debut – Page 5 – THE COOKIE JAR

Category: debut

12
May
2016

ADORKABLE Book Playlist

categories: Adorkable, book playlist, debut, doing what you love, fun, YA

I love music. I really, really do. So, of course, I make a book playlist for each of my books. Typically, this is a cumulative process, and I add songs as I’m writing as well as after I’ve reached the end. Some songs represent a character and their feelings; others represent a scene (some fit so perfectly in my head that it’s crazy). ADORKABLE‘s Book Playlist had several of my all-time favorites. I’ve included a few music videos and what the songs represent to me. Hope you enjoy!

“Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap is truly one of my favorite songs. It represents Sally and this book and how Sally feels about Becks and how Becks feels about Sally…sigh. It represents ADORKABLE in all ways :).

“Can You Tell” by Ra Ra Riot is so Becks it’s not even funny. These lyrics: Oh have I been too discreet? How long am I supposed to wait? Absolutely, totally Becks–and he would have gladly waited as long as he needed to for Sally…and she would have waited for him.

This is the song I picture playing at the party during the shaving scene (which btw is one of my most favorite scenes!) <3.

The breakup scene :(. Tegan & Sara do heartache/breakup/yearning songs like no one else. “Call It Off” has exactly the right feel.

Annnd the happily-ever-after :). Just being honest–and maybe this makes me a total girl–but DMB’s “Crash Into Me” is perfect for just about every love story ever. This version of the song, though, I think is perfect for Sally and Becks.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

THE ADORKABLE BOOK PLAYLIST

“Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap

“Can You Tell” by Ra Ra Riot

“The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson

“July Flame” by Laura Veirs

“So Insane” by Discovery

“The Trial of the Century” by French Kicks

“Hysteric” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

“Powerful Stuff” by Sean Hayes

“Call It Off” by Tegan and Sara

“Your Song” by Kate Walsh

“Nicest Thing” by Kate Nash

“Hyperballad” by Whitley

“Syrup & Honey” by Duffy

“Oh Boy” by Duffy

“She’s Got You High” by Mumm-Ra

“Heart Skipped a Beat” by The XX

“Tessellate” by Tokyo Police Club

“I’m With You” by The Stills

“Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews Band (Live at Folsom Field, Boulder Colorado)

04
May
2016

And the winners are…

categories: Adorkable, Adorkable Book Blitz, debut, fun, giveaway, The ADORKABLE Challenge, YA, YA Bound Book Tours

The time has finally come! I’m amazed at how many people decided to participate in both the ADORKABLE Blog Tour Giveaway and the Book Blitz (aka The ADORKABLE Challenge) Giveaway. Thank you for helping me spread the word about my book. It was so fun seeing all of the pictures, and I laughed out loud at several of them :). Thank you YA Bound Book Tours for helping organize everything and for making this possible! Thank you to everyone who participated, followed, tweeted, posted etc. All winners were chosen randomly–thank goodness because you are all truly adorkable!!!

And the winners are…

ADORKABLE Blog Tour winner ($25 Amazon gift card) = Karen!

The #AdorkableChallenge Champion winner ($50 Amazon gift card) = Linda!

3 Runner up winners ($10 Amazon gift card) = Nikolina, Gina and Kristy!

CONGRATULATIONS, everyone! You will be receiving an email from me shortly including your prize. Thank you so much again to all who entered and to everyone who has given ADORKABLE a chance.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

19
Apr
2016

The ADORKABLE Challenge

categories: Adorkable, Adorkable Book Blitz, debut, Harry Potter, Release Day, The ADORKABLE Challenge, YA

Gryffindor jersey

Yes, that’s me in my Gryffindor jersey and Lily & Snape earrings <3. The Adorkable Book Blitz is this week, and with the posts, you’ll notice a special giveaway!!! The ADORKABLE Challenge is a go, and I hope you all enter for a chance to win!

I wanted to do something special and fun to celebrate the release of my debut novel ADORKABLE. Since the book is all about the dorky, the awkward, and embracing your inner-nerd, I came up with the ADORKABLE Challenge!

