See the cover for Brown’s debut novel, Mistakes We Never Made.
“The windmill does not show up in this story,” she says, with a laugh.
“But hey, maybe for projects in the future.
The cover of ‘Mistakes We Never Made’ by Hannah Brown.Forever
But there are definitely some steamy scenes in this book.
EW can exclusively reveal the cover, designed by Kaitlin Kall.
The novel follows two former debate team champions, Emma and Finn, on an epic coastal road trip.
Author and former ‘The Bachelorette’ contestant Hannah Brown.Raul Romo
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This marks the first of two rom-com books.
Have you been a longtime romance reader?
HANNAH BROWN:I’ve always been an avid reader.
Hannah Brown on ‘The Bachelorette’.Mark Bourdillon/ABC
Even if it’s a rom-com, there’s always something that I can relate to.
That’s what makes brilliant novels the best is when it [tugs at] those heartstrings.
This is a dream come true as someone who’s grown up reading religiously.
Where did the concept of second chance romance and a road trip come from?
This cover has some lovely southwestern vibes and a vibrant orange and pink palette.
Did you have a wish list going into the design process?
I wanted it to be a beautiful cover.
I really do appreciate a piece of art on the cover that gets me immediately intrigued.
So, I wanted something that was really beautiful and a watercolor treatment of everything.
I guess it did.
I didn’t think of it in that way, but my love life did inspire the story.
So, how to create that in the story for the reader to experience was really important to me.
That is what makes for beautiful romance.
Were there particular authors that inspired you in your writing process?
Emily Henry is the queen of romantic comedy.
It’s that same jot down of read that people love when they pick up a book from her.
She’s really the one that resonates the most with me.
That’s where I get most of my inspiration from.
You are so sex positive and treat the subject of intimacy with such respect and a sense of empowerment.
How did you want to channel that into your storytelling?
I am authentic and honest about what a relationship is, and so I channeled that into this story.
I didn’t ever expect to be this sex positive symbol; that was never an intention.
Honestly, I’ve had my own journey with that.
In terms of your characters, Emma and Finn, were there particular inspirations for them?
The group of girlfriends in this novel all represent a part of me.
Emma represents a part of me.
She has this need to feel in control of her life.
She can be great for the people around her, but she can sometimes hurt herself.
It also can lead to detriment in your life and love and how to overcome that and let go.
I don’t know if Finn represents any one person.
He’s a mixture of different men in my life for sure.
That is definitely where I want this wedding weekend to be.
What was the most difficult part of writing this?
But the writing process is very new to me.
And I worked with Emily Larrabee.
This is not a one woman show.
It’s a big task to write a novel.
But to create a full story that actually everybody can follow, it’s tough.
I could not have done it by myself.
Or I could have, but we would not have this book for another 10 years.
The most enjoyable part of the process was seeing the full manuscript for the first time.
You have a two book deal.
Have you started working on book two yet and do you know what it will be about?
We have started working on it.
The group of girlfriends all play a role in the idea of what these books can turn into.
How this group of girls is there for each other intermingles across all their stories.
How do all these stories connect?
How do these girls support each other?
What is their role in this group of friends?
That will be even more evident and continuing to grow in this next novel.
