Van Jensen

Van Jensen is an acclaimed novelist, screenwriter, and comic book writer. Godfall, his debut novel, is in development as a TV series with Academy Award winner Ron Howard attached to direct. He began his career as a newspaper crime reporter, then broke into comic books and graphic novels as the writer of ARCA (IDW), Two Dead (Gallery 13), and Tear Us Apart (Dark Horse). Jensen has written world-renowned characters, including Superman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Godzilla, and James Bond. Jensen has served as a Comic Book Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, teaching refugee children to tell their stories through comics. He lives in Atlanta.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

Godfall is about a god-like being falling out of the sky, so I'd say it hits the nail on the head.

Funny enough, this was a book that I took forever to generate the title. When the answer finally came, I about kicked myself that such an obvious one had been there all along.

What's in a name?

There's a thing that a lot of writers do where they use the meaning/etymology of a name to reinforce a character's personality traits. To me, that's a bit on the nose.

I think more about how a name sounds. How it feels. There's a military head in Godfall named Conover, and I chose that because it has the hard initial C, but also is unassuming. This is a guy who is tougher than he appears.

All this said, I did name my protagonist in this giant-alien story "David," so perhaps I don't mind being on the nose.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

Godfall is set in western Nebraska, where I grew up. The giant alien lands next to a small town, which is then transformed into the most important place on earth.

My teenage self would be surprised by this because my teenage self was desperate to escape from western Nebraska. I planned to leave and never look back. Yet here I am, writing a trilogy of novels set in just that place.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

My general approach is that I write and rewrite the beginning of a book until it feels rock solid. I always have a plan for the whole book, of course, but I want to get the voice/tone/characters/structure all locked in place, and that takes a good bit of futzing.

That serves as a bit of a foundation, and the rest of the book builds up rather easily from there, I find.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I didn't plan to make David, the Godfall protagonist, an avatar of myself. But most people who read the book have commented that he's a lot like me.

Generally, I think the fun of writing is exploring the vast range of human psychology and experience. At the same time, I always want to be able to relate emotionally to them. To me, that's the key in making stories sing.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

I started my writing career in newspapers, spending a few years as a crime reporter. That probably had the most impact. I think I have a good handle on how police operate, their motivations. Criminals as well.

Beyond that, I try to live a life of engagement, interacting with others as often as I can, just generally being out in the world. You never know what little moment might catalyze a story idea.

Visit Van Jensen's website.

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--Marshal Zeringue