Finally... Book Covers!

It's been quiet on here . . .
Following is the reason why:

Counting Down the Days is almost ready.
All going well, the book will be available for purchase on Amazon Kindle on December 31, 2013.

I have in the past shared on this blog, the synopses of all the stories making up the Counting Down the Days short story collection. Check them out for a sneak peek using the link above.

All in all, we are literally counting down the days . . .

That said, there's still one more thing:

The Walkabout: A Journey of Insight, Inspiration and Self Discovery is a book that distills many of the blog posts on The Walkabout into a concise, easy to read yet profound collection.
This book will be available for purchase on Amazon Kindle in early 2014.

That's about it for now.
Your thoughts regarding the covers? Let me know through a comment below.

Short Story 10 - Loving to Hate

We're almost there!
:)

Away from reading philosophical texts and coming up with awesome main characters, today we take a look at the tenth short story in the upcoming Counting Down the Days collection.

We have in the past looked at The Right to Remain Silent, Networking or not working, The Dilemma, Power to the People, Counting Down the Days, Nothing, The Vigilante, Daughters of Eve and The Socialite.

Loving to Hate

Adrian is a ladies-man. A smooth operator who is also a modern-day Casanova. His friends in college often told him that he loved women above all else. Something Adrian unrelentingly denied.

Adrian's "love" for women is in fact an obsession with sex. He sleeps around with women not because he loves them, but because they epitomize the commercialization of sex. It is through women that sex has been commoditized. And that is something he hates.

Ironically, Adrian hates women. Deeply.

He grew up in a run-down neighborhood, the only child of a single mother. She was a sex worker who often brought men into her house to perform deviant acts with her and on occasion, with other women as well. Group sex, homosexual acts... all that happened in Jane's house.

As Adrian grew up, he became more aware of other social ills in and around his house such as domestic violence, incest among his young age-mates and blatant use of drugs by both young and old.

In an effort to revenge against the one gender that willingly let sexual impropriety thrive, he has unwittingly slipped into an addiction that he cannot sleep his way out of.


My Current Reads

In addition to all the blogs, newspapers and texts I read on-line, I am now reading Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant. This reading is a joint effort with a great tweepal. I believe both the reading experience and understanding will be greatly enhanced when we exchange notes as we get along.

Have an awesome time reading and writing!
:)

Short Story 9 - The Socialite

First off, I take this [belated] opportunity to wish you the very best in 2012. I'll just reiterate what I shared on The Walkabout regarding believing and persisting in the new year, as you work towards your stated goals.

Speaking of goals, resolutions are largely made up of these. The same post in the Walkabout links to a STOP DOING LIST by Jim Collins, which is in his opinion is the best new year resolutions you can make.
An opinion I agree with, to a large extent.

That said, today's post is about my ninth short story in the Counting Down the Days book, fast heading towards final touches and subsequent publishing.
Other short stories in this collection, which we have so far highlighted, are: The Right to Remain Silent, Networking or not working, The Dilemma, Power to the People, Counting Down the Days, Nothing and The Vigilante and Daughters of Eve.

The Socialite

Lying on the floor, under Alice's bed, is a brand new, razor blade. It remains unused, and continues to accumulate dust on the cold, tiled floor.

Until now.

Alice is the typical go-happy girl who smiles at all and sundry, and is kind to friend and foe alike. She has an impressive following on Twitter, and manages to engage with a majority of her followers. She is very active on Facebook, with daily witty, funny status updates that her friends look forward to reading and commenting on. On Google+ she is the darling of those who have added her to their circles. They invariably look forward to hangouts with her...

And hanging out she does. Beyond chatting online, Alice has time to party and attend many social gatherings. She is self employed, working in the online marketing and advertising field. With a flexible schedule and working hours, she can manage all the time.

Alice relishes safety in numbers, but that is not her choice. One on one meet-ups are her biggest fear, and those unfortunate enough to meet her alone never get to say anything about the other Alice that no one knows.

Elijah is in Alice's bedroom, making love to her...


My Current Reads




Towards year end, I started reading Sidney Sheldon's Tell Me Your Dreams. It is the fascinating story of Ashley Patterson, whose alter ego murders five men who romantically get involved with her.

