A local author raising money for a little girl in our area held his first book reading Monday night, but he never expected so many people to come out to support the good cause.
“I never thought it would be this big,” said author Daniel Bryson. “I’m glad it is, though, because obviously more people, the more it gets out there, more money we can help the family.”
Bryson wrote a book that has raised a couple thousand dollars in less than a month, all for a little girl named Maddie Shura who has an inoperable brain tumor.
“I kind of knew after Thursday [when the story first aired on WTAJ News] this was gonna be something a little bigger than I ever expected,” he said. “The whole thing’s been bigger than I expected. It’s fun.”
At his first book reading Monday night at the Bellwood-Antis Library, Bryson sold out of the stack of books he brought to sign.
“I thought we would have maybe you know 30, 35, 40 children, but we estimated we had well over 125 people,” said library assistant Pam Ayers.
“It is awesome to see people come together like this,” Bryson said. “I mean, nobody can understand what they’re going through, myself included. So to see people coming together like this. It’s pretty awesome.”
Bryson and teacher Pete Harry both made donations Monday night; Bryson donated from his book sales and royalties, and Harry pledged to make a donation on behalf of all the kids that showed up.
“There’s so much hurt and harm going on and it just does your heart and spirit good to know that there’s good people out there like Dan and Pete Harry,” Ayers said.
“The Adventure of Pistachio Mustachio” has become the talk of the town, but it’s just the first adventure for the mustached tree nut. There is another book on the way, and it may be coming as soon as October.
“This one’s about being yourself and it’s okay to be yourself,” Bryson explained. “Don’t try to be something you’re not because people will like you for you. It’ll be again the Adventure of Pistachio Mustachio but the next one will be the Search for Cashew Manchu.”
Bryson will read and sign books next at the Alexandria Public Library September 3rd.