Paying the price of fame

Elia Powers

Newport Beach resident William “Billy” Wiles has been given a gift he

never expected: literary immortality.

At a December 2003 silent auction, Wiles’ wife, Donel, made the

highest bid on an item that guaranteed the winner a mention in author

Dean Koontz’s latest novel, “Velocity,” released late last month.

The auction item was vaguely explained to bidders, Wiles said.

There were no detailed stipulations or promises made by Koontz’s

publicity staff.

“It was just ‘we’ll use your name,’” Wiles, 52, said. “My name

could have appeared one time as the cab driver of some passing

character.”

Instead, Koontz decided to make Billy Wiles the main character of

his book.

The author said while some of his characters’ names are chosen for

a specific reason, the main man in “Velocity” was open for

identification.

“His name worked well for the character,” Koontz said. “It

resonated with me.”

Koontz, a regular on the New York Times Best Sellers list and a

Newport Coast resident, said he regularly offers names in his novels

to help raise money for his favorite charities.

Wiles read the good news when Koontz sent him a personalized

letter. He also received two publisher’s editions of the novel.

“I was flattered when I found out,” Wiles said. “I thought it was

the coolest thing I’d ever seen.”

The fictional Billy Wiles is a mild-mannered bartender who falls

victim to a series of twisted scenarios.

One evening, Wiles finds a typewritten note under the windshield

of his car telling him he has six hours to determine the fate of two

strangers -- a schoolteacher and an elderly woman. He doesn’t

respond, and the next day the schoolteacher is murdered.

As the novel progresses, he finds another note with a similar

situation presented to him.

The lives of innocent people are at risk, and Wiles finds himself

in the center of the mystery.

The real-life Wiles said he is enamored with the character that

shares his name. And he said he has taken a liking to the book.

“There are a lot of curveballs thrown at the reader,” he said.

Wiles is riding out his 15 minutes of fame. He has received

numerous autograph requests from friends and co-workers who have

bought “Velocity.”

He even plans to attend a book-signing in Orange next week held

for Koontz -- just in case any die-hard fans want Wiles’ signature

below the author’s.

Still, Wiles knows the character is completely fictional and the

attention isn’t merit-based.

“It has nothing to do with me as a human being,” Wiles said. “The

character wasn’t based on me at all.”

There happen to be some similarities, though, Wiles said.

“He introduces the character as a laid-back guy who doesn’t get

worked up easily,” he said. “That’s me, coincidentally.”

The real-life Wiles is a producer who works at Lyon Studios in

Newport Beach. He works primarily on television commercials.

Company owner and executive producer Curt Lyon said he is

“thrilled” that Wiles is getting name recognition.

“It has been a snowball effect,” Lyon said. “The excitement keeps

building up, and he’s becoming a little star.”

Wiles declined to say how much his wife paid for the auction item

but said he owed her much gratitude for the gift.

And for all the attention being paid to his name, Wiles has two

other people to thank: his mom and dad.