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


Feb
2016

Geeking Out: The Tap Awakens

categories: Adorkable, fun, Geeking Out, Postmodern Jukebox, Star Wars, Tap Dance

This video combines two of my favorite things: tap dance and the music from Star Wars.  And, of course, I LOVE how everything from the incredible taps to the light saber bows/trombone slide feed my inner geek.  Postmodern Jukebox and Sarah Reich are a perfect combination; add in The Force, and I’m in love. For me, this is 100% adorkable :).

Hope you enjoy!

Cookie O’Gorman


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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 :).


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 :).

image

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Feb
2016

Goodreads and Good Harry Potter Karma

categories: debut, fun, Goodreads, Harry Potter, writing

I uploaded the summary for my debut, Adorkable, and joined the Goodreads Author program.  Here’s a screenshot–and no, I didn’t bribe anyone to put the Harry Potter ad right above my head.  It will probably change to some other ad soon, but I don’t care. I think it may be a sign, and I know that my main character Sally, a die-hard lover of all things HP, would approve :).  And yes, the book does have a cover–and I LOVE IT!–but hey, I already have Harry Potter in this post.  I have to save some of the awesome for later.

Goodreads_Adorkable

If you want, here’s a link so you can add my book to your Goodreads TBR pile.  Wow…that’s so cool to finally say.  You can add my book to your Goodreads.  Geez…starting to feel real…

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Jan
2016

Why Cookie?

categories: debut, fun, pen name, writing

So apparently, I have a spy name.

Who knew?

One of my students asked me the other night about my book. (Of course, this made me smile because I don’t get a lot of people asking about my writing. Yay!) She said a friend told her that I was going to publish and that my “spy name” was Cookie O’Gorman.

And I thought: Why don’t we call them spy names? I’d much rather have a spy name than a pen name. It would up my cool factor, and it’s definitely not as stuffy as saying “nom de plume.” After we cleared up the whole spy vs. pen name issue, it led to the next question.

Why didn’t I just use my real name?

The short answer is I thought a pen name would be easier for people to spell and therefore easier to search.

I know, I know. Like a whole bunch of people are going to be searching for my little book and pen name? Yeah, right. But a girl can dream, and for those five people who do search, I wanted them to be able to find my site.  That’s why I decided to go with a name that was still me, just more searchable.

“Cookie” is the name my Aunt Pat gave me. I love that name, and it represents who I am just as much as my birth name. “O’Gorman” is our family name, back from when my great grandfather immigrated to the United States, and they made him drop the “O” because it was too Irish. I’m fond of the Irish, so the “O” made a comeback :).

I went through a lot of names, but this one seemed like the best fit.  So, my YA books will be published under the name “Cookie O’Gorman.”  Thank you, mom, Colleen, Melanie and Jamie, for helping me make the decision.

It’s a pretty sweet spy name if I do say so myself.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Jan
2016

Doing What You Love

categories: debut, doing what you love, writing

After writing young adult romance for years and with four completed manuscripts, I figure it’s about time I put my work out there.  Am I scared?  Heck yes!  Am I worried that no one will like my books?  Again, YES…but I’m even more scared that no one will read my books.  So, no more waiting (well, maybe just a few months).  I’ve decided to go for it, be brave.  After all, bravery isn’t the absence of fear.

It’s about being scared, terrified down to your bones, and doing what you love anyway.

My debut novel will be released in 2016.  I’ll be posting updates here about the journey before, during and after publication.  I hope you’ll be a part of it!

Happy reading,
Cookie O’Gorman


Jan
2016

5 FUN FACTS ABOUT COOKIE

categories: debut, fun, writing

1. I took a Harry Potter Quiz and was sorted into Hufflepuff (I am completely okay with this! Though you should know–since this is our first meeting and all–my heart is a mixture of all the houses).

2. My debut novel is actually the third manuscript I wrote.  Look for it later this year!

3. I love road trips, math, anti-heroes, hoodies, and chocolate.

4. I fangirl over X-Men, Harry Potter, Sherlock, Newsies, Teen Wolf…and many, many other things.

5. In addition to YA, my favorite book genres are: urban fantasy, historical romance, and new adult.  Also whatever Rainbow Rowell writes…she’s basically in a category all her own <3.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman