Al Dawson was born August 7, 1944 in El Paso, Texas to Raymond and Elisa Dawson.

Raymond was an Irish farm boy from Iowa, child of the Depression, who joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and while in New Mexico met and married Elisa Baldonado, a daughter of a large Mexican-American family. Al was the first born of six children.

Al entered Saint Anthony’s Seminary in Santa Barbara, California as a young teenager hoping to become a Franciscan priest. Following his dismissal, he attended the University of New Mexico where he was a member of the varsity gymnastics team.

After graduation in 1966, Al pursued a career in insurance and law. He graduated from New York Law School in 1978 and served as an officer at several large financial firms. Two law firms and a lobbying stint at a major trade association followed. After service as a bi-lingual volunteer with the Red Cross in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks in New York City, Al retired.

Al is the father of two sons, Sean and Neil. He married Jane Mahoney in 1978, with whom he has a daughter, Erin. Grandparents to Conor and Kaya Dawson, Al and Jane currently live in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida where Al plays tennis regularly, rides his BMW S1000R, studies history, enjoys travel, good wine, and the company of Jane and a circle of close friends.

He also writes. His first novel, Searching for Noriko, a WW II romantic thriller, was awarded second place in the new novel category at the Palm Beach Book Festival. It was published in 2021 (Adelaide Books). Al’s second novel, Priest, a detective thriller exploring clerical abuse scandals, first published in 2024 (Moonshine Cove Publishing), was recently awarded Gold/First Place for the Adult Fiction category in the 2025 Feathered Quill Book Awards Program. His next book, Borderline, also a novel, explores the conflicts attending a federal prosecutor who must deal with the cross-border drug trade and retribution from Mexican drug cartels, as well as political opponents on this side of the border. He currently publishes under Luna Del Lobo Books.

Contact Information:

Website: lunadellobo.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 561-365-6118