OKEECHOBEE — Okeechobee alumnus, Jamie Furr, who now lives in Hollister, California took a few minutes out of his day to talk about the book he wrote based on his grandchildren — Hound Dog, Pumpkin,  Knuckle Head and Princess.

Furr’s book is titled My Monster, 'The Brother.'

“My wife and I are foster parents, and our son has given us four wonderful grandchildren,” said Furr. They also have five great-grandchildren.

The idea for the book came about after countless camping trips with the grandchildren. “The kids would always say, ‘Hey Grandpa. Tell us a story.’ I would always make something up, and one day, one of the girls asked me why I didn’t write a book about it.”

The girl's little brother, called Hound Dog by his grandpa, was all boy, full of energy and mischief. “The girls always blamed him for everything,” said Furr. “Any time something would happen, he got the blame for it, whether he did it or not.”

Writing stories based on real-life adventures of the children, Furr compiled his book.

Explaining that in every family, there is that one child who gets the blame for everything, he drew on Hound Dog’s experiences. Many times, Hound Dog was to blame, but sometimes, he wasn’t.

At the end of the book, one of the sisters, Pumpkin, gets picked on by a bully, and Hound Dog defended her even though he was younger than his sister and younger than the bully. “This is how he went from being a monster to being a little brother,” Furr said.

“My wife’s father-in-law is a graphic artist, so with the help of one of the granddaughters, Tori, who drew all the characters, he illustrated the book.”

Initially, the book was going to be a family project, but every person he showed it to encouraged him to get it published. “I went ahead and got it copyrighted and then published.”

“It’s a children’s book, but most people can relate to it.”

The book can be found on Author House or on Amazon Book.

It can also be found on Barnes and Noble.

 When not working, Furr enjoys spending time with his family riding off-road vehicles on a mountain track. He explained he lived in California for a short time as a child and then after he graduated from Okeechobee High School in 1977, the family moved back there. He still has friends in Okeechobee though and comes back to visit as often as possible.