Kitty's Book Spot! got together with the author of the amazing thriller, "The Dream Actor."  We wanted to get to know Birks Kalulu, as well as his story.  If you are a fan of fast paced, family feuds & unpredictable action - this book is for you!

 Amazon (kindle) http://amzn.to/2kwipWt

Paperback http://amzn.to/2CPes5E

1.     Do you listen to music as you write?

Do I listen to music as I write? Well yes and no. So many things move me while writing, things like another book, a film or a life situation. Back to your question though, not all music inspires me to write. There are chapters in my book ‘The Dream Actor’, which I wrote under the influence of mid tempo music. I didn’t need music to write the death scenes though, I just tapped into my memories and broke back the pain and anguish I felt when my father passed away this year in October, that wasn’t hard. Away from writing, I love to listen to music while I read.

2.     Are you a reader?  What is your favorite work of fiction?

I am a bookworm! And that is just an understatement. I have read many books since my childhood and I have lost count of the number. Books contain life treasures. I have read books that are grossly horrific, to true life stories that just blow away the mind. I am the type of person that would rather read a book than watch the movie version. My favorite work of fiction is the classical book by English novelist George Orwell called “animal farm”.

3.     Your new book is so different and exciting.  What inspired this kind of story?

Different it is indeed. The main inspiration about this book came from reading and watching documentaries on dreams (lucid dreams for example). Also in my family, in every generation we have had twins. These highly complex phenomenon spurred by my unending wild imagination conjured up this kind of a story. It was wonderful writing every letter and seeing the characters working to gather and later clashing with each other. The book is writing is more from narrations than your typical novel dialogues. And the setup is serene but with a dash of chaos, typical human life right? I believe there is nothing on the bookshelves close to the story line in this book. It will make the reader flip pages till saliva dries up! What can I say, in a way, this book tries to demonstrate that dream do come true…in strange ways.  

4.     If your characters were in your neighborhood, would you want to be friends with them?

Well, I cannot say, because from the outlook, it seems like a pretty normal family. The boys are obedient and loving. Their father has a normal job and nothing out of the usual. So I might be their friend. On the flip side, I might be a victim of their nightmares. So it is a 50/50 situation. Let us wait for the sequel, maybe it gets better.

5.     Have you ever made/would you make a (music) playlist for your story?

I have not thought of that to be honest. But that would not be a hard thing because I am a music producer for Kalulu sound factory. I guarantee that would be fun to do! Thank you for the idea.

6.     Will you share with our readers something about yourself no one else knows?

Sure but I hope I do not get in trouble for it. I used to steal books from the school library so that I could selfishly read them alone. I had depleted the school library; well mostly it was a stash of novels…so I guess I can be forgiven for that.

7.     What other genres would you want to write?

I write nonfiction too. For example next year I will be publishing a memoir about my late father.

8.     Do you have siblings?  We will see them in this book?

I have 5 siblings, and one of them, my brother, contributed immensely during the course of writing this book. Two of my younger siblings are actually fraternal twins, of the opposite sex. So maybe in a subtle way I have incorporated bits of my personally life. Either way, it is pure fiction.  

9.     If you could pick anyone to be your hero, fiction or real, who would you pick?

This is a hard question. I want to pick myself, but that would be illegal considering the nature of your question. So now, who to choose, real or fiction? I go with MacGyver.  And I digress.

10.  What is your favorite snack?

Those tantalizing, mouthwatering, pop play eat – pringles.

11.  What do you hope the readers take away from your story?

This is a good question, considering my book is an action thriller filled with short fused detectives and family feuds. Well the readers can take away this, that dreams do come true – so pay attention to them.  

Author Information:

Birks Kalulu is a university graduate with a degree in public administration from the University of Zambia. He is currently working at Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. He is also an online entrepreneur, loves traveling and networking with like-minded people. Birks is a loving husband and father to two beautiful children. Writing is his passion. He believes the brain is limitless and every problem has a solution.

This was brilliant. I believe that's not an overstatement. This second book in the Secret Histories series illustrates that you either like Simon R. Green or you don't. His sense of humor might turn off some readers, and some of the prose can have a repetitive aspect. I think he likes to repeat things for emphasis. I had to look this up. It's called analepsis: repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis. Yeah, Green loves analepsis. As for me, everything I love about him is showcased in this novel. His silly but clever sense of humor. His belief in heroism. His cynical viewpoint of human nature. His understanding of the way people think. His love for fairy tales, mythology, folklore. His ability to write horror in a way that really gets you in the gut. His kooky characterization. It's all here.

The intersection of fantasy and spy literature is very appealing about this book. It's clear that Green loves Bond and can also poke fun at its motifs and conventions in a way that only a Bond fan can. I like that this is a part of the story, but it doesn't stay in pastiche territory. There's a nod to it several times, but Green has something a lot more interesting to explore with this book. He even throws in a little Lovecraftianesque elements.

The story starts with Eddie trying to pull his family back together and get the Droods back on track. He gets a lot of resistance in this endeavor, but Eddie is not the type to give up. He has Molly Metcalfe, the Witch of the Woods at his side, and some help from his uncle Jack, the Armorer. The rest of the Droods are more than happy to watch Eddie fall on his face. Eddie knows what many of us had to figure out for ourselves, family complicates our lives, makes us crazy, but they're family, so you can't just walk away from them, unless you have to.

