Monsters, Mayhem and a Moonlit Mess: Behind the Scenes of The Monsters’ Brawl

In The Monsters’ Brawl, Andy Wheeler delivers a hilarious, high-energy rhyming story packed with witches, zombies, vampires, trolls and even a fire-breathing dragon - all battling it out in Monster Town to find out who’s the scariest of them all.

But when spells fly, towns fall, and no one really wins, the monsters discover there’s something better than being the best: being friends.

Perfect for Halloween (or any night that calls for monster-sized fun), The Monsters’ Brawl is a riot of rhythm, chaos and unexpected heart. We caught up with Andy to talk about monster madness, rhyme-writing, and how a broom can come in handy for more than flying…

What inspired you to write The Monsters’ Brawl. Was it a love of Halloween, rhyme, or just the idea of monsters misbehaving?

I’ve always loved Halloween and all things spooky. I grew up enjoying the darker nights and Hammer Horror films, and I wanted to capture that essence while adding a fun factor—and of course, a big monster fight. Who doesn’t love a monster fight?

The story brings together all kinds of classic creepy creatures - did you have a favourite monster growing up?

Hammer Horror was like my bible, and I was always reading magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland and Fangoria. My all-time favourite horror villain has to be Dracula, especially as played by Christopher Lee. But I’ve always had a soft spot for werewolves, too.

The rhythm is brilliant and really bounces - did the rhyme come easily or did it take a few spooky rewrites?

Honestly, I wrote it in about ten minutes! Rhyming has always come easily to me—I can write in rhyme quite quickly without overthinking structure. It just feels natural in my head, and that works fine for me.

There’s a lovely twist at the end when the monsters choose friendship over fighting. Did you know from the start that it would end that way?

Not at all! This might sound strange, but when I write in rhyme, it’s almost like playing jazz—I just improvise and see where it takes me. The idea of friendship came to me after the town got wrecked in the fight. I thought, “Plot twist—what if they make peace and go scaring together?”

If you could invite one of the monsters from the book to a Halloween party, who would it be (and why)?

It would have to be all of them—Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the lot! That would be such a blast and would remind me of one of my favourite fun horror films, Monster Squad.

The story would be so much fun to read aloud. Do you imagine it being shared at bedtime or in classrooms?

Definitely both. I’ve tested it with children, and they love it as a bedtime read—it’s exciting, a little scary, but fun. And it works perfectly in classrooms, especially as the nights start drawing in around Halloween.

The illustrations are full of character and action - what was it like seeing your monster mayhem brought to life visually?

It was amazing. Our artist is BAFTA award-winning animator Dan Harris, and he captured my vision perfectly. We even created a VR version of the book, which is just wild. When you put the headset on, you’re right there in Monster Town surrounded by the monsters. My grandson tried it and said it was “mind-blowing”.

The book is packed with action and chaos - was there a particular scene or moment that was the most fun for you to write?

I loved writing the whole book, but one part I’m especially proud of is:

“They cleaned up the town,

By the light of the moon.

The monsters used mops,

And the witch used her broom.”

Dan’s illustration for that moment just brought it to life perfectly.

Outside of writing, what’s something you love to do that people might not expect?

I like to keep busy with fun projects. One unexpected thing is that I used to work in TV and film as a background artist, which even led to small acting roles. At one point, I was eaten by an evil snowman in Doctor Who!

Where can readers follow your work and keep up with future monster madness?

I’m toying with the idea of a sequel to The Monsters’ Brawl, but I’m also busy releasing a new series about siblings Charlie and Susan and their ghost-hunting adventures in The Shadows of Brynmoor Cottage, which is the start of a spooky three-book arc. Readers can follow my work through Bear With Us Productions, where all my latest updates are shared.