We chat with author Jonathan Janz about Veil, which is a heart-stopping story of one father who will stop at nothing to save his family.
Hi, Jonathan! When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved stories for as long as I can remember. My mom introduced me to stories early on, so I have her to thank for that. My favorite books as a child were the FROG AND TOAD series by Arnold Lobel, which is also my favorite series to read to my own children. I listened to Poe on albums when I was young, but my reading didn’t really explode until, at age 14, I discovered Stephen King. He’s the one who made me a reader, as well as the one who inspired me to finally write all the ideas that had been banging around in my head forever.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: THE TOMMYKNOCKERS, by Stephen King
- The one that made you want to become an author: I wanted to make others feel the way that Stephen King made me feel: smarter, stronger, more understanding of others, and less alone.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Whatever book I’m writing. I LIVE in that world until the rough draft is done.
Your latest novel, Veil, is out September 16th ! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Cinematic, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking, harrowing.
What can readers expect?
A cinematic, pulse-pounding, heart-string-tugging, immersive experience. Things get bad in this book—they become almost unbearable. But when our heroes start to fight back, it becomes extremely rewarding.
Where did the inspiration for Veil come from?
Weirdly enough, I was at our local Aldi grocery store and saw this guy walking across the parking lot. For no reason at all, I imagined him getting yanked into the sky and disappearing completely like a hundred feet in the air. The story grew from that single image.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
YES! Miranda was tremendous fun to write, as was the relationship between her and Tommy. They’re very different characters, but I think, if they met in the real world, they’d develop a rapport and then some kind of relationship, so while that was fun, it all rang true. As for moments I enjoyed writing, I’d say the scene when the characters see an alien for the first time was a serious adrenaline rush to write. I also enjoyed the quieter moments between my main character and his daughter, likely because I’ve got two amazing daughters, and spending time in that book relationship felt a lot like the time I get to spend with them in real life.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Heck yes. The hardest part was living through the emotions I had to process that dealt with the main character losing his family members. I cried several times over one scene in particular (a scene near the end). Another challenge was making sure I got the science as accurate and logical as possible; even though the book deals with some technologies we don’t have yet and some realms we’ve never explored, I wanted all of it to ring true, which meant talking to as many people in different scientific fields as I could and synthesizing all that information in a way that was still entertaining and cinematic.
What’s next for you?
Mmmmm. I’m working on a short story right now that I really love. I’m editing a couple of novels. And I have two rough drafts of books with which I’m nearly done. I love them both, but the longer one (which might top out over 200,000 words) is absolutely the most ambitious project on which I’ve ever embarked.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I got a chance to read Josh Malerman’s WATCHING EVIL DEAD, which was freaking brilliant. That comes out on September 16th, the same day as VEIL, which is super cool. Another book that comes out on September 16th is FIEND by Alma Katsu, and while I haven’t read that one yet, I did get a chance to read “Make Your Own Way,” her story in THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN KING’S THE STAND. That one made me an instant fan, so I’ll be grabbing FIEND too!