Here’s how it works:

1) Take a picture of yourself being adorkable.

2) Post that picture on social media (facebook, twitter, instagram etc.) with the hashtag #AdorkableChallenge.

3) Enter the link to your picture in the Rafflecopter and earn as many extra entries as you can.

4) Sit back and relax while 4 adorably dorky winners are randomly chosen :).

3 winning runners up will each receive: $10 Amazon gift card.

The ADORKABLE Challenge Champion will receive: $50 Amazon gift card.

And that’s it! If you’re adorkable and you know it, this is your time to shine. I can’t wait to check out all of your pictures. Now, show me your ADORKABLE!

Cookie O’Gorman

16
Apr
2016

Lemons & Lemonade

categories: Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, Uncategorized, writing, YA

Confession: I am a lemons kind of person. This is according to my family who claims that I tend to focus on the negative versus the positive. The opposite, of course, and what they say I should do is make “lemonade.” Be happy; look on the bright side. Lemonade, lemonade, lemonade.

The last post was about all the sparkly (aka the nice things people had to say about ADORKABLE), and I kind of glossed over the not-so-great things. Well, to be honest, I pay attention to the bad reviews. I pay A LOT of attention. I’d previously read several articles from other authors that said: Whatever you do, DO NOT read your reviews! It will only cause you heartache. And it’s true.

These past couple weeks have been like a rollercoaster of ups and downs, flying and falling within literally minutes, and yes…lemons and lemonade.

Everyone is free to have their own opinions. There are people who hate some of the books that I absolutely love. There are people who love the books that I don’t enjoy. And that is okay. No one is right or wrong. If a book sounds good to someone, she or he must decide to read or not and then make up her or his own mind about it.

So here is what I’ve learned: I need to stop obsessively reading the reviews and checking Amazon and Goodreads every five minutes. I shouldn’t focus on the negative reviews more than the positive–or doubt the positive by saying “Maybe they were just being nice…” I should realize that it is okay to believe the good. I love reading. I love writing. And, despite any positive or negative reviews, I really do still love my book.

See that family who I know are going to read this post? There is your lemonade :).

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. Be on the lookout next week for a very fun challenge and giveaway!

04
Apr
2016

Thank you!

categories: Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, writing, YA, YA Bound Book Tours

Publishing a book for the first time was scary, nerve-wracking, awesome…and did I say scary?

In the days leading up to publication, I was a mess. Constantly nervous, swinging between happiness that my work would finally be out there–and the crushing fear that I wasn’t ready, the book wasn’t ready, no one was going to read it let alone like it.

Then the ADORKABLE Blog Tour happened. I read, re-read and sometimes triple-read every review. I already had a thousand doubts, so I was prepared (I was so not prepared) for the worst. Not going to lie, it hurt to hear what some readers thought were the flaws in my story. But that’s also when I realized how much impact one kind word, a few encouraging, sparkling sentences can have.

So today, I’m focusing on the sparkly. Here are some things reviewers had to say about ADORKABLE:

“From the first touch to the kiss, the chemistry between Becks and Sally was off the charts.”–Rê at U.S. – Brazil Book Review

“Adorkable was simply adorable. The main characters were perfect together and the story was fun and interesting. Very recommended.”–Jennifer at Bad Bird Reads

“I absolutely love this kind of storyline and it was perfectly executed here.” Poulami at Daydreaming Books

“This book was so fun and easy to read, I suffered from a bad case of ‘just one more chapter’ syndrome, finishing at 5am because I couldn’t stop.”–Dani at Dani Reviews Things

“If you’re an adult who enjoys an occasional sweet, simple true YA romance then I think you’ll enjoy this book. I definitely did and I will be purchasing this to share with my daughter upon release.”–Jaime at Fiction Fangirls

“Cookie O’Gorman was born to be a writer, and I hope to see her name on many more books to come. Adorkable had a life of its own, and I very much enjoyed living in it for a little while.”–Jaime Lynn at The Best Books Ever

“Sal and Becks will capture your heart, be it older or younger and will hold it long after you finished their book.”–Nicole at Books and Starlight

