Pen, paper and a passion for writing entered the equation for a Winston-Salem State alumna and her first novel. From Platinum books comes the new book, Unexpected Interruptions, by Trice Hickman, Class of ’91.
The book is about Victoria Small, an African American woman who has a friendship with an African American man but who soon finds she is also interested in a Caucasian man. Throughout the book she tests the boundaries of love, race, class, and where she fits in.
“I deal with a lot of issues in the black community like skin color bias, class stratification, good hair versus bad hair,” Hickman said. “I address them with humor, but I address them so that we can start talking in a dialogue.”
“Winston Salem State gave me a really strong foundation,” said Hickman. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and a master’s degree from Wake Forest University (’96). After graduate school, Hickman and her husband moved to Washington, D.C., three weeks prior to 9/11.
“It was a pretty traumatic transition for us,” Hickman said.
While in D.C., she continued working on her novel, as well as working a fulltime job. But it was her husband who realized her dream for writing and decided that it was time for her to write fulltime.
“This book would not have been written if it wasn’t for number one God and if it wasn’t for my husband,” she said.
Instead of going the traditional route of sending her manuscript to a publishing company, Hickman decided after a lot of research and effort to own her own publishing company. On average, it takes about two years for a book manuscript to become the finished product, but it took Hickman less than a year.
“I decided to come back to Winston [Salem] because I feel that as a professional and an artist, my roots are there,” Hickman said in reference to the start of her book tour.
She will be on campus for book signing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, during Homecoming weekend. Her novel will be released Nov. 1, and will be available wherever books are sold including the WSSU bookstore.
For more information, visit Hickman’s Website: tricehickman.com.