Novel Journey Interviews Best Selling Author ~ Eric Van Lustbader

Eric Van Lustbader (he dropped his middle name, Van for several years due to a confusion about his last name) was born and raised in Greenwich Village. He is the author of more than twenty-five best-selling novels, including The Ninja, in which he introduced Nicholas Linnear, one of modern fiction's most beloved and enduring heroes. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages; his books are best-sellers worldwide and are so popular whole sections of bookstores from Bangkok to Dublin are devoted to them.

In 2004, Mr. Lustbader was chosen by the estate of the late Robert Ludlum to continue the Jason Bourne novels. The first, The Bourne Legacy, was published in 2005. It garnered rave reviews and was an instant international bestseller. He is also the author of two successful and highly regarded series of fantasy novels, The Sunset Warrior Cycle and The Pearl Saga.

Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business, where he worked for Elektra Records and CBS Records, among other companies. He was the first writer in the US to write about Elton John, and to predict his success. As a consequence, he and Elton and Bernie Taupin, Elton's lyricist, became friends. Writing in Cash Box Magazine, he also predicted the successes of such bands as Santana, Roxy Music, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, David Bowie, and The Who, among others.

In his spare time, Mr. Lustbader serves on the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee, and is Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee of the City & Country School in Greenwich Village. He also tends his prized collection of Japanese maples and beech trees (which have been written up in The New York Times and Martha Stewart's Living). He is a Second-Level Reiki master. He and his wife Victoria have been residents of the South Fork of Long Island for more than fifteen years.

Mr. Van Lustbader's newest book, First Daughter is a fast-paced thriller set in a whirlwind election season in Washington. The soon-to-be President's daughter has been abducted and Federal agent Jack McClure must save her.

Book Summary: Jack has had a troubled life. His dyslexia always made him feel like an outsider. He escaped from an abusive home as a teenager and lived by his wits on the streets of Washington D.C. It wasn't until he realized that dyslexia gave him the ability to see the world in unique ways that he found success, using this newfound strength to become a top ATF agent.


When a terrible accident takes the life of his only daughter, Emma, and his marriage falls apart, Jack blames himself, numbing the pain by submerging himself in work. Then he receives a call from his old friend Edward Carson. Carson is just weeks from taking the reins as President of the United States when his daughter, Alli, is kidnapped. Because Emma McClure was once Alli's best friend, Carson turns to Jack, the one man he can trust to go to any lengths to find his daughter and bring her home safely.

The search for Alli leads Jack on a road toward reconciliation . . . and into the path of a dangerous and calculating man---someone whose actions are as cold as they are brilliant, and whose power and reach are seemingly infinite. Faith, redemption, and political intrigue play off one another as McClure uses his unique abilities to journey into the twisted mind of a stone-cold genius who is constantly one step ahead of him. Jack will soon discover that this man has affected his life and his country in more ways than he could ever imagine.

Mr. Van Lustbader, welcome to Novel Journey. Tell us about your latest project.

In addition to First Daughter, the new Jason Bourne novel, The Bourne Sanction, is out now, and the next one, The Bourne Deception, will be published in the summer of 2009.

First Daughter has been described as action-adventure mixed with questions about religion, political power, and family. How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?

I have two surrogate daughters who are about the same age as Alli and Emma, and I wanted to write about how it is with fathers and daughters, especially ones who are estranged from their fathers.

Do you ever struggle with writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?

My problem, if you want to call it that, is too many ideas to write at once. Sometimes I wish I was an octopus with four computers!

What is the most difficult part of writing for you (or was when you first started on your writing journey), i.e. plot, POV, characterization, etc?

Dialogue was last thing that came to me. It's always difficult getting the voices of characters just right.

Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?

I have a dedicated office in one corner of the house. It overlooks our gardens.

Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?

I try for five or six pages a day, but since writing is an art, not a science, it's sometimes more, sometimes less.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I don't have a typical day, which is why I love writing. Sometimes I get up at 5 am and write, other times I don't start writing until 5 pm. Every day is different.

Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.

Well, that would be a book in itself. Briefly: I get an idea, sketch it out with characters, make notes on who the characters are and what motivates then, then write an outline. I strive to write about five pages a day. I have both my agent and my editor read the manuscript in chunks as I write them. This often helps me keep on track and concentrate my focus. Also, that way there are less revisions at the end, when, like a marathon runner at the finish line, I'm tired.

What are some of your favorite books (not written by you)?

Not written by me, ha! That's very funny. The thought never entered my mind. Favorites include: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, Libra by Don DeLillo and London Fields by Martin Amis.

What's the best writing advice you've heard?

"It's all about the characters."

What do you wish you'd known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

Write an outline, even if it's not detailed. If you don't know where your story is going or why you're writing it you won't be able to write it.

How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?

Marketing is the job of my publishers. I do what they tell me to do (generally!).

Do you have any parting words of advice?

If that's your goal, keep writing, keep reading challenging novels and learn from them.