“Adorkable is a fun page-turning teen romance with amazing characters, plenty of angst, and just the right combination of sweet vs. heat.”–T.H. Hernandez at Adventures in Writing

“I felt like there was a great balance between the romance, the character development and the coming of age. In that respect, its story kinda reminded me of The DUFF; only replace the cynical Bianca with a nerdy and more upbeat Sally. It has its funny moments and its charming moments but it also has its real moments and I think readers will connect really well with that.”–Lauren at SERIESous Book Reviews

“If you are looking for a contemporary read that will make you have a great time, introduce you to a new book boyfriend worthy of your swoons, and lots of dorkiness, then you will surely enjoy Adorkable!”–Melissa at The Reader and The Chef

I cried. Literally, I happy cried, silently sobbing by myself as I read. People, real people, felt this way about this little book that I love. It was crazy…and amazing. This is just a sample of the nice things people have said, and I only have one thing to say to them: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

When releasing ADORKABLE, my goal was not to have it become an Amazon Bestseller–though I’m over-the-moon that it happened (for about 10+ hours :)). My #1 goal: Put the book out there for people to read. For it to find readers.

So far, it has, and I am so very thankful.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

31
Mar
2016

ADORKABLE Release Day <3

categories: Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, Geeking Out, Release Day, writing, YA

It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here!

Today is the day that ADORKABLE will be released into the big wide world. My little book set out into the wild. I hope it flies so high and that Sally and Becks and Hooker and Ash find a place in readers’ hearts. This debut has been a long time coming, and I’m so glad it’s finally here and that March 31st can now be a good day.

Thank you so much to every person who has supported me and this book. Thank you to each and every reader. May you live long and prosper. May the Force be with you. May the odds be ever in your favor. And may you wake up tomorrow morning to find your letter from Hogwarts waiting on your doorstep <3. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good–and that I am diligently working on my next novel :).

If you love YA romance, fake boyfriends, best friends, or geeking out, I’d love it if you would give ADORKABLE a try! And if you do, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

28
Mar
2016

ADORKABLE Blog Tour

categories: Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, YA, YA Bound Book Tours

Today’s the start of the ADORKABLE Blog Tour!

My feelings are all over the place, but for the most part I’m excited to see what people, real readers, thought of my little book. I hope they liked it. Heck, I’ll be real: I hope they loved it. But even if they didn’t, I am very thankful to every blogger who took the time to read and write a post. YA Bound Book Tours has been awesome to work with. If you’d like to follow the tour, here’s a link. Also, there’s a giveaway going on if you’re into winning free stuff and that sort of thing ;). Hope everyone has a great day!

Happy Reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

22
Mar
2016

Why I Write, What I Write

categories: Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, fun, Geeking Out, writing

My debut novel, ADORKABLE, comes out on March 31, 2016! That’s next week ICYMI (hip-hip hooray!!!), and to keep from freaking out too much, I’ve been doing some research. I found this article by Kimberly Grabas that said to market your book you have to:

1) Know Yourself.

2) Know Your Audience.

Now, I’m probably the worst marketer in the history of indie publishing. Besides being an introvert (I’ve discovered this carries over into online interactions as well. Just my luck!), a first-time self-pubbing author (again, fun times, but man…the learning curve is steep), and just an overall awkward person (to quote Lady Gaga, “Baby, I was born this way”), marketing myself has never been easy. It’s like constantly fighting a battle against my inner-Self Doubt/Critic–and she is a nasty piece of work. Never shuts up, always present, always trying to hold me back.

But regardless, this article helped me. I may be crap at marketing, but I do know myself and my audience. So, let me break it down.

I write YA. I write in this genre because I love young adult books. My high school years, though filled with way-too-much Awkward (yes, with a capital “A”), were some of the best years of my life. Middle school sucked. Period. But in high school, I had a great group of friends that were a total mixed bag. Some were over achievers; some were popular; some were boy crazy; most were bandies or drama geeks–and all of them were true friends. None of them ever stabbed me in the back, and that’s why in my books you’ll read about real BFFs, who have each others’ backs, who would go to war together and fight off the monsters and mean girls/guys. Those were the friends I knew growing up. So, those are the friends I write.

