POWERGRAMS

24 PROFILE R yan Brown hopes his new book will take a bite out of boredom for kids and teach them a thing or two at the same time. "My book is about teaching kids the value of friendship and helping others," said Brown, Records and Information Management support assistant, Corporate Records Center. "Anything I can do to influence kids to become better people, and do it in an entertaining way, that's my goal." In September, Brown released his first e-book, "Petey and the Pack Presents … Friends are Awesome." It's a children's story about three distinctly different dogs – a beagle, Saint Bernard and greyhound, who meet and form a "fast" friendship. Brown said the idea grew out of a comic strip series he created and posted on GoComics.com. As in the book, Petey, the beagle, and his two friends were the main characters in the cartoon. "When I began looking for ideas this summer, I thought to myself, 'Why don't I write a book based on characters I've already created and already know?'" Brown said. "Writing the book didn't take as long as I thought it would. Once I came up with the base idea, I was able to adjust it and draw each illustration based on the different scenes in the story." Brown said the book is the first in a series that traces the antics of the three dogs as they develop their friendship. "I've always wanted to write a children's book," Brown said. "My wife and I have two kids of our own (Ryan, 10, and Reece, 9). Seeing them grow up has given me a lot of inspiration and ideas that I want to take on." Although he is just getting his feet wet as 'Petey and the Pack' is Brown's new book for children.

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