Interview with Crime Thriller Authors Joe Gallagher and Dan Bowden

 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

 Dan Bowden - Working in a church environment part time I realized, sadly, how cavalier some priests feel regarding the serious pedophile issue. Also, a very close friend of mine shared with me that he was victimized. Feeling the distress he still suffers many years later compelled me to write this book.

 

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for?

Dan Bowden - Vigilante Priest is written with two protagonists: Father Tony,  a priest falsely accused of sexually abusing a student. Father Tony is troubled with the secrets he holds. Torn by what is right and wrong he struggles with this moral dilemma.

 

Detective Eddie Rodriguez is on a bad luck bender. Even with his dubious instincts he still

engenders admiration. While the book is basically about a serious issue Eddie brings some

comic relief.

 

Vigilante Priest is written for adults who enjoy crime thrillers with a bit of comedic relief and an underlying message that addresses a serious issue. It is for those who enjoy a thought-provoking read presented in a captivating way. Readers find the book’s story intriguing with lots of twists and turns. One review describes it as a must-read thriller with a message,   Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its readability, with one customer mentioning they couldn’t put it down even after bedtime.

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

Dan Bowden - I hope readers will realize that in the politics of the church, like in any other large entity, there are good and bad people. In the case of the church there are a few, very conservative cardinals, who were responsible for protecting these rogue priests which I feel has instilled a serious generational trust issue. The book gives hope that the church can change moving forward.

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?

Sandy Bowden (advisor, mediator and editor) – The title, Vigilante Priest, came about during the conceptualization for the book. It gives a hint to the book's direction while tempting readers

 to dive in and see where it will lead. As with the title, the cover is designed to lure the reader in with its mystery and allure. The priest with the cupped hands over the skyline of New York City

 speaks to the complexities and interconnections of the church, the law and the criminals of New York City .

 

5. Did being the son of an NYPD police officer play a role in shaping the authentic substance of your story?

Dan Bowden - Absolutely, growing up not only in a household of police officers (my brother was also a police officer) but in Washington Heights in upper Manhattan where many people in my neighborhood, including many of my friends, were on the police force gave me great insight into the workings of the NYPD.  A few of my friends were actually assigned to the Fort

Apache precinct. I spent a great deal of time making sure of the authenticity of the workings of law enforcement by tapping into this invaluable resource.

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?

Joe Gallagher  - The book world seems to be narrowly focused on finding a target audience. With the lack of the population reading, there are safe genres with an established reading base that are being rehashed over and over. On the other hand, the movie and tv market which has broad consumption is suffering from a lack of textured content.  Most TV series and movie scripts are ignoring books at this point and just producing screenplays that can be immediately converted to video. I believe that using a book as canon allows the director to create a more vibrant world to inhabit.  This leads to better video content. I believe that we will see more books working as they were intended as source material for movies and tv series versus as a competitor to video consumers.

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?

Dan Bowden – As I mentioned in my responses to questions 1 and 5, I grew up with great exposure to NYPD officers in both my family and my circle of friends. Then later in life I worked for the Catholic Church and I also had a friend who was victimized. These gave me great insight that I was able to use in the research and writing of Vigilante Priest.

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

Joe Gallagher -  I am a plodder. It is difficult for me to lay a story out scene by scene and retain immersion.  Plodding makes the writing process much more enjoyable for me as I am rooting for the protagonist with the reader. (SPOILER ALERT) In Vigilante Priest, I was as surprised as the reader when ultimately Eddie was shot towards the end of the book.  The other characters were too savvy, and Eddie was unaware of the depths they would go. 

There are many successful plodders but if we are looking at self-ascribed plodders the list narrows. David Quamman is the first that comes to mind. Oddly enough, I am leaving for Yellowstone in a few days, so that’s probably why I am thinking of him. While his plodding style is similar to mine, his subject matter and tone are different. On the similar books front, the first word that comes to mind is Arkangel. There are elements of Rollins’ Arkangel with the Vatican connection and the governmental elements but I’m more thinking of Harris’ Archangel with gritty believable characters where the reader doesn’t feel safe because the world is very dangerous and fluid. I want the reader to feel immersed in a real world with real consequence.

 

 9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

Sandy Bowden (advisor, mediator and editor) – There are many challenges when a book is co-authored. It was important to keep both authors on the same page and moving in the same direction. While both knew where they would start and what the final message should be, at times there were divergent routes to get there. These let to many discussions, and at times mediation, to keep the process moving.

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

Joe Gallagher - Vigilante Priest is a page turner. The characters are vibrant and relatable. While the subject matter is tense, there are laugh out loud conversations that occur in the book.  Think of Breaking Bad where there is humor in a dark world. The characters feel real so their responses to stress feel genuine. For more accomplished readers, there are many allegorical references and easter eggs for you to spot. Ultimately, I believe that you will fall in love with at least one of the characters and the book ends with a thought-provoking and rewarding finish.

 

About The Authors:

JOE GALLAGHER – Joe Gallagher lives in Mount Airy with his two younger children, Ryan and Lilli. His eldest child, Andrew, is a college graduate and has started his own life journey. In addition to writing, Joe is an active member of various communities that keep him busy.

 

DAN BOWDEN – Dan Bowden is the son of an NYPD detective. He holds a teaching degree and worked part-time at a Catholic Church. He lives in Tinton Falls, New Jersey with his wife, Sandy. Dan has two sons, Brian and Bobby and two daughters-in-law, Melanie and Nikki. He is the proud Grandpa to five wonderful grandchildren, John, Bella, Abby, Robert and Jojo.

 

“Remember these two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn't work. Second, the failure gives you an opportunity to try a new approach.“

— A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be, More Creative, 25th Anniversary Edition by Roger von Oech

 

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 4.5 million pageviews. With 5,300+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

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