Second Acts: A 'recovering trial lawyer' becomes an author and podcaster
Plus: The top news of the week: Businesses grapple with climbing Covid cases — Myers Park principal suspended with pay — Eastland redevelopment moves ahead — Business travel slow to return
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With his excitement for the law dwindling, attorney Landis Wade forged a new path; yearning to ‘explore the creative side’
Do you ever daydream about starting fresh, with a new career or a new calling you’re passionate about? In this occasional series — “Second Acts” — we’ll introduce you to Charlotteans who made huge life changes to follow different paths in pursuit of their dreams. Have a Second Act story of your own to share? Email us!
Landis Wade has two pieces of advice for others who want to make a big career switch: dig into your creative side, and don’t be afraid to fail. He’s shown here at Advent Coworking, where he has recorded episodes of his Charlotte Readers Podcast. (Photo by Jim Morrill)
by Jim Morrill
By his late 50s, Landis Wade had been a blue-chip trial lawyer for three decades. He was ready for something new, though he wasn’t sure exactly what.
“Law practice had been good to me but it was … not quite as exciting as it had been in my late 20s and 30s,” he says. “I didn’t get the same enjoyment out of helping really, really large clients, who had lots of money, part with less of it in litigation. And so I was looking for something to test my creative abilities.”
He found it by accident one holiday season.
That was when he noticed his wife watching “Miracle on 34th Street,” the 1947 classic in which lawyers convince a skeptical trial judge that the amiable, white-bearded Kris Kringle was indeed Santa Claus.
“What if I could write a story set entirely in the courtroom the day before Christmas,” he thought, “where Christmas was on trial and time was running out?”
Thus was born “The Christmas Heist,” the first book in his “Christmas Courtroom Trilogy.”
At 61, Wade left the McGuireWoods firm to focus on writing. Later, he decided to share his interest in books and storytelling by starting the Charlotte Readers Podcast. Since 2018, he’s interviewed more than 230 authors from North Carolina and around the country.
Wade employs a small team to help produce and market his podcasts. He subsidizes it with income from occasional legal mediations. But at 64, the son, nephew and husband of attorneys calls himself a “recovering trial lawyer.”
Now, while sometimes recording two podcasts a week, he’s working on his fourth book, a legal mystery involving the colonial-era Mecklenburg Declaration. Its tentative title: “Deadly Declarations.”
Wade sees his life in a literary frame, complete with the three acts of a good novel. Act 1 is the beginning or, as he sees it, his coming of age. His Act 2 was family and career. Now, with the podcast and books, he’s into Act 3.
“I wanted it to be exciting,” he says. “I wanted there to be some suspense to it. I wanted something that would challenge me toward that ending which we never know when is coming. So rather than dying at my desk, filling out my time sheet, I think I’d rather die working on my next book.”
We asked Wade about his latest act. (Answers have been edited for space.)
Q: After 35 years, was there a final straw that persuaded you to leave the law?
The final straw was thinking about what I might do in my 60s and what I might leave behind other than a time sheet. I really wanted to explore the creative side. I was just looking to the future and wondering what it might be like. Sort of like a “what if” that prompts someone to write a novel.
What’s the worst thing that could happen if I started doing something I knew nothing about? And that’s sort of how I got into podcasting. I thought, “Sounds pretty cool to talk to other people about things you’re interested in.” And since I knew absolutely nothing about podcasting, (I thought) I’ll do that.
Q: When did you first decide to write a book?
I decided to write my first book by accident. In fact, I didn’t really think of it being a book when I started it. I thought to myself, “I’m going to write a story, and it’s going to a modern-day version of ‘Miracle on 34th Street.’”
So I started writing and wrote every night for about 30 days and came up with a very rough draft of “The Christmas Heist.” I gave it to my kids and my wife on Christmas. They thought I’d given them socks or something.
Q: Did you have a trilogy in mind when you started?
I didn’t even have the second chapter in mind. I knew nothing about writing a book. I knew nothing about publishing a book. I knew nothing about marketing a book. Now, I know a lot more about all three of those things.
Q: You’ve now written three books — how did you decide to take that interest into podcasting?
I’ve always enjoyed a challenge, and writing a book is a challenge. It’s got a lot of parts and pieces. It takes a lot of effort. It takes a lot of commitment. … Part of the reason I came up with the podcast was to learn from other authors about this thing I wanted to do, which was to write books. There are two ways I think you get to be a better writer. One is to read a lot. The other is to talk to other authors who’d been through it.
Q: Did it work?
