I felt a really strong push to make this book something that could be useful while at the same time making sure I stayed honest about how I actually felt. The beginning of the book shares a lot of painful and sad details and I was worried about turning people away.
Rocio B. Flores – 4 November 2026
The Back Flap
Untying You From Me is a poetry collection about the journey of an individual being set free to be. Through the allegory of God and Satan unraveling threads of yarn, Rocio B. Flores unravels a deeply personal yet universally resonant story of the experience of having grown up in an abusive environment and the tangled path towards untying oneself from oppressive systems; going from being chained to being loosed.
About the book
When did you start writing the book?
The compiling and editing of the book began in 2024 but the majority of the poems in the book were written throughout my life, some as far back as 20 years ago.
How long did it take you to write it?
The entire process of compiling and then editing the book took about half a year. Much of the writing was done long before I started but as I read through old writing, new poems ideas came up, and then the overall theme led me to add poems that would add to the overall story of the book.
Where did you get the idea from?
The core theme of the book comes from a parable my mom taught me when I was a little kid to keep me from making a mess when playing with yarn. We used to make our own doll clothes and I would pull on the string so I can get a lot of string ready to sew and she would warn me that it was going to get tangled if I did that. When I was reading through my older poems, I started to see just how much of that caution and fear was a part of my writing and I wanted to share how I had to unravel the ideologies I grew up with. The idea of unraveling made me think of the tangling of threads and this created the core theme of the book.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The hardest part of the whole process was the fear that came up with sharing the book. Writing for myself was completely different than writing with the intent to share. I felt a really strong push to make this book something that could be useful while at the same time making sure I stayed honest about how I actually felt. The beginning of the book shares a lot of painful and sad details and I was worried about turning people away.
What came easily?
Organizing the book into the theme’s sections. The book is broken into four sections that each lead to the next. Once I chose to organize my thoughts in this way, I found it fun to basically think about my life’s journey in poems. It was important to me to stay true to the actual progression I experienced in my life and to use that as the journey the book takes.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
The book is primarily autobiographical. The things that I allude to in the book come from my own experiences but in some of the poems that talk about larger societal critiques, I am speaking in general. The “you” being accused in some of the poems changes. Some are very direct and specific people while some are anyone the reader wants to place in that spot. Often, the “you” is meant to be the person reading the poem.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I started the process of putting the book together after reading Tia Levings’ novel A Well Trained Wife. While she isn’t a poet, she shed light on similar topics which made me want to tell my story and feel brave enough to speak on topics I was scared to previously. On the poetry side, I am a big fan of Ijeoma Umebinyuo and Yosimar Reyes who both weave their cultural experience and critique of social issues into their beautiful poetry. I also love good’ol classic poets like Emily Dickinson and T.S. Eliot, which to me has given me permission to write free-verse poetry and even come up with my own structure in poems.
Do you have a target reader?
This is a difficult question because when I write I don’t have a description of what the person reading looks like but I do have a sense of what I want them to be feeling and thinking. I want the person to have aha moments. I think that my target reader is a person who feels stuck and bound by societal constraints and needs to be told that they don’t need to be, that there is a different way to think and be.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I write down whatever comes into my head. I am often grabbing my phone late at night to jot down the things that come to mind. I then copy and paste it into a big document to polish. Half the work is retyping so the words are spelled right or make sense. I typically read what I write out loud several times and as I write each line. I feel like I have an internal rhythm that I have to follow and that helps me make sure that the words land with the weight I want them to.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
No. When I put this book together I printed each poem out and started four piles based on the core concepts I wanted to explore. Then I practiced laying them out on the floor in different orders to see what the actual journey for a reader would be.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I think I do both. If it comes to my mind, I’m going to jot it down and copy and paste it in at the end to use it somewhere. I often edit several times, adding more as I figure out the poem’s structure. Once I had the core concepts down, I do a lot of editing to make the poem have some sort of structure to follow and I can’t start doing that until the main idea is finished.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I didn’t hire an editor for my book because I didn’t know what I was doing when I first started. I was told to hire a beta-reader to get a feel for my first draft and I then edited as I got feedback. I did have a great beta-reader who really went into the details and showed me actual grammar or spelling mistakes I had missed. I am so grateful for her!
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I listen to Kendrick Lamar instrumental music on repeat. I have his Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers without any lyrics saved on my Youtube playlist. I can’t focus if I am hearing the words of the song, especially for editing, but I enjoy a beat that changes and isn’t just flat the whole time.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I only submitted my book to one publisher. I did have a call with an agent who was giving out a free consultation on how to write a book inquiry. She helped me with starting the process because I didn’t know anything at all. I saw a publisher leave a comment on Threads and I looked at their website and their mission statement and I liked them so when I was ready to submit, I just sent it to them and waited. I had planned to commit to a year of sending inquiries but I was in the process of moving so I didn’t start that process and after I didn’t hear back in the first 6 weeks since sending my first one, I emotionally gave up and wanted to self-publish. I was scared of being rejected! Then I decided to send a check-in email and it turned out that they had received my request and they made me an offer!
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I planned on self-publishing. I was on BlueSky and an agent I was following offered a free consultation on how to write a book inquiry and I won. She told me not to self-publish and to give it at least a year of trying to find an actual publisher. At that point I genuinely just didn’t know anything about the publishing world and so I fell in love with the first publisher I came across. I saw Tehom Center Publishing leave a comment on a social justice post and read on their website about how they seek to publish marginalized authors and I really like that.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
Both. My publisher was in charge of creating the book cover design. I submitted digital artwork I had created alongside the book and their designer used several of my pieces together to make the finished cover.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Both, lol. I created a marketing plan through a marketing coaching program and I have been trying my best to put myself out there to be seen and for people to know I have a book. Marketing is hard. I write because I have something I want to say but I don’t want to say it out loud! I had a very hard time reaching out to other authors to read and blurb my book. I have been very blessed to have such amazing people be willing to read and review my book but it was very unnerving to do that part of the marketing process!
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Learn about the publishing process and about marketing. I recommend following authors that share their process online and even becoming an ARC reader for your favorite authors so you can understand the weight of each part of the process. I recommend connecting with other authors as well and people who are already involved in the topics your book will focus on. Make friends! It is nice to know that you are not alone and other people understand the fears and the struggles of doing this without a traditional machine running behind us!
About You
Where did you grow up?
I have lived most of my life in Colorado. I am from Mexico but we moved a lot and so half of my childhood was all over the Denver/Aurora metro area and we later moved to a small agricultural city in Northern Colorado.
Where do you live now?
I still live in Northern Colorado, in Greeley.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I am not an extroverted people-person and my brain is not typical. The process of marketing a book and talking to people about what you do is not always made for people like me and that’s okay! This process has been hard and it has pushed me to put myself out there and connect with people that I didn’t think I could connect with. It has been an amazing experience and I am so glad I did it.
What are you working on now?
Right now I am focused on sharing my work and creating new things. I will be published in a Lectionary anthology this year. I have submitted new poems to local zines and online publications and I have several pieces of art in a local art gallery in Greeley, Colorado. I am focused on enjoying the process of writing and performing my poems and maybe, as time passes, some of these new poems will fit into a new idea for a new book!
End of Interview:
For more from Rocio B. Flores visit her website.
Get your copy of Untying You From Me from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
