Daniel Richard Smith lives in Edmonton, with his wife, Susan. He raised two disabled sons: Matthew, who developed cerebral palsy at six months old, and subsequently passed away at the age of ten due to heart failure, and David, who experienced a global delay at birth. David is currently 27 years old and lives in a group home not far from Daniel and Susan. David has never walked or talked, is reliant upon others for his daily existence, and is the happiest, most loving and courageous person Daniel has ever known.
Daniel has always had an interest in World War II. After learning what had gone on in Germany in the late 1930s and throughout World War II, Daniel remembers thinking, What if my disabled sons had been in that place, at that time? What would have become of them? Prinz David's Castle was born from that thought. Daniel sees parallels drawn between what happened before and during World War II in Germany, and the social and political atmosphere that exists in today's world. If it happened before, it can happen again. He believes that today's divisive and toxic landscape is shaded in examples from the past, and hopes that his writing will help readers draw those comparisons.
