Interacting with the fans of his books is something South Jersey author Mike Myers has always loved to do. But it wasn’t until recently that Myers found perhaps his biggest fan, Billy, and knew he had to do something special for him.
Billy, a two-and-a-half-year-old boy from Massachusetts, used to look at a couple pages of a book and then get sick of it, his mom, Jayme Dearing, said. But his interest in books changed when Billy’s older brother got him The Sideway Sliders, Myers’ first book, for Christmas.
“He has autism spectrum disorder,” Dearing explained. “He won’t sit still except for the Sideways Sliders. It’s the only book he will sit and listen to.”
Since the Sideways Sliders was published, Myers has added two more books to the series, The Whiney Supercharger and The Noisy Snails. Those three books plus a coloring book, all make up “Motorhead Garage Productions.”
Billy’s mom, Jayme, connected with Myers through his Facebook page, telling him how big of a fan he had in her son.
“His mom mentioned he didn’t like books,” Myers said. “But my book he didn’t want to put down. That’s just kind of awesome.”
After talking more with Dearing, Myers set out to make something special for Billy. After deciding how to thank his biggest fan, Myers sent a toolbox filled with the series and the coloring book to surprise the two-and-a-half-year-old.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Since receiving it, Billy hasn’t left the toolbox.
“He has to bring the box with him everywhere we go,” Dearing said, laughing. “Doctor’s appointments, everywhere.”
Both Dearing and Myers posted about the toolbox on Facebook, where the toolbox became a big hit amongst followers. Now, in an effort to connect with more of his readers, Myers is raffling off those same toolboxes. The toolboxes include all three books in the series and the coloring book. Raffle tickets are $1 each, and information on how to purchase tickets can be found on the Motorhead Garage Productions Facebook page.
