Hopes and Fears before the book launch.

 

Tomorrow we meet at 61 Marula Lane for the books launch. If I said I am panicking it would be an understatement. So let’s say that I slept at 1.a.m, got up at five this morning, tried to convince myself that I could still have my eye check up on Monday, but then what if the eye decided to misbehave on Saturday, so the adult in me called a boda, while on the boda I remembered I had not carried my hospital card, went back, couldn’t find it. Got to hospital and was number 6, an improvement from last week’s no. 9. If you are going to have your eyes checked at Kikuyu Hospital then you better be there by six if you hope to see a doctor by midday.

So I am in the third queue. It’s raining, I have drunk all the tea I had carried, even the back up tea in a tight thermos, and eaten the plantain and liver I had carried for lunch. It’s 9.45 a.m and from the looks of it the doctor I had an appointment with has not come in yet.

When I came in were just about 10 people, now the hall is full and we are watching akili kids.

Mzee kijo ako na kondoo

Na kondoo hulia baa baa baa.

I am thinking this would be a nice lullaby to sing to myself when I cannot sleep.

My friend calls public hospitals , cattle dips. They mainly are, cattle dips for the masses, where you are heardered into paddocks and moved from one to another depending on malaise.

Kikuyu hospital is not public, or kanju. Nī ya mīceni. And if you come on a Tuesday you might find yourself smack right in the middle of a  morning devotion church service. You can join in the singing if that’s your faith, or continue watching tiktok with your Somali Brethren.

The Somalis come in families. There will be a young woman, a middle aged man, nicely dressed to blend in, an old man with a tie and dye beard, wearing a Kikoy and carrying a walking stick, and an interpreter. This will be someone short and stout and darker in skin tone. He will have blue denim bottoms and a dress suit jacket.

When you get in and get a number, you stay in a state of panic, your number or name might be called, and if you don't jump from your seat fast enough and announce, niko hapa! Then your number gets pushed behind. At the eye testing paddock there is a gum smacking Jane with smudged, wine red lipstick and seems to be having an internal joke threatening to have her laughing out loud any minute, but it would be inappropriate in the  face of the blurry sighted teenager who cannot even see the two fingers she is holding up.

It’s a smirk. She has a smirk.

So instead you concentrate on the. Very very conspicuous Somali. 

They have a high hat look, and refuse to sit with hoi poloi. I donno maybe they have elitist cards but they will not be caught blind sitting watching akili kids an entire day with you. 

I get called in pretty soon and a happy, middle aged woman, the kind that are usually very light on their feet , and stylish holds my hand and says.

‘Nīwe Cecilia Gathoni.’

I feel, ndatuītīkira nda because amenya atīa? Maybe my results came in an Inhave cancer. Are they going to break the news today? A day before the launch? I should have come on Monday. She gives me a sit and asks where I stay. I respond and then she tells me ‘ nītūkwaria.’ As the doctor gestures at me to sit in front of him. 

When I leave the lady escorts me, still holding my hand. I tell her ‘Ndūkīnjīre wītagwo atīa ndīgakūhatūke mūthenya ūngī.’

She tells me her name is Leah.

Going to buy a plot in Maaī Mahiū Themes.

Going to buy a plot in Maaī Mahiū and other stories is a book divided into four parts and themes.

1. Adventure : The childhood stories like Plot 65, The cattle dip tour, The village wedding and Joy bringers are simple narrations about growing up. These have no age limit. They can be read by children from the age of six and above.

2. Dealing with an imperfect life. That Ka-age stories deal with the hard-hitting truths that life is not perfect, life is hard but we don’t give up. These are stories about determination and hope. They appeal to ages 18- 45.

3. Middle-class existence. The going to Maaī Mahiū story, December holidays, Masoda kwa plot, Salon caste system , The landcruiser and the Importance of Cows will appeal to people in their 30s. This is the age when people change careers, get a divorce, think about buying property. These stories show how fleeting this has become, especially. Millennials will relate to these.

4. Humour. Stories like Since my Sisterlocks locked, The avocado tree, Washing vyombo and Christ is the head of this house are for comic relief.

I can promise you that this book will entertain you. See you on Saturday for the launch!

