The twins were accused of murdering a fellow who belonged to the Jehovah's Witness Church. A call was made toCrimestoppers saying that the twins killed Mike Kalanza. At the time, the man had been missing since 1985. His body was found in 1997, seven months after the first book came out. The story of Mike's disappearance combined with the intertwining's the Pischke family had with Mike over the years made for an interesting and thought provoking story, so I wrote it.
Dennis was asked to participate but he declined, which in the end, made my job a lot easier. Writing about the twinswhen they were always together was easy, but once they grew up, got married and had families, they began leading separate lives. It would pose a problem for me, especially since I really wanted to begin with one of them on the polygraph. Dennis' decision solidified what I needed to do, write from David's point of view. I think it made for a more concise story in the end.
Surprisingly quiet. I expected it to generate a lot more talk than it has. I think the first book was so overwhelming that people may have been disappointed that it wasn't as "shocking" but how could it be? The story has sold well and I have only a few copies on hand. It will be going back into print very soon.
I hope not! I think I've said it all. What is really remarkable is that Norman Pischke, was an average guy from Manitoba's Interlake and he had his character explored in three books, the two I wrote plus he was in The Sacrament, by Peter Gzowski. Isn't that amazing? They say he was a remarkable man and that fact alone makes it difficult to argue against.
I have a lot of respect for every member of the Pischke family. This process couldn't have been easy for them, but for the most part they handled it with dignity and grace. Walter and Eunice were very helpful - and of course Dennis and his wife Robynne were always a pleasure. I grew especially close to David and Lynne, probablybecause of the second book. I absolutely love the picture of David that's at the back of the second book. It really gives the sense of who he was - and the quote is perfect. You have to admire him for his honesty and I guess that sums up my feelings - I truly admired him. He was a very strong man who overcame incredible odds and achieved much considering what was expected of him.
You mention in the book a fundraising walk that David completed in 2000. How did that go?
Well, I have a lot of mixed feelings about the walk.
All David wanted to do was raise money to help the underprivileged but it turned into a very difficult undertaking. Not the actual walking part, but the organizing was hard. I am truly thankful to all those who offered financial and moral support. He earned more than $30,000 which he donated to women's shelters. Unfortunately there were people who tried to sabotage his efforts and that is really sad. In the end, I'm glad we did it. It fulfilled a dream of his.
One thing I will add is that if it weren't for the walk, we all wouldn't have had the chance to spend the wonderful night at the old farm site. People came from all over Manitoba to camp there and tour the farm. We ate, drank and sang late into the night. It was really great and there was such a strong sense that he'd really overcome his demons. One of the most powerful experiences of my life occurred the morning of his homecoming. I was one of the first people up and I was standing outsidethe motorhome and it was misty and damp - the sun was coming up. Icould see the church on one side of Dave's motorhome and the house onthe other. It gave me such a sense of closure, that his story had come full circle.
The book has reached the point where it has pretty much saturated the Manitoba market. Word of mouth has helped sales in other provinces and it continues to sell steadily. I am planning to reprint and maybe go on a spring book tour promoting all three titles. The twins share in the royalties and I feel pretty good about that. As long as there is demand, I'll keep printing and selling the books.
In conclusion, I'd like to say that I'm very humbled by the fact that they had to live through hell so that I could realize my dream. They are two people I will never forget.
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