May
2018

All About Ethan

categories: Amazon, doing what you love, Goodreads, Romance, self-publishing, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA, YA mystery

Hi everyone!  My YA romance murder mystery, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder (aka book baby #3) was released on April 5, 2018.  As of last week, it has been out a month.  I thought you might like to hear how it’s been doing out there in the big wide world! 🙂

Every time I release a book, I watch it very closely and end up taking wayyy too many screenshots lol.  But it helps me remember the good things–and I think that’s important.

Here are the stats for Ethan Wilder’s first month:

The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder was a #1 hot new release in France!!!

It was also a hot new release in the U.S. and the U.K.!

It was on this cool list with some books I greatly enjoyed (looking at you Miss Peregrine and Red Queen :)).

Annnd it was #1 in one of it’s categories in Germany!!!

So far, TUIUTAEW has: 9 reviews on Amazon, 21 reviews on Goodreads, and 301 people have added the book on Goodreads.  A lot of pages have been read on Kindle Unlimited as well (60,000+).  I hope readers will continue to find and embrace Ethan and Delilah’s story!  The category of YA mystery/romance is a bit different than YA romance.  The book has done great so far (despite my ineptness with marketing LOL), and I hope it continues to find the readers who will love it <3.

I hope you are all doing well, and if you’ve read (or are planning to read) The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, you are awesome!  You rock my socks, make the world a brighter place, and are just all-around lovely!  Have a great week, everyone! 🙂

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


May
2018

Congrats!!!

categories: Adorkable, Amazon, giveaway, Ninja Girl, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA

It’s time to announce the winner of The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder Blog Tour giveaway!  Thank you to everyone who entered–there were over 7,000 entries, so I’m guessing there were a lot of you lol.  And thank you so much to everyone who participated in the book blitz last week :).  You’re all awesome!

Without further ado, the winner is…

Laura!!!

Congratulations, Laura!  I’ll be sending your $25 Amazon gift card soon, and I hope you enjoy your prize.  Thank you so much for participating in the giveaway!

In other news, I’m going to do another post next week to let you know how THE UNBELIEVABLE, INCONCEIVABLE, UNFORESEEABLE TRUTH ABOUT ETHAN WILDER has been doing.  Yay!!!  I’ve also got some other ideas for posts (including disappearing Amazon reviews (ugh), finding out ADORKABLE is referred to as an if-you-liked-this-you’ll-like-that book (gasp), how NINJA GIRL seems to have more male readers than my other books (hmm), how change is hard and real life can be too (yep) etc.), so please stay tuned!

I hope you are all well and filling your shelves with incredible books!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

 


Apr
2018

Bookish Updates

categories: Adorkable, cover love, doing what you love, Ninja Girl, Release Day, Romance, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA, YA Bound Book Tours, YA mystery

Hi everyone!  Today, I have some bookish updates for you :).

Bookish Update #1:  Thank you SO much to everyone who participated in The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder Blog Tour!!!  I appreciate YA Bound Book Tours and all of the bloggers who helped spread the word and posted about my YA romance murder mystery!  Also, I know that this is late, but recently real life has been a bit difficult.  To be honest, it’s been hard to stay positive.  I didn’t want to come on here and bring everybody down lol.  I constantly remind myself that 1) Things could be so much worse.  And 2) There are several things to be thankful for.

That’s why I’ve decided to post a few of the reviews for Ethan Wilder that have really helped lift my spirits <3.

These are from the blog tour:

“You MAY read this because you like mystery; you SHOULD read this because you enjoy YA romance; you MUST read this because Ethan Wilder is Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable PERFECT!!!”-Isabelle at More Books Than Livros

“Very engaging and quirky. I was on hook, line and sinker from the moment Delilah and Ethan first laid eyes on each other.”-Indie Wish List

“The story itself was unique, interesting, and surprising.  It took me on twists, and turns, and then more twists and turns, and then I, who pride myself on being able to “figure it out” before the end” was utterly shocked.  Great job to the author on keeping me guessing!”-Shannon at The Tale Temptress

“As we watch the truth unfold and the mystery deepen, so does the danger and it just really grabs hold of you.”- Books Are Love

“Tough yet fun, with wit and solid characterization to the point where Delilah and Ethan were almost swamped by supporting characters (in a good way), this was a fun mystery peppered with romance. Recommended.”- Christina Philippou, author of Lost In Static

“I am a huge fan of Cookie and again she does not disappoint, I am going to VERY HIGHLY recommend this book to you all and I really hope you love it as much as I did!”-Am Kinda Busy Reading

“It’s difficult to describe the story without giving much away but think quirky YA contemporary romance meets coming of age story with a unique tone and a big old mystery!”- Zili In The Sky

“O’Gorman has penned another winner. With the addition of a mysterious death, she turned the typical contemporary into something deeper, more thought-provoking, and fun.”-Kelli at BookCrushin

There were also some really fantastic reviews from readers on Goodreads (of course, I couldn’t help but read them :)).  They’ll probably never see this–hello to the 5 people who read these posts lol–but if you wrote a review or post, thank you so so much!  I am so grateful that you took time out of your busy schedule to read/post about Delilah and Ethan’s story.  I appreciate each and every review/rating.  My writer-ly journey would not be half as awesome without you, and I really can’t thank you enough!

