George L. Cook III has written a kindle vella horror story titled SELLOUT, A Ghost Story about a Black person who has no qualms about making money by talking bad or degrading his "own" people. The story focuses on a character named Richard English, who is a political pundit who appears on TV and radio talk shows and always puts Black people in a negative light. Although a horror story the story features a Black History twist.
African American Reports had a few questions for the author:
AAREPORTS: What was the inspiration for writing SELLOUT?
George Cook: As you kknow there has been a lot of focus on race here in America with Tyre Nichols and the made up CRT contoversy, as well as other issues. It was something I heard a talking head on TV say about the death of Tyre Nichols and the police chief of Baltimore being like a single mother not able to control her sons that inspired me to write the SELLOUT. What that talking head said really pissed me off.
AAREPORTS: Would you like to name that talking head?
George Cook: No, but I'll just say he is someone who hasn't missed afew meals in a while.
AAREPORTS: What made you go the horror route with this story?
George Cook: That's the genre I'm most comfortable writing it in.
AAREPORTS: I know you can't give away any of the story but how did you get Black History into the story?
George Cook: I wrote the story during Black History Month and that actually gave me the basis for the story and what the narrative would be. I was able to slip in about four to five Black history facts for the reader, but only if they are are paying attention.
AAREPORTS: We loved that endind, does that mean a certain ghost will be back?
George Cook: I really don't know but I don't think so. I think the way the story ended maked the intended point and there's no reason to go there again.
AAREPORTS: First tell us what is a Kindle Vella story and then why you released SELLOUT that way as opposed to releasing it as a short story?
To put it simply Kindle Vella was something new that allows an author to release a story in small episodes of which the first three are free to the reader. To read the final episode a reader will need tokens to read but Amazon will give someone new to Kindle Vella 200 tokens free and part 4 will only cost you 11 tokens. You also don't need any special app, you can immediately read the story on your phone, tablet, or CPU just by clicking a link to the story.
I really like writing in an eposodic format and it's fun to leave cliffhangers or have a reader waiting until the next episode to see what happens next. I released SELLOUT using the Netflix model of releasing the entire 4 episode story at once so you can finish the story on one shot.
AAREPORTS: Where can Readers get SELLOUT?
George Cook: On Amazon by using this link:
https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BTXMRZXW
AAREPORTS: Thank you for this interview, and is there any thing you would like to say in closing?
George Cook: Thank you for having me and i would just like to ask readers to support SELLOUT and please read that last episode. Good wishes to all.
