Pedro Lasuén changes the Costa del Sol for Asturias as the setting for his new novel

Settled on the Costa del Sol, where various international reports point to the existence of no less than a hundred international mafias, Pedro Lasuén astonished with his first three novels: "Tal Vez", "Quizás" and "A lo mejor". Now he has just published his fourth, "Es posible" (Amazon, 227 pp.), in which he changes the sun and the warmth of the climate and the beaches of the coast for the green landscapes of an Asturias, no less fascinating for being the setting for his black plots, where corruption, blackmail and murder are tools of power used by delinquency and organised crime wherever it sees business opportunities.  

According to the end of his third novel, this change could be interpreted as a flight of the protagonist of his plots, a Spanish investigative journalist, but who signs his reports in several of the most important media in the world under the pseudonym of Jack White. 

He does not see this radical change from the south to the north of Spain as such an escape. After leaving the Costa del Sol with no fixed destination, Jack White's aim in landing in Asturias is to forget, such has been the mark left on his soul by the depth of the plots in which he has been involved, including several attacks, one of which was on the point of sending him definitively to serve as organic fertiliser for the earth.  

But, as usual in his stories, while discovering a beautiful land, Jack unwittingly gets himself into yet another trouble, though this time he is not alone. After the previous novels, the Jack White saga comes back to life with a protagonist in his full splendour. In this fourth instalment, Pedro Lasuén puts his personal stamp on it, in which he mixes notable doses of humour and action at breakneck speed and, as usual, surprises us with a plot that is as real as it is original.  

The man who was for twenty years a journalist for the pan-European news channel Euronews, then Africa correspondent for the Efe news agency and media director for the International Judo Federation, feels no nostalgia for the past, although it has given him unique experiences and experiences that he pours out in large doses throughout his plots

We met him in this provisional refuge in Asturias and we asked him point-blank:  

Are your novels autobiographical, and in reality Jack White is yourself? 

If that were true, he'd be a multimillionaire. Readers are entitled to think so, obviously. Yes, I've had a lot of experiences that resemble those in my novels, but I'm not putting my own life into them. Nor would I like to be my own character. If anything, I could admit to Jack White being the son I never had.  

All your characters have strong personalities, are they really flesh and blood people or are they just a figment of your imagination? 

The truth is that there is a bit of everything. I leave it to the reader to guess and speculate. After all, the reader is also a protagonist. My intention in writing is precisely to entertain the reader, to provoke emotions, to make him laugh, to keep him on the edge of his seat and also to make him think. In reality, I write what I would have liked to read. I don't try to fill in pages to make the books thicker, I don't try to make the words sound like words, I don't try to make the sentences look pretty.  

So how do you define your own style? 

I get to the point, I strip the story of everything that I consider superfluous, that doesn't add much or anything. I will never fill two pages to describe a sunrise. I have nothing against those who do, but it's not my style. For me, it is essential to write in a natural way, each with his own way of being and his own style. And, by the way, without copying anyone, because it's not the same thing, the original will always outweigh the plagiarism. 

"Es posible", your fourth novel, is a radical twist in the saga? 

It was clear to me that the main characters of the saga needed to evolve, and so it has been. I confess that it was the novel I enjoyed the most and I laughed the most. I believe that humour, which after all is universal despite its local, regional and national derivations, is a fundamental ingredient, at least it is the salt and spices that season my writing.  

Having read all four novels I can vouch for that. Another characteristic is the way you sprinkle your novels with foreshadowing facts or events. Many things that seemed like fiction have ended up happening.  

There are things that seemed obvious to me then that have turned out to be true later. There is no magic formula, it's a matter of constantly reading and being aware of what's going on in the world. Because of my previous profession, I have learned to contextualise and analyse everything that happens, especially in those sectors and places I am most interested in. It is not so difficult to introduce this into my plots. The tricky thing, and at the same time the most fascinating thing, at least for me, is not to repeat myself and to invent new plots.  

Differences between journalism and the writing profession 

You have to be very rigorous in both. The difference lies in the absolute freedom you find when you write fiction. You set the limits. You decide whether to censor yourself or not. You are in front of your own reflection without anyone telling you what to write or how to write it. It's an exercise in introspection, and you have to choose. There is nothing more beautiful, because you are not bound by borders or red lines. You write what you want and then, if you publish, you get a reality check, for better or worse. In my case, what predominates in my novels is free will, human stupidity and the need for a free press. 

The most difficult thing? 

Creating female characters because I am a man. It's also the most interesting part. And, from the reactions I get, I like the powerful women in my novels. Actually, all women are.

Your criticism of the politicians you describe in your novels is also powerful.  

We have the worst ruling class in history. On a world level. And we have it because we have wanted it that way. We have not established selection criteria based on an elementary requirement. We are responsible for the mediocrity that surrounds us, and it is no good blaming the decision-makers because they got there thanks to us, not in spite of us.  

It is unacceptable that there are quite a few of these ignorant and sectarian politicians. Life is hard for everyone, often cruel, and it is increasingly difficult to be happy. I find it very difficult to forgive those who divide society and build insurmountable walls to understanding and harmony, and who do so for electoral reasons.  

Nevertheless, I keep the faith, I trust in human beings. We are not all evil and we do not all wish evil on others. We must spread optimism, especially in the darkest of times, otherwise it would not be worth fighting, let alone living.

Will the saga continue?  

I hope so, especially if the public keeps reading and requesting my novels. The fifth one is practically underway.  

When will there be a series about this Jack White, capable of getting into and solving all the big messes he gets into, incidentally, with no other weapons than his unmistakable and everlasting sense of humour?  

I suppose it will come at one time or another. The scripts are already done, you only have to read the novels to see for yourself.