nilichoandika

New Year Updates

January 10th, 2020
Is it too late to say happy new year?

How’s your week coming along? I was looking through this blog and almost kicked myself for having taken such a while to check in with the blogiverse…I hope you are well and working towards whatever resolutions you made.

So, here’s a list of some insights into what I’ve been up to in the past 8 days:
- I traveled back to Mbita
- Dusted, aired and mopped where I stay and it never hit me just how exhausted one can get from bending under a bed trying to retrieve an eraser!
- Visited a school in Mfangano Island which is considered to be in one of the extreme inaccessible places in the whole island.
- Gained weight 🙂 thanks to all the coffee dates I had with my cousin and the holiday food.
- Started working out- just finished day 6 of the 30 day fitness challenge! I can’t feel my thighs.
- Gave this blog a new look, grey is so last season!
- Writing the next book, hoping to release it this April.
- Receiving reviews, through calls and texts from readers on just how much they were moved by reading my book, Sifuna, and recommendations on how to distribute the books.
- Updating my wardrobe, wearing more jean trousers and a bright t-shirts 🙂 okay, I did this once! I still love my black and grey t-shirts.
- Drinking lots of Love Tea from Kericho Gold- because I love the strawberry/vanilla/raspberry flavor.
Have an awesome weekend!
If all we ever had was a day

December 29th, 2019

Smile…

It’s what my eyes behold when I pull out the phone from my bag. This is the third text you’ve sent me today.

You are like an uncomfortable space I inhabit,

I act like I loathe you yet I yearn to be in your presence.

So we have had our back and forth this year Stardust,

Isn’t t amazing that we are compelled to be sweet by timelines drawn by men?

You laugh at this, that easy laugh, I’m home.

Where are you Stardust?

When will you get here?

I know you are like a raging stream, always in a hurry yet ever changing.

Stardust, I want to be angry at you, angry with you, angered by you…is this normal?

You laugh and say, “Love, the Universe knows how much time each living thing has in the space we inhabit, you know, if your time’s up, it is and nothing not even a life-support machine can keep you up and running. See, men are sick.

We truly are because we thought it would be wise to name, label and restrict what the universe gave us…so we have days, dates, seasons and now everybody here is wishing me a merry christmas- and unlike you, I tell them it is a commercial season to get people to spend what they have without a thought…something that should be done every day!

Love, you always say that the part you love about Christmas is the part where you see everyone…and it sucks because we have eleven months to visit people, we have leave days to make at least two trips or set aside a day for this, but no…we wait till christmas to overfeed and overspend. I am getting ahead of myself, I’m just bummed that I never got to come home, to drive down and see you…

I’m a jerk. What are you doing with me? I guess it…no, it hurts, and more so when I know that it’s no excuse because every year I have 365 days, so if all I ever needed was just one day to be with you, then this one day that’s left is a reminder of all the 364 that I had.”

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Writing Goals

December 21st, 2019
If there’s one thing I learned this year with writing is that I have to be purposeful about it.

When you are consistent it is easy to track your progress, to know what works for you and what does not.

I’ve had to maintain my writing hours waking up at 2am and writing till 4am, sometimes I switch it up and write between 4am and 6am, anything to get in those two hours of writing time.

