Attorney turned mystery writer Robert McCaw credits an ability to reinvent himself for his successful transition from a defender of justice to a storyteller with a fascination for how our past sins affect the way we behave now.br /

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Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and in today’s Binge Reading episode Robert talks about the enduring love affair he's had with Hawaii that led to his Koa Kane detective series and how a New York attorney transitioned into a new career as a mystery writer.br /

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Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:br /

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Why Hawaii's marvelous volcanoes feature in his booksHow he transitioned from New York lawyer to mystery writerHis passion for all things HawaiianWhat book is coming nextThe writers he admires mostWhat he'd do differently second time aroundbr /

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Where to find Robert McCaw: br /

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Website: https://robertbmccaw.com/br /

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Facebook: @Writerrobertbmccawbr /

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Twitter: @RobertBMcCawbr /

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What follows is a near as transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.br /

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But now, here’s Robert.br /

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Jenny Wheeler: Hello there, Robert and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.detective series authorbr /

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Robert McCaw - mystery authorbr /

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Robert McCaw: It's so nice to be here and it's nice of you to make this opportunity available and let me chat with you and your listeners.br /

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Jenny Wheeler: You have had a successful career in law and we'll go into that a little bit later, but then you turned your hand to mystery writing, and that's what we're interested in today – a police series with Chief Detective Koa Kane set in Hawaii. br /

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Was there some moment in your life when you thought, if I don't get to write some fiction, I'll feel as if my life hasn't been complete? If so, was there a catalyst for it?br /

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Introducing author Robert McCaw br /

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Robert McCaw: Well, it didn't happen quite that way. While I was practicing law, I went to an American Bar Association Conference in Hawaii and Honolulu, and after that I went and spent some time on the Big Island. I fell in love with the place. It is one of the most culturally and geographically diverse places I've ever been, climate wise as well.br /

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Kilauea Volcano - picture LA Timesbr /

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As I fell in love with it, I began to do more and more research, began to talk to people on the Island, went back over and over again. So it was Hawaii first, and I felt this compulsion to share with others my discovery of Hawaii and its culture and its history and its language.  Then the question was how to do that.br /

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As a lawyer, I've always pieced together facts and arguments. I've loved puzzles and so it was kind of natural to do it as a mystery.  But then I had one of the really difficult choices to make. Because I wanted this book to speak, almost as though Hawaii is a character in the book, which is the way I think about it, I wanted my protagonist to be a Hawaiian.br /

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The challenge to writebr /

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Of course, I'm not Hawaiian, so that required a lot of work, and I was busy at that time with an active practice of law, so it literally took me twenty years to put the first book together. It wasn't until after I slowed down in the law practice that I actually managed to get it out and into the hands of readers.br /

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Jenny Wheeler: Before that moment, you'd never really considered writing fiction?br /

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Robert McCaw: Well, I'd considered it,