Bookish Update #2: The Hungarian version of NINJA GIRL comes out today!!!!!

The gorgeous cover is below, and I love it–especially Snow and that cute pink ninja! <3

Seriously, I think it’s so freaking awesome.  I haven’t gotten my copies from LOL yet, but I can’t wait to add it to my shelf :).

May the LOL readers love Ash and Snow, and may the Force, Bruce Lee and kimchi be with you!

Bookish Update #3:  ADORKABLE was was #1 in one of its categories in Germany a few weeks ago!!!  Yayyyyy!  (Thought this was cool because the book has been out for a while and still somehow got to that spot.  So thankful!)

I hope you are all having a great week–and if you’re not, I hope you can find something positive to lift you up <3.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Apr
2018

The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder Release Day!

categories: Amazon, doing what you love, Release Day, Romance, self-publishing, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA, YA mystery

Yay, yay, yay, it’s finally here!

The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder is being released today, and my heart is all aflutter.  It’s been resting on my computer forever, and now…it’s out there.  It’s finally out there.  Oh goodness, my heart is with you little book!  I hope readers enjoy it, and if they could fall in love with Ethan, Delilah, and the whole quirky crew, that would be amazing.  I hope they laugh, gasp and swoon.  And of course, I hope this little YA romance murder mystery keeps people guessing.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported my books!  It means everything.  Readers, you are lovely/awesome/incredible/amazing/all the good things.  May you live long and prosper.  May the odds be ever in your favor.  And may your sweet tea always be sweet enough.

If you like small towns, best friends, southern charm and swoonworthy bad boys, I hope you’ll try The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder.  I hope you love it–and if you do, please let me know!  Here in the south we love a good piece of gossip :).

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

 


Apr
2018

The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder blog tour

categories: doing what you love, Romance, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA, YA Bound Book Tours, YA mystery

Oh my goodness, you guys!  It’s time for The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder Blog Tour!

It started yesterday, and as always, I’m so excited and nervous and genuinely looking forward to seeing what people thought about the book.  (The nerves are totally there, but I’m trying to stay positive lol!)   If you’d like to follow the tour, here’s a link.  Thank you to YA Bound Book Tours and to all of the bloggers who signed up to review/post about this book!!!  I’m so grateful to you for helping to get Delilah and Ethan’s story out there <3.  Ooh, also, there’s a giveaway if you’d like to enter!  Good luck, Happy (late) Easter, and I hope you’re having a great week!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Mar
2018

Now Available for Pre-Order!

categories: Amazon, doing what you love, Romance, self-publishing, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA, YA mystery

Yes, you read that right.  Book Baby #3, otherwise known as THE UNBELIEVABLE, INCONCEIVABLE, UNFORESEEABLE TRUTH ABOUT ETHAN WILDER, is now available for pre-order!  Woohoo!!!

And here’s the proof :).

Annnd here’s another pic because it’s still kind of a big deal (at least to me) to publish a book lol!

Le sigh…there they are <333.  Now, that’s a sight I could look at all day–and I’m only partially kidding.  TUIUTAEW doesn’t actually release until April 5, 2018.  That’s only 7 days away, you guys!  Inconceivable!!!  Sorry, but I had to do it lol :).  Seriously though, I can’t believe how fast the time flew and yeah…7 days!  Wow, it’s right around the corner.

If you’d like to pre-order, like I said, THE UNBELIEVABLE, INCONCEIVABLE, UNFORESEEABLE TRUTH ABOUT ETHAN WILDER is now on Amazon.  I checked, and I already had one order.  It was my mom (Have I mentioned that I love her to the moon and back? <3).  The gesture is extra sweet because 1) I know she’s already read the story and 2) she one-clicked because she loves me and knew it would make my day (although she claims it’s because she loves the book–which also makes my day!).

There will be a blog tour next week, and I’m so excited–and so freaking nervous–to see how the book will be received!

I hope you’re all having a great week, and once more with feeling: Just 7 more days!!!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Mar
2018

The Romance, The Humor, The Real

categories: Adorkable, Be Yourself, doing what you love, Ninja Girl, Romance, self-publishing, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA, YA mystery

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


Mar
2018

Congratulations!

categories: doing what you love, giveaway, Happy V-Day Giveaway, Ninja Girl, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA

Today, I’m announcing the winners of the Happy V-Day Giveaway!  Woohoo!!!  Thank you so much to everyone who entered.  You all rock!  And without further ado, the winners are:

Jo (signed copy of NINJA GIRL)!!!