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However, if you can be good then you can do better and keep improving as you go and I’m trying new things to see to this. So, here we go, these are my writing goals which I hope to upgrade into habits:
1. Write something that scares me. I love being comfortable in my writing and this was a challenge from a friend, she writes erotica, and she looked at me and asked “have you ever written a sex scene?” I almost relocated to another universe! Then we started talking about how sex is depicted in romance novels versus the reality of it and once that was done, she asked me to write outside of what I know and I’m good at. So, going forward, all the things that freak me out- the little insecurity nuggets, I’m writing about them- exploring them and getting better at mastering them.
2. Write a new genre: I have written romance, African literary fiction and a bit of mystery and it’d be great to try something new once in a while to get a feel of the genres.
3. Write about what I read. This is not to be taken as a review, however, there are times when I read books and they make me feel some type of way or have me asking questions and I rarely note these down…or if I do, I never look back at them or explore them. I’m buying a notebook for this to build up on my readership experience.
4. Write for word counts. I know…I took part in NanoWrimo, but why wait until the eleventh month of the year to write for word counts? So, I’m looking forward to adding this to my writing time so that I do not get back to bed at 4am without hitting or surpassing a word count target.
5. Meet and engage with other Writers. Look, I should be doing this already or write about having done this and the truth is, I have not committed to it. So, I’m already talking to a few friends here and there- working on an event in the coming year, hoping lots of people will get to attend it and learn a thing or two, it’s my way of putting myself out there as a Writer. I want to do it!
So there you have it, those are my writing goals from this moment and I look forward to updating you on my progress!

Have a lovely weekend!
Cocoa drowning

December 20th, 2019

I love you like Cocoa,

You wear me down for months only for you to be processed overseas.

I love you like Cocoa,

Deep, dark, bitter and warm…a toast here, broken back there…sweat here, hopes there…everything finds its way to you…to us…

I love you like Cocoa,

You need a sweetener to go down my throat,

So, I’ll mix you with honey,

Stir up some sweet trouble and gulp you…

I love you like Cocoa,

Dark, rich…glowing, the kind that makes the sun shimmer in remembrance of your glory.

I love you like Cocoa,

For whereas others strive to breathe under water, I drown…I let go of every fear, doubt, malice, anguish, anxiety, anger…and my hands break through the strong waves, upright…so you’ll see me and know that I’m here, not by a show of hand…but a show of hands…

I love you like Cocoa…drowning, rich, dark, strong, unforgettable.

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Fall

December 17th, 2019

I’m like Fall, you say, and I smile…

I smile at how easy it is for you to liken me to seasons.

You smile, and it’s the best look you’ve had this year.

“Love, you are like Fall, you come once in a year and everyone looks forward to you, to seeing you, to being around you, because you radiate such light and love, I am jealous. How do you give your time to everyone and still have some left for yourself? Sometimes, well…most times, I feel like you slip through my fingers and settle right on my skin so I go everywhere with you…”

“You’re so cheesy…” I say and shrug. You are miles away from me.

Your voice is the home I know and now…now I miss home.

I tell you all about my travel experience and you laugh…you wish you were there to see my face and make fun of me, but you’re not…so we laugh some more.

“Hey, I’m not cheesy, you just make me say things that I never would.”

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Favorite books of 2019

December 9th, 2019

I love books.

I can’t write anything that comes close to qualifying that statement at the moment except for share the titles that I loved reading this year.

What are some of the titles that became your favorites this year?
Petals in the rain

December 8th, 2019

“I thought about you today Love,” you say…and I sit up on the bed. It is raining outside.

I have no plans of leaving neither this bed nor the house. So I ask, “really? how come?”

You laugh.

It’s always the laugh that gets me Stardust. You clear your throat and I hold onto the phone, pushing it as close to my ear as possible so that your breathing is one with mine.

“I was visiting a flower shop today, working on some financial plans for a client and I stepped into his greenhouse and there were petals on the ground, many colors, different petals I think, red, yellow, pink, some even brown and as I followed him to the back where his office was located all I could think about was you.”

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“You saw petals on the ground in some greenhouse and thought of me?”

“Oh, you are milking this…I miss you.”

“You are deflecting.”

“No, I am measuring my words Love, with you, the less I say the better…why is it that I still say so much while you only ask questions?”

“Do I?”

“See! That’s what I’m talking about…right there, look, I miss you and this climate change drama is not helping, these heavy rains and stuff! Being here reminds me of you Love, guess, you bloom even when it seems like you shouldn’t and you don’t mind shedding a few petals so you can make the ground a beautiful place for those who come your way, heaven knows I’m one lucky pig!”

