Article: I first met Bob Ludlum...

I first met Bob Ludlum in 1980, just at the time The Bourne Identity was being published. That was the same year my first Bestseller, The Ninja was published. It stayed on the N.Y. Time Bestseller list for 24 weeks, some kind of record in those days. But that wasn't why Bob was impressed with the novel; he loved Nicholas Linear as I loved Jason Bourne.

Bob and I first got together at one of our mutual agent's legendary parties. He and I hit it off right away. We both understood without having to say as much that our respective characters were our own alter egos. Both were damaged, both where extraordinary human beings. They had so much of their respective authors in them it was difficult to tell reality from fiction, and that's just the way we liked it.

Long into the night Bob and I would discuss our characters, how to structure a novel like a roller-coaster ride, the thrills the ups and downs of tension could cause, building toward the third act finale that would leave readers breathless. I learned a great deal from him as, I think, he did from me. We never saw each other as rivals, but as complimentary writers whose brainstorming together made us both better at our art. We were both striving to be better writers with each book we wrote.

For me, taking up Bob's mantle, continuing the saga of Jason Bourne, has been a labor of pure love. Bourne's uncompromising nature, so close to that of Nicholas Linear, made it easy for me to step into Bob's shoes and imagine Bourne's life going forward. Not that there weren't challenges to be met and overcome. For instance, Bourne's wife, Marie, couldn't be used in every novel, so a resolution needed to be found there. Also, the issue of Bourne's split personality had to be in some way revised, otherwise the new novels might read like Bruce Banner/The Hulk. In order not to be repetitive,I decided to integrate the Bourne identity with David Webb, to do away with the scholar who had to be called out of "retirement" with every book.

It's been a fun ride. I love the modern-day Jason Bourne, close as he is with Matt Damon's wonderful, rich characterization in the films. I hope you do, too.

Copyright © 2007 by Eric Van Lustbader