Author Spotlight: Daniel Lawrence Abrams

Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work.

Today: Daniel Lawrence Abrams grew up in NYC, attended Trinity School, and then graduated from Stuyvesant High School. He got his BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan.

The 3-D input device he invented earned US Patent # 5,652,603.

Abrams trained in comedy writing at The Second City and The Groundlings. He used to perform stand-up at The Improv in LA and The Comedy Cellar in NYC. As a playwright, Abrams’s stage shows played at The Stella Adler Theatre, The Powerhouse Theater, and the HBO/Warner Brothers TV Workspace.

In Hollywood, Abrams wrote, produced, and directed over a hundred hours of TV. He was the Supervising Producer of the 2014 Emmy-Nominated SundanceTV show THE WRITERS’ ROOM and was a freelance Director for HGTV’s HOUSE HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL. Abrams co-produced four feature films, and the documentary, PINK & BLUE: COLORS OF HEREDITARY CANCER.

He gave the TEDx Talk titled “Sports Can Save Politics” at AJU.

His debut novel, “Immortality Bytes: Digital Minds Don’t Get Hungry” was named an “Editor’s Pick” in Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Reviews, won 1^st-place in five book competitions, and was a finalist in the Hawthorne Prize (Best Debut Novel). Abrams’s short story, “Aliens Venmoed Me a Trillion Dollars” became an Amazon #1 Best Seller in 5 sub-genres, #2 in Sci-Fi, and peaked at #61st across all genres.

Thanks so much, Daniel, for joining me!

J. Scott Coatsworth: How would you describe your writing style/genre?

Daniel Lawrence Abrams: I’d say Sci-Fi/Comedy/Thriller with substance (maybe add in “upmarket” if I’m feeling fancy).

JSC: What do you do if you get a brilliant idea at a bad time?

DLA: I simply must stop everything to write the new idea on my phone. And if that means I have to take my eyes off the road while driving, well, I guess a head-on collision is the cost of being a writer. Not much different from banging your head against the wall because of writer’s block. At least with the car crash, you get covered by insurance.

JSC: What’s your writing process?

DLA: I’m a big fan of creating an ever-growing pantry of ideas — story premises, striking characters, good lines, jokes, twists, or anything I find fascinating. When some “come together,” their development merits a separate document. 

I often start with the hook (the hopefully compelling, unique, and marketable premise, cast of characters, or ending). I must also ensure there’s a big payoff at the end. I don’t start writing in earnest until I have a goal to work toward (total plotter over pantser). Then, I try to beat out the major plot points. 

Along the way, my mind tends to gravitate toward characters best fitting the circumstances (sometimes matching, sometimes clashing). Concurrently, I’ll often come up with lines or jokes or extra plot points twists, all of which I write down. Once I have what I think is a solid outline, I’ll start fleshing out the beats and scenes. IMHO, for a script, you need 50 to 120+ scenes, and for a novel, you need 80 to 200+ scenes. I don’t need all of them immediately, but I have to have confidence (or at least optimism) that there will be enough story for the medium.

I love South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s story theory that all scenes should be connected with the words “therefore” or “but” and not “and then.” If you want a nerdier source, Aristotle basically says the same thing in his “Poetics.” I paraphrase them more succinctly this way, “Write scenes consequentially, not subsequentially. Every scene should be a consequence of the previous scene (not merely a subsequent scene). One scene causes the next (“therefore”) continuing the story momentum (for or against the protagonist’s goals) or challenging the momentum (“but”) which reduces the story momentum or alters its trajectory. The story beats shouldn’t just follow as, “And then this happened, and then that happened…” This writing strategy is way easier said than done, and I have yet to find a story that follows it 100% (though David Mamet’s script for SPARTAN comes pretty close). So, I attempt to follow that guideline as much as I can.

JSC: Are there underrepresented groups or ideas featured in Immortality Bytes? If so, discuss them.

DLA: Looking back at old novels, TV shows, and films, most look embarrassingly homogenous and unrepresentative of the population. Showing diversity simply makes a story more authentic while serendipitously, concurrently broadening the appeal to a greater audience. Plus, having such a range helps differentiate the voices of the characters for the reader. Every character can speak in a different patois or at least have a different vocabulary, set of cultural references, and meter/style of speech. I pride myself on trying to be a “cliché-buster.” So, you can have some fun trying to mix up styles that run contrary to various stereotypes.

My cast of characters includes a crafty, Southern billionaire heiress, a gray-ace demisexual female Asian entrepreneur, a black lesbian navy vet who owns a marijuana dispensary, a Russian henchman defenestrator who is well-read and woke, a charismatic, criminal influencer/oligarch who is deadly sick by three meanings, a Chomsky-loving Latina anti-AI protestor, and a ne’re-do-well, underdog hero who has clever, grand plans but eventually realizes he’s far from the best strategist in the war for immortality.

JSC: What advice do you wish you’d had before releasing your first story?

DLA: Your book is only new once and for only a few months. Consequently, plan for a long lead time to do promotional build-up (9+ months before). Submit for ARC reviews on multiple platforms, submit to the free reviewers (who need 3-9 months of lead time), and submit to debut novel competitions if it’s your first book. Early in your promo time and competition run, submit to the smaller, “easier” book contests that have a broader range of categories to increase your chances of earning some sort of accolade (semi-finalist is the minimum to brag about, and wins are much better than finalist/shortlisted). Of course, the more prestigious the award, the more valuable even earlier cuts (“longlisted”) become.

Then you can include those accolades in your submissions for subsequent competitions and pro reviewers (try to get 5-stars because 4-stars doesn’t help much, and below that can hurt you). A “starred review,” “Our Verdict: Get it,” or an “Editor’s Pick” from a major reviewer (e.g., Kirkus, Publishers Weekly/BookLife Reviews, Foreword/Clarion, and other top-tier reviewers) can make a substantial difference in getting books sold. Accolades attract accolades. The impact for any single source very well might be zero, but it could be impactful in tipping the scales to greater laurels which could result in much better sales. 

JSC: What’s the funniest or creepiest thing you’ve come across while researching for one of your stories?

DLA: Your endocrine system (but really your whole body) influences your brain and, thus your decisions. Consequently, firstly _— take care of your body (healthy diet & vitamins, exercise, sleep at least 7 hours and no more than 10 hours a night, do some form of meditation/quiet mind), and secondly — that fact impacted the story of my book. 

JSC: What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

DLA: The first goal is to entertain, surprise, and give the reader fun stuff to think about for years to come. But I also wanted to provide a satirical, progressive perspective challenging substantial (and steel-manned) counterarguments. 

However, believe it or not, I loved Ayn Rand’s ATLAS SHRUGGED. I thought it was a brilliant, original story with compelling characters and twists. Though I hated the pedantic Right-wing speeches that used strawman arguments, even worse, her screeds run pages and pages throughout the massive tome, and John Galt’s big rant at the end runs over 60 pages — all cramming her extremist, sociopathically egocentric ideology down readers’ throats. 

Saying altruism doesn’t or shouldn’t exist is madness, IMO. It ignores firefighters, soldiers, and regular civilians who spontaneously risk their lives in extreme situations to save strangers. Such anti-altruism philosophies arrogantly defy scientific research showing some altruistic behavior being evolutionarily stable even among animals (e.g., where a single individual will alert its family or tribe of danger even though that noise increases the likelihood that a predator will kill it). Writing preachy arguments against weak representations of the opposing side is textbook bad-faith propaganda. 

I didn’t want to make that mistake. Consequently, I endeavored to craft every one of my rants and dialectics (that exceeded one page) with humor and fair insight while also making them entirely optional. That so many reviews to date have been complimentary of such “thought-provoking” elements of my novel seems to indicate I was at least somewhat successful.

JSC: Would you visit the future or the past, and why?

DLA: With a hat tip to the Carl Sagan movie CONTACT (starring Jodie Foster), which is one of my Top-20 favorite movies, I’d definitely visit the future. I’d want to know how (if) we survived such bellicose tribalism and advanced civilization. If it turned out more like Mad Max than Star Trek, I’d be devastated.

JSC: If you could choose three authors to invite for a dinner party, who would they be, and why?

DLA: John Scalzi and Andy Weir (because they write sci-fi comedy I love), and Noam Chomsky (because he’s one of the most brilliant philosophers ever).

JSC: What are you working on now, and what’s coming out next? Tell us about it!

DLA: I’m developing a few TV series and feature films based on my IP (I just pitched one to a Top-5 streaming service, and though the odds are astronomically against us, I’m optimistic). There’s one story I’m developing into my next novel. It’s based on a short story I recently published, titled “Aliens Venmoed Me a Trillion Dollars,” which became an Amazon #1 Best Seller in 5 sub-genres, #2 in Sci-Fi, and peaked at #61st across all genres.

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And now for Daniel’s new book: Immortality Bytes:

In an all-too-possible, not-so-distant future dominated by AI, universal basic income, and “subtirees” living pod-bound lives of leisure, idealistic, semi-slacker hacker, Stu Reigns dreams of more.

When Stu’s brilliant ex, Roxy Zhang, develops digital immortality, the world’s powerful elite scramble to secure their eternal existence. Enter Chuck Rosti, a merciless, terminally ill tycoon made more dangerous since he’s on the brink of conviction for massive fraud. His plan? Coerce Stu into helping get Roxy’s groundbreaking invention so “Feds can incarcerate my corpse.”

Caught between a sick billionaire, a Russian mob, digital mind clones, and a shrewd, devout Southern matriarch, Stu gets tangled in a twisted, high-stakes, ‘inverted heist.’

But as betrayals mount and revenge includes murder, Stu and new allies must race to save lives and seek justice in humanity’s digital immortality.

Fans of smart cyberpunk, like Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, or sci-fi with humor, as in Andy Weir’s The Martian or John Scalzi’s Redshirts, will love Immortality Bytes.

“Dark humor and crisp dialogue drive the twisty storytelling” — ✓ EDITOR’S PICK — Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Reviews

“Feels like an American Douglas Adams” — San Francisco Book Review

“On par with some of William Gibson’s best work” — Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Liminal Fiction | Universal Buy Link

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Excerpt

Chapter 12 — “Don’t Self-Sabotage”

The next morning, Yevgeny surveyed the car-less street and texted Pyotr: “Stu & Maria left. Apt empty.”

The message got an emoji thumb-up, so Yevgeny gave Dimi a real thumb-up.

Dimi looked up at Stu’s apartment and wagged his finger horizontally. “Why do I have to do it?”

Yevgeny held up his disabled arms and asked, “Really?”

“You use that excuse a lot. Not doing a lot of favors for your disabled rights movement. One of these times, you’re gonna have to dirty your hands.”

“Climb the damn wall, Dimi.”

“I can break front door, take elevator, and then break Stu’s door. I promise it’ll be faster.”

“No. Brute force is for reckless idiots or when you are against reckless idiots. Straight-up robbing — it leaves too much evidence for cops and especially for Stu. Who knows how many countermeasures he’s installed?”

“My point exactly. So, what’s the difference?” Dimi stood his ground on this.

“Pyotr said you climb. So that is all,” Yevgeny said, trying a harsher pitch.

Dimi’s head lurched back, “So, okay. You should’ve said at beginning.”

Yevgeny helped Dimi rig up professional rock-climbing gear. Dimi kicked his metal crampons against the wall to check their integrity. He was about to start his ascent when Yevgeny handed him a realistic-looking Halloween mask of a Latino face. “Wear this.”

“I have balaclava in my car.”

“No, we want every misdirection possible. This face makes you resemble old classmate of Stu’s.”

Dimi liked Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther and Captain America series for Marvel Comics. Subsequently, he got into Coates’ essays and non-fiction books. Dimi could always perform his vicious mafia enforcer assignments, but he nevertheless had a moral code. Everyone has a line they won’t cross. Dimi held the “Latino Man” mask and cleared his throat. “The thing is… I’m 100% Russian, so I don’t feel comfortable doing such cultural appropriation and perpetuating racist stereotypes. I’m a violent thief, not a white supremacist.”

“If Pyotr wants you in a Pope Margaret the first mask, dressed like Indian belly dancer, singing… I don’t know… those tween, New Wave, Nigerian K-Pop songs in most offensive accent, you do it. Now stop stalling.”

“Yeah, but, so you know, Ahmed Olade’s music is not for just tweens. I argue he single-handedly resurrected BTS’s career last year. So don’t be pop-snob, Yevgeny. Or a racist. It’s not cool, bro.”

“Dimi! Climb up the fucking building!!”

Dimi shrugged, popped up on the wall, and scaled a few floors with well-trained fleetness. He was indeed the best choice for the job. At Stu’s apartment window, Dimi pressed a hand-held transmitter, which activated Stu’s automatic window opener. “It worked,” Dimi said, comforted by accurate plans with no surprises.

Out of the corner of Yevgeny’s eye, he spotted a police drone on a standard tour of the neighborhood. He reached for his EMP gun, aimed, and knocked it out of the sky. “I had to drop a drone. You got maybe eight minutes to get done and out of there.” Yevgeny radioed to Dimi’s earpiece.

“Roger that,” Dimi said while sliding inside Stu’s kitchenette.

Tillman leaped on Dimi, barking three times at a medium volume.

“солнце, you’re such a handsome wolf,” Dimi said while giving Tillman affectionate alpha-petting. That was another reason Dimi was the best pick; he was good with dogs. Tillman smiled and laid on his back for a few more tummy rubs. Dimi toured the apartment and entered Stu’s home office with all his computers.

The counter’s smart TV sprang on with Digi-Stu framed actual size, “Tillman? Tillman! It’s me, daddy’s here.”

Tillman jumped to attention and rolled his head to try to recognize him.

“It’s me. Or, for practical purposes, it’s me. In two dimensions, you should think it’s me. Now listen. There’s a very bad man in there.” Digi-Stu pointed around the corner.

Tillman wagged his tail, convinced and ready to accept Digi-Stu and his orders. Tillman pointed his nose around the corner to confirm.

“Yes, good boy! The cops will be here in three minutes. So you gotta keep the bad guy here and don’t let him take anything.” Digi-Stu took a moment for reflection. “Yeah, this is probably too much info for a canine. Ah, body language nuances are important.” Digi-Stu pantomimed biting and holding while Tillman enthusiastically panted.

“Be careful. Stu’s on Facetime with the dog,” Yevgeny said, radioing to Dimi.

“Understood. Don’t worry, I’m leaving now, anyway. I have Stu’s hard drives,” Dimi said while placing them in his bag. He turned the corner and…

Till pounced on Dimi, this time ferociously and terrifyingly. Dimi realized his dog-whispering didn’t work this time. He tried to fend him off, grabbing Tillman around the snout to keep his jaws closed. But Tillman parried, freeing his jaws for more attacks. Dimi punched Tillman, who yelped in pain, giving him time to get up.

Dimi turned to the window. Tillman locked onto Dimi’s bag. This was a tug of war, and Tillman would never give up. Back and forth they went. Dimi tried lifting both the bag and Tillman off the ground, but Tillman got leverage by instinctively using the corner of the counter.

A faint police siren in the distance grew louder and was joined by a second.

“You hear that?” Dimi asked Yevgeny.

“Yeah. They’re faster than we expected. Get out of there.”

“Crazy-big dog has the bag with the drives.”

“Then shoot the dog!” Yevgeny demanded.

“I’m not shooting a dog, Yevgeny.” Dimi had some hard lines he wouldn’t cross.

Digi-Stu addressed Dimi, “Wise choice. Hate to have a John Wick-style vendetta here.”

“Ha! I don’t give a half-a-shit about you. I’ll kill you and your whole family for fun. But dogs are angels on earth,” Dimi shouted between furious pulls of the bag.

The police sirens grew louder, two blocks or closer.

“Fuck this,” Dimi said, giving up the bag. He fastened a rappelling wire to the windowsill and bounded down in seconds.

Yevgeny had the car running. “You got ‘em?” he asked.

Dimi said, “This dog might be a bear. I hear cop sirens. We gotta go.”

“I don’t hear… Okay,” He hit the pedal, and they sped off.

“Stu’s drives were probably massively encrypted, anyway.”

Yevgeny checked back at Dimi and said, “Oh, man. Don’t get blood everywhere. I didn’t get the insurance on this rental.”

“What? Oh, shit,” Dimi said, noticing Tilman’s teeth slashed his punching hand.

Yevgeny said, “You gonna need rabies shots. Two weeks of the needles.”

“No way Stu’s dog has rabies.”

“Once rabies takes hold, you die. Not worth the risk that dog just got rabies from squirrel in the park. You take the shots.”

“Fine, take me to hospital,” Dimi said, clutching his wound.

“Ah, Pyotr says we only go to urgent care. Is good enough and less price.”

Digi-Stu finished praising Tillman. “You’re the best, Tillman! Daddy’s so proud of you!!”

Tillman wagged his tail with glee and jumped around in excitement. The sirens abruptly ended. “You don’t want to hear those noisy, fake sirens from these speakers. Do you, boy?”