On the Scene With Barry Lancet

When Barry Lancet visited Japan more than 30 years ago, he expected to stay for a few years at most. He was there for more than 25. Lancet worked for a major publisher, became fluent in the language and gained an awareness of the complex subtleties of Japanese culture.

When he decided to make the jump from editor to novelist, it was a given that much of the action in his stories would take place in Japan. The fourth book in his series of thrillers about art dealer/private detective Jim Brodie, “The Spy Across the Table,” was published in 2017. A fifth is on the way.

Lancet, 62, is in Hawaii this month researching his next project.

JOHN BERGER: What inspired you to become an author?

BARRY LANCET: When I was living in Japan, I was suddenly called into the police station and interrogated for three hours over a noncriminal violation of the law. That three-hour interrogation allowed me to see another side of Japan and that started me thinking about writing thrillers.

JB: You and Brodie have several things in common: knowledge of Japanese art, skill in martial arts and fluency in the language, to name three. How much is Brodie an alter ego for you?

BL: He is a kind of a more polished window onto a lot of what I’ve experienced and what I’ve seen in all spheres — cultural, political, business, behind the scenes, personal.

JB: What would you like Americans to learn about Japan through your thrillers?

BL: How very much like us they are when they’re nice, and how different the culture is underneath. There’s (thousands) of years of history in Japan and that creates a completely different mindset. I want Americans to see that.

JB: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

BL: Write every day. If you can only get five minutes in a day, grab that five minutes to write a few lines, or just straighten your notes or think about a new chapter or a new character. Do something every day to keep the ball rolling.

JB: What brings you to Hawaii?

BL: I’m looking to stretch out and do something new. Each time I come to Hawaii I get a little more into the culture. It’s a very different place than any place else in America and I’m fascinated by it. It’s a crossroads where America meets Asia. I like that kind of cross-over and the kind of culture that it creates. Maybe I can do something here.

Reach John Berger at jberger@staradvertiser.com