Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Diane Lunsford is talking with Al Dawson, author of Priest.

FQ: Before we get into book discussions, I would like to chat about your background. I was surprised to read about such a diverse career path—a retired lawyer who actually studied for the priesthood and was a college gymnast. What made you settle on practicing law?

DAWSON: It was less a conscious plan than a personal challenge. After I was dismissed from seminary I got married very early and was soon the father of two children, grinding along at mid-level administrative jobs at an insurance company. The marriage foundered and goaded on by a close friend who insisted that I make something of myself, I decided on law school. It was a good decision that opened up a world of career opportunities with two law firms, a trade association, and a large multinational corporation.

FQ: I’m intrigued by your ‘lobbying stint’. What memory in this aspect of your career stands out most and can you share why?

DAWSON: Funny. Lobbying has become such a dirty word, perhaps deservedly, in recent times with tales of political arm twisting and buying results with loads of money. Alas, in my experience, it was less glamorous and lucrative. It generally involved building a relationship based on trust with legislators and regulators who really had no idea what my client’s business was about and needed help understanding the consequences of proposed laws or rules. It was a matter of education more than slipping the fat envelope under the desk that is so commonly depicted. I loved lobbying because it involved selling your client’s position to a person of influence, making a case on the merits as though you were arguing in court.

FQ: I noticed you attended the University of New Mexico and were a member of the varsity gymnastics team. What was your favorite discipline?

DAWSON: I was never very good at exercises that required a lot of “air time” like tumbling, floor ex etc. I liked holding on to things, so still rings were my favorite. I did, however, like the high bar. I did NOT like pommel horse, vault or parallel bars. Remember, mine was an era of gymnastic routines that would be regarded as quaint, maybe even primitive, given the extravagant release moves that kids are doing today. I watch the Olympics and can only shake my head in admiration.

FQ: I think I was immediately intrigued by this book given the subject matter. The Catholic church has certainly been in the light for many years; particularly with the nuances of sexual abuses. Why do you suppose this is (and why does it seem the Catholic church is always the religious component where the focus is placed)?

DAWSON: That is the real crux of it all, isn’t it? I try to bring these questions to light in the early dialogue between Faith and Randy. Three words come to mind: secularization, celibacy and comeuppance. Where once clerical scandal was swept under the rug by the hierarchy and compliant civil authorities, the tide since WW II has turned so that now most of “catholic” Europe is nonobservant, and secularization is the new religion. We could discuss root causes for hours—atheism, communism, apathy, disillusionment—but the cancer has spread to the US and our hemisphere as well.

And then there’s celibacy. Most nonbelievers believe that vow is insane, whereas Father Joe believed it was the single greatest sacrifice a person could make. And I believe most good priests would feel the same way. However, a repressed sexual drive can lead one astray, and the easiest victims of twisted minds like Monsignor Monty will always be the young and the innocent. Because of reforms adopted in recent years our bishops will tell you that there is no safer place for children than today’s Catholic church. Perhaps that is so. I hope so.

Comeuppance because the Catholic church presents such an attractive target due to its grandeur, wealth, and pretty dreadful history of papal wars, papal scandals, inquisitions, persecutions, etc. Nothing is more delicious (and potentially lucrative) as sticking it to the high and mighty. The schadenfreude of watching an icon crash undoubtedly plays a part in why the church is always in the crosshairs.

FQ: I enjoyed the depth of each of your characters and had an immediate connection with Faith McGuire. She is a woman of substance and unafraid to face off the challenge no matter how formidable. Is there a real ‘Faith’ you had the opportunity to practice with during your years as an attorney?

DAWSON: Faith is a composite creature of my imagination. There was no single female lawyer I ever came across in legal practice who might have been Faith. Probably the closest person I was thinking about in creating Faith was my wife, Jane Mahoney, a Baltimore girl who had a successful business career characterized by common sense, a work ethic and a determination to always do the right thing. Pretty special lady.

