.  I am fine until the last square before starting the next row.  I’ve even search out advice, links and references to making this work and I just can’t do it. 

Maybe I’ll try it again, but for now, I am laying down my needles and walking away in shame.

If you look over in the right menu, you will notice that there is an option to subscribe to my blog via an RSS feed.  RSS is easy to understand, but sometimes hard to explain.  So, instead of reinventing the wheel, here’s a post I found that lays it out for you in plain terms.  No techie talk.  No special IT degree required. 

How to explain RSS the Oprah Way

After reading the how-to’s, come on back and subscribe to to my blog.  You’ll find it’s an easier way to keep up with all my posts.

How many RSS feeds do you subscribe to?  Am I in your reader?

I needed a break from making scarves, so I decided to try an interesting looking pattern for a dishcloth. After all, dish & washcloths are like instant gratification.

I chose the Garterlac Dishcloth Pattern thinking I will learn a lot of new techniques. It will also help me knit without fear (or tears).

Well, I am happy-less (yes, I made up a new word) to announce that not only am I stuck on the first row, I had to put it aside because it was making my head hurt. This pattern is not for the weak of heart.

Here’s where I’m stuck.

I have to add another square to finish this row. You do this by picking up stitches down the side of the previous row. I can’t figure out where to pick up the stitches. Side A or side B. My head is starting to hurt again just thinking about this.

For all you knowledgeable knitters out there, where do I pick up those stitches?! Something tells me I will be restarting this for the 3rd time.