"Never in a million years."

That's Taylor Hicks talking, expressing amazement about two upcoming appearances this week in Birmingham.

It's not that he'll be in Birmingham - Hicks has returned many times since winning "American Idol" last season. It's that this time, he's coming as Taylor Hicks, author, not Taylor Hicks, singer.

"Heart Full of Soul" is on bookshelves this week, and Hicks is coming to Birmingham for two book signings. First up is a traditional event tonight at Books-A-Million/Colonial Brookwood Village. On Friday, he'll be front and center at Boutwell Auditorium with "Taylor Hicks: Up Close and Personal," a benefit for Kid One Transport. The evening will include Hicks reading from the book and interaction with the audience.

"I'm going to go into Friday as an open book, no pun intended," Hicks says. "I want to let them ask me questions about anything they'd like to ask."

There's not much that Hicks doesn't address in "Heart Full of Soul," which goes beyond your run-of-the-mill celebrity memoir. Hicks talks candidly about his struggles - with his family, drugs, his career - in hopes that his story can inspire others in and out of the music business.

"The more that I put my success in perspective, the more that I realize that the story of how I seized an opportunity can be applied across the board," he says. "I knew that the message would be a positive one."

Most of all, Hicks wanted to be the one to tell his story.

"It's better for it to be my words than anyone else's," he says.

The book is written with David Wild of Rolling Stone magazine, whom Hicks calls his "human sponge."

"He went on the road with me, to the concerts, and I talked to him about a lot of things," Hicks says. "I really opened up to him."

"Heart Full of Soul," subtitled "An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way," chronicles Hicks' childhood, his years playing clubs in Birmingham and the Southeast, his tumultuous family life, the beginnings of his love for the soul and R&B sound that would define him as an artist, his desperation at age 29 and, of course, his last-ditch effort to prove himself on "American Idol."

His book details many ups and downs, but the focus is on the people who helped him find his way.

"It was the idea of saying thanks and letting people know what they did," Hicks says. "I think children in my situation and other situations, there are always some role models and people who push you in the right direction, whether it be sports or theater or music. My story can be applied in so many different ways."

For the time being, Hicks is splitting his time between two tours, performing some nights and signing books others. Either way, he's out meeting the fans - his faithful Soul Patrol, as they call themselves - and that makes him happy.

"Whether it's the Regions Charity Classic at Ross Bridge or the Barnes & Noble in downtown Manhattan, I love meeting the people," he says.

There is one subject that Hicks, 30, won't directly address - his love life, which lately has been the subject of much speculation in the national media. Reports have him dating Milwaukee TV personality Caroline Lyders, but he's not saying.

"I'm very happy right now in my personal life, and that's all I'll say," Hicks says.

Hicks, who says he's been on the road since October 2006, says he'll take a break during the fall, maybe playing an acoustic set here or there ("I might pop up at one of the local bars") but mainly writing songs for his next record, a follow-up to "Taylor Hicks."

And he'll definitely be watching college football.

Hicks attended Auburn University but says he's hoping for a great season from both Auburn and the University of Alabama.

"I'm a fan of Alabama, the state," he says.

Oh, and he's also still a fan of "American Idol."

"I think the whole season was a good one," Hicks says. "I think both Jordin and Blake ended up exactly where they should have."

But if Hicks had had his way, they would have had one more competitor in the mix.

"I wish I could give it a go and be on the show every year," he says.