Hi!  So happy you dropped by for a visit.  I love having company.  And, I am still so excited to share with you my first novel, BITTERSWEET, which was published by Sweet Earth Flying Press in April 2012! It has been so lovely meeting so many of you at wonderful book signing events across the country. And, it may come off as sounding cliche, but I'm going to say it anyway - BITTERSWEET was an absolute  labor of love.  BITTERSWEET is historical fiction, a powerful period tableau (1919-1965) which holds a mirror up to America's face, reflecting many of the same images of racism and colorism in 21st Century America that were seen when store story opens nearly 100 years ago in Louisiana.   It is a rags-to-riches work of faction, based on enthralling stories told to me over the years by my Aunt Oneida and my Mama; stories about Mama's glamorous oldest half-sister, a real "warrior woman" who both of them adored.  My auntie, embodied as "Ellie" in the story, was thought to be one of the first (if not THE first) black woman millionaire in Los Angeles in the 1940s.  The captivating stories were filled with intrigue, courage, a lot of good and the worst evil imaginable. I was hooked.  I hope you will be, too.  My protagonist, Ellie, is a composite character, as are most of her "co-stars."  I must warn you, though.  Bitter leads to the sweet, but much of Ellie's story is painful.  As we finished another presidential election cycle just a few months ago, I am reminded again that we humans have come a long way, but still have so far to go.  I am one of those, though, who believes that goodness always prevails.  So, why don't you take a look around?  Take a further look into what BITTERSWEET is all about, and meet me.  And, please come back for updates.   Thank you for coming out to see me and getting your copy of the book. And, thanks again so very much for stopping by the website. Sending Love, Peace, Joy and Warmest Blessings to all of you.

                                                                      SOME REVIEWS

"Bittersweet is a GREAT American story that is uniquely Ellie's, but belongs to all of us. Sheila Banks delivers her determined, emotional journey as a bending blues note in a minor key that culminates in a major triumph at  the top of the scale!  Unflinching, but plenty sweet."

Alfre Woodard
Actor/activist


"What Alex Haley did for us with Roots almost four decades ago, Sheila Banks does for us today with Bittersweet -- a powerful, multi-generational, family epic about discovering your identity and what it means to be fully human in a society suffering from a serious case of color-bias." 

Brian Bird
Writer-Producer
Not Easily Broken, Touched By An Angel, Bopha!


"Sheila Banks' moving Bittersweet skillfully weaves fiction with fact, creating a rich, multi-dimensional story that resonates as powerfully with us today as it did in Ellie's day."

Bestselling Author, Lyah Beth LeFlore
Wildflowers, Last Night A DJ Saved My Life


"Bittersweet is a sometimes painful, always compelling tale of one woman's victory over adversity.  In this current time when the struggle for racial equality continues in the United States, this all-American story is an important one for everyone — regardless of ethnicity — to read. Thank you, Sheila Banks, for revealing another piece of a nation's hidden history."

Linda Lockhart
St. Louis Beacon