One of my favorite types of people to showcase in this forum are the emerging authors, and DJ Hicks falls into that category. Though he’s just celebrated the one-year anniversary of his debut, First-Name Basis, the book was the “first (official) project” to make it from his head to the page thanks in part to Warren Publishing. When I first started researching what DJ and his book were about, I stumbled on his delightful post entitled, “Top 50 Greatest Wrappers of All Time.” What? Wrappers, not Rappers? Needless to say, I was amused and more than happy to write questions for DJ to answer.

Welcome, DJ!

Christina: Congratulations on First-Name Basis, which is “a collection of linked, spiritual journeys focusing on the people of Suffolk Township as they pit the power of prayer against the highs and lows of life.” Where did the idea of the book come from? Why choose linked stories over some other form?

DJ: Thank you! I can’t remember exactly where the idea came from, but sometimes my ideas come to me randomly, and I think this was one of those times versus me sitting down and trying to think of a new book idea. I was probably eating a bowl of cereal or out on a jog letting my brain wander and stumbled upon the concept of a story told through the prayers of the characters. And obviously, I liked it enough and thought it was interesting enough to bring to life! Connecting the characters in the book started naturally as I began to write and then became even more important as the story grew and became more of a tangled web. By linking the characters, the idea of these people being part of a connected community came to life through the pages I think (and hope).

Christina: How did the title come about? Did any other titles make the short list?

DJ: Yep, the book was originally titled something else at first, but as we started to narrow the vision and themes of the book we (Warren and my team of wonderful editors) knew we wanted a different title. First-Name Basis came to be during the editing process when I was responding to one of the editors’ comments on the manuscript. It was a real spur-of-the-moment thing that everyone supported. The original title was A Year of Prayer, and we also played around with Last-Name Basis for a few seconds, but we landed on the right one!

Christina: The book features “pastors, addicts, children, teachers, and everyone in between [as they] set out to find truth in each other and themselves.” How did you go about crafting each of these very different voices?

DJ: Lots of hours and dedication to the words honestly. I wanted all the characters to seem as authentic as possible, so it was a lot of writing and rewriting. Part of that process, and any time I write, is removing as much of myself from the character as possible. We all probably have something in common with the different characters throughout the book, but I didn’t want to make them one-dimensional, which is a challenge when we only get a little glimpse of each of them. All about finding that right balance.

Christina: The term spiritual can mean different things to different people. What does it mean to you? 

DJ: Good question, to me it means the part of us that tries to fill in the “empty” space in our lives and connect with the world around us on a deeper level. Some people are part of a religion to fill up their spiritual cup, others use nature, relationships, travel, or a number of things to tap into and move that spirit that lives in all of us. Does that make sense? Spiritual is a broad term, which can be a beautiful thing because it can change throughout your life. I probably had a different answer five years ago and will have a different answer from years from now, but that’s okay. 

Christina: The theme of being seen, heard, and known is one that will resonate with readers. Why is that theme important to you?

DJ: It’s an important theme because it’s something we all crave naturally. It’s a very human trait to want people to listen to you, to see you, and to understand you. And I think how you go about desiring (or trying not to desire these things) says a lot about your character and personality.

Christina: Tell us a little bit about your publishing journey and how you got to where you are today.

DJ: First, I’d say my publishing journey is still very young. Ha. As most aspiring writers do, I turned to my friend Google to see the best way to try and bring my ideas to life. Once you hit that search button, your entire idea of publishing could change dramatically. It was several weeks to months of me learning about the different ways you could publish and what each route can mean for the author in the long run. Always good to do your research. Once I reached a certain comfort level of what submitting my work to different publishers meant I started to look for one that fit my writing and my stage of life. I was lucky enough to find a local one in Warren that I could meet and feel good about starting the journey with.

Christina: What does your writing practice look like? Do you pursue any other creative pursuits that help your brain remain active when you’re not writing?

DJ: My writing practice still feels very erratic even to myself at times, so that’s something I’m trying to streamline and find a process that fits best for my brain. Whenever I get the writing itch and have nothing current to work on and no new ideas to start outlining, I often turn to poetry just to get something down on the page and feel better about the day. Other creative areas that keep me curious are painting and graphic design, not that I’m good at either ha. I was a big doodler in school growing up too, so don’t be surprised if you see me scratching on random pieces of paper when I’m bored.

Christina: Let’s talk about another project of yours: THE 90 PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HIGH SCHOOL (AS FOOD). It’s an interesting premise for a book. Can you give us insight into how this book come to be?

DJ: Oh, nice find! That was me feeling very free in my writing and having a lot of free time in Covid. That was a late 2020 writing era I think. I’m very curious/interested in different book formats and that was completely new to me to try and write a comedic encyclopedia-style book like that. I like challenging myself in my writing and getting that number up to 90 was difficult, but felt right. If I remember, that was a sit down at the laptop and attempt to think of a book idea, and I started thinking about high school stereotypes and how those could be transformed into different categories of life. I somehow got to food (compared to…cars, for example) and was off and running on that silly premise. It is a very weird book and I’m happy about it.

Christina: Favorite food? Favorite type of food? Sweet or salty? Dessert person? Do you have a favorite restaurant? Do you cook, and if so, what’s your favorite dish to make?

DJ: I love spaghetti. Usually, any type of pasta will keep me smiling. I do have a major sweet tooth, but would never turn down a salty snack either. I’ll go through phases of always wanting dessert and then falling back a bit. Would like to live a long life! I don’t think I have a favorite restaurant in Charlotte yet, but Mediterranean-style food has been on my mind a lot lately so The Mad Greek has been a frequent of mine.

Christina: What’s next for you?

DJ: Writing and more writing. 🙂 I wrote a short story in February that I’ll probably submit somewhere and see what happens with that one. Working on some other projects to keep my skills as sharp as they can be. I’m letting my fingers lead the way this year and keeping my mind open to anything that comes its way.

DJ can be found in multiple places!
Website: https://www.deejwrites.com/
Instagram: @djhicks21
X: @DarikHicks
Facebook: @darik.hicks
Goodreads: DJ Hicks

Thanks to DJ for agreeing to this interview! If you know of an author or artist who’d like to be featured in an interview (or you would like to be featured), feel free to leave a comment or email me via my contact page.