David Maring

David Maring, a retired Circuit Court Judge, has combined his legal experience with his military training and his strong southern biblical background to create spellbinding, can't-put-down suspense/thriller novels.

His most recent work is "Carolina Justice". In 1948, the small southern city of Georgetown, SC becomes a hotspot of racial tension after the brutal rape and murder of two women. The novel explores unjust social order, and what it takes for the concept of equality to truly take root in a culture steeped in older traditions.


David's first novel "The Serpent's Seed" is an exciting story of murder, international political intrigue, the origin of mankind, secret societies, devil worship, and a military confrontation with Iran. 'The Serpent's Seed' combines biblical theology with the threat of modern day nuclear catastrophe. It has the mysticism of the Da Vinci Code combined with the international intrigue of a Tom Clancy thriller.

David is already hard at work on "The Mullahs", the exciting sequel to "The Serpent's Seed". http://dmaring.com

 

PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

David Maring:  I was raised on a farm in a community social structure where apartheid was the political order and Jesus was an important part of every household. My mother, a devout Christian, instilled in me values which still serve as my moral compass in life.

 

PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?

David Maring:  I’ve always known that ultimately I would write fiction. I carried this desire with me since grammar school. However, I never attempted to write until after I retired as a trial judge. In September 2006 my fingers hit the keyboard for the first time, and I have been writing every week on a daily basis since that time.

I write because I have to tell stories within me which are bursting to get out. I write because I must.
 

 

PageOneLit.com: Briefly discuss your first novel THE SERPENT'S SEED.

David Maring: At two o’clock one morning, I woke up with the story of Cain killing his brother weighing heavy upon me. The need to write about what happened after Cain fled to the Land of Nod pressed upon my mind. By four o’clock that morning, I started writing the story of The Serpent’s Seed. From that day forward, I worked from four o’clock every morning until four every evening. In four months the first draft was finished.
 

 

PageOneLit.com: Your new novel is CAROLINA JUSTICE - A southern historical novel, did you research much for the historical setting and plot? How did your career as a circuit judge help write CAROLINA JUSTICE?

David Maring:  In 1971, I read the transcript of a trial that occurred in Georgetown in 1940. The events surrounding the trial made an impression on me. I knew I had to write a novel that incorporated the way life use to be during the days of segregation and the impact of that social order upon the legal system. Carolina Justice was my mechanism for describing that culture. It required no research and my experience as a trial judge was very helpful in accurately describing not only the court scenes but also the actions of law enforcement. As important as my legal experience was in writing this novel, I could not have written it without my personal experience growing up in a social order that has now completely disappeared.
 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: Who is Charles Kirby Marshall? Who is Kinsey Calhoun?

David Maring: The characters I used represented pieces of individuals that I met along the path of life and some of the attributes of these characters come from my personal experiences. For instants, I use to be the only white boy swimming with black boys in a pond located deep in the woods.

 

PageOneLit.com: CAROLINA JUSTICE would make very good film - If Hollywood called and asked you to cast the movie version, who would you cast and why?

David Maring:  I would love to see Carolina Justice made into a movie. My choice of actors would include Tommy Lee Jones, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Amy Adams.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What do you hope readers will say after reading CAROLINA JUSTICE? What do you hope to achieve with your books?


David Maring:  What I hoped to achieve in writing Carolina Justice was to show that even in the center of an imperfect society, there are always good people who will try to do the right thing, though it may be unpopular. That love existed during those times between blacks and white. That while good existed in both races, evil is not restricted to any particular group. In The Serpent’s Seed, I hope to gave a biblical perspective to current events and to show the impact of religion upon the political turmoil in the world.
 

 

PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?

David Maring:  I am presently reading for the second time all of Michener’s books. I love the way he makes history come alive.

 

PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

David Maring: My hobbies are reading history and staying involved in politics. The politics keeps me in contact with various levels of society.