The Mathematics of Dancing

A Sneak Peak of Proclaimer by Megan Schaulis

When you live in a relatively small town, you don’t expect to meet other published Christian Fiction authors, but Abilene, TX now has at least two of us! Funny enough, I didn’t actually meet Megan until she introduced herself to me at an ACFW conference. Last year we met up again at a local public library event, and I eagerly invited her to do a guest blog with us the next time she had a book coming out. The time has come! I give you, the lovely, Megan Schaulis.

When people hear I write dystopian fiction, they probably form a very gray, dismal picture in their mind. Gas masks, crumbling buildings, post-apocalyptic struggles.

Yeah, not for me.

The Susa Chronicles is actually based on the book of Esther…plus some nanotechnology and royal romance. A high-tech yet Persian-inspired palace serves as backdrop for a gritty physical competition featuring biologically enhanced young women. Bright colors, political intrigue, stolen kisses. Whispers from God in my heroine’s heart.

But even though my duology is inspired by a woman of faith who lived roughly 2,500 years ago and is set in a future world, the books are full of real-life inspiration as well.

In fact, my very favorite scene of Proclaimer, book two in the duology which releases in just a few days, comes from a real-life hobby that was my obsession for years—ballroom dancing.

Would you like a sneak peek?

This scene is a breath amidst a very stressful series of events. You know the one. The characters get a moment alone to forget their worries and stare into each other’s eyes before the world falls apart on top of them.

Astra (main character who competes to become the king’s bodyguard) and King Zadien are flirting in an empty ballroom (yes, flirting, it’s a whole thing with them) when he offers to teach her to dance…

The king shifts a foot to the left and I move with him. He steps to the right and, again, I follow. “You’re light on your feet, Protector. You’ll be fine.”

I focus on his chest, letting his center of mass guide me as we move to a song unheard. We shuffle in a square, neither of us talking until he pivots in a wide arc and I trip over myself, laughing at my lack of grace.

“My fault.” I raise my palms. “We need to create a single axis if you’re going to do that.”

He stares at me with raised eyebrows and a half-grin.

I move forward until the leather strips of my chest plate brush his shirt. “We need to be closer—one point of rotation, not two.”

Goose bumps dot his neck. He coughs. “Right. Again then.”

We whirl around the floor and the colors cast by the stained glass dance across Zadien’s face with each turn. When our steps tangle, he wraps his arms around my torso and lifts me off my feet. The laugh I release is pure joy. I’m weightless in every sense. Nothing burdens me. Dex and Hatch and the Protectors and Hayden—they blur in my mind as Zadien spins me in the air.

So why is this my favorite scene? The math!

Once upon a time, between 2006 and 2011, I was a ballroom dancer. Truly. I took classes at Arizona State University, traveled the country to compete, and won a whole bunch of trophies. Here’s some proof…

One unique element of my ballroom dancing days is that my coach was both a former professional dancer AND a chemical engineer. He didn’t explain dance positions in artistic or flowery language. No, he explained the steps in mathematical terms.

“Your side should be convex not concave.” Or maybe “He’s on the X-axis and you’re on the Y-axis.” Or even “Arms at a 45-degree angle.” That’s what I still think about when I remember all those years of dance classes.

Astra’s comments about following Zadien’s center of mass and creating a single axis of rotation are exactly how I learned to do those moves. So when I wrote a chemistry-loving, math-mind heroine, I had to let her dance.

About The Susa Chronicles

Nanotechnology and royal romance combine with a heartfelt quest to make a difference in this dystopian retelling of the book of Esther.

As the orphaned daughter of a traitor, Novalise grew up in hiding with an outlawed religious group hated by the crown. She dreams of aiding her people as a scientist and begs her overprotective brother for a chance to assist in his schemes against the government. All her hopes of making a difference implode when she’s kidnapped and forced to compete against the Enhanced—a group of highly trained, biologically upgraded young women—for a position as the king’s Protector.

As the clock counts down for her people, Novalise must choose between manipulating the king’s affection and trusting the voice in her heart to lead her. When all her plans crumble, will she hide behind her new identity as a Protector or find a way to rise in such a time as this?

Find book one, Protector, at your favorite online retailers.
Book two, Proclaimer, releases on April 8, 2025.
Signed copies of both books are available at MeganSchaulis.com

Giveaway!

One person who comments today will win a great collection of swag.

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About Megan Schaulis

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. Her debut series, The Susa Chronicles, a dystopian reimagining of Esther, released with WhiteCrown Publishing. Megan lives in Abilene, Texas, where you’ll find her staying up way too late reading or hiking with her family. Connect with her at her website: MeganSchaulis.com