Interview With Author Flaco Sol
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Flaco Sol — that’s the name I publish under for children’s books — and I’m the founder of Lacandon Jungle Press, an independent publishing imprint focused on stories that explore both the light and the dark. I also write horror and mystery under the name D. William Graves.
So far, I’ve published one children’s book, Tico Goes to School, which is available in English, Spanish, and Indonesian. It’s a story about bravery, identity, and learning to be proud of what makes you different. For me, it was more than just a debut — it was practice for everything else I want to create.
My upcoming work includes a cosmic horror novella titled Seams of the Infinite, based on the real-life LSD no-hitter thrown by Dock Ellis. I’ve also outlined a Southern mystery series revolving around Detective Calhoun Mercer. I’m building slowly, book by book — but everything I publish follows one core belief:
We write mystery because justice lies in the truth.
We write horror because that’s where our minds live.
And we write children’s books… so their minds never have to live there too.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Tico Goes to School, a children’s picture book available in English, Spanish, and Indonesian.
What inspired it? Over the years, I’ve been active in the realm of independent horror film—stories that live in darkness. But I kept thinking about the flip side: the light we owe the next generation. I remembered my own children’s first-day jitters, feeling out of place and wondering if they’d ever fit in. I wanted to give kids a tiger cub named Tico who speaks multiple languages, feels different, and learns that those differences are his greatest strengths.
Tico was born from:
My own memories of sending my kids to school and the projected nervousness on day one
Conversations with parents and teachers about helping kids navigate big emotions
My belief (and Lacandon Jungle Press’s motto) that we write children’s books so young minds never have to live where ours once did.
That blend of empathy, courage, and cultural pride is what drives Tico’s story—and what I hope helps little readers feel braver every time they open a book.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually outline my stories backward. Starting at the desired outcome and then writing back to the beginning of the story.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ll be honest: I’m not much of a reader. Most of my storytelling instincts came from films, not books. Visual pacing, atmosphere, character arcs—I absorbed those by watching and dissecting movies, which explains why I plot more like a screenplay than a novel.
That said, there are a handful of writers whose work cut through my screen-based upbringing and stuck with me:
Sol Yurick (The Warriors): His gritty street drama taught me how to build tension and loyalty in tight-knit groups—something I echo in my small-town horror.
Roald Dahl (e.g. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory): Dahl showed me children’s stories can be darkly playful, with real stakes and sly humor. Tico Goes to School owes its emotional honesty to his subversive heart.
Stephen King (The Shining, It, The Mist): King mines ordinary settings for existential dread—exactly the trick I use in my cosmic horror. His “slow burn” style informs every suspense beat I write.
Mark Twain (Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn): Twain’s voice is pure Americana—warm, wry, and unafraid to poke at society’s blind spots. His humor and vernacular inspire how I give my characters life, whether they’re tiger cubs or haunted pitchers.
So while I haven’t devoured shelves of novels, these few authors—and a lifetime of film-viewing—shape the way I tell stories, scene by scene, whether it’s for kids or for the darkness beyond.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I’ve got five major projects all moving in parallel:
Summer Library & Festival Tour
– Locking in dates with Sumner County libraries (Gallatin, Portland, Westmoreland, White House) and the Rumble in the Brier car show.
– Packing up my English paperbacks and hardbacks, laminating my price and QR-code signage, and planning social posts to drive families out to meet Flaco Sol.
YouTube Read-Aloud & Audiobook Adaptation
– Recording the Tico Goes to School narration, syncing it to the illustrations, and designing SEO-optimized titles, descriptions, and thumbnails.
– Preparing my channel launch lineup: kids’ story read-alouds, horror trailers, mystery teasers, and behind-the-scenes writing content.
Cosmic Horror Novella – Seams of the Infinite
– A fever-dream retelling of Dock Ellis’s LSD-fueled no-hitter as an ancient ritual.
– Refining the beat-by-beat outline and diving into drafting Act One.
Media & Marketing Materials
– Polishing my media kit, one-sheets, and email templates for libraries, bookstores, and event organizers.
– Segmenting my reader list and scheduling follow-up messages with eBook links and preorder info.
Next Dark Archives Concept
– Brainstorming the next genre-blending project that embodies our motto: horror for the mind, mystery for the truth, and children’s stories to keep young minds in the light.
That’s my stack—events, video, novel writing, and marketing—all designed to grow the Lacandon Jungle Press world.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve learned that there’s no single “magic” site for book promotion—what really moves the needle is a multi-pronged approach tailored to your audience. First and foremost, your own website (in my case, ljpbooks.com) paired with IngramSpark and a Books2Read smart link serves as the central hub. Every buy-link, preorder announcement, sample PDF, and newsletter signup lives there, making it easy to track clicks and capture reader emails.
Speaking of emails, my monthly newsletter consistently achieves open rates in the 40–50% range because it delivers real value: event updates, free e-book promos, and behind-the-scenes peeks. I drive signups by offering a free PDF or audiobook sample of Tico Goes to School, and hoping those subscribers become my most loyal repeat buyers.
On social media, I blend platforms to reach different audiences: Facebook Groups (especially parenting and local community pages) for Tico sales around the school-start season; Instagram and Bluesky for branded quotes, mini-trailers, and #ReadAloud Reels; and X (formerly Twitter) for quick teases, review highlights, and genre-specific hashtag threads. Each network plays to its strengths—parents on Facebook, trend chasers on IG/TikTok, and book nerds on X/Bluesky.
I think YouTube has been a game-changer for many as well: I’ll be uploading a free “Read Aloud” audio-book version of Tico Goes to School (complete with synced illustrations), and I plan to release horror trailers for Seams of the Infinite. With buy-links pinned in descriptions and end-screen CTAs, I tap into the fact that YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine—parents actively look for “first day of school read aloud” videos, and Tico appears.
Nothing replaces face-to-face connection, so I’ve built a summer tour of library signings (in my immediate area) and even a booth at a local car show, just to show they don’t always have to be literary events. Yard sales and local consignment events are also great if you don'[t forget your QR-coded signs for Venmo/Cash App, a simple email sign-up clipboard, and a friendly “Meet the Author” pitch drive instant sales and word-of-mouth referrals.
The key takeaway? Own your hub (website + email), leverage organic channels (social posts + YouTube), get in front of people face-to-face (events), and boost with paid or promotional blasts (ads + giveaways). Track what works, double down on your winners, and adjust as you grow.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My best advice to any new author is to own your publishing infrastructure from day one. That means saving up for your upfront costs—ISBNs, cover design, formatting—and especially buying your ISBNs in bulk so you’re never tied to one platform’s imprint. When you own your ISBNs, you retain complete control over your metadata, your imprint name (like Lacandon Jungle Press), and your rights—no more worrying about being at the mercy of any single distributor.
Beyond that, lean into a lean-and-mean mindset:
Start small with a single title (mine was Tico Goes to School), learn every step of the process—editing, formatting, cover creation, distribution—then scale up.
Build your own hub (a clean author website + email list) before chasing promotional “shiny objects.” Your list becomes your most reliable audience.
Invest in quality: hire a pro formatter, get a solid cover, and do nit-picky proofing. Those details are what make readers trust you.
Get comfortable with DIY: I spent days troubleshooting EPUB issues, learned to generate my own QR codes, and made my own media kit. The skills you pick up will save you thousands in the long run.
Finally, treat every interaction—library events, social posts, YouTube read-alouds—not just as sales channels but as opportunities to forge real connections. Even small local tours or Facebook Group shares can build lifelong fans. Publishing is a marathon, not a sprint—own your lane, learn every piece of the puzzle, and keep telling the stories only you can tell.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
You can do absolutely anything you put your mind to.
What are you reading now?
Not to sound arrogant, but I’m not a reader. In some realms you’re the creator, in others you’re the consumer. I’m a consumer of film, but a creator of my stories.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Next up, I’m diving deeper into The Dark Archives of D. William Graves, expanding it from a single novella into a full-fledged universe of cosmic horror and mystery. First on deck is Seams of the Infinite, my fever-dream retelling of Dock Ellis’s LSD-fueled no-hitter, which I’m currently drafting in Act One. After that, I’ll be curating an annual Dark Archives anthology—a collection of short horror and mystery tales that explore the hidden fractures in everyday life, from haunted dugouts to forgotten small towns. I’m also plotting a linked series of Southern-grit detective novels under the same Graves imprint, where each mystery peels back another layer of systemic injustice. All the while, I’ll be threading in read-aloud trailers and behind-the-scenes deep dives on my YouTube channel, so readers can watch the Archives grow in real time. In short: expect more ritual-like rituals, more unanswerable questions, and the steady drip of dread you can’t unsee—because in the Archives, the story never truly ends.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The SAS Survival Handbook by John “Lofty” Wiseman, How to Build Your Own Boat by Harold Payson, Encyclopedia of Water Purification and Fishing Techniques, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
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Flaco Sol’s Social Media Links
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