Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a passionate writer, a gifted poet, an accomplished lyricist, a recorded singer, and above all a freelance journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya.
I have penned down FIVE titles, which are readily available and accessible both online and offline in Paperback and eBook formats via CreateSpace Publishers, Amazon, etc. They include:
[1] There is no Country Called Kenya: If you Must Steal, Just Steal a Little Please
[2] The UglyBeautiful Tale of a Stupid, Stupid Heart: When Mother Hen Eats her Grownup Chicks
[3] A Must-Have Guide for Every Aspiring Writer: Easy, Learnable, Realistic and Sure Ways to Earn Money as A Writer Online (Earning a Living as A Writer) (Volume 1)
[4] Please! Remember to Forget Me! And Other Short Stories
[5] Crawling to my Death and Other Poems: A Poetry Anthology
More so, I have two other works that will be hitting your bookstores at the soonest opportune possible. These include a Swahili Riwaya titled Yajapo Yapokee, and an English Novella titled Married to my Shadow: Love is for the Dying and Weak in Spirit.
Additionally, I am an occasional Op-Ed contributor for major local dailies here in Kenya namely:
1. The Daily Nation
http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Letters/Ethnicity-Kenya-Politics/-/440806/2841514/-/fsy6my/-/index.html
http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Letters/We-can-do-away-with-false-prophets-and-talk-directly-with-God/-/440806/2533486/-/bw5vng/-/index.html
2. The Standard Group Media
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000083019/why-ex-pm-back-door-admission-to-11th-parliament-is-suicidal
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/ureport/article/2000192085/lets-avoid-the-road-that-will-lead-the-nation-to-violence
3. News24
http://www.news24.co.ke/MyNews24/raila-a-political-cheat-or-timely-saviour-for-kenyans-20160106
http://uganda.news24.com/Regional-News/1001-reasons-that-makes-kenya-both-a-curse-and-a-blessing-20151210-2
4. Sido News Network
http://www.sabaots.com/Levi_Cheptora_Cheruo.html
5. Kenya Yote
http://kenyayote.com/political-appeasement-killing-the-spirit-of-effective-devolution/
6. Kenya-Today
http://www.kenya-today.com/opinion/police-reforms-in-kenya
7. Kenya London News
http://www.kenyalondonnews.org/?p=3769
Some of my fiction writings have also been featured in reputable sites such aswww.africanwriter.com and www.writeoutloud.com.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My books are mainly centered on the themes of relationships, justice, equality, good governance, and leadership accountability.
The UglyBeautiful Tale of a Stupid, Stupid Heart was inspired by the 2007/2008 Kenya’s Post Election Violence, and the subsequent victory to the alleged perpetrators; There is No Country Called Kenya is an answer to the current wave of perpetual state-sanctioned thieving that threatens to tear Kenya apart, and so are the rest of the titles.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Writing for me is not a linear process. I write as ideas come; sometimes, continuously, at other times, once in a while.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite authors include:
1. Violet Kala, Zimbabwe
2. Ngugu Wa Thiong’o, Kenya
3. Chinua Achebe, Nigeria
And the books that have greatly influenced my writings include Waste Not Your Tears by Violet Kala, A Man of the People, Chinua Achebe, Weep Not Child, Ngugi Wa Thion’go, and the Late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s autobiography
What are you working on now?
A Swahili Riwaya titled Yajapo Yapokee, and an English Novella titled Married to my Shadow: Love is for the Dying and Weak in Spirit
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
There are many readers online nowadays, and as such, social media can prove quite helpful in marketing one’s books. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc., makes it quite easy to share links, info, previews, and sample texts.
Additionally, sites such as booklife.com, and readwriteclub.com, can be quite useful for promoting books online.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you have an idea you strongly believe in, and that you know it will impact many a soul out there, do not sit on it…write your heart out…you deserve to be heard as soon as last year!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When you are writing, you are just writing. You are not planning, you are not editing. You are writing. Once you have planned your story, it is time to sit down and write it.-JK.ROWLINGS, Harry Porter Series Author
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading God Dies by Nile El-Saadawi, Nawal, and The Common: A Modern Sense of Place: Issue 06 by Owuor, Yvonne Adhiambo
What’s next for you as a writer?
As long as I am alive, I will continue uplifting souls, igniting dispirited hearts, cheering up sad faces, and restoring hope to the hopeless through my writings.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I will definitely bring along a Bible, a Church Hymnal Book, Violet Kala’s Waste Not Your Tears, and Nelson Mandela’s Abridged Autobiography A Long Walk to Freedom.
Author Websites and Profiles
Levi Cheruo Website
Levi Cheruo Amazon Profile
Levi Cheruo’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account