Joseph W. Naus was born in 1971 in the Inland Empire of Southern California. He graduated from Pepperdine Law and passed the Bar 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 lives in Highland Park in Los Angeles with his wife, Theresa, and their cat, Bogey, and is working on his next book, a follow-up memoir detailing how he survived the wreckage chronicled in SPD. It’ll be released, hopefully, by early 2019. www.josephwnaus.com
Topo A.K.A Scott Matz is an artist, musician, and special education teacher. He has played in many bands including Old Hickory, Martian Lamps, Happy Ending, Hello Menno, Dream Apes and most recently Sorry About Everything. Topo coined and actively engages in what he calls DUI: Drawing Under the Influence and has traversed Los Angeles bars and pubs in search of counter tops on which he creates his drawings. In June of 2014 Topo’s drawings were featured in the inaugural event of the Mohawk Bend series Artists Worth Celebrating which was featured on CBS Los Angeles blog Best of LA. Topo donated all the proceeds from the event to Villa Esperanza in Pasadena. 100 Limericks will be Topo’s first publication of his drawings. Visit Topo’s Instagram.
K. M. P. 