Copy this link to order a copy.

https://nuriakenya.com/product/going-to-buy-a-plot-in-maai-mahiu-by-cecilia-gathoni

 

Book Launch Event

 🗣Please accept this as a personal invitation.

I will be happy to see you and your families and friends.💥🌞
The Organic Farmer's Event is a weekly event where farmers 🥑 and vendors🍺🥘 showcase their craft. So my book launch is an event within an event.

There will be refreshments at my table, but carry some cash so you don't miss out on the 🔥great✨ deals available at the market.

If you don't have a copy of the books you can make your pre-orders.
Or get copies on the day.📚

BOOKS LAUNCH

1. Going to buy a plot in Maaī Mahiū and Other Stories

2. Parallel Homesickness

Event: Books Launch

Dates : 27 th April 2024

Time

a). Morning 10-11 a.m

b). Afternoon 2-4 p.m

Location: Organic Farmer’s Market, Marula Lane Karen

[A perfect day out for the entire family]

Karibuni nyote!🙌

We made it to Midlife, and we will keep going.

 Isn’t it wonderful, that we made it to midlife?

And now here we are in our 43rd, 47th and 39th year.

We made it past 35!

And now we are Managers and C.E.0,s in big Companies in Gigiri and Eldoret.

We have our own businesses, we have staff, we pay our taxes, and are regular on our health insurance.

Isn’t it wonderful that we have changed careers two, three, even four times until we finally settled on what makes more business sense, or better for our mental health, the ones that give us more family time, more time to take walks.

Isn’t it wonderful that we are now parents and aunties and uncles.

We are stepping up for our friends when their children graduate from PP2, we are showing up for the ones we know when they have lost another parent.

We have seen the worst and came out alive.

We have had our joys, big and small.

We look at the older generation and think ‘ Simurelax Gen X, why are you so anxious?’

And we turn and look at the younger part of the Millenial party. The 29, 30,31 year olds and want to tell them.

“What’s the fuss?”

Because in a few years they will be facing the same big decisions, hoping that they don’t turn 40 without knowing what can make them stable.

Tumeoga tukarudi soko.

I want to Congratulate some of my very courageous peers:

Lydia, a fashion designer with the brand Passion Fashions, who after 15 years ameoga na kurudi soko. She is now Madam Daktari Nurse and graduating in a few weeks.

My primary school desk-mate Githu. Who is a financial consultant, payroll systems kitu kama hiyo and now running a Dairy farming business. From farm to the shelves. Huyo ni kijana wetu.

Our daughter from Kieni, Jeddy who has given 10 years of social work dealing with adolescents and young adults through a health program , students psychosocial support and Alumnae transition to life after high school And now running a successful crafts business.

My mother’s son, Jesse. The new GM at MSC Shipping, Nigeria.

I’m proud of us, we who keep on pulling one heavy step in from of the other.

There are more, I’m sure

.

If you have changed careers, or made it to 35 without giving up, leave a hapa chini.

Coz we got this.

Joseph Mbogo Passion Fashion's, Jesse Chege Kraft Art Designs

And if you haven’t, get this book I wrote (https://shorturl.at/HL029)

The Difference between Marketing and Sales

Selling involves pushing your product to every potential customer . It means making noise about your product until someone says

Sawa basi tutanunua.

Marketing; on the other hand, is about giving some and taking some.

It is inclusive.

It presents a good balance of talking about your product, but not too much that people become blind to it, And teaching people about the value of your product, entertaining people as well as giving freebies.

If Sales is Advertising, Marketing is Public Relations.

Sales takes the form of copywriting while Marketing embraces both Content writing with a bit of copy.

That is the reason some hospitals will have free clinics from time to time.

In recent times, marketing is the the drive behind many Organizations using content creators to push their products.

Think about the stories you read on Kenyan Dictionary only to realise it was a Kenchic Adverts.

Or how many times Terence creative, pretending to be a mbabaz will be holding an Odi bets cup. Okay, that’s part of product placement but you get my point.

Before I decided to take a Make Up class, I had watched numerous free videos by MUAs giving tips on contouring, choosing the right lipstick colour and even where to get genuine make-up products.

It’s the reason I post a story every week on my status, even as I continue to sell my book.

Get a copy here https://shorturl.at/tzMZ4

Free your calendars for the last weekend of April.

Book Launch Confirmed

27/ 04 /24

Marketing My Book: Going to buy a plot in Maaī Mahiū

 How do you sell your book?

This is a question I get in my inbox from writers or just curious people.

The answer is always, I do most of the marketing myself.

I am a trained marketer, with a Diploma in Digital Media Management.

I also studied Business Administration in my younger days, and the Marketing class was my favourite.

We had a teacher who knew his stuff. His lessons were interesting because we didn’t write notes. He gave us practical examples of what happens out there.

And he really really defined the difference between being a marketer, and a Salesman.

I’ll get more into that in another post.

But one example I remember from about 16 years ago was.

You have two weddings,

In one wedding they buy Coca cola products.

In another wedding they decide ah, soda ni soda, and they buy Pepsi, babito and Mirinda. (I don’t remember the other name, but there was a funny soft drinks company that had Soda that tasted like the then,Super dip (now we have Juice Cola) Softa- I heard this on Ngoni wa Thuita and Gathaiya's program.

So at the end the day the guests that were served Coca-Cola are happy and go home excited.

The other party didn’t even finish their sodas. So you have to pick up half finished bottles, and also many many crates of Soda still untouched.

I don’t remember the point exactly. But it was something about.

Yes, it’s good to sell and use low prices as customer bait, but the product also has to meet the customer’s desire.

While quantity may be good, quality also matters.

I’m not saying Mirinda is a bad soda. In fact, drinking the Tanzanian Mirinda and Fanta Passion is like sipping straight from a fresh spring. It’s balanced right and hits the spot like a Savanna would on a hot day in Nanyuki.

He is also the lecturer that taught me that just because a muindi has priced Buy three get one free geisha soaps at 299 shillings doesn’t mean it’s 200 bob.

He told us that when you buy shoes at Bata for Kes 1999, you should always ask for your balance.

I also studied Journalism, digital film and tv at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.

So yes, apart from the book knowledge, I have listened and attended many many marketing symposiums.

When I got into business, my friend bought me a course by the famous what’s his name. Simon Sinek.

She also got me the book :

The Bootstrap Entrepreneur . I highly recommend it.

I have done short courses on Copy Writing, digital marketing. I watch Ted videos and marketing tutorials.

I read about Jack Ma, Ali Baba’s founder, and read Seth’s blog everyday

But I also listen to people. I go to the market and listen, I listen in the matatu, when I come on Facebook I listen to discussions, and read the financial pages.

I also observe.

I observe how hawkers interact with their customers, how supermarkets merchandise their stock and when I’m at the salon. I watch how seasoned salon owners manage to keep clients for five, 10, 15,20 years.

And I come and test these with my books.

9/10 times, marketing, rather than selling works every time.

Watch this video that talks about Marketing vs Advertising.

5 ways to say, "My mother died. " For those currently or constantly grieving.

 On a random Thursday, when you get to work, you will find Clara distributing cupcakes at the coffee machine. Banana cupcakes, and you will randomly mention that your mother used to make banana cupcakes when you were young. Then Karen from accounting will ask cheerfully. ' Oh, does she still make them? You should bring us some sometime."

And you will say " No, not anymore."

You might walk away at this moment and go cry in the toilet, but ofcourse Clara will ask ." Why?"

How do you spit out the words?

Do you say, my mother died, my mother is long dead, my mother passed, my mother is long dead, or my mother is laying down with her forefathers?

These are five ways to answer that question without getting a concussion from sobbing. For those who lost their mothers 20 years ago, 10 years ago, five years ago, one year ago or last week, and cannot bring themselves to say the words that confirm that yes, you are permanently severed from the umbilical cord.

1. " Oh my mother, she slept one final one."

2   "My mother decided this world was not her home kitamboooo."

3. " My mother, that one is dust from dust and ash to ashes."

4. " That one, only Jesus can wake her up now."

5. Or The classic Kikuyu one " ucio niathire gutuhandagira mianga"- she went ahead of us to plant Cassava.

You need to be near an exit after saying any of these because no matter how much you try to distance yourself from the message, it will still hit you right in the stomach, and you might spend most of the afternoon sitting in the toilet sink counter.

All the best.