Keywords by David Yonke

I haven't posted a blog for a while, for a couple of reasons. First, I've been way too busy. Second, not a whole lot has happened regarding the book in the last week. Third, to be honest, I have been a little discouraged lately.
But here's the latest scoop, for what it's worth: I was taped as part of a panel for WTVG/ABC Channel 13's "Roundtable" program airing at noon Sunday, Dec. 3, and also showing periodically on Buckeye Cablesystem's Channel 614. The show was hosted by Jeff Smith and took a look back at 2006, plus a few predictions for 2007. The other guests were Tom Walton, Editor of the Blade; Rob Powers, Channel 13's sports anchor, and Jason Webber, of the Toledo City Paper. It was a fun taping and everything went pretty well. With five people talking in a half-hour program -- 24 minutes when you subtract commercials -- it goes fast.
I'm grateful to have been asked to appear on the show. Let me know what you think! I'm trying to think big and tell myself it's good practice for Oprah!
Also, I'm going to be interviewed next week by a Cleveland PBS radio station for its morning show, just a five-minute interview but it should be interesting.
My daughter, Cara, came home Wednesday and it was SO GOOD to see her! She's 19 and is studying in Sydney, Australia, and I had not seen her in almost 10 months. Regular readers will know that Cara had a close call at a beach last month, almost drowning after being caught in a riptide and tangled in seaweed. It's always great when family gets together but this time was very special. Lisa and Dana were at the airport, too, so the whole family was together, albeit briefly. Even Lulu came to the airport (Dana's puppy). I am really looking forward to the upcoming holidays, because the whole Yonke family will be together again.
A second printing of "Sin, Shame & Secrets" was done yesterday, Dec. 1. However, it was a small printing and I still don't think it's getting the kind of boost it needs to get attention beyond Ohio. Also, I still have gotten only a handful of reviews.
On a positive note, Cara was in Columbus today and said Barnes & Noble has the book on hand. Finally -- someone went to a bookstore outside of Toledo and actually saw my book on the shelf!
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I recently received a thick stack of court documents from the motions Gerald Robinson's attorney filed asking that the priest be let of prison pending his appeal. The motions were rejected twice, first by Judge Osowik of Common Pleas Court and then by the 6th District Court of Appeals. I plan to post some of the highlights of the filing details soon. You'll find them interesting, I promise.
Dec. 2, 2006, Toledo, Ohio

It's clear that although Father Gerald Robinson was convicted of murder by a jury of 12 in Lucas County Common Pleas Court, there are some people who refuse to accept the verdict and who insist the priest is innocent.

One factor in this line of thought is that some people honestly believe a priest is incapable of doing anything seriously wrong, let alone brutally murdering an elderly nun. I've seen this time and again with priests accused of sexually abusing children. Even when the allegations are deemed credible by the church, some supporters will not accept the possibility.

I believe that a key reason for this type of thinking is that a person who commits an evil deed is not necessarily evil all the time. They carry on a normal life in most respects, most of the time. How many times have you seen neighbors interviewed after someone went berserk and they say, "Oh, he was such a nice, quiet person! I never suspected he could be a murderer!" It's not like the killers walk around every day wearing camouflage clothing, drooling, wild-eyed, and carrying an AK-47. No, they look and act normal most of the time.

But evil can lurk within, sometimes very deeply, only to surface occasionally or perhaps just once in a lifetime.

The attorney who is handling Robinson's appeal, John Donahue, is trying to make the case that the priest didn't get a fair trial. And he also tried to get Robinson released on property bond while his appeal is pending, but two courts rejected the motion.

Donahue compiled letters from Robinson supporters talking about what a swell guy he is, and submitted them to the court.

I'm sure the letter writers are sincere. I'm also sure that they've only seen one side of this person who was convicted of strangling 71-year-old Sister Margaret Ann Pahl nearly to death, then stabbing her 31 times, then pulling her undergarments down and her dress up, and violating this virginal nun with some object, which many believe was a crucifix, and then leaving her on the cold terrazzo floor of a sacristy to be found by other nuns.

Here are a few of the comments made by Robinson's supporters in an effort to get him out on property bond, without any comments or rebuttals from me. Btw, I have their names but am not listing them here:

"Although I do not know Fr. Gerald Robinson personally, I did observe that he visited the sick on a regular basis during the years I was employed at Flower Hospital."

"To listen to his sermons, as I have at St. Jude Church many times, you know these charges are false."
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Well, that's enough, I think, to give you a little picture of the thought processes of those who still believe he's innocent.

