How Bestselling Author Ellen O’Clover Writes
The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and NeuroscienceShow Notes
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
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