In this podcast, reporter Mary Waldron talks with attorney turned mayor turned fiction author, Thomas Cole Edwards, on how he has successfully led a career that has satisfied so many of his different passions, including law, politics, travel, and writing. Tying that in, he advises law students to follow a diverse career path that makes them happy, saying, 'This [life] isn't a dress rehearsal.'

Edwards attended law school in Washington, DC, graduating in 1971. After learning the ropes of real estate and business law, he opened his own law firm in Orange County in Fullerton, California in 1977. While excelling in real estate and business law, and litigation until recently, Edwards has played very key roles in his community, specifically as the Mayor of Newport Beach in 1997.

Edwards' contributions as mayor are only a small representation of what he has accomplished in his career. Some of his most worthwhile work includes developing, drafting, and negotiating the John Wayne Airport settlement agreement; preventing offshore drilling to save California from any profit decreases in its multibillion-dollar tourist industry; and supporting and leading, as President, the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation, making it one of the second-best in the nation. He also talks about his first book release, a Caribbean, fiction, adventure novel, Gin Clear Water.

Duration: 25:42:00