M.T.: What inspired this tale of terror? What is your overall theme in B.J.?

K.A.: I was pregnant with my first son Tai. I hated being pregnant. I felt I had no control over the situation and that there was this alien growing inside of me. Of course once the baby was born and placed in my hands I was so ecstatic that the discomfort I felt during the pregnancy vanished. That ended up being the basis of B.J. What if you really did have an alien child in your womb, or you thought you did? How would you react, and how would your friends and family react to you. And once the child is born, would it actually be the anti-Christ or the second coming? All these things are what I tried to put into the story line.

M.T.: I notice that you have multiple story lines going, which all intertwine and come together in a climax. To build suspense, tell the audience some of the writing techniques you use.

K.A.: I wanted the reader to really know the characters. To feel very intimate with them and therefore making it impossible not to care about what happens to them. Once I felt I had grabbed the reader into the characters life, I then put the character into a situation that was bizarre and frightening and explainable only if you kept reading.

M.T.: Tell us some of the techniques you use to keep the adrenaline pumping in a horror suspense novel? What is the disturbance or the departure from the norm in B.J.?

One thing I wanted to portray was the loving relationship the two main characters, Wesley and Denise have for one another. One agent told me Wesley was not real, he was too good to be true. Yet I based him on a real man that I know very well. This book incorporates the African American culture within the telling of the story, about everyday middle class Blacks. But the departure is that I am writing in the horror suspense genre, and there are very few of us ethnic writers that are financially successful in this.

M.T.: Did you self-publish your book? If so, with what company? Did you sue print on demand or did you print a larger quantity?

K.A.: B.J. is self published, although I tried the route of procuring agents and a publisher, but after a couple of years I decided I was going to publish the book myself once I realized I could not go through a major publisher. The publisher I use is Universal Publishers located in Florida. I decided on using them because it was print-on -demand and they obtained the ISBN code for you as well as getting you listed in Books-In-Print.

M.T.: How have you gone about marketing your book?

K.A.: It's been trial and error. I've sent review copies to about 60 African American bookstores. I've contacted bookclubs on the Internet and sent them a free review copy. I've emailed friends and family and asked them to spread the word. I've also had a couple of newspaper articles in my hometown, booksignings, and radio talk shows. The response I get back from the public is wonderful. I've got some really nice feedback from readers who left reviews at Amazon.com. I've also contacted literary sites on the web and asked the webmasters if they would feature an excerpt of B.J. or just list the book. If you get on any major search engine and type in "BJ: A Supernatural Horror Story," or "Kimile Aczon" you will come up with anywhere from 6 to 10 websites listing the book. The online literary community has been very very supportive. The problem that I do find is that if you are self published it is almost impossible for the major reviewers to look at your book. A majority of the major reviewers won't review self published books. It makes it really hard for the writer because 80 percent of sales are through the top reviewers.

M.T.: Are you at work on a new novel?

K.A.: Yes! I'm working on a book that was tentatively entitled, "The Third Generation" but have since change it to "The Descendants" I'm really excited about the story line. It has a little bit of African Mythology A sprinkling of sci-fi, and surrounds the aftermath of cocaine being shipped into Los Angeles through Control Pro. But basically the book will once again be considered supernatural/suspense.

M.T.: What are some of your future plans?

K.A.: To continue to write and pursue agents and publishers. And to continue to learn the craft of writing which is a never ending undertaking.

M.T.: Thank you, Kimile Aczon, for this insightful, different interview. I am sure you are destined to go far in the field of horror-suspense Afro-fiction!