I hope I did. I learned a lot more about the structure of books — how to create a three-act story, point of view, character and tension and conflict. And I learned a lot about the little things you have to do to keep the pages turning. Just writing a book is not even half the battle. If nobody ever reads it, it’s like that tree that falls in the forest.
Q: You’ve done more than 230 podcast episodes. Unlike writing or the law, there’s a lot of technology to deal with. How steep was the learning curve when you started?
Steeper than I thought it would be. It takes patience and perseverance. Patience with new technology. Learning it. Perseverance just to keep going and keep putting out quality content. It really wasn’t that hard to learn how to use the devices (and) the editing software….
The technology is something that sometimes scares people away, but it’s not as complicated as you’d think. And it’s fun actually to learn new skills. I never would have thought that I’d be able to do a recording, edit it … and create graphics.
Q: Between reading the books, preparing interviews and editing and uploading the actual podcasts, you’ve got to be investing a lot of time in this. What’s your typical week like?
I’ve tried to stay several months ahead in my recording. But the real time is in the front end of communicating with the authors, getting their books, getting their head shots, getting their book covers electronically, creating show notes, making sure they know what reading they’re going to do in the middle of the show.
I try to talk about the setting of the book and the characters in the book. Then I ask them a few “writing life” questions. One is, “If you could tell your younger-writing self something of value which, had you known it when you wrote your first book, would have helped (you), what would it be?” I get some great answers.
Q: What advice would you give people who may be burned out on their career and want to start another?
My advice would be two things: Recognize that everybody has a creative side whether you realize it or not. And find something you’re passionate about. Dig into it and don’t be afraid of failing. Because only through those failures are you going to get better at it.
That’s what writing is all about. We fail all the time. We get rejected. People tell us sometimes how bad our work is. If you really enjoy what you’re doing, whether it be writing, singing, doing a podcast with a friend — whatever it may be — find something you enjoy doing and do it. And don’t be afraid of the consequences.
Don’t be afraid of the fact that it might not work out as well as you thought it might, because we never know how much time we might have left.
Jim Morrill covered politics and government for the Charlotte Observer for 38 years before retiring in December. He can be reached at jmorrill634@gmail.com.
Today’s supporting sponsor is Soni Brendle:
This week in Charlotte: Myers Park principal suspended; businesses grapple with rise in Covid; Eastland redevelopment moves ahead
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
Myers Park principal suspended with pay: (WBTV) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced Friday that it has suspended Myers Park High School Principal Mark Bosco with pay. The move comes following allegations from former students that he and other school personnel mishandled sexual assault allegations. Earlier this week, board member Jennifer De La Jara told the Observer she will vote against renewing Bosco’s contract. In a statement to the Observer, Bosco’s lawyer, Sally Higgins, said Bosco “is confident that he has followed applicable CMS policy at all times” and that he “is and has always been committed to fostering a school community in which students’ unique needs are met, safety is a top priority and all students can thrive.” CMS also said it is forming a task force composed mostly of students to ensure the district responds adequately to claims of harassment or assault, WBTV reported.
Politics
Beasley campaign staff turnover: (AP via WFAE) The campaign manager and finance director for Democratic N.C. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley have both exited or are exiting their positions. Beasley's campaign manager, Katie Gladstone, will remain on staff for the next couple weeks as her team transitions to a new leader, the campaign said this week. Margaret Nelson, Beasley's finance director, left in July.
Nondiscrimination ordinance: (QCity Metro) Charlotte City Council members this week debated details related to the city’s proposed nondiscrimination ordinance, which is expected to be up for a vote next week. The ordinance is designed to extend protections to members of the LGBTQ community. Among the details discussed was that employers with 15 or fewer workers would not be exempt from discrimination complaints.
Local news
Green’s Lunch land for sale: The uptown parcel that contains longtime Charlotte restaurant Green’s Lunch is up for sale, the Charlotte Business Journal reported. The asking price is $2.5M for the 0.07-acre site. The agent listing the property, Chris Orr with Romans Properties, said on Twitter: “Parcel is For Sale, Tenant will remain.” Green’s owner Joanna Sikiotis told CharlotteFive: “I’m not going anywhere — this does not affect the business.”
Cherokee approve medical marijuana: (Observer) The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has approved the use of medical marijuana on their tribal lands, which are three hours west of Charlotte. It’s unclear if non-members of the tribe are eligible to buy. The tribe’s chief said in a news release that passing the ordinance “is just the first step, but we are excited to begin building this program.” The General Assembly is also considering a medical marijuana bill that would legalize use for people with chronic conditions statewide.
