King Beatrice
By Evangeline
Genre: Mature YA Fiction, Coming-to-age
About the Book
KING BEATRICE is a coming-to-age novella that’s after your heart!
Alex is a young boy interested in his experiments, his dog, family, and little else. He lives a life of seclusion until the day his dog leads him on a wild goose chase through the forest and he comes across Beatrice, a crazy girl with leaves in her hair and the fierce belief that she is a king.
After many attempts of trying to avoid Beatrice, Alex realizes he’s stuck with her. As the years continue and a true friendship grows, he finds that perhaps she isn’t so bad, even if she constantly bests him in their duels. But life isn’t so simple, as the real world—a world of bullies and death and temptation—invades their make-believe, will it be too much for Beatrice? Will Alex make it to her in time?
Author Interview
1. What is your writing process? Do you aim for a word count daily or maybe just a scene?
I made a goal to write for at least 30 minutes a day. It was good to start small because I usually sat down with that 30-minute interval in mind, but then ended up writing for much longer (didn’t help my sleep schedule some days, but I wrote the book)! When I have trouble with writer’s block, though, I skip to scenes that thrill me. Sometimes I’ll have parts of the beginning and end written, but absolute zilch in the middle.
2. What sort of research did you do for this book?
I did some science research for Alex. That short scene with them building the rocket all came from hours of reading so I wouldn’t get anything wrong! I also took A LOT of time researching drugs and the particular drug Beatrice chose to know how it would affect her.
3. What are you working on now? Any chance of a sequel?
I’m working on an anthology right now. It’s a whole lot of beautiful, deep poems paired with photography and it’s been a lot of fun!
Unfortunately, King Beatrice ends with “And you were mine”. I hope readers all see a different and amazing future of their own for Alex and Beatrice! I’ve loved hearing people’s different takes on how the story would continue.
4. How did you come up for the idea of your book?
I don’t remember when I first scribbled down the original plot; it was so many years ago. However, I remember when I first started writing. I was sitting in a park on a perfectly warm day, the sun was going down, and I was watching people play with their dogs, families running around, and the sun reflecting off the Austin skyline. I had such a good feeling swelling in my chest that I wanted to incorporate into the book. Next thing I knew, I was scribbling down the first chapter!
5. Just for fun — what TV shows or movies have you really enjoyed (or disliked?) recently?
Oddly enough, I’ve become completely obsessed with this Japanese reality TV show called Terrace House (thank you Netflix!). It’s been a little while, but the last movie I saw in theaters was Crimes of Grindelwald. I am loving this new wizarding world! And can we talk about those graphics? Wow!
About the Author
Evangeline was a hyper-active child and was forced outside to give her family a 5-minute break which helped water her already wild imagination. You can find her kayaking on the river in Austin, Tx, gazing at a bottle of White Zinfandel, or studying, but mostly keeping herself busy and in desperate need of a nap.
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Excerpt: Chapter One
Phantasmagoria
(n.) a shifting series of phantasms, illusions, or deceptive appearances, as in a dream or as created by the imagination
You’ll find yourself surrounded by the unlikeliest of people.
The boy, Alex, thought he had heard that somewhere before.
You’ll need who you least expect.
What a load of garbage. Alex glared at the television screen, or, more accurately, through the screen, past the actors, around the set, and straight to the directors and writers who oversaw the romanticization of that trash. He should have changed the channel an episode ago when he first stumbled upon the show, yet the poor boy found himself staring at the screen as if he were witnessing a car wreck.
Lilian, the gorgeous teen who was made “nerdy” by sticking on a pair of thick glasses, was too smart for her new adventurous and, as far as Alex was concerned, annoying band of misfits this character decided to call friends. It was all to get back at her parents, which seemed incredibly irrational considering Lillian apparently had a 4.0 GPA, suggesting that she had some sort of notable intelligence. But what did Alex know? He was only twelve and on his second episode.
It caused physical discomfort to the boy watching as Lillian got herself into all sorts of trouble, but he continued to follow her story, muttering I-told-you-so’s under his breath every twenty minutes. She should have stuck to solitude, Alex thought with an exaggerated sigh. Look at what those idiots got you into this time. . .
“Alex. Alex, honey?” The boy’s mother, Marianne,looked down at her son and pursed her lips. She hated when he slipped into a daze, utterly oblivious to all around him as he focused so intently on the television. “Alex,” Marianne repeated, and finally, he turned and faced her, his face showing a puzzled expression. “Honey, the summer is almost over.”
“I know.” He frowned and stared out the window. It was almost the end of summer and she wanted him to go outside, but he wished to stay inside where it was cool, quiet, and far from everyone else.
“Why don’t you go outside? Find some friends? Mm?”
Friends. He almost laughed. Alex didn’t want friends. What he wanted was peace and that was certainly not what he got his first year of middle school. Alex hadn’t the faintest idea as to why his mother found the prospect of him attaining friends so enticing.
“The ladies from church are coming today. You can stay and have tea with us or . . .”
His eyes grew wide.
It was Sunday afternoon and the old ladies always came on Sunday at four o’clock. They smelled like stale perfume and raisins, and they never missed an opportunity to pinch his cheeks and tell him how handsome he was becoming.
“I’ll go,” he said quickly, turning off the television and heading for the door. He called for the dog who came gallivanting with a wide, silly grin on his face.
“Be back before dark!” his mother called, though she had no doubt that her son would be home long before then.
Grimacing, he closed the door behind him and clasped the leash onto Rex’s collar. Eternally grateful, the yellow lab barked. There was nothing Rex loved more than a walk with Alex, even if it was in the blazing summer heat.
“Come on.” Alex didn’t have to pull very hard on the leash to get Rex to go. Alex took the same route every walk, so the dog already knew the path as well as he knew his own home. “You’re more excited than I am.”
Alex had never cared much for the outdoors; there were always too many people, and talkative people at that, especially whenever he dragged Rex along, and it was always too hot or too cold. But if he ever did have to go outside, Alex preferred it to be because he was walking Rex, his only friend.
They stopped at an intersection with shade where Alex took the opportunity to wipe the sweat from his forehead. To the left was the route they always took. It went into more residential housing and there was a shortcut to get home sooner should they both tire of the walk early, which Alex was already planning on taking. To the right was a way he’d never traveled.
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