What sparked the idea for your new novel, House Secrets?

I'm not sure it was any one thing, but the general theme of the book is that a man is running for president and his wife turns out to be the person who is trying to keep him from reaching his goal.  The second theme is that the man is being supported in his quest by either the CIA or the Mob.  But I can't remember any particular catalyst for the idea.  I suppose the relationship between Hillary and Bill, things that I've heard about Jack Kennedy - his infidelity with Marilyn Monroe and possible connections to Sam Giancana and the mob in Chicago − were in the back of my mind.  Unlike some writers, I don't outline my books.  I start with an idea and then just start writing and the plot − for lack of a better word − "evolves" from there.  With House Secrets, I would finish a draft of the book and then ask myself the question: What can I do to make this plot more interesting? - and then I'd rewrite the book.  So what I'm saying is that I'm not sure it was a single idea but instead the process of continually "tweaking" the book to improve it that eventually resulted in the finished novel.      

Why do you think House Secrets has been receiving arguably the best reviews you have received so far?

I don't know - and I wish like hell that I did.  I guess a writer feels about his books the way a mother does about her children - she thinks they're all beautiful, even the kid with the big ears.  I think this book is an improvement over my first two books because, like with any profession, I've learned things as a writer since I wrote my first novel.  I'd like to think that I'm growing as a writer.  I don't think, however, that House Secrets is that much better than House Rules (the previous DeMarco) - but everybody else seems to think so.   So I really wish I knew the answer to your question so I could make the next book even better.

How do you stay current writing about D.C. when you live on the opposite coast?  Do you have sources in government?

I guess you could say I have sources in the government - but all my sources are really guys like me - folks who worked at a high level in the navy.   Other than my navy contacts, I don't have a lot of sources in other areas of the government.  I research my books as best I can, I contact various agencies in D.C. for my novels, and these days, with the internet, you can find out a lot about government agencies on-line, just by going to their websites.   I also go to D.C. at least once a year.  When I was working, I was always back there for meetings and my wife has family back there, so whenever I need to do research on a book, I say to my wife: Isn't it time to go visit your mother?"

What is the Mike Lawson "brand?"
 
Really, really good question!!  I guess I want the reader to expect a political thriller - one that moves quickly and is not bogged down by unnecessary "literary flourishes" but one that contains humor as well as suspense.  Like anyone who writes a series, my main characters are part of my "brand" - DeMarco, an average-guy protagonist − Emma, enigmatic, tough, and brilliant - Mahoney, devious but likeable - and I want my readers to care about these characters and to look forward to what they're doing next.  I think I have a certain style of writing, I don't try to imitate any other writer, and I write novels that, as I've said above, have a D.C. link - but each novel for me is a fresh experience and I don't consciously think in terms of the next novel being "consistent" with the Mike Lawson brand.  But this is an important marketing issue and you've really given me something to think about.  
 
What's next?

Well, I just learned that my publisher, Grove/Atlantic, wants to publish the next two DeMarco novels - both of which are written and which I'm currently polishing to hopefully make them as good as House Secrets.  I'm obviously ecstatic about that news! The other thing I wish would happen next is that I've written a stand-alone (non-DeMarco novel) about the NSA that I'm dying to have published and I have another non-DeMarco book about half done involving nuclear submarines and spies and the Chinese.   There are some plots that don't fit the DeMarco format - that's one problem with writing a series - and I'd really like the opportunity to publish some non-DeMarco books.   But getting back to the question you asked, what's next is that I get to keep writing and publishing and feel so damn lucky to be able to say that.

Contributing editor Jeff Ayers is the author of VOYAGES OF IMAGINATION: THE STAR TREK FICTION COMPANION Pocket Books-November 2006. He frequently reviews thrillers for Library Journal and regularly interviews authors for LJ, the Seattle Post-Intellgencer, and Writer Magazine.