The Stomp-Clomp-Clump Monster Above the Bed follows Fred and his three dust bunny companions whose lives get turned upside down when an eight-year-old child moves into the bed above them, and turns their peaceful home into a war zone. Sometimes, the only solution is… cookies and conversation. What was the inspiration for your story?

I always wanted to know what the monster was thinking and feeling in all those monster under the bed stories. So, the opportunity to share a story from the monster’s perspective fascinated me, because this connects to my core mission of showing children they can handle life’s challenges when someone believes in them, because even Fred and his dust bunnies need that support and encouragement too.

Fred was inspired by my son’s purple monster puppet that he never played with. I always called him Fred, and whenever I walked by, I’d say, “Someday, I’m going to write a story about you, Fred.”

For the dust bunnies, I had my illustrator render them in a tangled-scribble style because I felt it represents how they’d actually look best.

I loved the original idea behind the dust bunnies being the ones afraid of a human, and their distinct personalities. What were some ideas that were important for you to personify in your characters?

Whenever I create characters, I research best-fit names, colors, quirks, fears, dreams, likes, and dislikes.

Fred – I thought, what’s the least scary-sounding name? His color purple isn’t threatening either. Plus, he’s tall and lanky, loves a peaceful home, and focuses on keeping his dust bunnies safe—because to him, they’re his family.

The Dust Bunnies – Brutus Bunfluff, big and brave; Gunnar Puffbutz, a regular scaredy-cat; and Dust Puff Ted, who’s terrified of germs.

I thought having three dust bunnies would be perfect. Starting with their names, I looked up strong names that I don’t see or hear often. That’s how I decided on Brutus and Gunnar.

Brutus Bunfluff – Alliteration is the easiest way to convey character traits of big and brave, and the combination of Bun and fluff made me laugh. I also had the illustrator show Brutus with visible abs, which adds to his confident personality.

Gunnar Puffbutz – The opposite of big and brave is a scaredy-cat. But how to show a scaredy-cat without directly telling readers? (Cue the light bulb turning on overhead) Oversized glasses, the character always fidgets with, became his signature trait.

Dust Puff Ted – As I tried in vain to find pictures online of dust bunnies to inspire me, I looked up what they’re made from. An image of a guy cleaning in oversized yellow gloves kept reappearing in search results.

Those yellow gloves made me think of the character “Ted” from the TV show How I Met Your Mother, and how Ted was a neat freak. Having a dust bunny as a neat freak wearing bright yellow gloves cracked me up to no end, so his name naturally became Ted.

However, Dust Ted wasn’t strong enough as a name. Since bunnies have puffy tails, Dust Puff Ted rolled out of my head and off my tongue perfectly.

Character Illustrations – The illustrator’s first two attempts to render the dust bunnies made them feel flat and two-dimensional. That’s where I came up with the idea to have the illustrator retain their shapes but use different, darker colors inside them. This made all of them pop.

That’s how the dust bunnies got their colors: Brutus is charcoal black, Gunnar is dark grey, and Dust Puff Ted is midnight blue—a perfect contrast to his signature bright yellow gloves.

Then the illustrator did something on their own and added stray strands of twirly hair coming away from the bodies. These details show they’re dust bunnies without needing to state it explicitly. And that’s how all the dust bunnies came to be.

What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?

Dedication to Readers – In all of my books, the first dedication is always to the reader, where I encourage them to look in the mirror and say aloud, “I am enough.”

Children and adults don’t hear these three words often enough. Worse, sometimes all they’re ever told is the exact opposite.

For the person who needs to read, see, hear, say, and think those words most, it can make all the difference. When a person’s view and self-worth shift for the better, our world becomes better, too. One person might not be able to change the world, but one person can change another person’s life—and that mantra “I am enough” can help make the world a better place, one reader at a time.

Understanding Through Different Perspectives – Everyone’s different, yet everyone wants to be understood and accepted for who they are. Sometimes, context, greater understanding, and communication can help us come together and get along in shared spaces—like our homes, schools, workplaces, and everywhere else.

Perspective-Taking and Problem-Solving – The book teaches children that situations look different depending on your viewpoint—what seems scary from one angle might be completely understandable from another.

It also shows that problems are solvable when approached with patience, communication, and compromise rather than conflict.

Billy and the dust bunnies find common ground through honest conversation, demonstrating that we can’t always control what happens to us, but we can always choose how we respond.

What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it out?

The upcoming books include:

Bella Brown Meets Pip the Domovoi
Pip’s Epic Treasure Hunt
Bella Brown—Dragonfly-Dragonfly-Dragonfly
Bella Brown—Pip’s Perfect Purple Present
Bella Brown’s Ten-Moon Mysteries
Bella Brown’s Baking Bedlam
Bella Brown’s Candy Cane Curfuffle
Bella Brown’s Turkey Trot Tizzy
Bella Brown’s Book of ABC’s
Each book maintains the core “I am enough” message while exploring different challenges—from everyday adventures to epic fantasy quests.

I wrote twelve picture books for children ages four to eight in eleven months. All of which have been edit-reviewed by a professional children’s book editor, and four of these books are currently available online.

The remaining eight books are in various stages of the illustration pipeline. Since illustration and book cover design take approximately four months per book, I’m releasing new titles as they’re completed.

All the books take place in the same universe, with Pip the Domovoi—a Slavic house spirit—appearing across multiple stories, as well as in the background of random illustrations in all of my picture books, so readers know they’re reading one of my books.

So, Bella Brown Meets Pip the Domovoi is currently queued with the illustrator and should be available by spring 2026.

Followed by Pip’s Epic Treasure Hunt, which represents a major expansion, introducing original domovoi folklore with nine distinct magical clans and domovoi children—an expansion beyond traditional Slavic mythology—and five Slavic mystical messengers working together on an epic quest to find five Slavic magical items before the immortal Sinti can, who’s always up to no good.

Because I do author visits, I’ve also developed 48 free lesson plans (24 comprehensive and 24 single-topic focused) for educators, covering grades Pre-K through fourth grade, available on my website for The Stomp-Clomp-Clump Monster Above the Bed and the first three Bella Brown books.

Each new release includes additional lesson plans, too. This ensures these stories serve both entertainment and educational goals for families, homeschoolers, and classroom educators alike.

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