Today I'd like to Welcome Birks Kalulu author of The Dream Actor.
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 an online entrepreneur, loves traveling and
networking with like-minded people. He is a loving husband and father to two
beautiful children. He believes the brain is limitless and every problem has a
solution.
Birks, what got you into writing?
I have always wanted to get my voice heard, to tell a story to the
world. I have done it before in music but I wanted to expand my outreach. I am
a bookworm (that is an understatement) I hope through my writings in my various
genres I will be able to help somebody feel that they are not alone. And so I
take up a pen and conquer the voiceless corners of the world.
Share a short excerpt from your novel
“Detective Vee!” interrupted Jack, pointing to a tree with three dead dogs up ahead. “You have brought your men to die. You will do them a favor if you call it off,” urged Jack, with a stern look on his face.
“Not a chance,” he replied as they went
below the tree. The dead dogs had their eyes gouged out. “Today your brother will pay for all he has done,” warned the
detective.
Many more dead dogs where piling up as the pair where getting
closer to the men in front of them. Detective Vandross did not appreciate the
art of defeat. He didn’t want to lose lives today. But tables were turned
against him.
Which do you prefer: print books or ebooks?
That is a tricky question to ask a writer. So I will answer it
instead as a reader (hang me not!). I prefer print books. I love the texture,
the smell and their supernatural ability not to have a low battery.
Having a battery die in the middle of reading a great book would be super frustrating! Luckily when I do read on a tablet I make sure my battery is charged. Have you been given any helpful advice?
Yes, a lot of great advice. Advice is as important to the mind as
food is to the body. The advice ranged from plot settings, grammar, character
descriptions etc. Most of the information I got I used it during the writing
process.
Currently, what are you working on?
I have 3 unfinished books, one is a sequel to the dream
actor and the other two are nonfiction, a memoir of my father and the
other, a social essay. And yes, I plan to finish them all year (fingers crossed).
Tell us a little bit about your main characters.
The main characters are twins who were born with a mysterious
connection. The other twin dreams and the other one acts them out unknowingly. These
dreams cause chaos in the little town of Hillsdale. So the boys embark on a heart-stopping
crusade to find out the why factor and end these nightmares. In their pursuit
to find a solution the dream actor becomes vilified while the dreamer attempts
to become his savior.
Share something with us not a lot of people know about you.
Sure thing 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 nearly depleted the school library; well mostly it was a stash of novels
(so I guess I can be forgiven for that).
Make up for it by donating a few of your books to the library. How do you promote your books? Any tips you can share?
Social media connections, email newsletter, participation in
blogs, forums, joining writer groups, having my own blog and website, setting
aside a portion of every working day for marketing and outreach (Doing all that
EVERY SINGLE DAY).
Is this a stand-alone novel or part of a series?
It is not a standalone novel; I am in the process of publishing
the sequel early this year.
What is the easiest part of the writing process? What is the
hardest?
I am going to answer this using my general writing process. They
are 5 phases in my writing process.
Prewriting - this is the hard part, I look at this as the back bone of the whole process.
Writing – this part is easy as long as the back bone is firm enough; though the beginning is harder than the end for me.
Revision – this is semi hard, but much of my revision is less stressful because I try as much as possible to perfect my story in its early stages.
Editing- I love this part, because now I know I am almost done. And my work is going to be a master piece!
Publishing- As I self-published author, this process was easy, the
difficult part is getting your book in front of the right eyes (the readers).
Do you have people read your drafts before you publish? How
do you select beta readers?
No author should neglect the blessing of beta readers. They are
important to the writing process because they play a part in the editing phase.
Their advice or feedback is cardinal to the survival of your work. I personally
have 3 beta readers, and they have been so helpful by giving me undiluted
constructive advice over my work. Two of my beta readers are seasoned writers,
which makes their feedback even more important.
Having a good team is critical! Any last words?
I am thankful for the opportunity of being selected for this
author interview session. And as people go out and get my book, I want them to
realize that dreams are not what they seem. Dreams do come true.
Thanks Birks for sharing with us today. Check out The Dream Actor. Happy Reading!!
FACEBOOK PAGE
: https://www.facebook.com/TheDreamActor/
INSTAGRAM
PAGE: https://www.instagram.com/the_dream_actor/?hl=en
AMAZON BOOK LINK: http://bit.ly/TheDreamActor
FACEBOOK
GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/503202530043622/
No comments:
Post a Comment