Tag Archives: conspiracy

Harambee Means “We Are One”

“Harambee” is the motto of post-Independence Kenya. The country was ceded from the British Empire in 1963 after a period of social unrest, which included the Mau-Mau Rebellion. A leader in that uprising was Jomo Kenyatta, who became the new nation’s founding president. His son Uhuru is the outgoing incumbent president, defeated by William Ruto in the election, just concluded last August.

Harambee – We Are One. E Pluribus Unum – One from Many.

May it be ever so!

He went as a passive observer. He stayed when they showed him how to live.

When I read some more of the Ong’wen book, I discovered a delicious (if troubling) irony. In the early years of Independence, harambee came to mean voluntary labor or donations for grass-roots projects. Then it became dues for electing local politicians. Now it’s a synonym for all manner of mandatory political bribes, extending to the highest levels.

Yes, that’s a side of Harry, too.

 

How to Write an Award-Winning Mystery – I surprise even myself!

In writing the Evan Wycliff Mystery series, I’ve surprised myself many times over. It will therefore surprise me if readers find anything in the plots predictable. I resolved at the outset to let my subconscious self do most of the work. And after the stage was set and the characters stepped onto it, many times they told me where they wanted to go and said whatever they wanted to say. I haven’t always worked like this. Years ago, when I wrote mainly technical and business nonfiction for publishing houses, I wrote to strict outlines, and I sought approval from in-house editors if ever I chose to depart from the agreed plan.

When I set out to write Preacher Raises the Dead, I had the notion of describing both near-death experience (NDE) and coma. In the beginning, I didn’t know who would be stricken or how those subplots would turn out. Many other plot elements were likewise uncertain right up until the words flowed into the manuscript draft, including Evan’s core religious beliefs and consequences of Luke’s schizophrenia and Melissa’s epilepsy. The reappearance of Stuart Shackleton was a complete surprise until Evan saw him again that fateful day in the courtroom. He and I should have known we weren’t done with him yet!

Evan Wycliff #1 is avaialble as an audibook from Audible and booksellers worldwide.