My name is Patrick Maina, and I live in Nairobi with my family.
My first taste of creative writing came in school. I still remember the silence that swept across the classroom as our grammar teacher walked in. She wrote three options for our weekly composition on the blackboard:
The Day I Visited Nairobi
I was woken up by the rays of sunlight through the cracks on my bedroom window…
It was the most enjoyable day of my life that I will never forget.
We had forty minutes to create a story, and while it stretched my imagination, I loved every moment. Many times, my compositions ranked among the best in class.
But as the years went by, writing slowly faded. It wasn’t nurtured further because English and creative writing were not considered as subjects that led to “good careers.” My writing became limited to letters, notes, and later technical materials like manuals at work.
Fast forward to 2012, when I went through a personal crisis of faith. I had served in church for years with zeal, yet I found myself exhausted—burnt out. What I was living didn’t match the abundant life promised in Christ. In my searching, I discovered that in my pursuit of service and denominational teachings, I had drifted from the simplicity of the gospel. God brought me back to the centrality of Christ. An old hymn became my family’s anthem: “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand.”
To process what I was experiencing, I began jotting down thoughts in journals. At first, I thought they were just for me—until a missionary friend encouraged me to share them publicly. That’s when I started blogging at Life Beyond the Walls (lifebeyondthewalls.wordpress.com). The name came from how I felt—that denominational teachings had become walls limiting me from experiencing the fullness of God’s life.
To my surprise, readers began responding without me promoting anything. I simply wrote what was on my heart. Sometimes, I would read my own writing later and marvel—“Was that really me who wrote this?” One particular series, Map or Guide?, still ministers to me even today. (You can read it here: https://lifebeyondthewalls.wordpress.com/2014/07/27/map-or-guide/).
Later, in a conversation with Dr. Muthoni’s husband, Patrick, he suggested that I could compile my blog posts into a book. I held on to the thought, but in 2022, I finally reached out to Dr. Muthoni for guidance. She encouraged me to join the writing class.
It was during that class that a forgotten story resurfaced in my heart—a story born from hearing about life in post-independence Kenya and the struggles of the freedom fight. With my love for connecting faith and history, I pieced together the fragments into my first novel:
Love Beyond for Country: Bearing the Testimony of Jesus at a Time of War.
The story unfolds in colonial Kenya, where rebellion and fear grip the land. Three men—Nuhu, Macaria, and Njathani—live simple lives until a bold missionary brings a message of hope that shakes their world. As war looms and loyalties are tested, they must choose between traditions, protecting their families, or embracing a faith that could cost them everything.
Danger lurks in every shadow—raids, spies, and betrayal threaten their fragile community. Yet, their journey becomes one of discovery, commitment, and unshakable belief. Love Beyond for Country is a gripping tale of faith, resilience, and hope in the midst of chaos.
This is the story God entrusted me to write. And my journey as an author continues.