It is a great book, fast paced as usual with the usual courtroom drama you come to expect from Sidney Sheldon.

I haven't finished reading it however, thanks to distractions during the recent holidays, a great deal of Internet reads [especially the International Herald Tribune magazine 2011 Global Edition] and another novel I started reading.

I happen to have started reading Dan Brown's Deception Point. Initially, I thought I hadn't read it all, I now realize I did while using a different laptop way back in 2008.
I never managed to transfer the PDF file to my current laptop, but having started it, I have decided to read yet again, the entire eBook.
Afterwards, I'll read the other Dan Brown novels I have in my eLibrary.


Have a great mid-week guys!
:)

Short Story 8 - Daughters of Eve

This is the eighth short story in my Counting Down the Days book, currently a work in progress. We have so far taken a sneak peek into other short stories in this collection viz: The Right to Remain Silent, Networking or not working, The Dilemma, Power to the People, Counting Down the Days, Nothing and The Vigilante.

Daughters of Eve

In this story, Noel discovers that the issues he's always had with members of the female gender were not entirely unfounded. He realizes, albeit the hard way, that it is impossible to understand women. He concludes that a man can never know what a woman truly wants. Even more tragic, women are largely oblivious to what it is that they want.

Since meeting Noelle, he changes his life a lot, to better accommodate the love of his life with a view to spending the rest of his life with her. It is a passionate relationship, one that is predicated on promise, liberal physical relations and overly-endearing language.

Fast however, is how the relationship ends. Much faster than a fiscal quarter. Noel quickly realizes that nothing is ever what it seems and that reprimanding loved ones is a delicate act that has unpredictable results. Most of all, he painfully realizes that there is nothing as complex as the daughters of Eve.

My Current Reads

In the recent past, I've been taking time to read archived articles by both Chris Anderson and Malcolm Gladwell. These two best selling authors have an ideological relationship that sometimes portrays them as frenemies. All in all, I love to indulge in their insightful writing, it is thought provoking and good fodder for wiser decision-making.

While not reading the aforementioned articles online, I'm taking time to read Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant. A very good book that invariably reminds me of Safaricom Ltd.

Have an awesome weekend guys!
:)

Short Story 7 - The Vigilante

This is the seventh short story in my Counting Down the Days book, currently a work in progress. We have so far taken a sneak peek into other short stories in this collection viz: The Right to Remain Silent, Networking or not working, The Dilemma, Power to the People, Counting Down the Days and Nothing.

The Vigilante

Julie has lost a husband she totally loved, thanks to the neglect, self interest and sloppiness of his friends. Njoroge, Wambua and Salim have deliberately opted to misinform her husband about the presence of law enforcement officials during a heist, and simply watch him unknowingly walk into a fatal trap.

With Kimunya now dead, she takes it upon herself to punish the remaining members of a terror gang she willfully belonged to and dutifully worked to protect. Her plan is to deal with them one by one, and successfully eliminates some of them, until something goes terribly wrong and exposes the enemy within.

How will she carry out her plan? Can she stop avenging Kimunya's death in view of the inherent risks?

My Current Reads

I have recently discovered eFiction Magazine on Issuu - my favorite online hangout where I get to read great stuff in an attractive, engaging and innovative presentation.
eFiction Magazine has been around for quite a while [how did I miss all this?], since April 2010. The August 2011 edition is the 17th issue!
Below are the very first and the current editions of eFiction Magazine. I'd urge you all to head to Issuu and subscribe to this online magazine that showcases the latest fiction across the web, for free. It is truly priceless for any writer worth his/her salt.

eFiction Magazine - then

eFiction Magazine - now

Do have a great day good people!
Cheers :)

Short Story 5 - Counting Down the Days

Counting Down the Days is both the title short story and the fifth in my upcoming collection Counting Down the Days.
We have so far highlighted The Right to Remain Silent, Networking or not working, The Dilemma and Power to the People.

Counting Down the Days

In this story, Edwin has been injured in what has been erroneously referred to as an accident. Interestingly, he had just watched Nokia's 4th Screen TV ad on YouTube minutes before this "accident". He was anticipating change, but is now forced to inevitably wait for that change for a very definite number of days.



With every passing day, Edwin gets to see a better version of the bigger picture that awaits him. He is able to better plan, and carefully review his choices.
In losing the ability to do something he really wants, he gains the latitude to ultimately attain what he actually needs.

My Current Reads

I am totally immersed in Chris Anderson's Free: The Future of a Radical Price. The book simply explains what has happened in our lives all along, where businesses make big money by offering free products and/or services.

Nothing is surprising or new in doing that, especially when you think about free-to-air radio and TV from commercial broadcasters.

Interestingly, Malcolm Gladwell [who authored The Tipping Point] doesn't agree with Chris Anderson. FYI, Chris also wrote The Long Tail. Malcolm had a lot to say about Free in The New Yorker.

As a strong advocate of online publishing and on-screen reading, I have recently started to read, and shall be actively sharing/embedding magazines in my reading list.
Most, if not all will be hosted at Issuu, which is my favorite hangout when it comes to reading online. Following is the June 2011 edition of CIO East Africa Magazine.

Please note that upon launch, Connect eMagazine will also be available for online reading and free download at Issuu.

Have a great week good people. Let's continue reading and writing together.Cheers!

:)

Short Story 4 - Power to the People

This is a sneak peek into the fourth short story in my upcoming collection Counting Down the Days.
We have so far highlighted The Right to Remain Silent, Networking or not working and The Dilemma.

Power to the People

Since the advent of multi party politics in Kenya, a lot has changed. People are now free to castigate their elected leaders, engage them in topical debate on social networks and various media fora.

People also have the power to open bring to the fore societal ills which previously went unmentioned in the news and never made it to front page newspaper headlines.

In the far flung areas, rural electrification projects are getting more Kenyans connected. They can watch news, listen to the radio and access the Internet thanks to mobile broadband by mobile telecommunication firms.
For the first time, the rural folk can actively participate in both national and cross-border dialogue.

Power however invariably comes at a cost. People often get drunk with power. Some are using it to share too much information. Other to assassinate the character of those they do not like or to spread malicious, scandalous and libelous information about others. Across the web, people have thrown all caution to the wind and are recklessly exercising their power to do whatever they feel like.

With the passing of a new constitution in Kenya, will these same people welcome its power in protecting human rights? Will they become the immediate victims of the no nonsense penalties that await those who in word or deed misuse their power to harm others?


My Current Reads

Interestingly, I am now reading the final pages of Capitalist Nigger by Chika Onyeani. Andrew Morton's Diana: Her True Story never turned out to be a page-turner, which is okay in this day and age of near overwhelming online content begging to be read.

Most of my reading is currently happening online, thanks to International News web sites such as CNN, The Independent, The Guardian and The New York Times.
Not forgetting The Onion, whose wicked sense of humor is worth checking out every once in a while. Plus all the blogs in my blogger Reading List.

There however is one book, which will continue to offer insights and the necessary encouragement as I write this and subsequent books. It is Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
It continues to complement the solid sentence construction, style, usage and correct grammar recommendations in Oliver Strunk's The Elements of Style, which got a much deserved mention in our very first post.


Have yourself an awesome weekend. Let's continue reading and writing together.Cheers!

:)

Short Story 3 - The Dilemma

In my upcoming book Counting Down the Days, I have so far given you a sneak peek into both The Right to Remain Silent and Networking or Not working?

Today, we take a brief look at The Dilemma.

The Dilemma
Trish went to Mombasa on official duty a few months ago. During the nights however, she lived large, slept around, even giving  the popular tag Mombasa Raha a whole new meaning of reckless abandon. She freely flirts, gets drunk, and parties till late.

At one of the clubs, she meets a former boyfriend and ends up spending the night in his house, where she proceeds to have unsafe sex with him.

Now back in Nairobi, she has very recently fallen head over feet in love with a young man who has every potential to become not just the love of her life, but the life of her love. They have gone ahead and decided to date, but he insists that they need to urgently to get tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections before they get more intimately involved.

Now seated in the waiting room in a VCT center, Trish ponders her options once the test results are out...

My Current Reads
I have no idea why I'm reading a book that has been in the house for almost a decade, without ever catching my attention. I bet it has something to do with the recent Prince William and Kate Middleton royal wedding.

