My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast by Zoje Stage & Interview with Pru
Though I’m known as a writer of adult psychological thrillers and psychological horror books, My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast actually predates the publication of my debut novel, Baby Teeth. I’d wanted to give the child character of that novel, Hanna, a favorite book—something her dad would read with her—and after considering copyright issues it became obvious that I needed to use something of my own. At that time My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast was more of a short story, and I pulled sections of it into Baby Teeth. But then after Baby Teeth was published, I had a lot of readers asking me if My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast was an actual book. I always wanted it to be, but it took some time, and some revising and polishing, and now I’m happy to say it finally is a real book!
My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast worked well as Hanna’s favorite bedtime story in part because it was quirky and imaginative, and just a bit dark (not unlike Hanna). The initial idea was to explore, through a child’s eyes, how they might come to terms with explaining the weird or scary sounds they hear at night—under the bed, and in the house. My main character, Pru, is a creative, intrepid girl who, as a budding inventor, truly embraces the idea that one person’s garbage is another person’s treasure.
Though Pru and the BumbleBeasts will appeal to children (targeted to ages 7 – 10), adults seem quite taken by the book as well. First there’s the connection between this book and both Baby Teeth and Dear Hanna, but there’s also something endearingly ghoulish about the creatures themselves—and “endearingly ghoulish” truly has ageless appeal. One of the great joys in writing this sort of fantastical story is having no limits on my imagination—and in that regard I think I’m a little bit like Pru.
Zoje Stage interviews Pru
ZS: Hi Pru, how’s it going? Can you tell us a little about yourself?
PRU: Sure! I’m nine, and I’m a collector and an inventor. I love how old stuff can be turned into new stuff, maybe even better stuff! I also love finding and learning about new, wonderful words. I think maybe someday I’ll combine my interests and invent some words of my own!
ZS: What does your family think of your hobbies?
PRU: I’m pretty sure my brother and sister think I’m weird—not weird in a bad way, but sometimes they give me looks like they don’t understand what I’m going on about. My parents are a little more…supportive, I guess? They mostly encourage my interests and seem pretty impressed by some of the inventions I come up with. But sometimes they get a little mad that I accumulate (I love that word!) so much random stuff. I keep explaining that I need to have an inventory to draw on, in case I get inspired to make something. But they seem to think I have it all backwards and should come up with the idea first and then figure out what I need to make it. They don’t seem to understand that sometimes it’s the stuff itself that inspires me to make something!
ZS: Do you have any new inventions underway?
PRU: Of course! I’m trying to invent a little box—like, it could be worn on a necklace or attached to a pair of glasses—and when someone gives you a hug or is especially nice to you your little box will make a purring sound like a cat. I think people can’t always tell when they’re making other people happy, which is something cats are very good at, so it would be helpful if we all had a way to purr.
ZS: I love that idea! And cat purrs are such a comforting sound!
PRU: Right? Sometimes I also really wish I had fur and a tail, but…I could wear a costume, but it’s not the same.
ZS: I guess it would be prudent (see what I did there?) to ask if you have any new favorite words?
PRU: Pru is short for Prudencia but yeah, okay, whatever. I’ve been using the word surreptitiously a lot recently—as in, “I surreptitiously watched my siblings from the doorway, to see if they were up to anything nefarious.” Isn’t “nefarious” awesome? It sounds so much more interesting than “wicked”!
ZS: Are you considering branching out into spy work? Or espionage, as I’m sure you’d prefer to say.
PRU: Nah, it’s just useful sometimes to keep an eye on who’s doing what.
ZS: Do you have anything else going on—other projects—that you think we should know about?
PRU: I have this rather enormous idea that I could write a dictionary. I had so much fun writing the glossary for My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast that now I kind of want to write a whole book that’s just WORDS (and my impeccable definitions).
ZS: I hope you write that! And I hope we can talk again soon—I love hearing about your ideas!
PRU: Thank you! This was fun—my first interview, and now I feel kind of famous!
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UnderSlumberBumbleBeast
Nine-year-old Pru has many hobbies: inventing things, collecting stuff, and learning new and interesting words. But her newest passion is discovering the source of the weird sounds she hears at night—coming from beneath her bed.
Ever since she was very little, Pru suspected there might be a special kind of creature making a home in her room. But because UnderSlumberBumbleBeasts only come out in the dark, she had never seen one.
That all changes one day after Pru’s mom asks her to clean her room—an ordinary request that sets off an extraordinary chain of events. And Pru’s life will never be the same.
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ABOUT ZOJE STAGE: Zoje Stage is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of the psychological thrillers Baby Teeth, Getaway, and Dear Hanna, and the psychological horror novels Wonderland and Mothered. Her books have been named “best of the year” by Forbes Magazine, Library Journal, PopSugar, LitReactor, Barnes & Noble, Book Riot, and more. She lives in Pittsburgh with her cats.
For more information visit https://zojestage.blogspot.com/.
ABOUT J.E. LARSON: J.E. Larson is an illustrator and visual artist who resides in Minnesota. His work, which tends toward the dark and whimsical, has appeared in a number of books designed for younger readers. Find him on Instagram @hauntednonsense
Category: Interviews
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