Joseph W. Naus was born in 1971 in Southern California’s Inland Empire. He both graduated from Pepperdine Law and passed the Bar Exam in 1997. Joseph survived a hardscrabble, impoverished childhood, raised by his young mom, a heroin addict turned shut-in depressive, to become a respected lawyer. However, at age 32, his American Dream became a nightmare when his own sex and alcohol addictions collided and exploded. Joseph’s harrowing yet hope-filled memoir, Straight Pepper Diet, begins on the last day of his former life.
“On Tuesday, I was a respected civil trial lawyer making six-figures. On Wednesday, I woke up handcuffed to a hospital bed … and then it got worse.”
Joseph has spent the last twelve years learning humility the hard way: making a living doing everything from picking up the trash on film sets to selling outdoor kitchens at home shows for a former client, all while cleaning up the wreckage of his past and building a new life. Joseph lives in Echo Park in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Theresa and cat, Bogey. He spends much of his time writing, helping addicts recover, and perfecting his swing on Los Angeles’ public golf courses. His next book, Golf is Magic (Not Exactly a Book about Golf) is scheduled for release by Killer McMillan Publishing in 2016.