Q&A with Brian Cuban, author of The Body Brokers

Brian Cuban is an attorney and public speaker who has also found success as an acclaimed author of memoir and crime fiction. Based out of Dallas—and yes, the younger brother of Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban—his books include The Addicted Lawyer: Tales of the Bar, Booze, Blow, and Redemption and the novel The Ambulance Chaser; both draw on his experiences as a person in long-term recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. His new thriller, The Body Brokers, features the return of disgraced lawyer Jason Feldman, who finds himself at a personal and professional crossroads when his girlfriend suffers a fatal (and suspicious) Fentanyl overdose.

Recently, Cuban took time away from his many pursuits to reflect on his journey, both as a writer and a recovering addict. Topics included the predatory practice that inspired The Body Brokers (title and plot), honoring the reality of addiction and recovery in fact and fiction, the truth about Fentanyl-related abuse and deaths, the progression of his writing from memoir to novels, and the relationship between verbal and written storytelling. He also offered a hint of what comes next.

John Valeri: The Body Brokers is more than just a clever name for a thriller. Tell us about the title’s significance within the realm of drug treatment and also how it pertains to the book’s plot. 

Brian Cuban: Body Brokers are people who work for drug treatment centers and convince vulnerable addicts to use their services. Then, when the insurance runs out, they kick them onto the street and find someone to take their place. The goal is to fill beds, not help people get better. When no more insurance exists, families sometimes have to liquidate assets to pay for the treatment and then go bankrupt. 

This horrific practice goes on around the country, and the tragic result is often a fatal overdose. It is to the broker’s benefit if the person relapses, as they can get back into the treatment center and start a new round of insurance coverage. This practice is integral to the plot, with a twist based on actual events. 

Valeri: As recovering addicts, Jason and Emily had a relationship grounded in shared experience. But there were also secrets between the two (albeit unknowingly) as well as the scrutiny and suspicions of outside observers. In what ways did this dynamic, and Emily’s apparent death by overdose, allow for an exploration of the realities and (mis)perceptions of addiction and recovery? Also, tell us about using that as a catalyst for creating suspense. 

Brian Cuban: Emily and Jason were feeling each other out in a relatively new relationship. How much should I disclose? Will I be rejected if I overshare? Like relationships, it’s a dance of small revelations and relief when it doesn’t explode the budding romance. In the meantime, Jason is trying to rebuild his standing and credibility. As a disgraced lawyer, why should anyone believe anything he says about Emily? Don’t all addicts lie? 

Within those secrets is Jason’s amazement that he did not see her overdose coming. He’s in recovery, so how could he not have seen the signs? Of course, there was much more to it than that, which formed the plot.

Realizing that Emily was as much a stranger as an intimate partner is a suspenseful dynamic. Who is this person? What else hasn’t she told me? Why didn’t I ask? Do I want to know?

Valeri: As the book begins, Jason is at a personal and professional crossroads. What is the importance of his accepting, and attempting to reconcile the many distinct aspects of his personality — and how does this serve to motivate him as the stakes grow increasingly higher? 

Brian Cuban: Showing Jason’s internal turmoil is critical to his journey of self-discovery as he ferrets through. 

Does he even want to be a lawyer anymore? How is it he went through his life dealing with addiction and trauma but never really paid attention to those struggling with addiction who didn’t have his privilege? His past is also thrust back into his face when he thought it was behind him. Jason has a lot on his emotional plate! 

As the journey progresses, he realizes that he can’t truly understand what happened to Emily and to those suffering in the fatal overdose crisis until he solves the mystery surrounding her death. 

Valeri: Fentanyl-related deaths remain at crisis level and continue to be subject to mischaracterization and misunderstanding – both in terms of who is using (and why) and where the drugs are coming from. Please take a moment to share the salient points that we should all know, including the statistics about the point of origin. 

Brian Cuban: Illicit Fentanyl overdose deaths have thankfully begun a gradual decrease over the past two years. Still, the toxic drug supply continues to take way too many lives of all ages and demographics. Unlike what we often see in the news, US citizens transport the vast majority through legal ports of entry at the southern border, but very little comes via illegal crossings. 

According to the CATO Institute, the most recent statistics show that this demographic accounts for 80 percent of those convicted in border districts. Precursors needed to make the drug come in from places like China and India either directly to the US, where it is also manufactured or to the Mexican Cartels, who, of course, ship it to the US through legal ports of entry. 

As to the origin of the fentanyl crisis, this particular opioid rose in popularity to replace heroin because it is cheaper to manufacture and can be done and shipped anywhere with concealment. Because of its high potency, fentanyl can create the desired “high” with just a tiny amount. As I write this, heroin is almost non-existent in the drug supply today. Users wouldn’t buy it regardless because the cost of getting a similar potent effect would be prohibitive.

Something that may come as a surprise to you readers is that the vast majority of daily fentanyl users in places like Kensington, where the novel is set, do not overdose and lead “normal lives” despite the images we see of people experiencing homelessness and shopping cart “druggies” on the streets of major cities. How can this be? Tolerance. Regular users build it up through daily use. At the same time, “newbies” do not have it and often fatally overdose on a tiny amount.

Valeri: Like Jason, you are a lawyer. In what ways does this background best enhance your stories – and, conversely, what creative liberties do you allow yourself for the sake of entertainment and narrative momentum.

Brian Cuban: My particular background as a lawyer addicted to cocaine helped with a perspective on what happens versus what we see on television and in movies. I have snorted cocaine in the federal courthouse, showed up to trials under the influence of blow, been arrested, etc. 

I’ve also seen lawyers die from alcohol and fentanyl overdoses, as well as go to prison for drug-related offenses. I’ve traded Dallas Mavericks championship tickets for cocaine (my brother owned the team until recently). Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, but one thing I’ve learned in writing crime and legal thrillers is only to avoid what can never happen. 

Valeri: You previously wrote a non-fiction account of your own (past) addictions. What drew you to fiction – and how do you think the lens of imagination can benefit a story of such subject matter, both for the writer and the reader?

Brian Cuban: Writing has always been my emotional and mental health release, but how many times can you tell your own story, even if the anecdotes are numerous? 

My transition into fiction with the first book in the Jason Feldman series, The Ambulance Chaser, arose out of a recurring dream about being arrested thirty years after I murdered someone. (I haven’t murdered anyone…yet). From there, I was hooked and constantly noodle ideas for new material. 

They also say, write what you know but I’ve found that can also be a detriment. While my struggle with addiction gave me the author’s authenticity to get into real feelings and responses, there is always the danger of the character being too much a reflection of the author. In my experience, the best ones stand independently without being a mirror reflection.

Valeri: You are an acclaimed public speaker. What have you found to be the relationship between the spoken and written word – and how does being comfortable with both amplify your storytelling abilities, regardless of the outlet? 

Brian Cuban: That is a great question. Being a public speaker has taught me to be concise and inflective with my speech. The spoken word is often very different from what a character might say. If you don’t believe me, sit in a coffee shop and eavesdrop. People ramble, use filler words, etc. In both public and writing, every word has to move the story forward while holding the audience’s interest. 

When presenting, I have to give the audience a hero’s journey in forty-five minutes with all five sensory tools. I’m changing the inflection and speed of delivery. The audience laughs where they are supposed to laugh. They are quiet in reflection when intended. In my writing, it’s in under three pages through the characters.

How do you translate all of that to the page when all the reader sees is a written word, and you have no idea what they are thinking or feeling? It’s quite the challenge that I’d speculate every fiction author goes through

Valeri: Leave us with a teaser: What comes next?

Brian Cuban: A pill that mimics the high of any drug without addiction or dependence. What could go wrong? Stay tuned!