Toledo, Ohio, Dec. 10, 2006

Dean Koontz is one of my favorite writers, a true wordsmith and a master at creating characters and plots that grab readers and keep their attention for the length of the book. His track record speaks for itself -- dozens and dozens of best sellers. He is an inspiration to me.

I sent Mr. Koontz a copy of my book, with a few words about how highly I regard his writing and that I hoped he might find my book of interest. I felt like a bush-league ballplayer writing to a hall-of-famer, but I went ahead anyway, not expecting a reply. But yesterday, a package arrived at my home, with a personally written note from Dean and a signed copy of his book, "The Husband," which he graciously said was "by way of a trade" for the book I sent him.

I was honored that he even read my book. And then he added a note, which I've included below, which expresses the thoughts of many people I have spoken with since the book was published -- that the story is amazing and also extremely disturbing:

Here is an excerpt from Dean Koontz's comment about "Sin, Shame & Secrets":

"What a horrendous story! I kept thinking of John Paul II and his fascination with the miracles and revelations at Fatima. The girls at Fatima said that the Holy Mother told them that many priests and cardinals, and even some popes, were in Hell. Your book suggests that road is still being paved. As a Catholic, I sometimes despair."

* * *
I've been giving a lot of thought to my next book and have decided to write a novel that would be considered uplifting. I didn't particularly enjoy writing about the evil reported in "Sin, Shame & Secrets." That is not my nature, not my fascination, and not what I want to be known for. I believe the story needed to be told and am glad I did it. But now, I'm ready for something more cheerful, positive, and spiritually uplifting. I will begin writing the novel shortly.

Toledo, Ohio, December 10, 2006.

Until this year, I could count on one hand the number of times I've been on television.
One such appearance was not exactly something I'd put on my resume: In January, 1995, I went to the Outback Bowl in Tampa when Wisconsin played Duke. My brother-in-law, Ken, and I painted our faces in Duke blue & white and wore Duke clothing and were outnumbered about 10,000 to 1 by red-clad Badger fans. On the way into the stadium, we must have been interviewed by just about all of the Tampa Bay media, who were desperate to find someone who was not from Wisconsin. It was fun but hardly a career highlight. During the game, I went to the men's room and stood in a long line. I glanced around and realized I was the only one wearing blue in the crowded room; everyone else was in bright red Wisconsin gear. The guy behind me, a 6-foot-6 behemoth, looked down at me as I was scanning the crowd said with a smile, "You are a very brave man." I could only manage a nervous smile. Wisconsin won the game, of course, 34-20, but at least Duke got invited to play in a bowl game. (As we alumni always say during football season, "Wait 'til basketball starts!")
With the Gerald Robinson trial, I got some serious TV time on Court TV, CNN, MSNBC, and the local television news channels. It was quite an eye-opener and Adrienne Wheeler, a producer for Rita Cosby's show on MSNBC, was a great coach who critiqued my performances and gave me good advice. Beth Karas of Court TV also was very helpful with advice and coaching.
On Dec. 3, I appeared on the local ABC channel's Sunday "Roundtable" program with 4 other journalists. The feedback I've gotten from that program has been phenomenal. At first, I thought people were just being polite. But after so many people told me how well I did, I started believing them. One person even commented that I looked like a "matinee idol." How many of you know what that means? If you do, you're showing your age -- and yes, I know what it means so I guess I'm showing my age as well. No use denying it!
As for the TV cameras, I guess I've gotten to the point where I'm feeling comfortable in front of them. The viewers seem to think so. Who knows, if The Blade ends up locking out all of the reporters and editors (still a looming threat -- as the company's kindhearted general manager put it so diplomatically a few weeks ago, locking out The Blade's newsroom staff would be "a slam dunk, a piece of cake"), maybe I'll put together a video resume and knock on the doors of the local TV channels and cc "60 Minutes." Right....
In the meantime, I'm working on my novel and hoping the newspaper's labor contracts are settled fairly and we can get on with our lives.
Toledo, Ohio, December 12, 2006

