Author Bio
“Books are my most valued possessions. Books have made my worldview richer, more expansive, philosophical and far more magical than my five senses could ever have perceived; and writing has become the vehicle in which I can not only engage my imagination to explore new ideas and deeper concepts of life, I can also bare my soul through the art of storytelling.”
-LESTINE
Here’s a little about me:
Born in New York City of African-American heritage, raised around children from different racial and religious backgrounds, living in cities like London, Zurich and Frankfurt, with extended stays in France, Greece, India, etc, I developed an affinity for many different cultures and people.
My stories do not center around Black culture, per se. Although, my protagonists are usually Black, i.e. Vanessa Marshall in the upcoming novel: A Romance With The Sun, and the female super hero in my screenplay, Healer. Sometimes the Black characters and their perspective of the world are crucial to the central plot, as Kensasha Lewis is in UNBOWED, and will be in the UNBOWED sequel.
Like Octavia Butler, J. K. Rowling, Ann Rice, or Mary Shelley, my race and gender have never defined what I write about.
UNBOWED, based on my screenplay, is my first completed novel.
The first story I ever wrote entitled The Brave One, was published in our school magazine: The Beachcomber. I was 11 years old. That started the ball rolling, as they say. Poems and essays followed. As a professional blues-rock singer in my 20’s-30’s, I’ve had songs published by Dick James Music, Columbia Records Germany, and wrote articles on energy-based healing published in a natural health magazine.
Returning to college in 2003, I graduated Magna cum laude from The CUNY Graduate Center with a B.A. in Creative Writing and Documentary Filmmaking, and was inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society.
I’ve been an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction, from a very young age. I prefer to write fiction because of the sheer freedom it gives the imagination to create whole new worlds, and the intellect to express ideas and concepts, and to explore the complicated issues we all struggle with. And, what better way to connect to other human beings than through the intimacy of a story.
My main interests are spiritual evolution, meditation, and Eastern Philosophies’ parallel with quantum physics, which all led me to India many years ago. Developing friendships with women from Sikh and Hindu backgrounds has made me more attuned to issues affecting them that I see in films or read about in magazine and newspaper articles and, ultimately, inspired me to write UNBOWED.