By Julia Press Simmons
For many people, the weekend is a time to relax and enjoy themselves. For others, it is a time to catch up on work or chores. But for some, the weekend is a time to read and write. Saturday Ink caters to these people. It is full of mini-articles, resources, stories, and poems written by talented writers worldwide. It is also a great place to find new and interesting books to read, and small businesses to support. We enjoyed putting this together for you, and we hope you love it!
CONTENTS
HEALTH & WELLNESS ~ SELF-CARE SATURDAY
SPOOKY READS ~ OUR TOP FIVE
SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAY ~ ISSUE 19
HOT MIC ~ PODCAST OF THE WEEK
BINGE REPORT ~ ABBOT ELEMENTARY
FLASH FICTION ~ OFFICE POLITICS
HEALTH & WELLNESS ~ SELF-CARE SATURDAY
Self-care is important, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are 5 budget-friendly tips for a relaxing Self-Care Saturday.
1. Start your day with a healthy breakfast. Fuel your body with nutritious foods to jumpstart your day.
2. Get active! Go for a walk, do some yoga, or take a dance class. Exercise is a great way to boost your energy and mood.
3. Unplug from technology and take some time for yourself. Read a book, take a bath, or just enjoy the silence.
4. Connect with nature. Spend time outside in your backyard or go for a hike in the park. breathe in the fresh air and appreciate the beauty around you.
5. Make time for loved ones.
SPOOKY READS ~ OUR TOP FIVE
It's that time of year again! The leaves are changing, the air is chilly, and Halloween is just around the corner. What better way to get into the spirit of things than by reading a spooky book? Here are our top five picks to get you started.
OCTOBER'S HARVEST ~ After the disappearance of a teenage girl’s father, she discovers that her small religious community has been worshipping something dark and sinister in this twisted tale that reads like Children of the Corn meets The Lottery.
GATOR QUEEN ~ 1920s Louisiana --- Ammiis a young black girl, born and raised in the bayou, hardworking and a lover of cola bottles, oh, and she was raised by gators.
INVISIBLE CHAINS ~ Nominated for the 2019 Bram Stoker Award for "First Novel." Jacqueline is a young Creole slave in antebellum New Orleans. An unusual stranger who has haunted her dreams since childhood comes to stay as a guest in her master’s house.
THE BETWEEN ~ A man risks his soul and his sanity to save his family from malevolent forces in this brilliant novel of horror and the supernatural from the award-winning pioneer of speculative fiction and author of the classic My Soul to Keep.
THE HAUNTING OF LA'QUISHIA BROWN ~ When Tameka gets kicked out of her apartment in Atlanta, Georgia, she convinces her best friend, Belinda, to allow her to move in with her family until Tameka gets back on her feet. While living free of charge with them for several months, Tameka maliciously puts voodoo on Belinda's seven-year-old daughter, La'Quishia...
CLICK THE PIC TO BUY THE BOOK
SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAY! CONGRATULATIONS TO TAMARA CHECK YOUR EMAIL! YOU'VE WON AN ECOPY
OF INTELLECTUAL INK ISSUE 19
HOT MIC ~ PODCAST OF THE WEEK
The Get Caught Up Podcast started out as a labor of love for African American authors in the indie literary community. When I first entered the publishing industry, there were very few spaces that were available that embraced literature written by black indie authors, especially new ones that didn't charge an exorbitant amount of money. I started the podcast as my way of providing a place where black indie authors, especially newbies, could build their author portfolio by providing free author interviews with zero strings attached. Now, that has expanded to POC authors and mainstream authors as well, but the first interview is still free and the only thing that is required is that the authors follow the social media accounts for the podcast and like/subscribe to the podcast. It's a ton of work, but I do it because I love and support my fellow authors, and it's my way of giving back to an industry that has given me great opportunities.
To be a guest on the Get Caught Up podcast, inquiring authors or others in the literary industry can visit www.untamedpublishing.net/contact and fill out the Contact Us form. We will email the hopeful guest with information on how to connect to our social media pages and how/where to like/subscribe to our podcast and our available interview dates. To stream our podcast, listeners can visit anchor.fm/getcaughtup or if they have other preferred listening platforms, we have our direct podcast links to Spotify, Google, Apple Podcasts, and more available at linktr.ee/getcaughtup.
BINGE REPORT ~ ABBOT ELEMENTARY
A group of dedicated, passionate teachers -- and a slightly tone-deaf principal -- find themselves thrown together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do -- even if they don't love the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
Starring: Quinta BrunsonTyler James WilliamsJanelle JamesChris PerfettiLisa Ann Walter
FLASH FICTION ~ OFFICE POLITICS
“I need to see the secretary now!” Nathan said as he barged past Justine, who didn't get out of her chair fast enough.
“I tried to stop him Madam Secretary,” Justine said. She ran into the room after Nathan who stopped dead in the center of her office with his mouth gaping open.
Nathan ran his hands through his silver hair and smoothed his jacket.
The secretary's gaze was glazed yet intense “It’s okay Justine I’m almost finished anyway.” She said breathlessly.
"Secretary Mya Van..."
“Right there don’t stop,” She said as she placed her hands underneath her desk. Nathan looked at Justine with bewilderment in his eyes and Justine put her face down blushing a deep shade of red.
Mya let out a deep moan and shuddered. Her thick kinky fro spilled over the back of her chair. “Good job, you can get up now,” she moaned while pushing away from her desk.
A young man wearing tailored blue dress slacks and a matching vest crawled from under the desk. As he got to his feet, and grabbed his jacket and smoothed out his red beard.
“James?” Nathan said in a mixture of shock, anger, arousal, and disgust. He shook his head at the younger man and then turned back to Mya with hatred in his voice. “How dare you make me wait like some common, common.” He repeated, “I have power damn you, my company put your black ass in that seat, and we can damn well send you back to the ghetto.”
“Justine, hold my calls, and James, make sure I’m not interrupted, please. This will take only a minute.”
“Yes, madam secretary.” They said in unison James stopped right before Nathan and stared at him. Nathan took a few steps back and lowered his voice. Mya got up to close the door behind them, and Nathan walked around her desk and sat in her seat.
“I can’t believe you made me wait while you got fucked.”
“First off Nathan, get the fuck out of my chair.” She said as she turned slowly and stared daggers through the man.
He quickly got out of her chair and started pacing back and forth as if he was trying to start a fire on her rug.
Mya straightened her hunter green dress and slowly sat back down. “Second, dear sir. I fuck who I want when I want, and where I want. Why are you here?” Mya said looking at the design on her ingernails.
“I gave you twelve hundred dollars toward your campaign, and I haven’t seen anything for my contribution,” Nathan said as he paused long enough to stop in front of her desk. He resumed his pacing.
“What do you think twelve hundred dollars was going to buy you?" She snorted. "Please, I make more than that every week from men who just want to be seen with my cocoa brown ass,” she said. “That is exactly what your paltry contribution got you. All those photo-ops I did for you and your company. Now you want a bill passed that will net your company hundreds of millions of dollars, and you think you paid for my vote? Forget twelve hundred, Nathan, try twelve million.”
“What?” He shouted back
“twelve million, or I’ll kill the bill.” She said staring at him with a seriousness that told him she wasn’t bluffing.
“You won’t get away with this.” He said as he started heading towards the door.
“Hold on, Nathan. I think you misunderstood me.” She pressed a button on her desk. "Justine, can you please email that packet to Mr. Bolden now?”
“Yes Ma, am,” Justine said back through the intercom.
“Walk me to my car, Nathan,” Mya said as she grabbed her matching hunter green suit jacket off the coat rack behind her door.
James stood up as the two walked out. The two men looked at each other and Nathan turned back to his phone.
“What is this?” He said as he shuffled through the pictures. She took the phone out of his hands.
“This is you fucking various people.” She said with a cough. “And tax records that don’t add up plus a lot of racist shit.” She said as she tossed his phone back to him. "I’m pretty sure a lot of powerful people would pay me to get their hands on that packet. Like your wife’s divorce lawyers, your congregation, or just some upstart looking to take your spot." She sighed. "Now don’t get it confused you don’t have to pay me anything and your secret is safe with me, but the price went up. It will now cost thirteen million for my vote." She checked her watch. "It will take another four minutes to get to my car, and the price goes up every minute you waste my time, Nathan.”
“Okay, thirteen million.” He said while virtually foaming at the mouth.
“That’s a good boy now bend down, and kiss the black ass you thought you could control.” She turned slowly.
The blood drained from his face when he realized she was serious. He coughed, bent over like he was about to tie his shoe, and quickly brushed his lips over her ass.
Secretary Mya turned to him and gave him a bright smile. Go get my fucking money.” Mya said as she and Nathan walked out to the front door. She walked to her car and waited for James to catch up and open the door. James got into the driver's seat and sped off.
Nathan dialed numbers on his phone as she shuffled to his car.
“Wire thirteen million Mya Van's campaign. I know what I said, just do it.”
(c) copyright 2021 Intellectual Ink LLC
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