BERNE — A sixteen-year-old’s wish was granted this week when he got to meet his favorite author.

On Sunday, Zach Pierce, who has a brain tumor, dined with Johnathan Rand, successful author of thrillers for children. It was a dream come true for Pierce.
"It was interesting," Pierce said of his meeting with Rand. When asked if Rand was how he expected, Pierce said, "No. He was nicer."

Pierce and his family, of Berne, ate with Rand at a local Chinese restaurant.
"It was so awesome," said Pierce’s mother, Robin. "We probably spent like two hours with [Rand] and his wife."

At dinner, Rand presented Pierce with an autographed hardback copy of one of his books. Of course, Pierce had already read it.
"Zach has every single book," his mother said.

Pierce was diagnosed with the tumor when he was five. According to Mrs. Pierce, surgery on the tumor in 1994 affected his vision, balance, fine motor skills, and caused learning disabilities. In 1999, the tumor had returned and Pierce began chemotherapy. The therapy caused nerve damage to his legs, putting him in a wheelchair.

Through it all, his mother said, Pierce never complains.

His disabilities make reading difficult, so when someone gave Pierce a book called New York Ninjas by Rand, he put it aside. One day, however, for no apparent reason, Pierce picked up the book and read it cover to cover. He was hooked, his mother said.

Quickly, Pierce started making his way through all of Rand’s books and joined the fan club.

Set in Albany, New York Ninjas is one of a series of books Rand writes called American Chillers. For each American state, Rand tells an adventure tale of children and their spooky encounters. The stories incorporate local place names and landmarks.

Several years ago, Rand was working as a radio broadcaster in Michigan when he decided to become a writer.
"I always loved to write and read and be creative," Rand told The Enterprise.

His first books, the Michigan Chillers series, were set in various cities in the state, from Detroit to Traverse City to Kalamazoo. The books caught on among children in Michigan and states beyond.
"I started getting letters saying, ‘Hey, write about my state,’" Rand said.

Rand shies away from the word horror. His books are exciting, he said, but he is not a proponent of violence and he is not out to frighten children. All his stories end happily, he said.
"I think there’s something that kids like about being scared and being able to close the book," Rand said.
"They’re thrilling and they’re fun to read," Pierce said of the books. His favorite is American Chillers number seven, Werewolves of Wisconsin.

Rand was brought to the area to meet Pierce by WPYX, the radio station, as part of its PYXmas Wish program. The station learned about Pierce from a letter his mother wrote.

While Rand is in the area, he’s visiting schools and libraries, telling children about reading and writing.
"What I try to do is to put a hipness factor into being an author," Rand said. "If they think I’m cool, they might think reading is cool."

On Sunday, Rand met his biggest fan.
"It was really humbling that it was his Christmas wish to meet me," he said.