The Sistahood of Shopaholics
by Leslie Esdaile, Reon Laudat, Monica Jackson, Niqui Stanhope

"Shameless" by Leslie Esdaile Single mother Della Mitchell is going to Victoria's Secret for the first time after a year of abstinence from shopping. . .and men. But now it's time to get her groove back on. Then she meets Byron Fulton, buying a "breakup" gift for his girlfriend. Things are cool, until the brother tries to put the moves on her. But there is more to this man than meets the eye, and he's not about to let Della slip through his fingers. "Please, Baby, Please" by Monica Jackson Denise "Neecy" Ballard is in debt up to her neck, she's gained twenthy-five pounds, and her car is about to be repossessed. Joseph Vaughn never forgot the beautiful Southern belle when he sold her the car, and for some reason he just can't leave her high and dry. So he decides to cure the luscious lady of her shopping addiction, especially if it means keeping her close. "It Takes Two" by Reon Laudat Ramona Jackson has always had a weakness for cute shoes and Kadeem Smith. So when he comes back to town, it's all she can do not to fire up the charge card in a fit of nervous shopping jitters. Especially when he makes it clear that he wants to pick up right where they left off. . . "Promises" by Niqui Stanhope Gilliam Asher is in a bind. In order to bring her grandmother back from death's door, she announces that she is engaged to be married. And it works! Nana recovers and now Gillian has to produce the happy groom-to-be. In times of crisis, a shopping session is the just the answer. And it's a scuffle over a fabulous black dress that leads her to meet a man who just might be "the One."

Leslie Esdaile's Bio

Leslie Esdaile is a native Philadelphian and Dean's List graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton Undergraduate Program. Upon completing her studies in 1980, she embarked upon a career in corporate marketing and sales. Her corporate tenure includes several Fortune 100 companies: Xerox, Hewlett Packard (HP), and ultimately Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC.)

In 1991, and after a decade of working in the corporate environment, Esdaile shifted gears and began an independent consulting career assisting small businesses and economic development agencies with marketing, grant writing, curriculum development, and workshop facilitation. In 1999- 2000, she won the US Small Business Administration Award for Best New Markets Lender (Eastern Region), and in 2001 Esdaile was the recipient of the US Small Business Administrationís Minority Advocate of the Year Award (Eastern Region), as well as received a City of Philadelphia Mayoral Tribute for Entrepreneurship for her recent award-winning fiction novel, "Rivers of the Soul," by Genesis Press, Inc. This new novel also includes a CD soundtrack produced by South Summer Records featuring Terry Ellis of En Vogue, whereby Esdaile co-wrote the title song, "Rivers of My Soul," and Executive Produced this project.

With many awards to her credit, Esdaile was nominated for a Golden Pen Award (Best Anthology) by The Black Writers Alliance, was voted BET/Color Code Literary CafÈ's Author Choice for The Philadelphia Market, and received the Leadership Achievement Award by The Generations Center. The first full year of the new millennium was a banner literary award year for her, as she also won The Shades of Romance Award for Best Genesis Press Inc Novel, "Rivers of the Soul," and Best Novella within the "After the Vows"Anthology (Genesis Press, Inc.), "Time Enough for Love," from Romance in Color.

Through technical writing, and via Essence Magazine's (1991) Short Story Contest as an initial catalyst, Esdaile found a hidden talent, fiction writing--which has led her on a successful trajectory toward becoming one of the nation's premier African American Romance and Women's Fiction authors. Successfully graduating in 1998 from Temple University's Masters of Fine Arts Program with a degree in Film and Media Arts, she adds the dimension of filmmaking and visual media (with a portfolio of strong documentaries) to her artistic and business endeavors. At present, she is broadening the scope of her work to include a series of projects for Pocket Books ("Soul Food," a novel series based upon the ShowTime/Paramount Television Show), and St. Martin's Press (a vampire series to be authored under the pseudonym, L.A. Banks). Ms. Esdaile lives and works in Philadelphia with her husband and children.