Justice, Fiction, and the Fight for What’s Right with Mark Bello

“There’s the law…then compassion. And the law and compassion don’t always see eye to eye.”

Sean’s Monologue: Barriers to Birthing

Today we welcome Mark Bello - attorney, civil justice advocate, and an award-winning legal-themed novelist. 

Mark opens the with the story of why he became an attorney, what turned him to social justice, and what inspired him to write his first novel based on his own experience as one of the first people to sue the Catholic Church over sexual abuse by clergy. He tells us why he chose to write fiction rather than a factual account when penning his debut novel, Betrayal of Faith, thirty years after his groundbreaking litigation. Mark goes on to tell us how the 2016 election turned a single book into a series that now contains nine titles, then laughs about how Trump unwittingly turned fiction into fact. This leads to a discussion with Sean about how America shoots itself in the foot by voting against its own self-interest.

Mark is of Jewish heritage, and he shares his fears about mass deportation by saying “Yesterday’s Jew is today’s Haitian.” He bemoans a political swing to the right that he really didn’t expect, then he and Sean talk about what went wrong in the 2024 election. Mark had promised himself that he wouldn’t be bitter on our show…but, you know. 

The conversation turns to how America’s justice system has proven that some people are simply above the law. Did Trump reach the legal standard for a felony murder charge following the January 6th insurrection? A viewer of the show writes in to assure us that “Trump is working for Jesus.” 

As an attorney, Mark is all too aware that justice is not always equal and blue-collar criminals are not able to hire the best lawyers. He and Sean chat about other American inequalities, money in politics, the perception that the Far Left is controlling the country, campaigning on immigration, and what went wrong with trickle-down economics.

The conversation takes a less frustrated turn as Mark tells us about his “Justice Counts” podcast, which allows him to vent with like-minded guests about the shit going on in the world and the legal issues of the day. Sean brings up one of the “Justice Counts” episodes, then they discuss the US probation system and how it needs reform. Mckenzie reluctantly comes on air to talk about participatory photography. 

Mark hints about the adventures of his lawyer hero, Zachary Blake, along with his pornography-addicted P.I. as they fight for social justice in his latest legal thriller, The Anti-Semite Next Door.  He tells us about his children’s books and lists off the topic of each book in his Zachary Blake series. Mark explains that after writing books for others, The Anti-Semite Next Door is the book  he finally wrote for himself, then he takes a few minutes to share his views as a Jewish American on the Gaza-Israel conflict.   

To learn more about Mark’s books, podcast, and more, visit: https://markmbello.com