{"id":9279,"date":"2015-07-14T13:24:58","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T17:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jennytrout.com\/?p=9279"},"modified":"2015-07-13T13:34:53","modified_gmt":"2015-07-13T17:34:53","slug":"guest-post-the-beast-by-a-r-davis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/?p=9279","title":{"rendered":"GUEST POST: The Beast, by A.R. Davis"},"content":{"rendered":"

From time to time, I turn over the blog to a citizen of Trout Nation who’s written a book and wants to get their promo out there. Today we’ve got A.R. Davis, here to tell you about her book,\u00a0The Beast,\u00a0<\/em>and to share some anxiety that debut authors can definitely relate to!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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My name is A. R. Davis and I love to write. I love to share stories with people, and I love making things up. I hope you\u2019ll at least like one of my stories, if not all of them. My first book, The Beast<\/em>, is coming out soon, and I\u2019m not going to lie, I\u2019m scared to death. I\u2019m not scared of the criticism I\u2019ll face or that people will pick up the book, dismiss it and get rid of it. I\u2019m scared of the apathy. I\u2019m scared that I\u2019ll fail to convince people to even give me a shot. Those are the kinds of fears that keep me up some nights.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m hoping that, if you\u2019re reading this blog post, I can at least convince you to give me a shot.<\/p>\n

You can email me at writerardavis@gmail.com. My twitter is @writerardavis. I would love to hear from you, whether you love my book, hate my book, or haven\u2019t even read it at all and have no wish to. I like getting messages. I\u2019ll do my best to respond to them. I have a full-time job as well, so please understand I\u2019m not ignoring you if I don\u2019t get to you right away. I\u2019m hoping to make this my full-time job one day, but until then, bills need to be paid.<\/p>\n

Amazon e-book\u00a0<\/a>\u2022 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

\"the<\/a><\/p>\n

The citizens of Leola live in fear of the dense, dark forest that borders their town. Men disappear into the brush or are found dismembered as if they were attacked by a rabid Beast. But fear of a different kind also breeds in the citizens of Leola.<\/p>\n

For Valerie Mason, starvation is worse than potentially disappearing. With her former guardsman father drowning his troubles in spirits, it\u2019s up to Valerie to keep them afloat by any means necessary\u2026even if it means breaking the law.<\/p>\n

Young Aubrey, the future Lord of Leola, fears that once he dies, the pages of his personal history will be left blank. When he hears of the dangers threatening his town, he knows the only way ensure that he lives on in the memory of his people is to venture into the forest and defend it himself\u2026even if it might cost him his life.<\/p>\n

Valerie and Young Aubrey must each breach the veil of trees again and again on their own quests. Will Valerie or Young Aubrey emerge victorious, or will they fall victim to their own demons and The Beast?<\/p>\n

Read on for the prologue of\u00a0<\/em>The Beast…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Prologue: Tellervo & the Beast<\/strong><\/p>\n

A girl asked her father to tell her a story. After pondering the question for a time, her father asked, \u201cDo you know the story of the Beast?\u201d<\/p>\n

From his pocket, he procured a small wooden figurine of a monster wearing an emerald green cloak. He sported twisted black horns, and he hunched over as though ready to attack. His little mouth was open, exposing his jagged, white teeth. The girl could almost hear his roar.<\/p>\n

She shook her head slowly as she examined the figure. It had been a long time since her father told her a story she had not heard before. Her father\u2019s stories were always special. They did not include the typical hero-rescues-princess trope that she grew tired of. They were usually about normal people doing extraordinary things for the greater good. When the girl grew up, she wanted to be one of those people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like to?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Papa. Very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis story is a bit different from the ones I\u2019ve told you,\u201d her father said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it have a happy ending?\u201d the girl asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have to leave that up to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl wanted to ask him what that meant, but he was already clearing his throat. He took a deep breath and began.<\/p>\n

Once upon a time, two kingdoms, the red and the white, were constantly at war. No one knew why it all began because the two sides had been fighting for so long. Death saturated the land and then drained it dry. Battle cries filled the air for days and echoed over the hills and rooftops.<\/p>\n

On the red side was a tyrannical captain who ordered his men to plow through the white villages and burn them to the ground. He smiled at the path of destruction he created; he loved the smell of burning skin and the taste of ash in his mouth. His palate could no longer appreciate the tastes of fine food. Instead, his teeth gnawed on the gritty black powder. He once had a life beyond this destruction\u2014a normal life\u2014but he could not remember what that was like, or if it was worth returning to.<\/p>\n

One day, he and his men were trying to cut down the trees in the white\u2019s forest, but no matter how hard his men hit the trunks with their axes and no matter how many fires they lit, the trees would not come down. The captain insisted that they weren\u2019t doing it properly, so he grabbed an axe and started chopping away at the nearest tree. The axe barely made a mark. The captain kept hitting it over and over, sweat coating his face, his muscles aching for some reprieve, but he could not cut down the tree.<\/p>\n

He turned around to face his men, to insist that the axe simply wasn\u2019t sharp enough, but he found that he was alone. The forest seemed to darken at this knowledge, as though the sunlight had been sucked out of the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you, you cowards?\u201d the captain barked to disguise his own cowardice. He swiveled his head around in every direction in search of a flash of armor.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, there was a light so bright that the captain had to shield his face for a moment as it came closer to him. As swift as it had come, the light faded, and from it emerged a doe. She stepped toward him as though she had nothing to fear\u2014not the smell of death on his skin, nor the gunpowder in his pouch. Slowly, the captain reached for his rifle. His men would love to dine on fresh venison, and he might even consider letting them have it when they returned to work. He aimed the rifle at the doe\u2019s chest. In her large black eye, the captain could see a reflection of himself slowly distorting, changing as though he was made of clay.<\/p>\n

At that moment, the captain\u2019s muscles burned. His stomach seemed to fill with gas until it came close to bursting, and he doubled over in pain. Sweat coated his whole body. His armor became too tight for him and he wanted nothing more than to shed it like a heavy skin. He could hear the fine bones in his hands cracking. The captain fell to his knees, gasping for air. He yanked off his helmet and tore at his armor with his long fingernails. The scraping of metal set his teeth on edge. His chest plate burst apart, followed by his leggings.<\/p>\n

Finally, it stopped. He took in deep, rasping breaths. His undergarments lay in tatters around him. When he looked up to see the deer, he saw a woman in its place.<\/p>\n

This was no ordinary woman. Her skin was an olive green, her hair flowed wildly around her and looked to be made of twigs. Thick vines covered her body, accentuated by lush flowers in different shapes and colors. When she stepped forward, roots pushed up from the ground and spiraled into elaborate patterns.<\/p>\n

The captain had heard enough stories and legends to recognize this woman: she was known as the forest fairy, Tellervo. She was staring down at him with such a rage that his heart filled with fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow dare you!\u201d Tellervo said, her voice echoing with the malice of a dangerously powerful creature. \u201cI pour my life into these trees and fill the world with beauty. I protect the creatures that nest in my home, even you pitiful humans. I have given my life to this world because I have so much to give. What about you, dear captain? What do\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0have to offer?\u201d<\/p>\n

The captain quivered. \u201cPlease, mercy, please\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing,\u201d Tellervo spat. \u201cNot even the mercy you beg for now. You are a monster, captain, such a monster that you no longer recognize yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tellervo gathered the dew drops from the grass and turned them into a mirror. She held it up for the captain to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at yourself,\u201d she commanded.<\/p>\n

The captain shook his head. \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo as I say.\u201d<\/p>\n

The captain reluctantly raised his head. To his horror, his face was no longer that of the man he once knew. Fur covered his face, black bone horns grew out of his skull and twisted to the sky, and when he reached up to touch his cheek, his hands had black claws like thorns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat have you done?\u201d The captain cried.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have made you what you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChange me back!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

The captain gave a booming roar. He lunged at Tellervo and sank his claws into her flesh, tearing it apart. He bit into the top of her head and chewed on her twig-like hair. The captain let it fall from his mouth, but all that came out was dirt. He discovered he was only ravaging the ground. For the first time since he was a small boy, he burst into tears, covering his ugly face and burying his mouth back into the ground.<\/p>\n

Tellervo\u2019s hand rested on his hunched back and he jerked away from it; her touch burned through the muscles and seemed to infect his bones.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough I am still angry with you and still see no good inside you, I am willing to grant you a reprieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former captain slowly looked up. \u201cReprieve? Does that mean you\u2019ll change me back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will, only if you complete a task\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, yes, anything!\u201d The monster folded his hands together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to change back into your original form, you must complete one thousand good deeds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA thousand? But\u2026but that is impossible! Who would want help from me? I will be like this forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are my conditions,\u201d Tellervo snapped. \u201cPerform a thousand good deeds, and I will change you back.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, Tellervo dissipated into the slowly rolling fog, leaving the Beast with hopeless curdling in his belly.<\/p>\n

For days, the Beast wandered around the forest and hid from travelers and merchants. He buried himself in the mud to sleep. How was he going to complete his deeds? The fairy was torturing him.<\/p>\n

One afternoon, while he was trudging through the forest, he stumbled upon a man lying very still in the middle of a clearing. The Beast recognized the uniform the man was wearing; he was a soldier for the white side. The man\u2019s breathing was shallow. Blood pooled around him. The Beast carefully stepped closer until he was standing over the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d the man asked in a raspy voice. He was too preoccupied with thoughts of death to be afraid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am\u2026\u201d The Beast searched for a name, but he had none. \u201cI am a monster.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I suppose a monster at my side is better than nothing. There are things I want to say, and for my last wish I want a pair of ears to listen. You seem to have a fine pair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will listen,\u201d said the Beast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never did anything right with my life,\u201d the man began, tears welling in his bloodshot eyes. \u201cI became only a murderer. I watched my own people suffer, and I made other people suffer. I should have done more.\u201d The man started sobbing. \u201cI should have done so much more. I once saw a child holding her doll and weeping beside the body of her dead mother. I brushed her aside like she was nothing. I laughed at death, but I suppose it is death who is laughing now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man was too sad to go on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was once a captain,\u201d the Beast said. \u201cI was just like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen there\u2019s no real difference between us,\u201d the man said, laughing bitterly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d the Beast lamented. \u201cNo difference at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you hold my hand? I don\u2019t think I will be here much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beast wrapped his large fingers around the man\u2019s small hand. The Beast was crying now because he did not want the man to die. He had forgotten what loneliness felt like until this moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0different,\u201d the man said, his voice barely a whisper. His eyes were slowly closing. \u201cOther people only dream of dying in the arms of someone who understands.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beast closed his eyes and looked away. After a long time, the man\u2019s shallow breathing stopped and his hand went limp, but the Beast could not let go. At night, the Beast took the time to bury the man. He wished desperately that he had learned \u00a0his name.<\/p>\n

The Beast stayed at the gravesite for three days before moving on. He encountered a woman whose clothes hung like rags from her body. The woman had bald patches on her scalp, and what little hair she had was very thin and limp. She was scrounging around for something to eat.<\/p>\n

When she saw the Beast, she took a hesitant step back. \u201cHave you come to kill me, monster?\u201d Her voice quivered.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d said the Beast. \u201cI am here to help you if you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is how I will be free from this curse. What do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman still looked distrustful, but the Beast was patient.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need food,\u201d the woman said, rubbing her arm. \u201cAnd I need something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBring me something to eat and I will tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beast hunted for her and brought her back some deer meat. He waited while she cooked and ate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to feel beautiful,\u201d the woman said, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. \u201cI have never felt beautiful, even when I was a child.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how to do that,\u201d the Beast admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to hear someone say it. Just once.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beast looked deep into her berry blue eyes, and suddenly, she was beautiful. In his eyes, her hair seemed to be restored to its full, black beauty. Her dirty skin was smooth and clean, and her smile was like a tiny light in a dark room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are beautiful,\u201d the Beast said, and she believed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Beast. You are very kind-hearted.\u201d<\/p>\n

She reached up to kiss his cheek and the Beast felt warmth surge through his muscles. Then, just as she had appeared in his life, she vanished, and again he wished he had learned her name.<\/p>\n

Days and months passed, and as they did, the Beast encountered more strangers along the way who were in desperate need of his help. Some had reservations about his appearance, but once they recovered from their initial the shock, they found they could care less what he looked like. Much like the dying white soldier, they all agreed that they were quite happy that he was there for them. Even so, the Beast found that he could not enter any of the towns. He made the forest his home, quietly tucking himself away, but did not hide himself so completely that none could find him if they needed him.<\/p>\n

On the eve of his final deed, Tellervo came to him, glowing under the moonlight. There was a smile on her green lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have almost completed my task,\u201d the fairy said. \u201cSoon you will return to your old self.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what will I be then?\u201d the Beast asked.<\/p>\n

Tellervo studied him curiously. \u201cYou will be what you were before I changed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe captain,\u201d the Beast said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t know him. He\u2019s a stranger. When I looked at his image, I could not share it. I can\u2019t be him. I have done so much. Yet, I feel it is not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are right. You have done so much, and you are no longer the cruel man I met many years ago. You will be a new man.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beast laughed bitterly. \u201cI doubt that very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the morning, a crowd of people were anxiously awaiting the Beast\u2019s appearance. He was completely overwhelmed by the crowd\u2019s cries for help. The Beast listened patiently to all of their stories. When he was done, he studied their faces over and over; nameless faces that needed so much from him. But what would happen after this? Who would they turn to then?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d the Beast said, \u201cbut I cannot choose.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crowd erupted into shocked whispers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will conceal myself deep into this forest to await the one most deserving of my final good deed.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, the Beast retreated into the gloom, away from the anguished cries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho will help us now?\u201d he heard them shout. He heard them sob and it tore at his heart.<\/p>\n

The Beast found a lonely log to sit on. He couldn\u2019t believe how weary he felt.<\/p>\n

Tellervo came to him once again. \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaiting for the right deed to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause when it does, then that will mean it is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tellervo could not understand these mixed emotions swirling through her, like thick clouds of pollen in the spring.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will sit and wait with you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be very nice,\u201d said the Beast.<\/p>\n

So they sat and waited. People passed them by, but the Beast insisted that it was not enough. Each time someone came, Tellervo would glance at the Beast, and her heart ached at his labored sigh. Not enough, he would insist. They sat quietly together and watched the sun as it came up and went down and then watched the moon glowing between the branches. Moss covered their legs, flies and insects crawled on their bodies. They remained unmoved.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the people took to helping each other, lending an ear or a kind word to those in need. Soon, the Beast was all but forgotten. However, the people would sometimes still whisper about him over a meal or a good drink. They would wonder about him, wonder if he was still sitting there, waiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho was he?\u201d they asked sporadically. \u201cWhere had he come from?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was as though he were a great flame in their time of darkness, lighting the way to a new era of prosperity. They never found the answer, and many years later, when they went to look for him, they could not find him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that really the end?\u201d the girl asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed it is,\u201d her father replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what happened to the Beast and Tellervo? Did he ever change back?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her father smiled like he was about to part a long-kept secret. \u201cThat, my dear, is entirely up to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A.R. DAVIS first picked up writing at age six after getting annoyed that the characters weren\u2019t right in a Donkey Kong Country novelization. She loved it so much that she went on to graduate with a BFA in Creative Writing at UNCW. Visit her site: http:\/\/pencilprofessional.com\/ to learn more and connect.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From time to time, I turn over the blog to a citizen of Trout Nation who’s written a book and wants to get their promo<\/p>\n

Read moreGUEST POST: The Beast, by A.R. Davis<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9279"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9279"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9281,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9279\/revisions\/9281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jennytrout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}