[©Cyndi Chambers Sports / 2024]
Written by Mark Mustian
I’ve wanted to be a lawyer since I was at least 15 years old. Influenced in part by my parents who thought I could capitalize on my strengths (and advised that lawyers make a good living), I enrolled in law school immediately after earning my bachelor’s degree and graduated early. . I wanted to work. In order to make a name for yourself, you need to make money. I remember thinking I could take on the world.
And I started with a small company in Jacksonville, Florida, and then went to work with another company in Tallahassee. We were (and still are) in the municipal bond business, and our clients were and still are all over the state. So I spent at least one day a week traveling, mostly alone in my car. I remember thinking, probably about 10 years ago, while traveling. “There must be something more than this.” So I decided to do three things in addition to practicing law: teach, run for office, and write a book.
In the end, I did all three. I taught a constitutional law course at a local community college for a few years (which was enough to cure me), ran for office, won, and served as a city commissioner for 10 years. And I started and finished a novel without really knowing what I was doing, only to find out later that it was the same as waking up one morning and deciding to go practice for thoracic surgery. I did. Miraculously, the novel was published by a local newspaper. I remember a colleague at work telling me that he had read this book and saying with some surprise that he thought it wasn’t bad.
Looking back, this may all have been the result of an early midlife crisis, but it’s something that influenced my life. All of my novels have spiritual elements, but they didn’t necessarily have those elements from the beginning. The Return This is the story of a black woman who claims to be the returned Christ. Gendarme About the Armenian Genocide, where many survivors lost faith in God, and my new novel. boy with wingstells the story of a boy with a strange appendage on his back who ends up joining a traveling freak show in the South in the 1930s. In addition to being entertaining (I hope so), I’ve tried to write books that address important issues and make readers think without necessarily leading them to conclusions. in The Returnit was a question of expectations and whether there was a Christ without miracles. in Gendarmewhether someone can atone for past horrific acts. boy with wings It deals with what it means to be different. Boy Johnny is seen by some as a devil, by others as a monster, and by others as an angel, often reflecting the viewer’s own worldview.
Almost every novel has an element of authorship, and writing these books immersed me in and out of the search for spiritual understanding. What do I really believe? For some, this question is answered in young adulthood and remains fixed throughout life, but for me it was more of a journey. I have approached religion and God, balancing logic with the acceptance that there are things humans cannot perceive or understand. Growing up Southern Baptist, I have always challenged myself as to why I believe in what I do. Is some of it just muscle memory and some superstition? On the other hand, there are things in my life that I can say are more than mere coincidences. I tried to weave these complexities, doubts, and convictions throughout my novel. My hope is that it will inspire readers to consider their own beliefs as well.
In addition to being a husband and father, I have continued to work as a lawyer for many years while balancing my writing and other interests. Sometimes people cry out, “Oh! “I don’t know how you do it!” To which I reply, “I don’t know how you do it!” “There are long periods where I don’t feel like I’m doing well.” However, I feel that my career as a lawyer has been strengthened and lengthened by being able to engage in other meaningful activities (and We are grateful to our law partners for their patience in allowing us to do so). Otherwise, I think I would have been burnt out. long ago. as johnny boy boy with wings I realize that everyone is different and has to do things their own way, and that in this push and struggle we are all more or less the same. 
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Mark Mustian is the author of the novels The Return and The Gendarme, the latter an international bestseller published in 11 languages. He was a finalist for the Dayton International Literary Peace Prize, a finalist for the Saroyan International Literary Award, and won the Florida Gold Book Award for Fiction. He is the founder and chairman of the Word of the South Literary and Music Festival in Tallahassee, Florida, now in its 10th year. A former congressman and lawyer, he lives in Florida and Michigan with his wife and elderly dog. See below for more information. www.markmustian.com
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