We recently connected with Daijah Shine and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Daijah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

Knowing what I know now, I believe that starting my career later would’ve been a bit more beneficial for me. Now looking through the eyes of a twenty five year old, I realize that I was nowhere near prepared for the path I’d chosen at nineteen. My launch into the world of publishing literature works was a success, but as a teenager, who knows how to properly handle this sudden attention… and the royalties? It was unchartered territory for me.

I was fresh out of high school, and had already been writing for five years. I was still working at the mall and decided to take a year break before going off to college. I was approached by my former publisher on social media, and that was actually the first time I ever even considered making money off my writing. I had always been writing simply for the love of it. This was a new venture to me! I was excited to be making money off something I was actually passionate about doing and thoroughly enjoyed. I was even more excited to expand my audience.

My first novel “A Thug Worth Fighting For” (now titled “A Forever Kind of Hood Love”) was published on January 3rd, 2016. I’d been working on it for a little more than a year before getting my publishing deal. The novel charted number five on the best seller’s list for nearly eight weeks. It was one of the proudest moments of my career. I was new to the scene and readers were actually loving my work, veteran authors and publishers were vouching for me and pushing me to write more.

I often think that I took the success and attention for granted, truthfully. At the time, I was missing one of the most important traits any business owner could have– discipline. Starting later would’ve allowed me to look beyond the books and approach my career with the mindset of it being an actual business. I would’ve had the wisdom to properly handle funds and the ability to truly understand the importance of consistency.

I could never regret my journey as an author. There’s a lot that I have learned over the years that has helped me improve as a businesswoman and author.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For as long as I could remember, I’ve been a creative. I aways had my mind made up that “Daijah Shine” was a name meant for someone meant to be famous or do something important. I was seven years old the first time I picked up my pen and began to write poetry, and even music. The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative career path, I was a fresh fourteen and had just read The Coldest Winter Ever by Sista Souljah.

This wasn’t the first Urban Fiction novel I read but it was the first that enabled me to look at the world of literature from another perspective. I was immediately overcome with the feeling of “I can do this too.” So, I did. From there, I began writing on an app called Wattpad, gaining a following of 30,000 readers. I invested 90% of my time into writing– staying up late, waking up early, writing during and between classes as a high school kid. As my work gained more traction and I received positive feedback, I knew that writing was my calling.

I write urban fiction tales– from romance to street literature. I aim to tell relatable stories that entertain while still embodying self-love, black love, and shedding light on real issues in the black community. Representation is always a main goal when I sit down in front of my computer. I want my readers to sit down and open one of my books and think of someone they know in their lives when reading about my characters. I also want them to feel as if they escaped from whatever troubles they are having in the real world.

What makes me most proud about what I do, which is having a voice and being able to create bodies of work that people can relate to and be inspired by.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is being able to bring my ideas to life and then share them with the world. I’ve gotten so many questions over the years of how I come up with my storylines? How am I able to write an entire book? Where do I get these ideas from? Does it all come from my head?

I think that as a creative, inspiration is at the tip of our fingertips. Anything from a song to a movie, to something someone says in a conversation, could inspire an entire story for me. I love the complexity of my craft. Having the ability to take something small, build on it, and create an entire world with my characters is an incredible feeling.

On top of that, I have the pleasure of being able to share my work with others– to inspire, to make people think, feel, or even relate is the true gift of being an author, if you ask me.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I’d say so. I’m a person that believes in purpose. I think that I’m on sort of a layered mission while on my journey. I want to tell the stories that we may not hear often enough, or offer a perspective. I feel like there are many faces in the black community and I want to tell those stories. When I was younger I was excited to write what many would consider typical urban fiction storylines. As I’ve gotten older, I began to feel like there are different stories to tell and different aspects in our community to reveal.

I also want to inspire others to go after the things they are passionate about. Where I’m from, there weren’t many of us growing up and thinking of being things such as an author, not even me. I just want people to realize that what may seem unthinkable for them is achievable.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dosesofdaijah
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dosesofdaijah/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daijah-shine-31980a1a8/
• Other: https://amzn.to/3DaFoz3

Image Credits
Shyann Brinson Photography