I smile and I know you do too because you laugh, and there’s a long pause…before you say “take care of yourself Love, I’ve got to get back to work.”
Updates on the writing life

December 7th, 2019

It’s almost ten o’clock and it’s been raining here since four in the morning.

I’m on my fourth cup of tea this morning as I read Priestess of the White by Trudi Canavan.

The past few weeks have involved a lot of supervision on my part at work given that there are ongoing construction projects in the schools I’ve been visiting here. It’d be awesome to have pupils resume learning in January 2020 and they move from studying in tin houses to permanent brick classrooms with proper ventilation.

One of the biggest highlight of my writing life has been meeting friends, strangers who become family and a host many more as I sell copies of my book. I still struggle with making my writing a bit bigger, however, it’s always a thrill to write something personal on each copy that I sell to people.

friends who support my writing

I am learning that writing, publishing and selling books are three very different processes and whereas I may be comfortable with one or two, getting the experience of all is far much better.

It’s made me more understanding or tolerant of book publishers 🙂

So, here’s to more writing opportunities and experiences in the coming days.

Have a lovely weekend!
The kingdom of Enzi

November 28th, 2019

Every kingdom had a fool, someone to lift up the spirits of royalty, every kingdom except Enzi.

Enzi was the kingdom that bordered the great lake and it was surrounded by two kingdoms. Yajayo to the hand side of eating and Kiko to the side of curses. There were many more kingdoms however it is these two that come to mind when I am speaking to you.

Now, inasmuch as they did not have a fool, they did better, they had Chronicler.

I will try my very best to explain to you what role the Chronicler played, give a moment, let me light up these dry leaves and settle in my seat. It is dusk and the one I am waiting for is yet to announce her presence. I fear these times.

Call me Zuri, I am the only living Chronicler. In Enzi this position was only to be filled by women. As far as I can remember, my Great Grandmother was the first Chronicler and after that, she trained her daughter, who went on to train her daughter and in turn I was trained. Chroniclers never died in Enzi. They would instead accompany the King to the afterlife if it so happened that the ruler died before them.

As I speak to you, King Lua has been dead for three moons now. On the fifth moon, my people will bury me beside him covering me with soil as I chant praises of the dead king. It is the way of our people, taking and giving life as they please unaware of the wishes of our deity- Meichi.

Chroniclers are also the ones who are aware of the history of our people and having heard all the tales of Meichi and our people, I am yet to learn of when this deity ordered that Chroniclers be sent to the afterlife together with their King.

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The Bee Keeper’s lessons

November 27th, 2019

I have been reading The Honey Bee: A Business Parable about Getting Un-Stuck and Taking Control of Your Financial Future. This book popped up in my “Read Now” galley on NetGalley and I wanted to read it because I can’t seem to get my finances in check, and also I’ve been exploring modes of investing and saving that go beyond the ordinary “chama” that we have here in Kenya.

It’s written by Jake Stenziano and Gino Barbaro.

178 pages/ River Grove Books

The authors take a fictional approach to unpack six lessons that they’ve learned in the course of their lives and financial investments. It’s a short book, easy to read and I love the kind of books that make you want to sit down and re-evaluate your life.

This one does so in the most creative way- there’s the final section in each chapter that summarizes the lessons learned and each lesson builds upon the previous one.

I’m yet to meet anyone who hasn’t struggled with managing their finances and for as long as we can make money, there’s also the desire to find as many ways of doing so, and never running out it. This is why I feel a lot of people would relate to this book.

The greatest lesson I learned from this book is:

Create Streams of Purpose: Money isn’t your reason, it only finds it.

I could spoil it for you and share all the 6 lessons, but then what’s the fun in doing that? You may learn a thing or two, if you go in search of the book- besides who’s to tell what your experience may be reading it?

It’s going for $0.99 on Kindle and $14.93 on Paperback