That would be my bumper sticker for the day, if I could find one.
Last week I had a couple of interesting experiences with people who don't just sit around and let the glass teat (Harlan Ellison's term for the boob tube) be their surrogate mamas.
On Wednesday night, Dec. 13, I spoke at the Bedford Public Library, just across the state line in Michigan, marking my first interstate book lecture. I've hit the big time.
There were about 40 people there and this talk was different because previously I was so busy signing books that I didn't actually speak very long. This time the focus was on the talk and the signings were secondary. I found the group so refreshing -- many had already read my book, and they had some great questions. I really enjoyed that evening. And the punch-and-cookies reception was a fun time. It was the first time my daughter, Cara, who is studying in Australia, was able to be at one of those events so that made it special.
The second notable evening was Friday night when Glenn Beck was in town for his traveling stage show. Beck is host of one of the most popular radio talk show programs in America and also is host of a TV show on CNN that airs in prime time.
A friend at The Blade, Jim Pencheff, listens to Beck regularly and suggested I try to get a copy of my book to him. Well everything just clicked from there. I called Dave Murnen, who is manager of the SeaGate Center box office and a musician I've written about in the past, and Dave was happy to do whatever he could to make things work. He introduced me to John Bobey, Beck's assistant/road manager, who told me they had eaten at Murphy's Place earlier in the day and the waitress had told them about my book (my first book signing was held at Murphy's). So Beck and Bobey were already aware of it. I came back later for a preshow meet-and-greet and when I introduced myself to Glenn Beck, before I could give my spiel he leaned back and gave me a smile and said he had the book and was looking forward to reading it. He said he asked Bobey to have it ready for him so he could read it on the plane. Beck seemed sincere and genuinely interested in it. Bobey also mentioned that Glenn is often looking for fresh faces/voices to comment on the news and that perhaps I could be interviewed when there are some developments in the religion field.
By the way, I stayed for Beck's stage show and it was incredibly entertaining. The guy is a master storyteller and knows how to make things interesting for his audiences, adding fast-paced videos and cranked-up music between tales. I would guess there were about 5,000 people at SeaGate that night, with tickets priced from $36 to $91 apiece. Obviously he's got a following!
* * *
I finished reading Michael Crichton's Next last weekend and wrote a review of it for The Blade. I had expected more and was extremely disappointed in the novel. It's basically dull and confusing, and you're forced to try to keep track of who's who among a couple dozen stereotyped characters. You never really find yourself disappearing into the story, it's just a lot of work trying to follow the crazy plot and the cast. To be honest, it's one of the worst novels I've read in a long time. I ask myself, Who am I to criticize the great Michael Crichton? I mean, this guy wrote Jurassic Park and created the E.R. television series. I've heard he can be vengeful with critics, but would he care what The Blade has to say about one of his books? I hope he doesn't sneak into my house some night and try to inject a mutant gene into my liver.

Toledo, Ohio December 18, 2006.

Matt C. Abbott, a Catholic columnist from Chicago who writes for www.renewamerica.us, contacted me this week about a segment of my book that reports on the Lucas County investigators' search of the Toledo Catholic Diocese's headquarters. The investigators had felt the diocese was withholding information relevant to their case against Robinson and entered the HQ armed with a search warrant -- two times -- to search diocesan files. The second time, investigators found a file marked "privileged" that contained documents about abortions for which the diocese had paid. I know this section was a ticking time bomb and is in its own right -- apart from the murder, the satanic abuse, and all the other horrors reported in Sin, Shame & Secrets -- a terribly disturbing revelation for a church that is vehemently pro-life.
For a number of reasons I won't go into here, I felt it was absolutely necessary to report the investigators' findings, but I did not try to shine a spotlight on that specific section of my book. In fact, when asked during repeated interviews if there were any new revelations in the book, I passed on mentioning this one. But I knew it was only a matter of time until it came out. Now Mr. Abbott has opened the door, and things are going to get interesting. Stay tuned...

Toledo, Ohio December 19, 2006

The Associated Press reported last night that Gerald Robinson had been hospitalized for kidney problems, which were considered non-life-threatening.
I followed up today and found that the 68-year-old retired priest had been transferred from Hocking Correctional Institute to the Ohio State University Medical Center on Dec. 7. Today, he was taken to the prison system's own medical center in Columbus where he will remain until being deemed healthy enough to return to Hocking prison, where he is serving a 15-years-to-life sentence.
You may be surprised by this request, but please pray for Robinson. I hate to see anyone suffering from illness.

We all know forensics are "hot" today, as Kathleen Reichs testified during the trial. One only has to look at the lineup of TV shows including the countless CSI programs and Reichs' own Bones series.
But the real deal is the American Academy of Forensic Scientists, which, I found out yesterday, is having a Father Robinson workshop at its annual convention in San Antonio in February.
J. Christopher Anderson, an academy member and one of the Lucas County assistant prosecutors who led the Robinson prosecution, will be one of the workshop leaders along with Dr. Diane Barnett. Scheduled to speak are Dr. Henry Lee, Dr. Steve Symes, and other expert witnesses from the trial. More than 5,000 forensic experts from around the world will be attending the conference.
I'm thinking of booking a trip to San Antonio, it seems like it would be a great opportunity to promote "Sin, Shame & Secrets" to forensic experts who want to know more about the case.
Plus, San Antonio sounds like a great place to be in February, when Toledo is still in the grip of the Midwestern winter.