Former Bachelorette & NYT Bestselling Author Hannah Brown x Main Chapter

Former Bachelorette and New York Times Bestselling Author Hannah Brown sat down with Main Chapter ahead of the release of her third book, Reasons To Be Loved By You. Brown's third book follows Nikki who is based off the author herself and her very public life of being on reality television and her "stranger than fiction" family dynamic. Main Chapter host Brianna Rose asked Brown not only about the book's inspiration, but also her advice for modern dating, life with her husband, and sharing about mental health while having a life in the spotlight. The duo also bond over dating horror stories and unhinged hate comments. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello, my book butterflies, and welcome to this week's episode of the main chapter podcast. My name's Brianna, and if you haven't already, please be sure to like and subscribe so we can continue growing and spreading our love of books with the entire world. Now it is our 15th episode, our season one summer finale, and I have a very special guest for it. I'm interviewing Hannah Brown, the former Bachelorette, who is now a New York Times bestselling author. She's coming out of her third book, Reasons to Be Loved by You, that follows Nikki, the third friend in the core four friend group. Nikki is most like Hannah, and the fact that she went on a reality television show, had a national heartbreak, and her brother ends up marrying the other woman who her ex-fiance cheated on her with. It is a stranger than fiction story, in her words, so to speak. It is messy, it is fun, it is emotional. Ken and I talk about the story without giving away any spoilers. The book isn't out yet. And also talking about what's next to come, as well as just general dating and life advice. Such a fun interview that I have been giddy for for months now. So I'm so excited for you all to witness it. Let's go ahead and roll the tape. So before I ask my first question, I just have to say that I've read all your books and I've loved all your characters, but Nikki was one of my favorites. And it was really fun for me to read her because I'm also born and raised in Georgia. I went to school in UCLA, so I left Georgia when I was 18 for LA, and I competed in pageants for over 10 years. You specifically mentioned National American Myths, Georgia Pre-Ten Pageant, which is where I started and got like a teen state title in a few years later. So it was really, really fun for me to read this book.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Oh, I love that. You know, there's there's a group of us pageant girls that I think would really relate to this book. So I'm glad that you're one of them.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

Yes, I'm referring it to all my pageant friends because I think any pageant girl will love it. And so while I have some stuff in common with Nikki, you have way more in common with Nikki. She's the most like you out of all your female protagonists. And when writing a character like that, there's a lot of transparency what comes with a self-insert. Were you scared at all when developing her story and wondering how people were going to respond to it?

SPEAKER_01 2:31

If I'm being honest, yes. Um, a lot of people have asked me, like, oh, I would have thought this would have been your first novel because Nikki is the most like me. And I think that was one of the reasons why I was more hesitant, even though I've had this idea for a while, um, for Nikki's book to be, you know, later down and along the lines of the series. So um because I felt like there were still parts that I was still exploring about myself and who like the type of person that Nikki is, and how I could be able to write that when I've been, you know, in different seasons that she's in, and like what's what's the resolution or what does she learn about herself? I was trying to kind of learn that for myself, and it it was a little bit vulnerable writing a character who had not just like similar experiences me. Obviously, I was able to really like dive into that, but even similar insecurities as me that I'm still working through myself. Um, but that's in every book, but especially this one, I was a little bit hesitant, but um, it was also really fun once I started. And I think when I started the book and where I'm at now in the season of life, it made it really fun. And I obviously knew this character so much because she was so like me. Um so yeah, it ended up being my favorite book to write, but there was this level and like, you know, leap of vulnerability that I had to make to be able to write this story.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Yeah, I can imagine, but I think her vulnerabilities is what made the book so real. And I could felt like I could really see your heart and passion in her writing. We meet Nikki all the way back in mistakes we never made. I will ever forever think about burrito gate and the burrito and Aaron. I was wondering, did you know from the beginning when you first started developing the Haniverse that Nikki was going to be most like you?

SPEAKER_01 4:45

I knew that there would be a character that was most like me that was gonna, you know, have had this reality TV experience. Um so, yes, there was always a character from the very beginning of me starting this Hannaverse that I really wanted to pay homage to, you know, some of the, I always say like stranger than fiction things that have happened in my life. Um finding myself, you know, on reality TV and kind of what that does and how it to a person and the trials and also the like amazing gifts that that can be, you know, it's a a very um unique situation that there's only a small group of people that could have really experienced it. And so, but people are really fascinated by that, about you know, reality stars and what that's like. And so to be able to draw off my um experiences for that for a character, I knew that there would be a character that was more based on my life than the rest. Um, but every single character of the core four has a part of me, but maybe like a part of me that I'm like don't like about myself, but like exploring that more, one that I wish I like had, you know, I was more that girl. So, but Nikki is just kind of like a lot more like me.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

That's really interesting how both Sybil and Emma have had parts of you in them. What would you say are like you're most alike with those characters?

SPEAKER_01 6:31

Um Sybil's like fear to commit and like feeling like she has to be like the life of the party, but kind of like pushing aside some of the like fears and the things about her that don't make her as shiny. I feel like definitely relate to that and some of the things about Sybil about my life, I don't always love, but like she is so lovable and like that character of like really making her a really lovable character. So it helped me to kind of love those parts of myself of like, well, on the flip side, yes, I can be a little scattered and all over the place, but like there's fun that comes in that, and yeah, and really just exploring that part. And then with Emma, I think I really um honor the parts in me that are like Emma, but I wish I was a little bit more like the caretaker, the person who figures everything out that yes can be a little high stress, but and I have that part, but she really gets things done and she's somebody that you can count on. And so really creating that character was really fun for me and to like really dig into those parts of myself. So those are so far, and Willow's kind of the person that I wish I was, just like care, like has so much wisdom, like so much wisdom, but like has this, you know, the I would say readers haven't really got to know her as much, but like she has this like freedom about her, but that's also come from a lot of experience and heartbreak and being able to explore her is really fun. I'm in the process of doing.

SPEAKER_00 8:24

I'm very intrigued by Willow because I feel like I know her, but I don't know her. So I'm excited for for her book to come out. But going back to Nikki, she talks about how going on national television was kind of this culmination of all her experiences in pageantry and the sacrifices that she made for her. I believe it was like around page 200 where she was saying that she's always wanted this big, beautiful life and loved by gave it shape. So, was that kind of your same sentiment when going on The Bachelorette?

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Yeah, I am like very grateful for that experience because I think for so long I was, you know, whether it was pageants or relationships or whatever, I was like wanting more. And I do think some of the experiences I've had I've had has given me that and more and sometimes than I even like really wanted. But isn't that like everything in life? You you think if I just get this one thing or if I do this, then my life will be perfect, and it'll check all the boxes, and then you realize, oh, was that actually important? Was that actually what I wanted? And that's really Nikki's story, too. Um, but I do think a lot of the things that I've done in my life and the directions I've gone did prepare me more than maybe some people for criticism and being in the public eye and you know, being worried about are people watching me? Are they taking something I said the wrong way? How do I be more politically correct in certain things? Like I was already thinking about that because of my life experiences before being on TV. Now sometimes I threw all that out the window. And you know, I've I've dealt with all that in my past. But um yeah, yeah, I I I hope I answered the question.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

Yeah, yeah. Reality TV, I can imagine, is such a double-edged sword. And then coming from it with a pageantry background, where we're trained to be very like curated and always say the right things, I can imagine that it has that lasting and lingering effect. And then, of course, one of the main conflicts in Nikki's story is that her brother is marrying the other woman that her ex-fiance cheated on her with, and something very similar happened to you. How did you navigate the mess of it all? And how did that influence your writing when it came to Nikki's story?

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Kind of like I referred to earlier, I'm like, my some of the life experiences I've had feel stranger than fiction, so might as well take ownership of the story and write it for myself. But um, it was really hard. There were seasons where it was so hard to navigate. Like, you know, everybody has their own like messy family dynamics, and we we've had ours, but I think it took a lot of honestly time and patience and love to get us to where we are now. And I'm just like so grateful for my family. I feel so blessed for my family, and um it's it's been a beautiful story, but I would be lying to say it was like I knew how to navigate it, or it went just so smooth. It definitely didn't. And so um deciding to write about this in the book, um, I think it kind of goes back to what I said earlier. Like I needed the time and we needed to be in the place that we are now to be able to really like any point in time you're reading romance, like, yes, there's gonna be mess and drama, but there there is this like happily ever after. And I feel like in my personal life, drawing off of those personal experiences, there needed to be that happily ever after, which we're in, and um, and being able to like bring that in to this story was really fun and um really happy with with where I'm at my personal life and how and how you know Nikki navigates a similar situation.

unknown 12:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

I am so happy for you that you have this happily ever after and you have so much love. When I was reading the book, I knew Nikki had the national heartbreak like you did, but I did not realize the brother fiance thing was also based off your life until afterwards. And I could not believe it. I was like, oh my gosh, I called my mom, we talked about it for like an hour, how we would have responded. I probably would have been like slow in that elevator video of her beating up Stacey if you were you. So total props to you and that you are now in this beautiful place. Has your family read Reasons to be loved by you yet? What has their reaction been?

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Um, yes, they have read it. Uh it was funny. Like they are like, oh no, what are you? Like, no, like I I feel like I really lean into the you know, the fun and the chaos because of, you know, reading is for entertainment and for pleasure and for fun. And so there's parts of the book that are like not based in in reality. Obviously, it's a book of fiction. Um, but then there'd be parts that were like, oh my gosh, like I like that kind of happened. I'm like, yes, but nobody knows what's real and what's not. So that's just for us to know and for everyone else to question. Um, but yeah, they're really proud of me. And like, you know, once you read the book, you know, there is a happily ever after in in a bunch of different ways. Um, so yeah, I think they were they were happy with with how it was.

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Yeah, I think the key to a good family dynamic is embracing the chaos. And it's funny you guys have how that inside joke of the inner circle of who knows what's real and who knows who knows what's not. I know one of my also personal favorite parts of the book was Nikki talking about just dating in life and dating in LA specifically because I'm still in LA, it's awful out here. One of my favorite lines of the book was men are like sushi, a buffet is not their preferred format. So I was wondering, do you have any dating horror stories or advice for girls who are still in the trenches?

SPEAKER_01 14:46

Oh my gosh. I mean, yes, I have horror stories as you watch my season. I did I have plenty of horror stories, but um gosh, my advice. I feel like it's really hard out there right now. So I feel like and it's like everybody said up said so many things and like trying to have empathy for even since I've met my husband, it's it's so different. But I think there's a fine line of you know, being so I don't want to say desperate, but like yearning to find your person, but then not being in that situation in real time. And it's so easy for someone to say, just enjoy this season of life. And I'm sure that's so annoying to hear. Um, but I do think I I believe like my faith's so important, like that there's like a season of preparation and being so grateful for where you are in your in your dating season of being able to have more autonomy of your time, to be able to focus on your girlfriends, focus on your career, because when another person comes in, then you're like you have to manage both people's emotions, both people's wants and desires. But um, I think just like continuing to pour into yourself so that you know like who you are, because it can be really hard if you don't know that, and then you you're you so want that relationship that you just kind of morph into whatever needs you need to be for the relationship to continue on. So I would just really advise to take time to like not just like take care of yourself, but to know like the truth of what your desires and needs are so that you can date more consciously and you won't even waste your time on the guys who are not worth it.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Yeah, I love that. I'm 25 and I'm also like a woman of fave. So you talking about just kind of like praying and trying to like wait for your timing really resonated with me. But I always joke that God likes this in me, men to really prepare my patients, my number one dating horror story. A few years ago, I was Alpha Guy, I was halfway through our date, and I learned that he thought I was a white girl who went too hard on the spray tan. Um, I know I still think about it like three years later. And I'm like, these cannot be my only options.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

But first of all, how did you like he just said that? Like, oh, are you uh like how did you even find that out?

SPEAKER_00 17:36

We were talking about UCLA, and I was telling him how it was like a minority majority campus, and he was like, Oh, well, what was it like for you being a minority then? And I was like, What do you mean? I was like, I'm black. There's like a small black population, but there's like a lot of minorities, and he was like, Oh, you're black. And I was like, Yeah, what did you think I was? And he goes, Oh, I just kind of thought you were a white girl who went too hard on the spray tan. I was sitting, I stood up so quick. I was shocked, so shocked. And what's even crazier is I had like the Black Lives Matter like social cause tag on my bumble too. So wow.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

Yeah, that's that's that's a pretty good one.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

It's uh it's it's interesting out here, but shifting gears a bit was something I really wanted to talk about. Is I saw on your Instagram last week you made this really vulnerable post talking about how you are kind of struggling with the season you're in and loving yourself, and that you are scared to post that because you're afraid followers will be turned off by that. You've been in the public eye for a few years now. So I was wondering, do you ever have the pressure to have this healed persona? Because people have already seen you go through so much.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

Yeah, I think that is the thing that's really tough for me because you know, I've had seasons where I've struggled with my mental health, or you know, and then I've I've felt better, I've you know, conquered this obstacle or this anxiety. And so it can be hard when life is just lifing or just stepping into a new season when it's like, oh gosh, like why I really haven't conquered this thing, or I am I am still in the process of healing, and like is that so annoying for people to have to see, oh, here she goes again. Um but it can be it can be really hard to know like what to share and what not to share, and then also like I don't want to feel like I'm living on the tr like in the Truman show and I'm just like sharing everything in my life, it's just for consumption. But then also it's like I want a community, I want to like break through and not just like people get on social media and feel worse than when when they like clicked in. Like it just I feel like there's always this comparison, and there's always like everybody's acting like everything's great and happy and fine, and just success after success, and that's just not true. But it can be really vulnerable sometimes to share the moments of like life is hard, and I I don't even know why it's hard, but I'm just feeling this way, and like not really being able to give. I think sometimes when I do that and share, I feel like I'm not being like the happy Hannah that people can just go on and like I don't know, uh escape reality, I guess, when mental health struggles or just like not being fully satisfied in life is is real and so it can be hard to navigate what do people want from me? What do they want to see from me? But even every time that I do like take down the wall and share who I am, I feel like it does resonate more than all the other stuff, but it's it's still hard, it's still always hard. Um and you know, like I just see this like me stepping out and being vulnerable. Like now the people that are in my community are following, can follow along as I find um more joy in life, as I take better care of myself to love myself. Like I can now have people come along on that journey. Um, and that's also like great, and it has purpose. So it's hard, but I do think it's worth it to just be like, ah, you know, I don't have it all figured out like I thought it did. Whoops.

SPEAKER_00 21:43

Life has so many ups and downs. I know I'm like one of millions of people, but I very much appreciate the vulnerability. And I love seeing your support system, including your husband Adam. I love seeing all your videos together, seeing guys' demo. I was wondering, has he influenced any of The male protagonist in your books?

SPEAKER_01 22:03

Um, yeah, some I would say definitely Jamie from uh The Four Engagement Reams at Sybil Rain. I took a lot of inspiration of just like all the good parts of Jamie. I I really um the swoonworthy parts, I feel like Adam definitely embodies those. Where like this character, Nate, it's very different. He's he's basically Nick Miller from New Girl, and like I love it. He's so goofy and funny and silly, but uh I feel like Adam is a very, I don't want to say he's not feminine, but he's like very aware of emotions and like we have a great relationship when it comes to like just being able to emotionally regulate together and communication. And so like that type of man, um I know and I'm like honored that I have had you know a beautiful relationship with somebody who just like understands women. Um so yeah, I get a lot of inspiration from him.

SPEAKER_00 23:08

Yeah, well, Jamie, I think, is my favorite of all your protagonists. And I was wondering, I was like, wow, do men like Jamie exist? But apparently they do. So that definitely gives me hope. And this is also your third book working with Emily Larrabee. And I was wondering, what is that relationship like with her? How did it come about?

SPEAKER_01 23:29

Um, she's a wonderful, you know. I work with, I have an amazing literary agent and publisher. And so just trying to find somebody who really um I could connect with that understood me, whose writing style was similar. Uh I can't exactly remember how it all came about, but like met with a few people and really connected with Emily. And it's been wonderful. Like I feel so honored for the team that I have and the relationship that I have with every member of this team that brings the book out into the world. It's it takes a village, and I'm so thankful for the village that I have. But Emily is wonderful. I'm so thankful for her guidance, for her points of views, um, and being able to work collaborative collaboratively together is yes, sometimes it can be like different because it's two different people seem, you know, and and we'll have um we have this back and forth communication, but I think that really makes the book better. Um and so all in all, super thankful to have her. And I think we have a great relationship working relationship and excited to continue working with her.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

I'm excited. So you guys have another book coming out with Willow's book. We talked about it briefly earlier in this interview, but I was wondering, is there anything you're most excited about in particular with Willow's story or that you can tease even though it's about a year out?

SPEAKER_01 25:04

Oh, I'm like, what can I say? I'm really excited about this book because I feel like with each book I love romance, but I feel like pushing the needle on um like there being lightness and darkness, if that makes sense. Not like dark, like there is like I think real romance and love, you can really see that and display that and write that when there is that balance of a little bit of grief and hardship and really trying to navigate that. Um there's gonna be some of that in Willow's in Willow's book. Like, I there's a reason the why she is the way she is, and she's this person that like I could wish I could be. And it's because she's like been through a lot, and there, and I'm really excited about like where the book, the setting of the book, it's gonna be something I think very swoon worthy. Um, but that's all I can say right now.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

Okay, seems like we have a lot of emotional layers coming at us. So I'm excited. We have a few minutes left, and I always like to end with some fun questions. So you now live in Nashville, but used to be in LA. What is one thing Nashville has over LA? And what is one thing LA has over Nashville?

SPEAKER_01 26:35

Well, LA has perfect weather and sunshine, and I miss it so much in a beautiful. But I feel like Nashville has southern hospitality and um just this like sense of home for me that LA doesn't always have like almost like this groundedness that I feel that Nashville has versus LA.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

Yeah, I do sometimes miss that southern hospitality of Atlanta. I love how you mentioned LA weather when we're literally experiencing June gloom right now, but it usually is absolutely perfect. And then also being in the public, I feel like no matter how much you post on social media, everyone gets some type of unhinged hate comment at one point. Someone once told me I was built like a Roblox, which I had to look up what that was. And then I saw Susie Evans, another bachelor alum. Someone had commented she looked like she had too many teeth and she was laughing at it because you kind of just have to laugh at that moment. So I mean, what's the most unhinged thing you've seen someone write about you?

SPEAKER_01 27:49

Oh, you know, I the one I thought it's bad to even say it's like actually like super mean. Like so, um, you know, what have people said? Oh, my eyebrows can look like angry birds, which is kind of true. Wait, I don't even know what that means. Like, I like my eyebrows, I have like a unibrow naturally, and they can just kind of grow in and make me look a little angry sometimes, or like really, you know, we've we've changed the way that we do the Botox to like help with that fair, yeah. And sometimes you look like angry birds.

SPEAKER_00 28:28

So I'm a Roblox and you're angry bird. What a pair we are. And so my final question for you is to kind of a wrap up on reasons to be loved by you. Is there what are you most excited about for readers to experience with this book?

SPEAKER_01 28:44

I am so excited for people to read this book because I feel like while yes, there is like some mess, some mess, mess, mess in it. There's also like, I feel like this like comfort in it as well, maybe because it is like set and like this slower pace, Georgia, Lake Town. Um, but I hope it feels just like really cozy. Um, it's a slower, I don't want to say like slower read, but it's just like that, it's not like this urgency, like the past two books that I've written, like urgency was very important for the plot. It's a little bit um softer and has a lot of heart to it. So I'm really excited for people. I feel like right now, like it feels like the world's on fire, and to have a book that will slow down time and really like has this heart and like family as the as the root of it. Um, I'm excited for people to read that.

SPEAKER_00 29:53

And it's such a fun summer read. So I think it's coming out at the perfect time of the year. I know I loved it, so I'm excited to see how the rest of the world does as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. I really, really enjoyed this.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

I did too. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 30:08

Of course, thanks. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed that. Be sure to check out Reasons to Be Loved by You coming out June 23rd. I loved it. I'm sure you all love it as well. And check out the other books and the Hannah Verse from Mistakes We Never Made to the Four Engagement Rings, A Sybil Reign and Willow's book coming out summer 2027. As I stated, this is my summer finale, so I'm going to take a little hiatus just for a month with recording. But I will be back better than ever in August. And until then, I do plan to keep posting short form content on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube shorts. So be sure to check it out and follow me. Have a great summer, my book butterflies, and I'll see you next time.