"How Could I Be Above Dan Brown?"

Custodio Pérez, originally from Jaén but born in Huétor Tájar (Granada), had a plan: to attend 'La Revuelta', gift his book to Broncano, and return as a guest. He achieved his goal, and the rest is history: the story of a self-taught writer who, thanks to his natural charm, captivated the audience and went from picking olives to becoming the best-selling author on Amazon in Spain, surpassing giants like Dan Brown and Ken Follett.

Recently signed by Temas de Hoy, a Grupo Planeta imprint, he presents 'Andalucía negra', a trilogy involving ritual murders, baby trafficking, family conspiracies, and secrets from the past. Custodio, shy yet determined, answers questions with a mix of gratitude and amazement: "I never thought I'd find myself in one of these situations."

-Olives will certainly be part of your Sunday snack.

-Absolutely.

-I mention it because, three years ago, you were harvesting olives when suddenly the plot for your first novel came to you.

-Yes, it came to me like a movie playing in my head. I told my wife, and she said, "Why don't you write a book?" So I took my phone and started writing 'Granada oscura'.

-On your phone?

-Yes, but I wrote the second one on a computer, more professionally, so to speak.

-You were very clear about appearing on 'La Revuelta'.

-I spent a year preparing for it; it wasn't overnight. My wife knew I would end up in the bathtub and give my book to Broncano because I have a good head on my shoulders. Then he invited me to the show. It's one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and you either take it or you don't.

-Who are your literary influences?

-Well, Stephen King, Juan Gómez-Jurado, Donato Carrisi, Megan Maxwell, Lena Valenti... A bit of everything.

-You've overshadowed them.

-Yes, it's been crazy. When I saw I was above Dan Brown, the author of 'The Da Vinci Code', I thought, "Wow, how could I be above this man?"

-Do any writers look down on you?

-No, quite the opposite. Most small writers are proud of me because I spread the message that people should read us small authors. But I know some are envious: they might write better than I do, but they haven't had the courage to do what I did. Some say, "Look at him, now signing with Planeta, I write better than him!" Well, you should have done it yourself.

-You've written nine novels in two years. That's fast!

-Because I write short novels, and maybe I spend three or four months researching, and in two or three weeks, I write the novel. Well, the first draft, which then needs countless revisions.

-Do you feel more responsibility now?

-Honestly, yes, because after signing with a big publisher, you have to push yourself a bit to write. I used to take it more leisurely, but now I treat it like a job.

-Your wife is the first to read your works. Does she criticise you a lot?

-Yes, and I don't take it well because it's very harsh criticism, but I know she means well.

-There are quite a few sex scenes in your novels. Do you get a bit cheeky writing them?

-Ha, ha, ha, honestly, yes. Both when I write them and when I read them.

-You mentioned experiencing bullying. Has that been a creative drive for your writing?

-I'd say yes. Look, I was the typical chubby kid in class everyone picked on, and back then, it wasn't like now, where there's more awareness of these things, and I found refuge in reading. Whether you like it or not, that was a resource for everything happening to me now.

-I wonder if, after your success, those classmates see you differently. Or you see them differently.

-No, I'm the same because, after school, we just greeted each other, and that's it. I'm not resentful. But look, I have terrible handwriting, I mean, if I had to write by hand, I wouldn't be a writer, and the other day I ran into my Language teacher and said, "Miss Rosa, do you remember when you used to tell me in school that I had terrible handwriting and wouldn't amount to anything? Well, look." And she laughed.

-Are you going to enter the Planeta Prize?

-No. For me, the real prize is being in all the bookstores in Spain and having everyone access my book. I've even had people who hadn't read since school tell me they've been encouraged to read again with my book, or that they've been inspired to write their book after seeing me.