We chat with debut author Ellen O’Clover about her YA release, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux, which is a clever, charming, and poignant debut novel about a girl who must decide whether to pursue her dreams or preserve her relationships, including a budding romance with her ex-best friend, when an app she created goes viral.
Hi, Ellen! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’ve been a reader and writer my whole life. I was lucky to grow up in Columbus, Ohio, where I had all sorts of writing resources at my fingertips and spent lots of time at writing camps and in workshops. I studied creative writing in college, and eventually moved to Denver, Colorado where I live now—surrounded by lots of books! I love to hike, ski, snowshoe, and enjoy all the natural beauty Colorado has to offer. Also a big fan of cooking, reading (duh), and my sassy French bulldog, Puffin.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I can’t remember a time before I loved writing and stories—it feels like those things have always been there, integral parts of my life and my sense of self. But I started writing novels seriously in 2017, when I moved to Colorado. I’d been out of college for a couple years and so wrapped up in getting my career off the ground that I hadn’t made time for writing creatively in a while. But my husband and I knew absolutely no one in our new home state, so I found myself with lots of extra time on my hands! And I thought, if not now, when?
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first book I vividly remember reading is a picture book called Finster Frets, about a man with a bird’s nest in his hair (I have incredibly curly hair and experienced many a “birds nest” when I was young). Reading Sarah Dessen’s YA novels while I was growing up, especially This Lullaby, made me want to become an author. And a recent read I can’t get out of my head is MONARCH RISING by Harper Glenn!
Your debut novel, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fast-paced, romantic, twisty, heartfelt.
What can readers expect?
Seven Percent of Ro Devereux is about a senior in high school who creates a future-predicting app based on the game MASH for her senior project. When it unexpectedly goes viral, she and her app-predicted “perfect match,” who also happens to be her ex-best friend/worst enemy, are thrust together and forced to become the app’s spokespeople—which leaves them to navigate both their senior year, and the years of hurt between them, as the app starts to spiral out of control.
Where did the inspiration for Seven Percent of Ro Devereux come from?
When I got the idea for Ro Devereux I was working in the marketing department of a software startup. It was the first time I’d really been in the tech world, and I couldn’t shake the idea of this character: a tech-savvy young woman who creates an app that blows up and kind of runs away with her. I wanted to write about a character who experiences both the incredible potential of technology and its sinister side—especially for young people. And I was interested in balancing the tech element with something more lo-fi and nostalgic, which is how MASH came in.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Miller has a very special place in my heart! As Ro’s childhood-best-friend-turned-enemy and her app-predicted match, he obviously plays a major role in the plot. But he also brings this aching heart to the book. I love Ro, but she’s hardheaded and a bit brash and more than a little impulsive. Miller is her opposite: soft-spoken, tender-hearted, incredibly thoughtful. Ro sets the pace of the story and makes massive decisions that send its plot spiraling forward, and Miller is kind of the story’s emotional undercurrent. I loved writing his scenes and watching his soft heart balance Ro’s fiery one.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting Seven Percent of Ro Devereux published?
It was twisty! I signed with my first agent in 2018 after writing my first manuscript, and that book didn’t sell on submission. I signed with my second agent in 2020 with my second manuscript, and that book didn’t sell, either. I wrote Ro Devereux in 2021 and it sold in a two-book deal near the end of the same year. I try to mention this in interviews whenever I can, because hearing stories of people landing book deals on their third, fourth, seventeeth try gave me so much hope when I was struggling through (what felt like) a mudpit of rejection! The only dream you’re guaranteed not to get is the one you stop showing up for. If you’re struggling, I hope you’ll protect your magic and write on.
Do you have any advice for those who may have set some writing resolutions for the new year?
Put your butt in the chair! Maybe that sounds silly, but there really is no silver bullet. I wish there was! I get asked a lot how I manage to write books while working full time, and it’s really just that: I get my butt into my writing chair. Even when there’s something else—anything else!—I’d rather be doing; even when I only manage to force out three words that I’ll only end up deleting later. You won’t write something magic every time you sit down, but you do need to create space for your magic to find you. It doesn’t have to be every day, but my advice is to keep showing up for your story until something works. Honor your story with your presence as often as you can.
What’s next for you?
I have another standalone YA contemporary coming in 2024, and I truly can’t wait to share more about it. It’s a story that’s been on my mind for a long time! I think readers who enjoyed Ro Devereux will be happy to find a similarly fierce, ambitious female lead, plenty of family secrets, and—of course—romance.
Lastly, are there any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
Oh, 2023 is going to be such a good year for books. Off the top of my head—and just in YA alone—I can’t wait for Jessie Weaver’s LIVE YOUR BEST LIE, Jenna Miller’s OUT OF CHARACTER, Sher Lee’s FAKE DATES AND MOONCAKES, Haley Alcaraz’s UP IN FLAMES, and Kelsey Rodkey’s PLUS ONE.
You can find Ellen on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, along with at her website.
