THE DANCING LIFE

Short Description

The Dancing Life follows Braden Fox, a successful man who abruptly walks away from the carefully constructed life others helped choose for him. What begins as an attempt to escape personal betrayal and rediscover himself becomes an international journey filled with dancing, adventure, danger, and an unexpected connection with the mysterious Lyla Chance.

As Braden and Lyla travel together, their friendship develops into something neither intended. The problem is that both are keeping secrets, and Braden's former life is actively searching for him.

Genre

The Dancing Life blends romance, political thriller, romantic suspense, adventure, and international travel.

I jokingly describe the combination as a “polythrillmance” because the novel deliberately combines a developing love story with the danger and intrigue of a political thriller.

Inspiration

The inspiration for The Dancing Life began with Jimmy Buffett’s “La Vie Dansante,” a title that translates to “The Dancing Life.” The song inspired the name of Kinsey’s painting and eventually became the title of the novel itself. The story originally began as a screenplay with a much lighter and more comedic tone. In that version, Braden did ridiculous things like riding a horse to the airport and attempting to ship himself across the country through UPS. Although the novel evolved into a more serious thriller, a few elements from the screenplay survived—including the Engineer. Introducing Braus as the man relentlessly pursuing Braden gave the story a more dangerous edge and raised the stakes considerably.

At its heart, I wanted to write about two people falling in love under extraordinary duress. Braden and Kinsey are forced to depend on each other while running for their lives, leaving them little time to hide who they truly are. The novel’s extensive travel grew from my desire to incorporate places I have visited and settings I wanted readers to experience alongside the characters. Some scenes were directly influenced by my own travels; others take place in destinations that remain on my bucket list. Together, those locations give their journey a sense of movement, discovery, and possibility—even as danger follows them every step of the way.

Behind the Book: The iCandidate

• The series’ plot took an unexpected hit after Operation Midnight Hammer and the subsequent war between the United States and Iran. Real-world events overtook parts of the geopolitical storyline I had planned, forcing me to reconsider where the series could go next.

• Despite writing a trilogy centered on dancing, I am not much of a dancer myself. I did take lessons, however, which gave me enough experience to appreciate both the technical challenge of dancing and the connection it can create between two people.

• Jimmy Buffett’s “La Vie Dansante,” which translates to “The Dancing Life,” inspired the title of the series and the name of the painting at the heart of the story. The Key West sequence was inspired by one of my own trips there, while Captain Tony’s—immortalized in Buffett’s “Last Mango in Paris”—helped shape the setting and atmosphere.

• I love to travel, and I wanted Lyla and Braden to visit places I had actually experienced rather than locations I knew only through research. I have been to roughly half of the places they visit in The Dancing Life, which allowed me to incorporate details and impressions drawn from my own travels.

• I love playing craps, but I hate losing money even more, so I do not play very often. That experience inspired Braden’s hop bet during the casino scene—a risky wager that suited both the moment and his personality.

• Kinsey’s physical appearance was inspired by an ex, although their personalities are completely different. The resemblance ends with the way I pictured the character.

• I liked the idea of exploring the shifting power dynamic between a highly intelligent man who is completely outside his element and a woman who is entirely within hers. Braden may be accustomed to relying on his intelligence and resourcefulness, but Lyla possesses the experience, confidence, and instincts needed to navigate this particular world.

• Braus’s name came from an unlikely family joke. My mother once had her eyebrows done, and they looked terrible for a while. “Brows” became her temporary nickname in real life, which eventually evolved into “Braus” on the page.