Elom K. Akoto: Practice Being a Storyteller As Much as You Practice Writing Beautiful
In this interview, author Elom K. Akoto discusses how his experiences as an immigrant helped inspire his new political thriller, Blindspot in America.
Elom K. Akoto immigrated to the U.S. from Togo (West Africa). He earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in TESOL (Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages). He is the founder of Learn and Care, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote Literacy and Adult Education, not only among immigrants but also among Native Americans who missed the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. The program offers ESL, literacy, GED preparation classes, and more. He self-published two ESL workbooks: Ideal Companion, ESL level 1 and Ideal Companion, ESL level 2. He teaches French in a high school and ESL at a community college in Omaha, Nebraska, where he lives with his family. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
In this interview, Elom discusses how his experiences as an immigrant helped inspire his new political thriller, Blindspot in America, what he learned in the process of publishing the novel, and more.
Name: Elom K. Akoto
Book title: Blindspot in America
Publisher: Red Hen Press
Release date: October 1, 2024
Genre/category: Political Fiction
Previous titles: Ideal Companion ESL, level 1: Supplemental lessons and activities for English Learners; Ideal Companion ESL, level 2: Supplemental lessons and activities for English Learners
Elevator pitch: Blindspot in America is the debut political thriller by West African-American author Elom Akoto that powerfully depicts the struggle between the hopes and dreams vs. the harsh realities of the immigrant experience in America.
What prompted you to write this book?
I wanted to write a story that explores different immigrants’ viewpoints and experiences of the American Dream. After living in the U.S. for close to 20 years, I came to realize that there are many things prospective immigrants are deeply unaware of until they have relocated to the U.S. But regardless of the many struggles that they face, there’s still hope and endless opportunity for everyone in this country.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The story started building up in my head in 2017. I started writing it in 2018 and finished it shortly after COVID hit in 2020. The main plot didn’t change, although some elements that were considered unnecessary were removed during the editorial process. I ended up reducing the page count significantly, and I hope this resulted in a more compelling, fast-paced read.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Yes, I would say! I encountered a lot of surprises during the publication process of this novel that made me a more understanding, patient, and compromising person, especially as a writer. Getting published can be just as hard as writing the book, if not a little harder. I’m better prepared to anticipate certain things during the publication of my future works. I’ve learned that getting rejected many times doesn’t necessarily mean that your writing is worthless and that you’re wasting your time. Perseverance is key, and once your work falls into the right hands, the plane for your success gets ready to take off. Being open-minded and willing to let go of things that you’ve grown fond of, like the original title you gave to your work, is also important.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I came to learn with this novel that what makes a book great is not its volume, the number of pages, or word count, but the quality of the writing, how compelling the story is. As a writer, you must pay attention to the effect the story is having on you as you are writing it and anticipate the effect it will have on future readers. I remember my first draft was 104,000 words, and I had the impression of having accomplished something big, only to find out that it was a better story with 88,000 words, as I continued to revise it during the editing process.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope that readers of Blindspot in America, have an “aha” moment when reading it. I hope they find a word, a phrase, a paragraph, a chapter, or a scene that makes them smile, laugh, shed a tear, put the book down and think for a minute. I hope they find something in this book that makes them feel happy for having read it.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Practice being a storyteller as much as you practice writing beautiful sentences with good grammar, if you want to become a great fiction writer.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
