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. Jensen 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. He 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.

Recently I asked the author about what he was reading. Jensen's reply:

The book I've read that stuck with me lately is The Dog of the South by Charles Portis.

A jilted husband follows his wife and her new paramour to Mexico, seeking revenge, or at least to reclaim his Ford Torino. The book is about exactly that, but not really that at all. It's a shaggy travelogue, a picaresque character study, an anthology of broken and insane oddballs, an ode to adventure, or perhaps a warning of the dangers of adventure. Mostly, it's funny as hell and endlessly surprising. This is Kerouac with a healthy dash of Pynchon.

Visit Van Jensen's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Gabriella Saab

Gabriella Saab is the author of The Last Checkmate and Daughters of Victory. She graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor of business administration in marketing and lives in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, where she works as a barre instructor. She is of Lebanese heritage and is one of the co-hosts of @hfchitchat on Twitter, a recurring monthly chat and community celebrating the love of reading and writing historical fiction.

Saab's new novel is The Star Society.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:

I recently finished Book of Forbidden Words by Louise Fein, a fascinating novel about an encrypted manuscript which takes readers from 1500s England and France to McCarthy’s America in the 1950s. It was sobering and riveting with excellent research, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Historical fiction is always my favorite, and I haven’t read much set in the 1500s, so that storyline was particularly interesting to me.

I also listen to a lot of audiobooks. I just finished a fun series on Audible called Mistletoe Murders, which is an Audible exclusive by Ken Cuperus following a Christmas store owner who turns into her small town’s best mystery-solver every time a murder occurs. As her past unfolds, we learn more about her past, and she’s not simply a Christmas store owner. The audiobooks are full-cast, and it’s been so fun to follow these characters through the various episodes. Growing up, Nancy Drew was one of my favorite series, and this feels like a grown-up, cozy mystery Nancy Drew with a dash of murder.

Next, I’ll be starting My Fair Frauds by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne, narrated by Megan Trout. This is a Gilded Age caper where a con woman and a swindler team up for a takedown. I love this author duo and can’t wait to read their latest work! Gilded Age New York is one of my favorite settings, so I’m excited to immerse myself in the opulence, drama, and fun that will certainly follow our heroines.

Visit Gabriella Saab's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Star Society.

Q&A with Gabriella Saab.

My Book, The Movie: The Star Society.

--Marshal Zeringue

Katie Bernet

Katie Bernet is the author of Beth Is Dead, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. She’s an award-winning creative director and a long-standing member of the DFW Writer’s Workshop. As the oldest of three sisters, she’s a diehard fan of Little Women.

Recently I asked Bernet about what she was reading. Her reply:

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what makes a “high concept” novel, so I’ve been reading books that have well-defined, grabby premises. In the young adult space, I just finished reading Kill Creatures by Rory Power which is a murder mystery written from the perspective of the killer—chilling, clever, and horribly believable. I just started reading Let’s Split Up by Bill Wood which was pitched as Scream meets Scooby Doo and totally delivers on both the horror and the quirky group dynamics.

In the adult space, I just finished reading Sky Daddy by Kate Folk about a woman who is attracted to planes, and I was shocked by how much I empathized with the main character. I just started reading Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake, a satire about a sorority that practices cannibalism. Highly recommend all four of these.

Visit Katie Bernet's website.

The Page 69 Test: Beth Is Dead.

My Book, The Movie: Beth Is Dead.

--Marshal Zeringue

Jacquelyn Stolos

Jacquelyn Stolos grew up in Derry, New Hampshire. She loves tromping through the forest and reading good books.

Asterwood is her first novel for children.

Stolos holds an MFA in fiction from NYU, where she was a Writers in the Public School Fellow. Her short fiction has appeared in Joyland and No Tokens. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.

Recently I asked Stolos about what she was reading. Her reply:

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

No one needs me to say that LeGuin is a master of fantasy that deftly tackles social and existential questions. I returned to this classic to remind myself of everything that's possible in children's literature. The archipelago of Earthsea is the most vivid place I've ever been, the action gripping to the point of it being unfair. Prickly, arrogant Ged is a singular protagonist. The engineering of this world's magic, with its Taoist principles, is sublime. LeGuin's small, subtle moves--like Vetch offering Ged trust right after his darkest failure of character--radiate out into the collective soul. If I could write with a fraction of LeGuin's guts, for only a moment-- the story starts off running at word one and blazes forward without self-consciousness or apology--well, my gosh, I don't know. I might fall off my desk chair and die.

Visit Jacquelyn Stolos's website.

--Marshal Zeringue