Light rail deaths during memorial: (Observer) Two men who were holding a memorial for their brother, who had been struck and killed by a light rail train, were also struck and killed by a train. Both men were walking on the tracks near South Boulevard and Hebron Street when they were struck, police said.
Business
Grappling with Covid cases: Wells Fargo and Truist are delaying returns to the office, while seven independent medical practices including Tryon Medical Partners and OrthoCarolina said they’re requiring vaccinations of their workers.
Eastland redevelopment moves forward: (WCNC) Mecklenburg County commissioners approved $7M in tax incentives to redevelop the old Eastland Mall site in east Charlotte. Plans call for mixed-income housing, a park, greenways, businesses and a full-service grocery store on the 78-acre site. Of the 485 residential units, 85 will be senior affordable housing, 250 will be apartments for rent and 150 units will be townhomes and single-family homes for sale at market prices.
Business travel slow to return: (Ledger 🔒) Charlotte airport is packed with passengers, but troubles could persist for airlines because business travelers are still largely staying home.
Good reads
Favorite N.C. TV and movie mistakes: (North Carolina Rabbit Hole) Jeremy Markovich has fun with the TV show “Outer Banks’” peccadillo of putting characters on a ferry to Chapel Hill by generating a “North Carolina Fictional Transportation Generator” with comical ways to get around the state, plus humorous Tweets from his followers about ways they’ve seen North Carolina mis-portrayed on TV and film. Offenders include “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Veep” and “Bull Durham.”
Act of kindness for airport restroom attendant: (Observer) An American Airlines flight attendant committed a random act of kindness and paid the dental bill for an airport bathroom attendant who needed four new front teeth. Then, the story caught the attention of social media and it led to an outpouring of more goodwill from the public.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Setting the record straight on a piece of Charlotte’s trolley history: (Friday 🔒) Charlotte history buffs say the history of Charlotte’s trolley system is getting muddied, with recent media reports that make it seem like a new South End brewery is located in the city’s “historic” former trolley repair and storage building, when actually that building has long since been demolished.
Historic Streetcar #85 bound for Belmont: (Friday) In more trolley news, a historic trolley car that was restored in the 1990s is likely to be headed soon to the town of Belmont, where it will run from the town’s downtown to Belmont Abbey College. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission is expected to take the matter up at a meeting this week.
Ballantyne residents mobilize against apartments: (Friday 🔒) Some residents of Ballantyne are signing a petition against a proposed apartment and townhome development that they say will cause even more congestion on an already-busy road.
Are CATS’ financial projections too rosy? (Transit Time): With Charlotte leaders asking for a penny sales tax that they promise will cover the transit initiatives they’ve laid out, it raises the question — are their cost and revenue projections as woefully off as they have been in the past?
Expansion on tap for NoDa Brewing: (Wednesday 🔒) NoDa Brewing Co., one of Charlotte’s largest breweries, is planning a big expansion at its site on North Tryon Street.
Communion and coworking: (Wednesday 🔒) When Ridge Church in Matthews wanted to find a way to make its campus accessible to the community, it decided to open a communal coworking space, with a portion of profits going to three charities.
Tough times for dry cleaners: (Monday) The owner of five local dry cleaning locations says his business shrank about 75% during the pandemic and is finally climbing back, although the future is uncertain.
Indian Trail flags: (Friday 🔒) After the N.C. Department of Transportation said no to a plan to place 2,999 3-foot by 5-foot American flags along Indian Trail Road to mark the 20th anniversary of 9-11, the town’s mayor spoke out against NCDOT and the town came up with an alternate plan.
SouthPark office sales: (Monday) In a sign that the market for office space is stagnant, two SouthPark office complexes recently sold for almost exactly what buyers paid for them a few years ago.
Walmart deal with Johnson & Wales: (Monday) Walmart announced that it’ll pay full tuition and books at 10 universities, including Johnson & Wales. Walmart workers are able to participate in Johnson & Wales’ program on operations and supply-chain management.
Ways of Life (🔒): Inge Czerny was the daughter of an officer who fought for the Nazis — a family history she came to terms with and used as motivation to spend her life fighting for the oppressed.
Farewell from our summer intern: (Tuesday) Before she left Charlotte for her senior year at UNC Chapel Hill, Ledger summer intern Lindsey Banks wrote a note to Ledger readers about what she learned this summer. She said her work with The Ledger and QCity Metro has given her “a newfound confidence in myself and my capabilities” and that she has “witnessed firsthand how important local journalism is to a community.”
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