Dean Koontz, the author of the best selling book, Ashley Bell, talks about how he and his wife donated $10 million to support canine companions

Dean Koontz is one of the most accomplished American authors right now. He has published several bestsellers, he has a huge fan following and is the most recognizable face in Literature. But only these are not the defining quality of the author, he is also a very good human being. His donation of over $10 million for Canine Companions, an organization that trains dogs for people with disabilities goes to show for it.

Koontz first came in contact with Canine Companions when he was doing research for his book ‘Midnight’. He was impressed by the work Canine Companions was doing to help people with disabilities. He was offered a retired service dog, which he denied because of his very busy schedule at the time.

But he changed his mind later and got a retired service dog called Trixie a short time after that. The author has claimed in several of his interviews that Trixie has restored a sense of wonder to his world. He has even credited them for helping him find his inner inspiration for writing. He also claims Trixie has made his married life with his wife better and improved his relationship with his children.

Formerly Koontz used to write using Pen names. Some of which are Deanna Dwyer, Trixie Koontz, David Axton and Anthony North. His pen name Trixie Koontz was inspired by his own dog, which is shown in many of his book-jacket photos. This all goes to show how close to Trixie the author really is. The author claims the positive influences Trixie brought in his life was the main cause behind his donations to Canine Companions.

Koontz’s first work was a science fiction novel, Star Quest, which he wrote in his spare time. After that the American went on to write over a dozen of such novels. His books usually contain quotes evoking spirituality.  With the writing inspired by spirituality, grace, and human struggles, Koontz started getting attention from the pioneers of the field, courtesy of these books.

  In 1980, he published his suspense novel ‘Whispers’, which is the most well-known of his books. The book sold over a million copies. Two of his novels, Frankenstein and The Husband are rumored to be getting movie adaptations.

The popularity of the American author is on the show throughout his accounts in social media. Over one million of his fans follow him through his Facebook page. His Twitter handle has relatively low fan following with only 22k followers.  He also has a website, deankoontz.com dedicated for the fans wanting to keep up with his life and work.

Koontz is acknowledged as America’s most Popular Suspense Novelist by The Rolling Stone Magazine. He is author of several best-sellers. All of which has resulted in his net worth being $145 millions.