Coffee Break

Happy New Year folks. Thank you for your support last year. I hope we can continue the journey of sharing our love for books and storytelling in all its forms in 2023. The video of how things went down at…

I got an early birthday present yesterday when the Sunday Nation, Kenya’s highest circulation newspaper, featured me in their magazine section. It was so surreal being on the other side. Usually I’m the one asking the questions. We had a…

I was thrilled when veteran writer Oyunga Pala agreed to host me on his popular blog (oyungapala.com). Oyunga pioneered the controversial Mantalk column in the Saturday Nation which he wrote for 11 years, developing a cult like following. He is…

More than a year in the making, loads of work, plenty of obstacles. But it was all worth it. My newest baby is here. Not a book, but a magazine. A business and lifestyle magazine that is also geared towards…

Our launch was featured in Daily Nation, Kenya’s largest circulation newspaper. Wonderful! Thanks to all who attended. See more pics of the launch on our Instagram page here sage_magea Look out for the December issue coming soon!

Finally getting round to post pictures of the launch 6 weeks after the event! Sigh. Although I did share some on our instagram page ealier. Anyway so here goes: The setup at PrideInn. Looking good! MaryG, my fellow director at…

I don’t know about you but for me, the end of the year is always a period of reflection where I contemplate what I’ve achieved vis-à-vis what I had planned when the year began. The reflections are not always happy…

I love weddings (watching them on TV actually; attending them, not so much) and I’ve always wondered, why do they have to cost so much? In the February issue of Sage magazine, we reflect on the cost of saying I…

Sage magazine shows you 5 ways to cut corners and still have your dream wedding. Affluent Kenyans spare no expense in making their children’s nuptials a once in a lifetime affair (see separate story on wedding planners). One business mogul…

I got the text message late on Monday night at 10:23pm. As messages go it was pretty short, “Just seen obituary of Sr Paula of PB. She was quite old 86.” I hadn’t thought about her in years but now…

I’ve been following the social media debate on Uber as people pontificate on the imminent death of the local taxi industry, others gleefully announcing that they’ve given their local cabbies the boot, with Uber expected to mop up all business….

Nuggets of wisdom about success in life come from the most unlikely sources sometimes. So there I was in slow moving traffic along State House Road in a cab some weeks ago. Usually, I’m chatting away but on that sunny…

Wangethi Mwangi, former Editorial Director at Nation Media Group, and now Senior Advisor at African Media Initiative, shares insights on the biggest stories of the last three decades, his personal interactions with two Kenyan presidents and how the Internet is…

His blog is the most popular in Kenya with thousands of subscribers. His influence is such that a single blog post helped raise millions for a perfect stranger to get cancer treatment. Yet few know who Jackson Biko really is….

God broke our hearts on Thursday 26th April 2018 at 11:45am when he called my father home, just three months shy of his 74th birthday. At the Requiem Mass, mum said he died on his own terms. Dad told stories,…

The first of June 2019 was a special day. My bestie Mwende Muna and I celebrated Madaraka Day by visiting Precious Blood, Riruta, 30 years after we left the school. What a ride down memory lane that was! First, shout…

We decided to honour our mum by creating a magazine that is all about her. Click here to download it.

If you had an hour to spend with the Almighty what would you talk about? Many people, worried about whether they would be dispatched to heaven or hell would beg forgiveness for all their sins. Others would bargain for more…

I was watching a documentary the other day which had all these celebrity women drumming up support for the end of negative cultural practices that many women go through in Africa and elsewhere. It made me think of all the…

I was in deep thought, completely absorbed in planning the second issue of the magazine we would soon be launching, when the sound startled me back to the present. A siren. Really loud. A minute later I saw it. An…

I turned 45 several weeks ago. The day passed quietly just like any other. I’ve never made a big deal of birthdays. Then I thought, it might be fun to compile a list of what I’ve learnt about life so…

I had coffee with a friend a couple of weeks ago. Things haven’t been going well for me for a while and this came out as we were catching up. Usually, when someone asks, “How are you doing?” I plaster…

So I met this editor of a prominent business magazine who declared with relish that he doesn’t waste time reading novels. Far from being impressed, I felt sorry for him. He clearly doesn’t know what he’s missing. I read novels…

Today, August 4, would have been your 75th birthday. I know you’re having a blast with Jesus in heaven, so today is not a day for sadness. Today is a day for gratitude. I’m grateful for the years God gave…

It’s that time again when politicians come begging for your vote. This letter is not meant to tell you who the best candidate is or who has the best manifesto. It’s about what truly matters in life. What do you…

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Baba’s supporters, me included. I really thought that this time around, the stars had aligned for Raila Amolo Odinga who was making his fifth stab at the presidency. Two recurring thoughts kept…

“I started writing poetry in my late teens. I have sent manuscripts to publishers for years and have never received a response. Over time I wondered: Is it that my writing is not good enough to get published? Or is…

Ng’ang’a Mbugua, author of the award winning Terrorists of the Aberdare, talks about his journey into self publishing after being let down by traditional publishers. He also sheds light on how self published authors in Kenya finance, promote and distribute…

Kithaka wa Mberia is arguably one of Kenya’s best-selling authors with eight of his books having been approved by Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) as study texts in schools. He narrates why he got into self-publishing, how to make…

SHE DID IT… AGAIN Yesterday, family, friends, and prominent entrepreneurs gathered to celebrate no ordinary book launch…The Autobiography of MG Waweru which was ghostwrittten by my sister @CiruWaithaka “KENYA’S TAX CZAR”! Did you know that not too long ago 95%…

Ever noticed that the writers who tell other writers never to give away their work for free are usually established, successful writers who earn lots from their craft? I get it. At that level, you’re already well known unlike the…

I finally got to read Dust, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor’s critically acclaimed debut novel. I bought it last year together with The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and World Without End by Ken Follet. I hate shopping, rarely wear makeup, hardly drink…

Wanjiru Waithaka, author of the award winning The Unbroken Spirit is excited to give away a FREE copy of her second novel, a captivating thriller titled Duel in the Savanna. Read the chapters online at the link below. Want the…

Below are the first two chapters of my novel The Unbroken Spirit (2005) published by East African Educational Publishers. The book won third prize in the adult fiction category of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature in 2007, the biggest…

Is it too late to say Happy New Year even though we’re in February? Hope you’re doing great. Here is an excerpt of Silencing Anna, my unputdownable thriller with a dash of romance thrown in. Read or download Chapter 1…

When you need to escape from reality for awhile…Or just be inspired…Look no further. For more info about these books click here.

Hey folks. As promised last week, here are the photos and video of the launch of Kenya’s Tax Czar, M.G. Waweru’s autobiography, my latest ghostwriting project. MG is the former Commissioner General, Kenya Revenue Authority and a founder member of…

I decided to kick off my 2019 blogging by sharing an email I got from Sam Geeki, a fan. I love hearing from and getting to know my readers. This particular email blew me away and gave me much needed…

Hi guys. It’s been a while. Looks like the world went to hell the last two years. What a roller coaster ride it’s been. But that’s a story for another day. Today I have good news. I have a new…

Something that Wandia Njoya wrote the other day made me sit up and pay attention. Not just because it was so profound, it also articulated something I had been struggling for years to clarify to myself, not understanding the source…

I completed writing my third novel Silencing Anna two months ago. Finishing a manuscript always feels great but it’s followed by a post writing phase that I call withdrawal stage. After months of immersion in a world of your creation…

When people ask me what I do and I tell them I’m a writer, it elicits the funniest reactions sometimes. Like the time I visited my old employer MRM (Mabati Rolling Mills) and Eunice, a good friend, almost fell off…

Whoever said age is just a number should be shot. Or boiled in hot oil. Or made to walk barefoot on sharp rocks until his feet bleed. You get the drift. It’s taken me 43 years to finally get why…

Laura Miller, a senior writer for Salon makes some good points in this article. The para that really spoke to me is “…but the one thing they definitely won’t learn is how their work will be read once it appears…

I generally love bikozulu’s writing but this post really spoke to me. Felt like he was talking about me. Even though I’m a kindle guy I sometimes walk into Bookstop at Yaya Center, and just stand in the midst of…

I should be worried, stressed, panicked even, but a strange calm fills me. A serenity that the reality of my financial situation cannot penetrate. I am chasing leads on a number of writing projects, none of which seem to be…

John Mwazemba, former CEO of Phoenix Publishers Ltd argues that traditional publishing is still the best option for most writers. He offers tips on the best genres for self publishing for writers determined to go down this path. Please compare…

I am deeply angry as I write this. I have been angry for weeks because so many things are not working out the way I expected. Authoring three books and still not seeing light at the end of the tunnel…

How time flies. In just over 3 weeks, my third novel Silencing Anna will go on sale on 3rd December 2022. I am excited to share with you the book trailer. I’ve never done one of these but it came…

Nothing compares to holding the first copy, hot off the press, of your new book in your hands. No matter how many times you publish a book – and I’m now on my sixth – that rush when you see…