A former animator and game content writer, Abby is credited on more than a dozen Nintendo games for Nickelodeon and Disney. She co-hosts the Stories for Nerds podcast from her home in Texas.
What kind of books do you write?
I’ll only write novels or series that I believe contribute something uniquely new to the world, or that depict something vitally important that isn’t expressed well enough anywhere else that I’ve ever seen. I like to explore society through the exaggerated lens of sci-fi and fantasy, and I play with interpersonal power dynamics. My villains tend to be darkly absurd. My heroes tend to be larger-than-life and/or rise to overpowered heights.
Can you describe your writing why?
I’ve always been a storyteller. Epic stories grow and mutate in my mind. I've experimented with animation, comics, and game dev, as well as screenplays and novels. With novels, I have the most creative control, and I don't need a team or a massive budget. So I've chosen this art form as the one to concentrate the most energy on.
Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most
The Torth Majority did not care about individuals, and so Yellow Thomas had not cared about individuals.
That was a toxic approach, he now figured. Slaves had healthier priorities. To slaves, large groups were abstract, whereas a single individual could matter more than an entire city or planet. That strange-but-wonderful outlook made them superior to the Torth.
So during his imprisonment, Thomas had deconstructed who he was, and pieced his identity back together from a human perspective.
He was smart. He was dying. He was a Torth hybrid, but he was also half human. American. A friend. A foster brother. A prisoner. A target. A power to be reckoned with. A seeker of knowledge, and a teller of truths. He used to be a nameless Yellow Rank, equal to all other Yellow Ranks, but now that was only a fraction of his identity. He was a sapient being with a lot of unique complexities, and, like the mysterious magic of telepathy and Yeresunsa powers, the whole of who he was transcended the parts.
“The Torth are not my family anymore,” he said.
The orator was quiet for a moment, perhaps mulling over his simple answer.
“Very well,” she said. “Your answers are acceptable, Thomas. I have one final question. If you join us, will you give your assurance that you will not harm us?”
Tell us about your latest project
What if everyone could peer inside your mind and judge you? What if a thought could get you killed? Welcome to the Torth Majority. Are you a thought leader? Or are you a slave?
The galaxy-spanning Torth own everything and know everyone. They are shepherded by supergeniuses, the greatest of whom is crushing hard on Thomas. There is no way to refuse the Torth Majority, no way to escape, no way to help his enslaved friends… unless Thomas can trick thirty trillion mind readers.
And so Thomas’s galactic conquest begins.
The Torth series is completely pre-written with an online following. It’s dark sci-fi progression fantasy with dual protagonists, one brawn and one brain.
What is your favourite cake?
I’ll have to go with a 7 layer chocolate cake.
You can connect with Abby here:
Website: abbygoldsmith.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheTorth
X (formerly known as Twitter): twitter.com/Abbyland
Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.
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