A Kenyan Writer You Need To Check Out

Granted that even I don’t know what my blog is essentially about, I do want to say a huge thank you for taking the time to check it out even though you never leave comments. (Yes. I’m talking to you.) I appreciate you none-the-less.

As an 11 year old who had only just transferred to a different school for her first time, I found it really difficult to fit in and make new friends. Maybe it was because that was my first transfer which meant that I was leaving all that had been familiar to me for 11 years or, maybe because this new school was nothing like my old school. In fact it was light years away from what I was leaving behind. 

When the switch happened, afraid to leave my tiny shell, I made my first friend at the school library where I’d found and fallen in love with my first novel –Harry Potter.

I quicky found that novels have a way of sucking you in. Comforting you in a world where you are merely an observer, free of any worldly requirements to act a certain way. Reading a novel is a bit like taking a break from the real world and if you read a lot of fiction or make-believe, (like Harry Potter) then reading a novel for you is taking a break from the real world and being catapulted a gazillion miles from it.

Well, in Kenya, seems to me we celebrate the singers, the actors and even the socialites but not much is said about writers and now, I’m not about to claim to be the ground-breaking blogger who discovered and talked about Kenyan authors (although I wouldn’t mind if I turned out to be… this blog could certainly use some kind of direction), I will highlight one.

His, a work of ingenious tale crafting, everything he writes could easily be mistaken (and yes I dare say,) for a James Patterson read. Mind gripping and easy to read, written with amazing diction, he is Wilson Kageni and just so you can get a taste of his work, here is a tiny excerpt from his soon to be out sequel, ‘The Douche Bag Chronicles’. 

A billionaire walks into a bar. It’s 3:00 pm on an uncomfortably warm Friday afternoon and a wave of heat wafts in with him. The thick Plexiglas door rings a small bell above him as it slowly swings shut.
“We’re not yet open,” shouts a weary voice. “Come back in an hour.”

His eyes take a moment to adjust to the dim light. Despite the smell of freshly mopped floors the malty scent of stale beer lingers. The room's appearance strikes a delicate balance between dingy and homely. It seems like the kind of place he might have frequented in his youth. To one end sits a wall-size shelf holding what must be at least sixty different bottles of liquor. He walks towards it through wooden tables with their chairs still on them. He doesn’t see the shouter until he reaches the counter. There he finds a man –presumably the bartender- cleaning up in preparation for a busy night.
“I’m not here to drink.” He replies. “I’m actually looking for someone.”
After another thirty seconds or so of conversation he extracts a small revolver from his jacket pocket and fires six rounds into the bartender.
This is where our story begins. 

Doing big things at a young age, get to interact with Wilson on twitter as @TheKageniMind to find out more about both him and his work, plus, if you loved that excerpt then like me, pre-order his book online via this link.