A behind the scenes look at sneak peeks for upcoming projects, interviews with some of my favorite characters, writing tips, and Q&A sessions! Come on in!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
welcome back!
today joining us in my Writer Room is:
✨Bren Hadaway✨
You might know Bren from his reputation of being the quiet kid with the mysterious past during freshman year at OSU. Or maybe you remember his love of soccer and vinyls or his barista talents. And you might definitely remember his determination to do literally *anything* for Madeline Lenertz. Regardless, he's here with us today - ready to answer most of your submitted questions!
Question No. 1: Why do you think you fell for Madie so quickly?
Madie had a brightness that I was missing. At the time when I met Madie, I had been sitting in a pretty dark place for far too long. She made me feel...hopeful again. That cheerfulness, that sweetness—it was something I didn't realize I was missing in my life. And once I did realize it, I became addicted.
I think our experiences bonded us, too. She maybe didn't realize it at first, but I did. There was a familiarity in her eyes that drew me to her from the very beginning.
Not to mention she's fucking gorgeous.
Question No. 2: What's something that most reminds you of Madie?
The beach will always remind me of Madie. The time we spent there will be ingrained in me forever. I don't know where the rest of our lives will take us, but I know we'll never live far from the ocean. It's a part of us now.
Question No. 3: Why are you so amazing?
Amazing? Nahhh. I'm not the kind of guy who has special talents. Not like Grayon with his piano or Beau with his jokes. But I have come a long way in realizing that I'm not totally worthless. I'm a damn good friend, and I'm trying to be an even better boyfriend.
Question No. 4: How many kids are you and Madie planning?
After everything I went through growing up, having kids is a bit terrifying to think about. But the idea of having kids with Madie? God, I would be so fucking lucky for that to happen. I would be so lucky to get to teach them all the things that my dad didn't teach me. I think two is the perfect number, but we'll have to see what Madie convinces me into. I'd give her whatever she wanted. I don't care how many, as long as they look like their mom.
Question No. 5: Do you think you'll talk to your dad one day?
No. My dad and I are done. It became clear to me that day at Caroline's house that our time is over. There's nothing left to uncover or try to redeem. There's nothing there at all besides delusion and hate. I can't imagine that we will ever see eye-to-eye, and I'm not going to waste my happiness trying to do so.
Question No. 6: If you needed advice, would you go to Beau or Grayson?
Really depends on what the advice is. Beau and I connect on a bit of a deeper level; I think because he's really seen me at my lowest. We'll, we've seen each other there. So I think I'd go to Beau for most things—relationships, trauma, all that heavy shit.
But Beau doesn't give a flying fuck about things like school or the future or anything like that. And he's not the most practical guy around. So, I'd probably go to Grayson if there was something I needed help with in a class or something that needed a more...sensible lens. And of course if it had anything to do with Nessa.
Although there's always the risk that he'd bite my head off before I could finish the sentence.
Question No. 7: What is your biggest regret?
Goddamn, I have a lot. I wish I didn't. I wish I could be the type of person who can live fully in the present. And I think I've gotten better at it, but still.
My biggest regret, though, is that I didn't stay that morning after spending the night with Madie. I didn't stay, didn't warn her about what might happen if she talked to Quinton. I could have prevented her so much pain if I'd had a little more foresight.
But I know Madie doesn't like me to think like that. So I've really tried to put it behind me.
Question No. 8: So... Caroline's dating a new guy. What are your thoughts on that?
First of all, I'm pissed I didn't know about it. Hadn't she learned her lesson from the last time that she was dating a guy and refused to introduce us? What a world of pain that was.
Second of all, he'd better be the nicest guy in the whole goddamn world because Caroline deserved that. Frankly, there probably wasn't anyone who deserved her, so this guy had a lot of work to do. If he even has one single red flag, we're going to have some problems.
I wonder if Caroline's mentioned me to him. If not, he's in for quite the surprise when a college kid shows up on his doorstep for an interrogation.
Question No. 9: Do you think you could ever forgive Quinton for what happened?
I know that Quinton put a fucking bullet in my shoulder, but I still don't think it's my place to forgive him. I think that's all for Madie to decide. She's the one that needs to make peace (or not) with the guy. And I'll stand by whatever she decides. Right now, he's in the past. That's all I really care about.
Question No. 10: Was it an easy or hard decision to take Madie to the beach house?
In my head, it was hard. My head still wanted to think about all the things that could go wrong. It wanted to remind me of the times before when I had tried to save someone and when I had failed.
But in my heart, it was an easy choice. I wanted it, wanted to be with her. Wanted to make sure she was safe. The pull between us was so strong that any second thoughts were easily pushed aside.
So in the end...easy. It was an easy decision. Because the heart always wins.
Question No. 11: How do you feel about other guys talking to Madie?
Yeah, I really don't like it. Maybe it's because of the sour taste that I still have in my mouth from seeing her with Quinton at the beginning of freshman year, but I really fucking don't like the idea of other guys being around her unless I know them. I don't care about Grayon or Beau or Julian—none of them. But she's had enough guys harass her at college, and I like to make sure that something like that never happens again. But I also trust her, and if she says she's comfortable around a dude who I don't know, then her feelings trump mine.
Question No. 12: What's your wildest fantasy with Madie?
This might sound ridiculous, but I think about the night in Madie's dorm room over and over and over again. I fantasize about all the things I could have done to her. I think about the look on her face, her brazenness, about seeing her fall apart for the very first time. That night was honestly the most erotic experience of my life, and I doubt that I'll ever get over it.
But I've also been meaning to take her on a little drive, maybe see what kind of fun we can have in my convertible, maybe by the beach. I have a few thoughts on my mind that I haven't been able to let go of...not since the first time she slid into the passenger seat beside me.
There's been a lot of things I haven't been able to let go of since then. But that's a conversation for another time.
Thanks for checking out Bren's interview. <3
If you have any other questions for Bren...drop them here!
