Good day Donald and thanks for agreeing to the interview.
Norm- when you were first approached to write the book by one of the grandchildren of the Albert family, what was your immediate reaction? Did you believe the grandchild was telling the truth or perhaps exaggerating?
Donald- my immediate reaction was actually disinterest. From what I heard initially, I did not think it would make a good enough story for a full-length book. Also, I was not too interested in another story about problems in the Catholic Church. I did believe Ray Albert's son, however. I had worked with him for several years and knew that he was telling the truth.
Norm- how did you go about gathering the evidence and what made you so sure that the evidence you had uncovered was accurate?
Donald- I began gathering information and evidence by speaking directly to the Albert brothers. Then I went to Wichita and visited the sites and spoke to many people. The Alberts had already come up with a lot of evidence on their own. I reviewed all of it in great detail and then made numerous requests of them to do some additional digging. I also tracked down adults who, when children, were in the orphanage and confirmed the stories.
Norm- Have you received any hate mail since you published the book? How has the book been received among the critics, readers, etc?
Donald- I have not received any hate mail or even negative feedback. The documentation speaks for itself. I've also received congratulations and thanks for bringing the story to light.
Norm- what was your objective when you decided to take on the project and publish the book?
Donald- my objectives were two-fold. First, I wanted to tell the story well. Although very sad, it is a story that needed to be told. Second, because I was outraged at what had happened to the Albert family and their subsequent treatment by the Witchita Diocese, I wanted to help the family receive more attention and, perhaps, get them some of their lost legal fees back.
By the way, 50% of all author royalties go to the Albert family.
Norm- how emotionally difficult was it for you when you uncovered your horrendous findings?
Donald- it was quite difficult, especially since I had befriended the Albert brothers. However, I believe that part of being a good writer is the professional discipline to separate your emotions from what you write.
Norm- what course of action on the part of the Catholic Church would you suggest in view of your findings?
Donald- the Catholic Church needs to admit that there was wrongdoing, provide compensation and apologies to the Albert family (and other similar victims) and then put in place a new system to ensure that such abuse will never, ever happen again.
Norm- are you planning to do any kind of a follow up to the book such as writing magazine articles, television interviews, etc?
Donald- I have no plans for any follow-up writing on this topic since I am hard at work on two new books. However, I continue to participate in media interviews in order to tell the story and set the record straight.
Bravo Donald for having the courage to write such an excellent book!
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