I write romance. Not only that, I strive to write believable happily-ever-after romance because, in my opinion, real life sucks enough. There are too many tragic endings. If my characters are going to live, they will struggle. They will go through some awful times, sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally, because that’s just life. But in the end, they’ll come out on top. In the movie Becoming Jane, Anne Hathaway put it like this, “My characters, after a little trouble, shall have all that they desire.” So yeah, this. Absolutely, one hundred times this.

I write for the nerd in all of us. This is not just a line. I’m a nerd–which basically just means that I like things and get excited about life (see John Green’s quote below). I love nerdy people, passionate people, the ones who may be awkward but are excited by life and books and movies and music. And if they love Harry Potter, well…those are my people.

John Green_Nerd Quote

I also write for the girls/guys who are in love and too afraid to speak up. I write for the teens experiencing love for the first time and the adults who want to experience it again. Being in love, it is beauty and torture all wrapped up together. In my books, it’s not so much about “if” the characters will end up together. It’s about “how.” I write the journey, the first kiss, the misunderstandings, how the heart breaks, and how we piece it back together.

So, this is me. Why I write, what I write, and the readers who I’m writing for.

I hope you’re one of them :).

Cookie O’Gorman

19
Feb
2016

Choosing A Cover Designer

categories: Adorkable, cover love, debut

This week I wanted to go into more detail about the cover for Adorkable and how it came into existence :). The first thing I knew I had to do was find a fantastic cover designer. A lot of indie authors make their own covers, but I sadly was not blessed with this talent, and I felt more comfortable leaving it up to the professionals. There was a good bit of research involved, some soul searching, and several opinions from my most trusted advisers (aka my family!).

After narrowing it down to four…then to two…I finally selected Stephanie Mooney of mooneygraphics. I chose Stephanie for several reasons:

I am a huge fan of her previous work. I knew she’d done the original covers for both Abbi Glines’s Vincent Boys series and Tamara Weber’s Easy (one of my favorite covers ever). Love these books and their covers definitely stood out in my mind.
Her cover gallery has great examples of romantic, light-hearted, swoonworthy covers. A lot of the designers I researched seemed to be more focused on the dark and sexy, which simply would not work for my humorous romantic YA. Stephanie had a great sampling of covers, and I loved the variety.
Her website is very transparent. It’s the most transparent of any of the designers I researched. Everything from pricing to a rundown of the step-by-step process is outlined. As a first-time indie author, I wanted to know what I was getting into, and even before I contacted her, I had a very good idea of what I’d be signing up for with Stephanie. She was just as fantastic and transparent throughout our correspondence.
My family and I loved her vibe. This one was my deciding factor. When I asked my family who I should go with, all of them said Stephanie. I already had a gut feeling, but for them to have the same gut feeling? That sealed the deal.

I felt so incredibly lucky when she responded to my inquiry and agreed to work with me. The cover she designed for Adorkable is exactly what I had in mind. Love, love, love <3.

If I had it to do over, I would make the same decision. I’m so thankful to Stephanie for all of her talent and help. Hope I get the chance to work with her again in the future! If you’re looking for a cover designer, all I have to say is go with your gut–and your heart. Most of the time, they will steer you in the right direction.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. People have actually added my book on Goodreads!!! It still surprises me–in the very best way :).

10
Feb
2016

ADORKABLE cover reveal

categories: Adorkable, cover love, debut, doing what you love, Goodreads, writing

Hi there, today I’m revealing the cover for my debut YA romance Adorkable. I’m so excited because I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. Stephanie Mooney, the cover designer I worked with, did an amazing job and got the feeling of the book just right. I found the picture; she worked her magic; and the result was everything I’d hoped for and more. I’m so happy to finally share it with the world.

Hope you like it, too…

…and…

…without further ado…

…here is the cover…

…for Adorkable :).

adorkable-final

Isn’t it just gorgeous? *sigh*

I love the fonts, the colors, how the models are positioned, the bench, the placement of my name and the tagline. Here’s the link if you’d like to add ADORKABLE on Goodreads :).

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman