How Bestselling Author Ellen O’Clover Writes

September 18
37 mins

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Episode Description

Bestselling author Ellen O’Clover spoke with us about her career as a copywriter, her writing process, making the transition from YA to adult romance, and her latest novel IF NOT YOU.

Ellen O’Clover is the acclaimed author of The Heartbreak Hotel—a BOTM selection, instant indie bestseller, and one of NPR’s 2025 “Books We Love.” She studied creative writing at Johns Hopkins University.

Her latest novel, If Not You, is described as an “...honest and heartfelt love story [with] the witty, down-to-earth, timeless vibes of the classic 90s and 2000s rom-coms.”  

Rachel Lynn Solomon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Extracurricular, said of the author, “Ellen O'Clover is one of my favorite writers — her books leave me in perpetual awe….The romance genre is radically lucky to have Ellen's voice in it.”

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In this file Ellen O’Clover, Milena, and I discussed:

Getting a blurb from our friend Jodi Picoult

Why she made the shift from pantser to plotter

How she crafts her emotionally driven fiction

What she mined from her copywriting career for the latest

Meeting your readers where they are

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

ellenoclover.com

If Not You By Ellen O’Clover (Amazon)

Ellen O’Clover Amazon Author Page

Ellen O’Clover on Substack

Ellen O’Clover on TikTok

Ellen O’Clover on Instagram

Milena Gonzalez | Writer | Reader | Book Reviewer

diary_of_a_book_babe on Instagram

Kelton Reid Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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