FQ: There are so many areas to unpack in this book, but one that struck me was “…You think you can trust the FBI? I don’t. The cartels have informants in the FBI who have access to information about people under investigation and even people in witness protection…” (Page 135) Wow Pow! I literally got goosebumps when I read this because it was incredibly relatable to today’s climate and the discourse going on in our country where the FBI is concerned. I don’t want to open a political rant here, but I would welcome your views when it comes to their ‘need to know’ posturing.

DAWSON: I almost became an FBI agent when I graduated from UNM. I have a letter from J Edgar Hoover when I withdrew from consideration due to family issues at the time. The FBI of then and now are two different organizations. It has become in recent years a political instrument reminiscent of the SS or Gestapo. So convenient for the director to demur because a matter is “currently under investigation”, or “revelation will compromise sources or the national interest”. Hogwash, the lot of it. It has become a private army on American soil with little accountability to the public, an instrument of government terrorism that is wielded against political enemies and Christians who simply pray outside abortion mills. Time for a complete restructuring and demolition of the current leadership.

Of course, one must realize that a fiction writer enjoys a considerable degree of license, so what Pedro Morales says about America’s federales may or may not be entirely true….

FQ: Later in the story, Faith’s brother Dylan was musing about something he’d learned in college ethics class, “…the choice of the lesser evil justifies the avoidance of a greater one. The end justifies the means. The principle of double effect. Very Thomistic. Thank you, Loyola. All examples of the casuistry the mind employs to rationalize a bad act…” (Page 173). What a philosophical observation which brings me to ask if you had to choose, what would be one of your top picks of Dylan Thomas’ work and why this one?

DAWSON: I have to be completely honest: I’m no expert on Dylan Thomas. But his poetry is filled with imagery that I merely gawk at with awe. The poem in Priest is perhaps his best, and I believe his first. The energy of his images is well beyond my ken. I could see Dylan (my character) finding sympathy and a sort of solace in The Force that Through the Green Fuse as he takes on a dangerous role, the nature of which may lead him to a violent end. My favorite poem, though, is Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, his most famous and an anguished ode to his own father. I guess the theme of defiance against the inevitable appeals to me.

FQ: Given the very essence of this book casts a light on faith and religion, I couldn’t help but pause often to think about the state this country (and the world is in today). I emphatically believe God watches over us and protects us and more importantly, our pleas are answered as a direct result of our faith. Conversely, I am troubled when I see what children are subjected to in this day and age. They are the innocents and must be protected, yet there are insurmountable evil forces everywhere. In my humble view, it’s as though an erasure of anything ‘God’ is intentional. If you were asked to give a talk to an elementary school class, how would you enlighten them toward the importance of God in their respective lives and why this is so important?

DAWSON: Wow! That’s quite an assignment. But perhaps it’s easier than we think. The very young have the advantage of an innocence that is unjaded. Theirs is an openness to belief in mystery, which is unclouded by sad experience. So, suggesting that an all-powerful God is looking after them and loving them isn’t really too much of a stretch for the grade school mind. The key is to plant the seed while they are young, and hope the emerging shoot is strong enough to weather the godless winds they will encounter as they age through puberty and an educational system that seems bent on disparaging anything sacred or traditional. I, too, believe in God’s providence and while we don’t always get what we want, as I tell my children, the practice of faith is of bedrock importance to me. Why? Because otherwise our being here is pointless. Faith in God gives me a reason to become a better person. And it provides hope and comfort when things don’t go well for us.

FQ: It was such a pleasure to read your book and I was fascinated with the subject matter. You mentioned in your bio you are working on your next book Borderline, due out in 2025. How is the story evolving and can you share a little more than what is in your bio?

DAWSON: I actually started writing Borderline before Priest. It is currently a work-in-progress, which has been quite slow, Priest having been my sole focus for a good while. The story uses some characters and a subplot that ended up on the cutting room floor when my first novel, Searching for Noriko, was published. The story is centered on a federal prosecutor in New Mexico whose success in dealing with the drug cartels has earned him powerful enemies on both sides of the border. How far will he go to protect himself and those he loves? What will his enemies do to destroy his career or harm those he holds dear? What secrets will he turn up about larger forces at play on this side of the border? Is there a Middle Eastern assassin? Lots of questions and I don’t have all the answers. Let’s hope I have it all sorted by 2025!

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