Sanda Ayers writes children’s book about K-9 Kilo

 Deputy Kilo, a K-9 with the White County Sheriff’s Office, has become an instant celebrity in the past month, thanks to author Sanda Ayers who featured him in the latest installment of her “Tommy the Tractor” children’s book series.

“I met Kilo at a breakfast for kids around Christmas time. I was watching this dog and thinking that it would be a great story for kids,” Ayers said and explained that she talked to the sheriff and, ultimately, Kilo’s handler, Jake Simmons, about her idea. “Everyone was on board, so I wrote the story. Now this thing has grown, and the attention the book has gotten is wild.”

Ayers’ idea was beyond a new adventure for the returning hero of her book series who was born from the image of an old tractor her husband brought home years ago – a tractor whose front end resembled a face that only looked more alive when her husband placed his hat on top of it.

“I wanted to do something to help support the White County K-9 units,” she explained. “Some of them didn’t have protective vests for the K-9s or the money for some of the training.”

The proceeds from the sales of Ayers book, “Tommy the Tractor and Deputy Kilo,” are given to the White County K-9 unit and Project K-9 Heroes, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a high quality of life for retired military and police K-9s, caring for their medical and emotional needs and helping them adjust to “civilian” life.

“Tommy’s” newest adventure with Kilo has quickly become popular, and the fundraising efforts that are behind the book have generated a lot of attention, including that of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.

“The governor’s office called me and invited us to meet with Gov. Lee and Chief of Staff Joseph Williams,” Ayers said and further stated that she, along with Kilo and Simmons and White County Sheriff Steve Page, made the trip to Nashville to share “Tommy the Tractor and Deputy Kilo” with the governor. “They are very interested in getting these books distributed statewide.”

While it’s undoubtedly impressive that Ayers’ book is getting the attention of the governor as well as local authorities, the author is happiest that children are loving her books and hopes they are learning from them.

“I am so very happy that the kids are liking them,” Ayers said, adding that she has had parents tell her that they couldn’t get their children to enjoy reading until they met “Tommy the Tractor.” “I am mostly happy that they are helping the community and giving comfort to the kids and helping them with difficult topics.”

Ayers said her 14 books featuring the talking tractor tackle a variety of social-emotional issues, including loss, fear, adoption, and other topics with child-friendly language.

As for “Tommy’s” adventure with Deputy Kilo, Simmons said he is thankful for the tool that is helping him connect with children.

“Sometimes children see us when it is a scary situation, and this book gives me another tool to connect with younger kids so that they see us as friendly and the helpers we want to be,” Simmons said.

He called the books a blessing and said that, during community outreach programs, he now reads the book to children while Kilo sits and listens along.

“It was really neat for me and Kilo to be a part of this project,” Simmons said.

As for what’s next for the “Tommy the Tractor” series or any other writing projects, Ayers said she has no specific goals – if she sees something and thinks it would make a good story, she goes with it.

“Everything is a story,” she said. “Life is a story.”

“Tommy the Tractor and Deputy Kilo” and the 13 other books in the series are available at tommytractoradventures.com or through Shopify. Some titles are also available through Books-A-Million, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.