From North Dakota to Roughing It: Peter Hicks Returns

Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

James Wolner

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 900 Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I’m joined by returning guest Peter Hicks, whose music with Sleepy Driver was heard in Season Two of Dakota Spotlight—but this time to talk about his debut novel Roughing It, written under the pen name Andi Ellis. We discuss his shift from songwriting to fiction, the inspiration behind the book, and he reads an excerpt from the story. "Roughing It", available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roughing-Andi-Ellis-ebook/dp/B0FT4J9PW2 "Unicorn Blues", available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Unicorn-Blues-Andi-Ellis-ebook/dp/B0G6Q43RXY Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: info@sixhorsemedia.com Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: info@sixhorsemedia.com All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact info@sixhorsemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:33.7	Okay, James, how many seasons of Dakota Spotlight are there now?
0:34.1	Two?
0:35.5	More than that.
0:36.4	Three?
0:42.5	Five. Four. Seven. Ten. Keep going. Eleven. More.
0:42.5	12 full seasons.
0:44.3	Yep.
0:44.7	Ready to binge in my podcast app now.
0:46.6	Yep, all of them.
0:47.6	Or at DakotaSpotlight.com.
0:52.8	You're listening to Dakota Spotlight.
0:54.7	My name is James Walner.
1:05.8	This week's episode is a little different from the usual format.
1:10.0	Today I'm joined by returning guest
1:12.3	Peter Hicks, whose music you've heard throughout season two. But this time we're not talking
1:17.7	about his music. Peter has stepped into a new creative space fiction writing. He's released two
1:24.1	novels with a third on the way. This isn't a true crime story, but Peter is a longtime collaborator and friend of the show,
1:32.3	and I enjoy sharing these occasional conversations between seasons.
1:36.5	In this interview with Peter from early 2026, we talk primarily about his first book,
	...

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