He has a long commute, ferry godmother to thank for DeMarco thrillers

For years, Seattleite Mike Lawson was a civilian engineer on nuclear-powered ships for the Navy. But he started writing during his daily commute to Bremerton — a pastime that has resulted in two well-received books.

His debut, "The Inside Ring," introduced Joe DeMarco, a political fixer for the shrewd Speaker of the House, John Fitzpatrick Mahoney. Now, in "The Second Perimeter" (Doubleday, 336 pp., $24.95), DeMarco travels to Bremerton to investigate a case of fraud that leads to a security breach, a rogue agent and carefully wrought revenge.

Q: You're from Colorado — quite a leap from there to nuclear ships.

A: I came from a big family with no money — my Dad was a steelworker — so I applied for scholarships all over, and Seattle University offered the biggest. I met my wife here and stayed. I got job offers from Boeing and the Navy, and nuclear ships sounded more interesting than airplanes.

Q: What was it like writing on the ferry?

A: I used to complain about the commute, but it was a blessing. Half an hour or an hour every day, and next thing you've got a book.

Q: Are there really fixers like DeMarco?

A: Think about the Plumbers, working for Nixon. Maybe so!

Q: He's no superhero.

A: I didn't want a cop or detective ... But a political operator working for the speaker could get into some different situations.

Q: Then there's DeMarco's friend Emma, an ex-military, ex-spy with political clout. She's tougher and smarter than DeMarco, she's used to getting her way, plus she's older and she's gay.

A : Yeah, I wanted a strong female character, and I wanted her to have access. And I didn't want her to be a love interest for DeMarco. But the character I enjoy most is Mahoney. I get a kick out of him.

Q: He bears some resemblance to Tip O'Neill.

A: That's accurate, though the current speaker, Dennis Hastert, looks like Mahoney too. But I don't think he's got my guy's sense of humor.

Q: Did you alter security in Bremerton?

A: Yeah. The things I describe are what you literally can see when you drive up. The security's really a lot more tight. And in a couple of places I'm intentionally not correct.

Q: Whom would you cast for the movie?

A: Well, for Emma the clearest picture I have is Glenn Close. As for DeMarco, two people have told me that Anthony LaPaglia is the guy, though I think he looks too serious. Mahoney, I don't know — some big, white-haired guy. At one time I thought of Charles Durning. But the writer never gets to be the casting agent.

Q: Do you read other writers when you're working?

A: A lot. Recently I've been reading new writers, maybe because I'm new. I've always liked John Sandford, Thomas Perry, Carol O'Connell.

Q: You were afraid to show your first book to your wife.

A: My wife never read my first book until it was published! She said she liked it, but she's my wife. I can't imagine your wife telling you she hated your book.

Q: How'd you find your agent?

A: I went to bookstores and looked at new writers, because [in their acknowledgements] they always thank their agents, and I wrote to those agents, figuring they'll read another new guy's book.

One guy called and was interested, and asked if I could tweak a couple of things. Then I hung up and realized who this guy was: John Grisham's agent! So he wants a few things tweaked? You bet! And it's been a great relationship.

Q: How's life been since retiring from the military in 2003?

A: I gotta say, writing is much more fun than overhauling nuclear submarines.

Q: And what's next?

A: A reporter is killed while investigating a man running for president, who may be getting help from the CIA or the Mafia or both. The reporter was the son of a Congressman, so Mahoney wants DeMarco to poke around.

Adam Woog's column on crime and mystery fiction appears on the second Sunday of the month in The Seattle Times.