Katharina ($10 Amazon gift card)!!!

Congratulations, ladies, I hope you enjoy your prizes and will send them as soon as possible :).  Katharina, your gift card should get there by tonight.  Jo, your book may take a little longer–speaking of which, I’ve never sent one of my books overseas before, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it all works lol.

In book-ish news, it’s less than a month away from the release of THE UNBELIEVEABLE, INCONCEIVABLE, UNFORESEEABLE TRUTH ABOUT ETHAN WILDER!  Eep, how did the time go by so fast?  I’m excited (and nervous) and will be doing more posts about the book in the upcoming weeks.  Oh, I really hope you’ll love it <3.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Feb
2018

Why Bookbub Rocks

categories: Adorkable, Bookbub, giveaway, Ninja Girl, promotion, self-publishing, YA

Bookbub seriously rocks!

Wait, wait, what’s that you say?  You don’t know what Bookbub is?  *Gasp*  How can that be?

Just kidding lol, I didn’t know either until I decided to publish my first book ADORKABLE :).  In 2016, I searched the best ways to promote a book, and Bookbub was always right there, being mentioned by authors.  They made it sound SO awesome, and of course, I had to know more.  So, what is Bookbub?  Basically, it’s a site that helps readers find new reads at a limited-time great price.  It also helps authors promote their work and expand their readership.  Each day “featured deals” are emailed out to the readers with books that are 1) in genres they love to read and 2) at deeply discounted prices.

Sounds amazing, right?

The catch for authors: It can be pretty pricey.  You pay up front if your book is selected, a pre-determined price listed right on their website based on your discounted price and genre.  The process was said to be super selective.  There are no guarantees.

Flash forward to 2018, when I’d released a couple of books and was hoping to better promote them.

I chose to submit ADORKABLE because it had more ratings/reviews on Amazon and Goodreads than NINJA GIRL.  The Bookbub editorial team supposedly looks at this (see post).  I wasn’t overly confident, was scared to submit, knew that my book may not be selected–knew too that authors had started to say that Bookbub was no longer as effective, that readers were overwhelmed with discounted books and that Bookbub experiences varied widely.  With nothing to lose, I submitted ADORKABLE anyway.

And miracle of miracles, it was selected for a featured deal!!!  Yay, yay, yayyyyy!

My genre was teen and young adult.  The discounted price was $0.99 for a limited time.  The featured deal ran on a Sunday, and ADORKABLE was at the top of the email I received from Bookbub (ahhhhh!).  Then I watched to see if the promotion would have any effect.

And boy did it ever!

Several new readers discovered the book, more than I could’ve ever hoped for.  Several new readers discovered NINJA GIRL, too.  More pages were read on Kindle Unlimited.  ADORKABLE quickly skyrocketed to #1 in a couple of its categories–which yes, thankfully, it has been there before.

But the most amazing thing, the most unbelievable, I-hoped-but-never-thought-it-would-happen surprise was this:

ADORKABLE broke the Amazon Top 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It reached #98.

In. The. Entire. Amazon. Store.

I know…I know!!!!  Incredible, right?  I had to take pictures because otherwise when I look back on this, I may not believe it LOL.

Sigh.  ADORKABLE‘s success has always been something I am so incredibly thankful for.  I love that little book.  And Bookbub rocks because it helped put Sally and Becks into the hands and hearts of new readers <3.

To celebrate, this Thursday I will be having a Facebook Giveaway!!!!!  This is a way for me to connect and thank my readers, and last time, it was so fun, you guys!  I hope you’ll join me this Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 7:30am PT (10:30am ET).  I’ll be asking bookish questions about my books, and the prizes are $5 Amazon gift cards, 1 signed copy of ADORKABLE and 1 signed copy of NINJA GIRL!!!  I love giving, and I especially love giving to you readers!  Hope to see you there :).

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Feb
2018

Happy V-Day Giveaway!

categories: Adorkable, Amazon, doing what you love, fun, giveaway, Happy V-Day Giveaway, Ninja Girl, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder

It’s the day of romance, candy hearts, flowers, book boyfriends and L-O-V-E <3.

Okay, so I added in the book boyfriends lol.  But they rock, and we all love them, so why not, right?  February 14th kind of snuck up on me this year, but I do have a sweet giveaway for all of you!

The Happy V-Day Giveaway will run from today until March 7, 2018.  The awesome part: There will be 2 winners!!!  One winner will get a $10 Amazon gift card, and one winner will get a signed copy of my YA romance NINJA GIRL!  You can enter using the rafflecopter below (and there are a lot of ways to enter–including adding my upcoming release, THE UNBELIEVABLE, INCONCEIVABLE, UNFORESEEABLE TRUTH ABOUT ETHAN WILDER, on Goodreads :)).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman