This month, I have the pleasure of featuring Eric Van Lustbader, New York Times bestselling author of the continuing Jason Bourne series, his own thrillers, and the creator of numerous epic fantasies, including the Pearl Saga trilogy and the Sunset Warrior series.

His latest novel, THE BOURNE DECEPTION, picks up where The BOURNE SANCTION left off.

Jason Bourne's nemesis Arkadin is still hot on his trail and the two continue their struggle, reversing roles of hunter and hunted. When Bourne is ambushed and badly wounded, he fakes his death and goes into hiding. In safety, he takes on a new identity, and begins a mission to find out who tried to assassinate him. Jason begins to question who he really is, how much of him is tied up in the Bourne identity, and what he would become if that was suddenly taken away from him...

Meanwhile, an American passenger airliner is shot down over Egypt by what seems to be an Iranian missile. A massive global investigative team is assembled to get at the truth of the situation before it escalates into an international scandal. Jason Bourne's search for the man who shot him intersects with the search for the people or the group that brought down the airliner, which leads Bourne into one of the most deadly and challenging situations of his entire life. With the threat of a new world war brewing, Bourne finds himself in a race against time to uncover the truth and find the person behind his assault, all the while being stalked by his unknown nemesis.

While some authors might find it difficult to adopt an established character, especially one as well known as Jason Bourne, Eric found it easy. From a Steve Berry interview, Lustbader says this about the first Bourne book he wrote. "I knew Jason Bourne inside and out; I knew what made him tick. This knowledge made it extraordinarily easy for me to write a novel with him as the lead character. In fact, it seemed altogether natural. I think this is because Jason Bourne's situation is very emotional. I am a writer who believes in character first, and though the storyline in THE BOURNE LEGACY moves like a shot, each and every character in it is real and three-dimensional. The novel is very emotional."

Action and suspense are vital for thrillers, but unless the reader connects on an emotional level with the book's characters, especially its main character, the reader won't merge into the story. Eric takes this to heart and knows a good book pulls the reader in and holds him there.  In every Eric book, the reader experiences the story as if he or she's actually in the story.  In essence, the reader becomes an invisible character.

I asked Eric a couple of questions about his approach to thrillers in general.  His answers track with the importance of connecting with his readers.

You write about events that, if real, would make most Americans quite nervous and probably unable to sleep at night. Why do you think we possess a desire to be thrilled/entertained by such frightening scenarios?

Being scared by stories allows us to feel the thrill of being frightened in a completely controlled environment. No matter how dire things get we know that we're always safe, and when the hero comes through in the end we're right there with him.