Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine NK Literary Cafe Magazine - April 2018 Issue | Page 35

Okay, this month I might be taking off a bit from
what you usually read from me, but bear with me as
I explain myself.
Now, I could blame it on the upcoming Vernal Equinox
(the first days of Spring), and it wouldn’t be too far off
the mark, but as I said, bear with me, and it will all
make sense as I tie this all together for you.
During this time of the year, from a personal
perspective, it is a wondrous time of year. The
Vernal Equinox is a time of renewal, of shedding
the doldrums of the winter months and looking
forward to the newness, the revival of life. It’s the
time when I’m at my most creative, but there’s also
a spiritual component that adds to that creativity. I
know, shocking, right? Even us hedonists can have
an esoteric side to us, but even that side needs to be
brought into the light from time to time.
Consider the Equinox that time—a time of balance, a
time of reflection, and a time of indulgence.
Some factoids for you, brought to you from my own
spiritual spectrum: in ancient Egyptian culture, the
Egyptian god Osiris’s resurrection is celebrated during
the Vernal Equinox, and the Great Sphinx at the base
of the Pyramids of Giza has been situated in such a
manner that it observes the sunrise of the sun on the
day of the Equinox, the only day of the year where it
does not cast a shadow. At Stonehenge, the druids
and pagans celebrated the Saxon goddess Eostre,
who was the symbol new beginnings and fertility.
The English Heritage, those who are charged with
the caretaking of Stonehenge, open up the site on
the day of the Vernal Equinox to allow the celebration
of the beginning of Spring.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let me circle
back to the romantic component of the first day of
Spring.
This is usually the time of year when romance is
a flutter—in fiction and reality. I could bore you
with the scientific reasons for all of this (melatonin
and serotonin and testosterone and blah, blah,
blah), but I’d rather focus on the simplicity of it
all. The proverbial butterfly emerging from its
cocoon and pheromones being released into
the atmosphere to attract the opposite sex are
reflected in every fictional romance that is brought
into the marketplace during this time of the year,
regardless of how that romance is depicted.
Readers are more apt to want to read about
romantic connections this time of the year. As
flowers begin to bloom, so do the prospects of
new romances. It’s all a many splendored thing, as
the old cliché goes, but it’s something that I think
bears some merit and should be taken seriously.
There are several books that I’m personally looking
forward to reading that speak to the spectrum of
different romantic connections. Also, I’m looking
forward to debuting some of my own, beginning
with SAMOIS this month, which will have me spin
a series of romantic entanglements between
the Dominant women and submissive men that
indulge inside my Nubian Underworld. What?
There’s more to dominance and submission than
the lovely spectacle of the slap and tickle? Trust
me.
Some other romances I’m looking forward to
include Exclusively Yours from Nadine Gonzalez;
Strategic Seduction from Cheris Hodges; A
Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole, and; The Cast
from Danielle Steel.
Catch you next month, where I plan to get back to
my usual “clutch your pearls” self LOL!
Shakir Rashaan is the author of In Service to the Senator and the national bestselling Nubian Underworld
and Kink, P.I. Series. He is also developing projects under the pen name PK Rashaan. You can find out more
about Rashaan at www.ShakirRashaan.com.
NKLC Magazine | 35