Category: Be Yourself

CUPCAKE cover reveal

It’s time, you guys!

The CUPCAKE cover reveal is today, yay!!!

This is my first #OwnVoices book.

It’s a swoony, sweet, hilarious YA romance.

It’s also the first book I’ve ever had traditionally published from start to finish. Thank you so much, Entangled Teen!

I’m so excited to share this beautiful cover created by Elizabeth Turner-Stokes!

Annnd without further ado…

…here’s the cover…

…for CUPCAKE!

Beautiful, right?!?

Ariel “Cupcake” Duncan is a seventeen-year-old girl who loves movies and baking. She also just happens to be plus-sized. When she gets nominated to Homecoming Court, Ariel is surprised–and reluctant lol. She absolutely doesn’t want to be a princess.

Then she’s paired with Rhys Castle. The popular quarterback is…complex, hot one minute, cold the next. Ariel doesn’t know what to think.

Sparks fly as they complete a ton of fun/hilarious/romantic Homecoming activities.

Spoiler alert: The curvy girl in this book doesn’t have to lose weight to get her happily-ever-after.

She loves herself, as she is.

And that is my favorite thing about the book <3.

I also love Rhys *swoon*, Ariel’s awesome relationship with her mom, her best friend & their talks, the friends she makes on the Court, and all of the Homecoming fun.

If you’re in the mood for something sweet, funny, and uplifting, I hope you’ll give CUPCAKE a try!

Hope you are staying safe and having a wonderful summer, bookworms!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. CUPCAKE doesn’t officially release until November 2nd–but it’s already available for pre-order on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Google Play! Hooray!

P.P.S. WALLFLOWER is now available in paperback!!! I will most likely do another post about this later bc it’s a big deal, and I have pics to share, woop!

P.P.P.S. Be on the lookout for another cover reveal this Saturday! That one is for my upcoming NA romance The Perfect Play! <3 Can’t wait to share it with you!

If You Liked This, Then You’ll Like That

A while ago, I mentioned something about ADORKABLE being an if-you-liked-this-then-you’ll-like-that book.  You’re probably thinking, “What the heck does that mean?”  Well…although I’m a little uncomfortable comparing my books to others, I noticed a few times where people have mentioned my debut/me in connection to other books! 🙂  It was surprising and actually pretty sweet.  I just love seeing my books mentioned; I think it’s an author thing.  No, you say?  It’s just you and your weirdness lol?  Well okay, I’ll own it then.  I love seeing people mention my books–when it’s something nice, of course ;).

Here are some if-this-then-that things I thought were cool and thought you might like, too.

This first one is from a blog called Bookcrushin’ posted by Kelli Spear.  She basically says that if you liked Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, you may like ADORKABLE.  What I found so freakin’ hilarious was that she hoped she wouldn’t “catch heat,” hoped it wasn’t “sacrilegious” to say such a thing–and those were my thoughts exactly LOL!!!  I love Rainbow Rowell.  She’s one of my all-time favorite authors.  And while I admit I haven’t read all of the other books in this post (yet), I have read Fangirl.  And yeah…that is a high bar right there.  I’m not even touching that lol!  But I gotta say…I love her for saying it! <3  Thank you so much Kelli for even mentioning ADORKABLE in connection with anything Rainbow Rowell-related.  You’re lovely!

This next one is from a review written by Jen from Star-Crossed Book Blog about a book called Glitter and Sparkle by Shari L. Tapscott.  Jenn writes, “If you’re a fan of Cookie O’Gorman, or even the feelings you got while watching the movie Clueless, then you definitely have to give this one a try!” First off, Jen rocks.  Second, she has great taste in books, and I’ve found several through her awesome reviews.  Then she had to go and mention Clueless, which made my heart go gooey.  I love Clueless, and I love that Jen thought of me when writing a review for a book she loved!  It was such an awesome suprise–and Glitter and Sparkle is definitely now on my TBR list!

The third screenshot is from the blurb for a book called My Fake Valentine by Kellie McAllen.  This is the first (and only) time I’ve ever seen another author say if you liked ADORKABLE, you’ll like my book, too.  And it was so cool!  Now, I haven’t read this book, but it was still all kinds of fantastic to see that someone thought ADORKABLE was worth a mention :).

And lastly, of course, I have to include this amazing article written by Kerri Jarema from Bustle called 10 Rom-Com Novels With Fake Relationships That Will Give You Serious Lara Jean & Peter Kavinsky Vibes.  Okay, so I don’t know Kerri.  I have no idea how she found ADORKABLE.  I do know that several readers compared it to Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, and that that is what drove me to read the book last year.  Having ADORKABLE mentioned on Bustle (Bustle, you guys!) in the same post as this awesome book right around the time the awesome Netflix movie was released?  My mind was officially blown.  But one of the best parts about it?  My Aunt Pat, who I love so much and miss every single day, used to LOVE Jennifer Crusie–and one of Crusie’s books, Strange Bedpersons, is right above ADORKABLE.  I really think Pat would’ve liked that.

So yeah, apparently ADORKABLE is an if-you-liked-this-then-you’ll-like-that book.  Who knew? 🙂  I hope you’re all doing well and having a great fall so far!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

The Romance, The Humor, The Real

Since it’s less than a month away (eep!), I thought I’d do a post about my next book release :).

If you didn’t know, my next YA is a romance murder mystery called The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder.  It’s set in the deep south.  It features a quirky cast of characters that I love, love, love to the tips of my toes.  And at it’s core, it’s the story of a girl, a boy and a mystery.

I wrote this story before ADORKABLE and NINJA GIRL–which to me means, there wouldn’t be those books without this one.  The characters and story are completely unrelated, but what makes TUIUTAEW the same are the things I try to include in all my books.

The romance.  There is so much more mystery to this book than any of my others.  Still, I hope people will fall in love with Delilah and Ethan.  Their romance is slow but true.  It still makes me swoon *sigh*.  I hope readers will get to know them as real people and root for them like I did.

The humor.  I love books that make me laugh.  Real life can be so hard sometimes, and with my books, I hope to make people smile.  My side characters always end up being some of my favorites, and in this one, they are irreplaceable.  George is snarky as heck, has no filter and I LOVE her lol.  Like seriously, I wish I could be more like her :).  Aunt B and Delilah’s mom are awesome as well, and I think their family is just amazing.

The real.  This book is YA.  That means it focuses on themes that will hopefully speak to young adults.  One of the main themes in this book is about feeling left out.  I think Delilah and Ethan, George, Ronnie, Aunt B and Delilah’s mom all struggle with this.  They are quirky like I said–which really means they are odd, awkward, not normal.  And though I love and celebrate them for it, the good people of Bowie, Georgia do not.  They don’t appreciate the strange or the abnormal.  They want everyone to remain inside the box, be just like they are–but my characters defy this expectation.  They rail against it.  They are abnormal.  They are social rejects.  And imo, they are absolutely wonderful in their uniqueness, even though people give them crap for it.

I hope readers, young and old, can relate to the struggle of trying to be yourself in a town that would rather you conform, stay silent, be normal.

Embrace what makes you YOU, readers, and never let anyone make you feel bad about yourself.  Easier said than done, right lol?  But I believe in you and know you can do it!  That plus romance/murder/mystery is what The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder is all about!  I hope you’ll give it a shot!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

Be Water

I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since I last posted!  Two freakin’ weeks…how did that even happen? 0__0

Well, I’m back readers, and I sincerely hope you are still with me!  Today, I wanted to share a video I found a long time ago when I was doing research for NINJA GIRL.  It’s totally awesome imo, and it’s Bruce Lee in a nutshell–so of course, Snow would love it :).  I do, too, and I hope you will as well.

While I’ve been editing my next book to be released and writing a new book, feeling all of the feels, doubting myself at every turn, I can honestly say I wish I was more like Bruce, more like Snow.  I try to be water.  Whenever new situations or challenges present themselves, I try to go with the flow, roll with the punches.  I don’t always succeed…but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

My next YA book will be different than my first two releases–completely new characters, not as fluffy (though still lots of laughs)–and I’m very nervous (see: terrified) about that.  And I actually wrote it before ADORKABLE, though it’s been through huge revisions since then.  Note to self: The writer-ly fears do not go away after you release a book.  They remain, hang around and sneak up on you when you least expect it.  I’m also organizing an event for a very good cause, a cause that I care deeply about, and so far?  I’ve only gotten one response.  Ugggggh…

And yet!  I refuse to give up.  I’m going to be water, my friends.  And it is my hope, no matter what you’re dealing with in your life, that you can be, too <3.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

Snow’s Top 10 Ninja Tips

The idea for this post was inspired by Snow from my YA romance NINJA GIRL (of course!) and Tressa over at Wishful Endings.  (You can read the original here.)

One of my favorite things about writing is really getting into the heads of my characters.  My MCs are people that I admire, that I could see myself being friends with, and Snow is a ninja girl after my own heart. 🙂  She’s tough yet vulnerable, strong yet soft on the inside, smart and incredibly loyal.  In short, she is one tough cookie, and I love her for it.  So without further ado…

Snow’s Top 10 Ninja Tips:

  1. Embrace your inner ninja (aka love yourself and everything that makes you YOU).
  2. Watch out for mean girls. Even ninjas have feelings, and mean girls always go for the weak spots.
  3. Be stealth–especially when it comes to stealing a kiss from a stranger in a theater. Who said you have to wait for that first kiss?
  4. Adhere to the ninja way, and always stick up for your friends (even when they keep secrets and drag you to Girls Night…ugh).
  5. Say “no” to karaoke. Just because you kick ass does not mean you have ninja singing skills.
  6. Work out every day–especially if you’ve eaten marshmallow fluff the night before.
  7. Keep it professional (aka stop accidentally kissing the guy whose body you’re supposed to be guarding).
  8. Some ninjas like chick flicks…or have a collection of every romantic comedy ever.
  9. Be fearless if you can. If you’re scared, be brave and do it anyway.
  10. If someone loves you for the ninja that you are, don’t be afraid to love them right back <3.

Like I said, I love Snow!  I’m really hoping readers will as well.  Next week, I’m planning to do a post about Ash…oh Ash, sigh <333.  Keep a lookout for that if you’d like to fangirl right along with me lol.  Also, if you like winning free stuff, there’s still a few more days to enter the NINJA GIRL Blog Tour Giveaway!  I hoped you enjoyed these ninja tips as much as I did, and I hope you have a great day!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. NINJA GIRL hit #1 in the U.S. in one of its categories this week!!!  Yayyyyy, whoohoo, and hi-yah!

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’ve been saving this for today lol!

Not sure when I found the link, but I thought these Valentine’s Day cards were so cute/funny :).

Yoda-One-For-Me-Valentines-Day-Card

Sally would’ve been all about that Yoda card–and Becks would’ve loved it because it was from his girl.  Sigh…seriously, so ADORKABLE!!!  If you haven’t found that special someone to tell you “Yoda one for me,” don’t let it get you down!  Go out and buy a heart-shaped box of candy for yourself.  Pull out your favorite chick flick (book or movie, doesn’t matter) and have a swoon fest.  Or heck, get dressed up and go out dancing if that’s what you love to do.  Tell the person you love–whether they’re family, friend or a beloved pet–how much you love them.

For that matter, look in the mirror and tell yourself that <3.

Whether you’re a hopeless (yet slightly cynical) romantic like me or something else altogether, I hope you have a very happy Valentine’s Day!  And I hope you buy yourself some chocolate…and a great book.  You deserve it! 😉

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

Never Give Up

Warning: This post may come off as a little kumbaya at times, jaded at others, but I always try to stay positive.  Here, I tried to keep it real.  You have been warned.

My favorite books are the ones where the hero wins in the end.

I mean, seriously, does that surprise you?  I wrote a book called ADORKABLE for crying out loud!

The girl gets her guy.  Good triumphs over evil.  The world is going to crap, crashing down all around us, but somehow…the dog lives in the end.

That is what I think makes a great story.

The difference between the younger books I read versus the adult books is that in YA and children’s books there is an innocence but, within that, a definitive sense of right and wrong.

Young adults read books like Harry Potter.  They grow up on these books.  They devour the pages and breathe the words in like oxygen.  Some may call it naive, but young people read books like Harry Potter, and they just know Voldemort will lose in the end.  They see someone who stands for hate and racism, a man who surrounds himself with deatheaters who want to get rid of all the “mudbloods” to keep the magical race “pure,” and they know, without a shadow of a doubt, that that.is.wrong.

They believe in the wisdom found inside HP’s magical pages like, “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals,” and “We’ve all got both light and dark inside us.  What matters is the part we choose to act on.  That’s who we really are.”  Whether they remember the quote or not, young people absorb the meaning and truth of these words.

They see good people like Harry, Ron, and Hermione fighting back, doing all they can to keep us from returning to the dark ages, and they cheer them on.  They want the good guys to win.  They want the bad guys to lose.  It’s that simple.

Because really, how could we get to the end of book 7 of this best-series-in-the-entire-world only to find out that…Voldemort wins???

No.  Young people would never stand for it, readers would revolt, and a great author like J.K. Rowling would never let that happen.

This is one of the reasons I love YA and children’s books.  The worlds in these books, however bleak, are often full of hope.  Things may sometimes seem hopeless…but then you realize that you still have about 100 more pages left to read, and you know, you just know, that things will turn around.  The promise of a happy ending drives us to keep reading, keep hoping, to never give up.

I wish the world was more like the books I love so much.  (Although not The Hunger Games.  That would be pretty messed up.)

I think the world needs more hope and less hate.  More happy endings and less tragedies.  More heroines and less bad guys.

I’ve got to be honest with you.  Right now, I don’t see a whole lot of light.  There is darkness everywhere.  I’m not giving up, and I don’t think anyone who feels like I do should either.  But my faith in people has been shaken.  I do not know how people could dismiss a man’s despicable actions, hateful words and beliefs and support him anyway.  I just…don’t.

So that’s where I am.  To try and end on a positive, I’ll leave you with some words said by a smart man, created by the mind of an even smarter woman:

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”–J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The next blog post will be lighter, I promise.  Hope everyone has a great week.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

 

Doc Holliday & Wyatt Earp

image

There’s this moment in Tombstone where someone asks Doc Holliday why he’s doing all this (as in, why is he fighting so hard and putting his already failing health at risk).

Doc says simply, “Wyatt Earp is my friend.”

The Other Guy scoffs and says something like, “I got lots of friends.”

After a long pause, Doc says, “I don’t.”

I have always loved this friendship, and I’ve always felt a kinship with Doc because, like him, I only ever had one true best friend.  She is my favorite person of all time.  I love her so much and would’ve done anything for her–including facing down Johnny Ringo in her stead.

But I didn’t get that chance.

My best friend passed away last year from cancer, and I miss her every moment of every day.  She passed before getting to see me publish ADORKABLE, which I will always regret.  Each day is less without her here.  I am less, too.  Part of me, the very best part, died with her, and I am still not at peace with her passing.

But, I will tell you…I was blessed to know her.  I was blessed to have her in my life.  I was blessed to be raised by her, to experience her humor, great taste in music, movies and books, and to witness her innate goodness.  And I was blessed to have her as a best friend.

Doc had it right.

You only need one.

And if you have a best friend like that, well, then I’d say you’re pretty blessed.

Happy birthday, Aunt Pat.  I finally published that book you loved so much, and some people loved Sally and Becks just like you said they would.  I’m sure you’re doing the I-told-you-so dance up in Heaven, hanging with Mema, the babies, David Bowie, and Alan Rickman.  You’re probably smiling over the fact that I referenced Tombstone to describe our friendship (it’s true, though).  I love you, miss you, and hope you are well.  Love, Your Cookie

Hope you all have a great weekend filled with good times and great friends.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

Be Yourself

People say it all the time, and you hear it again and again, maybe especially if you’re a young adult.

“Be yourself.”

It’s a great message, the idea that if you just “be yourself” everything will work out–and even if it doesn’t, you’ll be okay.  It’s powerful and empowering…and potentially very scary.  I mean, think about it.  Imagine, putting yourself out there like that, being who you are regardless of what people think, what they may say, how they may react.  You also have to know who you are in the first place, and that is tough for most adults let alone a teenager who is still trying to figure out her place in the world.

Like I said: powerful yet scary stuff.

I work with young kids, and school is about to start.  I was having a hard time deciding what to write this week when I saw all the back-to-school posts.  That got me thinking about how daunting starting a new school year can be.

And then…I thought about Sally :).

One of the things I love best about Sally Spitz (the main character of ADORKABLE) is that she is completely herself.  She loves what she loves and who she loves wholeheartedly.  Whether it’s quoting Yoda, wearing Harry Potter memorabilia, re-enacting her favorite scene from a movie that almost no one knows, or admitting to her best friend that she needs a fake boyfriend, Sally is who she is.  Unapologetically.  Like a proud author-parent, it’s also one of the things I’m most proud of.

That doesn’t mean she isn’t insecure sometimes.  Sally definitely has doubts.  Those are a part of her, too, and they make her human.  The important thing is that despite those insecurities, despite those doubts, she doesn’t let that stop or change her.

Like it or not–like her or not–it’s okay, and here’s why:

Sally likes herself.

She is loyal to her friends, her family and her fandoms :).  She’s a smart girl who loves books.  And she will be herself no matter what.  If you think about it, what “be yourself” really means is: Be brave.

As school starts back, I hope all the young adults out there (and the adults) can be brave.  I hope I can be brave.  I hope it’s one of the things people take away after reading ADORKABLE.

Be yourself.  It’s one of the hardest and most important things you can do.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman