From Outsider to Insider, with David Pepper

I’ve interviewed a lot of lawyers turned authors on Uncorking a Story but who I haven’t interviewed is a lawyer turned author who received a call from former President Bill Clinton to shoot the breeze about his work. That all changed the day I interviewed David Pepper

Meet David Pepper:

David Pepper is the author of The Voter File, The People's House, and The Wingman, all of which feature Jack Sharpe. He earned his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School. He has clerked for a judge on the United States Court of Appeals, served in local elected office in Ohio, worked for major law firms, and taught election and voting rights law. Prior to law school, Pepper worked in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. In 2015, he was unanimously elected Chairman of the Democratic Party of Ohio. He recently joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss his latest novel, A Simple Plan.

The similarities between being an author and being a lawyer. How writing an authentic story that gets momentum can help overcome the challenges posed by not having an agent or a publisher. How a harsh rejection from an agent led to David’s writing what became the 2016 sleeper thriller of the year, per the Wall Street Journal. How timing is everything when it comes to publishing. The importance of maintaining your connections throughout life.