When I first began writing Bradley’s Gambit, I didn’t set out to craft Teagan Anders into anything more than a presence in Bradley’s orbit — someone grounded in the rhythms of Montrose, someone whose life brushed against his in subtle, everyday ways.

But the interesting thing about writing is how certain characters don’t wait for permission to become important.

Teagan was one of them and as it turned out in my imagination, one of the most important. 

How Teagan Appeared on the Page

She didn’t arrive with a dramatic backstory or a predetermined role. She entered the story the same way people enter our lives in real towns: through routine, through circumstance, through the unplanned moments where two paths cross and something quietly shifts.

Her first scenes were small. Simple. She was meant to be a fun little addition, other than a generic cashier, adding flavor to the scene.

And yet, as I wrote, I kept finding her voice settling into the narrative in ways I hadn’t fully anticipated. Not loudly. Not forcefully. But with a steady realism that felt true to Montrose and true to the emotional fabric of the story.

She became a lens — not through which the plot advanced, but through which Bradley’s humanity became visible.

The Kind of Character She Is (And Was)

What stood out to me most about Teagan wasn’t a particular line or moment, but the way she changed the temperature of a scene.

Whenever she appeared, the tension softened just enough to remind the reader — and Bradley — that connection still existed in the world he’d tried so hard to retreat from.

She isn’t written as flawless or fearless.

 She isn’t meant to overshadow anyone.

 She simply reacts the way a real person might when faced with uncertainty, fear, or unexpected responsibility.

Her strength is less about heroics and more about the quiet resilience that shows up in small decisions.

That subtlety fit the tone of the story better than anything I could have planned deliberately. I am terrible at planning. 

Why Teagan Matters to Gambit

Without revealing specific events, I can say this:

Teagan represents the part of the world Bradley didn’t think he deserved anymore — the ordinary humanity he believed he’d lost access to.

Through her:

• Bradley’s guarded nature is reflected back at him
• The emotional landscape of Montrose becomes clearer
• The story gains a grounding presence amid escalating tension

She isn’t there to “fix” him. This is important to note. The entire story is Bradley's Journey in fixing himself.

 She isn’t there to serve as a plot device.

She is there because the story demanded someone who embodied the life Bradley hadn’t realized he was fighting to protect.

And the more I wrote, the more I understood why she never faded into the background. Why I started looking for ways to create that interaction with her. 

If you want a more poetic and meta interpretation, she basically is Colorado, fighting with Bradley to keep him alive. 

Looking Ahead, Without Saying Too Much

Readers who go on to Bradley’s Reckoning will notice Teagan’s role shift in ways that felt natural to write — not because she changed, but because Bradley did. And because trauma often reveals who we instinctively turn toward when the world shakes beneath our feet.

But that’s as far as I’ll go here.

 This spotlight is meant to acknowledge her place in Gambit, not to forecast what’s coming.

All I’ll say is this:

Teagan Anders was never intended to be a central figure.

 She became one because the story needed her — and because Bradley did, long before he was ready to admit it.

And as the series continues, her quiet presence becomes one of the emotional threads that ties everything together.