Eddie decides they need a big bad to fight, so he decides they'll take on the Loathely Ones. I can't tell you more, because so very much happens and you'd have to read it to even get it. So much goes into this one.

I listened to this on audio, and I'm so glad I did. At first I was meh about the narrator. But he won me over but good. He's British, and also talented in voicing many dialects. Each character sounds distinctive, and he even changes the cadence of the speaker. He knows how to build drama, and also inject sarcasm and pathos into the dialogue and prose.

This was awesome action, now shying away from gore, but also quite horrific at times. I think the action balance was better in this one than The Man with the Golden Torc. Green takes more time with the exposition, and that's very crucial with this story. Eddie has a lot of plotting and planning to do, and he can't make these decisions on the fly. The fantasy is solid and the ideas are all over the place, but everything comes together very nicely. I was pretty upset about one character death, and I don't think Eddie is going to take what happened lightly or let it go. Revenge is a dish best served cold. The characters are all interesting, and add something to the story. If you think a character is wasted, keep reading and wait for it.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Eddie and Molly. They challenge each other, support each other, and accept each other, which is crucial, considering who both of them are. I think Eddie would be screwed in many cases without Molly, and while she's very independent, it's clear that Eddie is very important to her.

This is a crap review and I need to recharge my laptop. I'll end it by saying I loved this book and it just makes me love Simon R. Green even more than I already do. Highly recommended.

I was in a mood to read this since I was looking for a good interracial romance. I have enjoyed this series, although it's been years since I read Boss Man. It's not perfect. The writing needs some extra tweaking. It's serviceable and a little forced at times. But it's also very charming and Cole and Lauren are a good couple. Lauren is a sweet girl. I loved her and I wanted the best for her. It's hard when people are used to seeing you a certain way and they can't get outside of that when you grow up.

Cole's a bit of an idiot and he knows he. He knows he threw away a good thing. Now he wants to convince Lauren they belong together. Lauren should have moved on, but she hasn't. She still loves Cole just as much as she always did. But she's not going to put herself in the same emotional danger zone with him. It's going to take some serious convincing on his part, if he can get his head straight and acknowledge what he really wants.

I loved seeing the couples from the first books. Fancy and Headley are friends with Lauren, but also Fancy is Cole's best friend. She is the voice of reason and gives Cole some truths he needs to hear, although he's reluctant to listen. Max and Troy are settled down and very happily married. They want to help their friend be happy too. Cole feels left out because they have families and he doesn't. Although he always thought that wasn't what he wanted anyway. He's come to realize that they have real lives and not just playboy lives. That gets old after a while. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:11, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me." That's what Cole has to do.


It's true that this wasn't as good as the first two books, but it's very enjoyable. I liked seeing Lauren get the man she loved, and for Cole to realize what he wanted was something he had almost thrown away.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this. I wasn't sure I'd get into the story, with both of the characters dealing with angst at their past failed matings. It was such a great book. I don't know why I was surprised because Nalini Singh is a fantastic writer. I've tended to be more of a Psy fan for a while, and the latest books in the series that were Changeling/Changeling mating weren't my favorites. However, this book broke that negative streak for me. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Psy storyline is so prominent!

Riaz is a cool guy. He's a strong dominant, but he's also a very caring man. He comes off as being a jerk at first, but it's just him trying to deal with his soul-deep hurt. He's attracted to Adria, another dominant soldier in the SnowDancer pack. It's inconvenient and powerful. When she suggests they become lovers to deal with their need for skin to skin contact as changelings, he rebuffs her in a hurtful way. But he isn't able to stop his feelings for her.

I liked how Nalini Singh dealt with the idea of fated mates not working out like one would expect. In this case, Riaz fated mate is someone else and he can't have her. Adria chose a partner who wasn't strong enough to handle her as a dominant female. It broke her heart. She's not in a position to fall in love again. I like that she isn't going to let Riaz walk all over her. He has to earn her trust and she does continue to guard her heart because of the fact that she's not Riaz's true mate. However, their love grows naturally and deeply. It's almost as though the whole concept of fated mates is turned on its ears in this book. But it's done so well, I was happy with the result. I loved how Riaz continues to woo Adria and show his love for her.

The ongoing suspense story about the PsyNet breaking down--and Pure Psy's attempts to destroy it so that people can go back to their rigid and pure form of Silence--continues. This book follows up after Kiss of Snow and Sienna's manifestation as a powerful X-Psy, and what that means. Sienna and Hawke's relationship is still prominent in this book, but that's fine with me. I love them as a couple, and it's great to see how well things are going for them. The Arrows have their own plans in helping their people, and they form an alliance with Kaleb Krychek, a powerful Psy who has some motivations that aren't 100% clear. And there's some very good news for a past mated pair.

This storyline just continues to grow and the connection between the Psy, Changelings, and Humans becomes more rich and complicated with each book. The Humans aren't the frail, ineffectual agents in this world that one might believe. Far from it.

I'm so excited to read Kaleb, Vasic and Aden's book. When I started this book, I was mainly just reading it so I could make it to the next books, which are Psy-oriented. But I ended up enjoying this enormously.