Stacey Abrams talks new legal thriller novel, ‘Coded Justice’

Courtesy Stacey Abrams Stacey Abrams may be best known for her work in politics but she s also quietly and impressively become a powerhouse in the world of fiction A former Georgia House Minority Leader and a familiar name in national conversations Abrams has built a second literary life writing smart twisty legal thrillers that blend her deep knowledge of law and procedures with a serious talent for storytelling Her latest novel Coded Justice is no exception This time she brings back Avery Keene the whip-smart protagonist from her previous bestsellers and throws her into a tangled web of artificial intelligence therapeutic innovation and a mysterious accident that may not be so accidental after all Set in the high-stakes world of Washington D C but grounded in questions that feel ripped from the coming day s headlines Coded Justice is a fast-paced thriller with brains heart and just enough tech paranoia to keep you reading late into the night But don t worry this isn t a dry procedures lecture wrapped in fiction It s full of suspense legal drama and ethical dilemmas with a heroine you can t help but root for We caught up with Abrams right here from her hometown of Atlanta to talk about her writing routine why AI makes for such a compelling villain or hero and how she juggles fiction facts and a very full calendar That calendar includes participation in the th anniversary of the Decatur Book Festival the first weekend in October Coded Justice dives into the intersection of AI veteran healthcare and ethics How did your background in law and plan spark an interest in these topics or shape the structure of the book as a legal-tech thriller AI is an extraordinary tool but like greater part instruments in the wrong hands or despite the best intentions it can be misused And it is absolutely misunderstood by millions either as benign or benighted I yearned to understand how AI intended for good helping veterans receive healthcare despite the prejudices in our system could become problematic I got to be a geek about science a initiative nerd and a sleuth all in the same book You surely did a lot of research to understand the current state of artificial intelligence in healthcare There s a forensic angle in this book In Coded Justice AI pretty much becomes a character in its own right Did you draw inspiration from real AI systems or philosophical debates How did you balance technical accuracy with storytelling Kawak and crew were intentionally drawn to create a sense of anthropomorphia To do so I did deep research into AI as an emergent innovation how it is used in healthcare and how it has been a source of harm for under-represented communities My walls were plastered with diagrams of algorithms definitions and questions and I immersed myself in volumes about AI as well as relevant blogs podcasts and a minimal online courses I also got help from two brilliant technologists who read my book for accuracy My intention is consistently for my stories to seem improbable but practicable and the largest part effective storytelling gives you technical details without pushing you outside the story The novel suggests a tension between innovation and responsibility What intrigues or concerns you the bulk about AI s role in society in the current era What do you hope readers take away about the risks and rewards of emerging technologies Do you see Coded Justice as a cautionary tale a hopeful vision or a bit of both In the midst of writing Coded Justice Anthropic s AI assistant and large language model Claude appeared to be faking its answers to its creators to prevent being altered Anthropic published a paper about this alignment faking and shared it with the world Since then they ve revealed on the large language model blackmailing its creators and others have shared their issues This transparency is heartening but it sits in the same universe as AI tools that are intentionally spewing hateful information or hallucinating We cannot stop the advance of hardware At best we can understand it and then press our leaders to help us manage its role in society Coded Justice is intended to show what can happen if we do not accept our responsibilities as both consumers and as citizens so a bit of hope a bit of caution and a call to action With your packed schedule how do you make space for the creative solitude writing requires Do you plan your novels like you plan political strategies or legal arguments or is your writing process entirely different from other kinds of work you do Writing is like any other endeavor it requires planning commitment and care but typically without an audience I certainly do use a similar process across the board mapping out the predicament identifying answer sets honing my arguments marshaling my information and then executing I organize my time to carve out what I need for research and planning for writing for procrastinating and for meeting all my deadlines Your books consistently blend entertainment with deep societal questions which is a balance that you seem to aim for consciously Is it a satisfying prospect that the Avery Keene novels might make a political difference for your readers What advice do you have for emerging writers who want to tackle complex real-world issues through fiction Living is political every aspect of our lives is impacted by others and there is a constant negotiation of priorities and sacrifices In other words politics In every aspect of my work whether as a writer in business or in politics and advocacy I m constantly trying to create points of entry for those who want to know more and feel better equipped Fiction is a fantastic way to introduce weighty sometimes seemingly inaccessible topics like AI biogenetics or the complexity of the power grid Using Avery Keene to explore these topics helps others find their way inside as well For emerging writers the first job is to tell a good story where the issues can breathe in a realistic way and don t come at the reader like a cudgel A lecture with a protagonist is not going to win your readers But a protagonist who shows what the lecture intends is more likely to win over your audience Avery Keene is back for a third round with plenty of room for more installments How has your writing evolved from While Justice Sleeps to Coded Justice What new dimensions of Keene s character did you want to explore this time around As Avery transitions from law clerk to attorney she has to explore her motivations and her intentions We meet her in While Justice Sleeps as a pawn in someone else s machinations In Rogue Justice she s forced to grapple with consequences particularly the limits of a strict moral code With Coded Justice I want Avery to face how she manages her choices She also has to start questioning what she genuinely wants from her life and her relationships I craved to expand our understanding of her association as well because they are a critical part of how she enters the world What do you love about tracing a character across multiple books We know you re a big Star Trek fan Are there any other books or television series you enjoyed when you were younger that motivate your writing in a series trajectory The first series I fell in love with as a child was the Half Magic series by Edward Eager It was the first time I knew that you could meet the same characters in a new story and that you could follow their sagas Like Star Trek the Buffy-verse and the Little Women series I am inevitably excited to keep characters together In my romance novels I have recurring characters and the first three intersect the next three do and the final two as well Not everyone appears in every story but it s fun to see who shows up good or bad If this novel series is made into films are there any celebrity draft picks you have in mind to play Keene I m excited to be working on a television adaptation but no draft picks in mind just yet The post Stacey Abrams talks new legal thriller novel Coded Justice appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta