That Time I Friend-Zoned My Hero

Karen here. I’m delighted to welcome back my friend Megan Schaulis to the blog. She writes award-winning Christian dystopian fiction inspired by biblical stories. Take it away, Megan!

I’m so thrilled that my third book is hitting shelves in less than a week! Rebuilder is a beachy romantic adventure with a bit of nanotechnology and a whole lot of heartfelt faith.

But can I confess something? This book was the hardest one for me to write to date…though probably not for the reasons you’d think.

Yes, the story touches on some powerful themes like handling grief and finding purpose when everything’s gone wrong.

Yes, it’s inspired by the Bible’s account of Nehemiah, who returned to Jerusalem from Persia and rebuilt the city’s walls in a miraculous fifty-two days, and retelling the Word of God is always a faith-stretching process.

Yes, I wrote this book with a brand new infant on my lap half the time and a fraction of the recommended amount of sleep.

But that’s not what made this one tough to write.

The problem was the hero.

This book follows Hatch, a beloved side character from my award-winning Esther duology, Protector and Proclaimer. This guy had it the worst in the first two books. Rejection, physical violence, imprisonment—pretty much all the bad things happened to him. And yet, he persevered. What a guy.

It’s not that I didn’t love Hatch as a character, I did. But I didn’t love him like that. (Dear Hatch, I like you but I don’t like like you.) We were buddies, pals. Friends.

I put my hero in the friend zone. Which made it rather difficult to view him as a man worthy of his own happily ever after.

I think part of the problem was his name…Hatch. Doesn’t exactly have the ring of Leonardo, Don Juan, or even Zadien, my hero from the first two books.

Hatch was named after Hatach, the eunuch who delivered messages between Esther and Mordecai including the well-known statement, “Perhaps you were made queen for such a time as this.” Works well enough for a sidekick, but for a leading man?

So there I was trying to make Hatch (sort of makes you think of biting a really crunchy cracker, doesn’t it) into a romantic lead and a Nehemiah-level hero. I was second guessing,

falling into doubt, and wondering why I ever thought it was a good idea to write the novel equivalent of Jimmy Buffet singing gospel.

But leave it to the Word of God to provide all I needed.

Somewhere during the writing process, I was rereading Nehemiah, and I found this amazing sentence right there in verse 1: The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.

Wait. What?

The real Nehemiah’s dad was Hachaliah? HACHaliah?? Like his wife could’ve reasonably called him Hatch as a nickname??? (No, I don’t know how to pronounce Hachaliah in Hebrew and, no, I don’t know if ancient Hebrews used pet names. Please don’t burst my bubble.)

Two conclusions hit me like a tidal wave when I read that verse:

1. I absolutely had to add that fun detail to the book. You’ll find it in chapter two when Hatch first arrives at Sand Palace.

2. God had always known that this side character, this buddy, this rejected suitor was destined to be a hero. More importantly, He wanted me to write this Nehemiah-inspired story and He had been preparing me for it long before the idea crossed my mind.

Call it silly if you want, but this tiny detail about my character’s name was a huge encouragement to me. A tropical, techy, Bible-inspired romance was exactly what I was supposed to be writing.

And sure enough, by the time I dove into edits from my publisher, I found myself utterly in love with the story and more than a little charmed by Hatch. He is steadfast, faithful, bolder than he realizes, and too lean to float—a hero worthy of his own happy ending.

Will his second chance sink like the sand beneath his feet?

Bitter and broken from his imprisonment in the Citadel, Hatch can’t stand to watch the woman he loves start her new life. When the king offers him a position as the governor of Evania, an island territory populated by Alphanites, Hatch sees the job as a chance to escape his heartache. But from the moment his crutches hit the sand of this tropical island, Hatch is deemed an outsider, particularly by Myah, an artsy adrenaline junkie the locals have nicknamed “Princess.”

With only fifty-two days to stabilize the island, Hatch and Myah must confront the pasts they both long to leave behind. As the ground literally sinks beneath them, will they drown in their regrets or ride the waves of change to a future neither could’ve imagined?

Second chances, nanotechnology, and bold faith combine in this standalone sequel to the award-winning series the Susa Chronicles. Find the books at your favorite online retailers, or order signed copies at MeganSchaulis.com

GIVEAWAY

Megan will be giving away a collection of beachy bookish goodies to one person who leaves a comment.

What constitutes a “beach read” for you?

After a year of traveling the country in a 100-square-foot camper with her husband, daughter, and dog, Megan Schaulis was bursting with wonder and inspiration—and she poured it all into her writing.

Megan has a B.A. in Journalism and is a member of the ACFW and Realm Makers. As a special education teacher, she helped young people fall in love with reading and writing. Today, when she’s not spinning stories, Megan uses words in playful and creative ways at her branding agency. Her first novel, Protector, won the 2025 Carol Award for debut novel, was a Christy Award finalist, and was a Realm Award double finalist.

Megan lives in Abilene, Texas, where you’ll find her homeschooling and hiking with her family or staying up way too late reading.