Okay, the book is Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton. I haven't read a substantial number of pages yet, but I find it worth reading.
I'd however like to read Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words by the same author. Two perspectives are better than one, aren't they?

Beyond books, I have lately got more interested in articles in the New York Times and Comment is Free in The Guardian. They invariably carry engaging, well researched and topical stories on a wide number of topics of interest.

So much for reading and writing, enjoy your evening lovely people
:)

Short Story 2 - Networking or Not Working?

This is a sneak peek into another short story in my upcoming book Counting Down the Days. Last time, we looked at The Right to Remain Silent.

As earlier explained, all the short stories in this book focus on the human condition - our attitudes and responses to the things that happen in our daily lives.

Networking or Not working?
In this story, we examine the effects of spending hours online browsing and participating in social network activity. This includes, but is not limited to Facebook, Twitter, hi5, YouTube and others.
Whereas the social networks are pivotal in online marketing and brand development, they can, and often do get in the way of productivity for those who spend too much time there interacting with their friends..

Since breaking up with her boyfriend, Mercy has recently found a solution to her loneliness. She has numerous friends on Facebook, loves following cool 'tweeps' and engaging in popular trending topics on Twitter as well as sharing videos on YouTube. All this keeps her fully occupied in the office.

She no longer worries about friends in the real world, she actually has no more time for conventional relationships. She wonders why she even restricted herself to one person for a close relationship, now that the Internet offers countless people to chat with.

The super-fast Internet connection in her office has actually changed her attitude towards working on Saturdays, she gets in the office early and leaves late every working day. Thanks to a fibre-optic powered broadband connection, she spends more time "networking", not working.
Unknown to her, the IT department and her boss have been closely monitoring her online activity...

My Current Reads
I'm still reading Chika Onyeani's Capitalist Nigger and should be through with it later this week.

In addition, I keep going back to read a chapter or two of Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

This book has invaluable insights especially for those who seek to venture into new business such as publishing online in new eBook formats, in good time before every person else rushes in to make a buck in this business.

Go ahead and grab your own copy of Blue Ocean Strategy. You can also get an audio version here. You'll learn how you can create uncontested market space and thereby make the competition irrelevant.

Short Story 1 - The Right to Remain Silent

Well, as earlier promised, today I give you a sneak peek into one of the short stories in my upcoming book Counting Down the Days.

All the stories in this book essentially focus on the human condition, exploring such issues as love, crime, friendship, governance, parenting, schooling, business and pretty much anything else that happens in our day to day lives.

The Right to Remain Silent
This story touches on crime and punishment.
Ideally, people should take responsibility for their actions. That is why every juris[friggin']diction has a justice system whose core mandate is to see that people respect other people's rights, as well as have theirs respected. In other words, fairness is maintained across the board with no bias whatsoever.

In real life however, such ideals are not attained. The rules keep on getting broken with reckless abandon, which confirms that they who commit crimes are rarely punished thanks to wanton impunity, frustrating red tape and corruption practised by officials across the ranks in the criminal justice system.

In The Right to Remain Silent, Edwin is able to apprehend one of the thugs who have raided his home. He decides to make it very clear to the thug what the right to remain silent should actually mean. It is a shocking revelation of what law abiding citizens can do when the systems that are supposed to ensure their safety and that of their possessions fail them.

My Current Reads
We all know that good writing should always go hand in hand with much more reading.
I am currently reading two books, both of which have something to do with business and self discovery.

One is Capitalist Nigger by Chika Onyeani. My sister lent me her copy on Wednesday, and I already like the book.
The author makes a brusque indictment of the black race, which despite natural endowment, is a non-productive race that mostly consumes, ultimately depending on other communities for its culture, its language, its feeding and its clothing.
He however asserts that only by becoming economic warriors who love making money as much as they love themselves, their wives and children can members of the black race escape from their victim mentality.

The other is Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher. It got a mention in a recent post on The Walkabout.
The book champions small appropriate technologies that empower people more. This in effect contrasts the widely held notion that "bigger is better." It discusses economics as if people mattered.

So much for the writing and reading, have yourself an awesome weekend.
Cheers!