Category: doing what you love

ADORKABLE Audiobook Giveaway :)

As promised, it’s time for a giveaway!

ICYMI, the ADORKABLE audiobook came out last week!  That is definitely something worth celebrating, and I can’t think of a better way to to do that than to hold a giveaway to thank all of you awesome readers :).

The giveaway will run from today until midnight on July 20, 2018.  The prizes are: 5 ADORKABLE audiobooks and a $10 Amazon gift card.  That means there will be 6 winners!  I remembered to include a free entry (finally lol, I’ve been meaning to do that for all of them!), and there are other ways you can enter as well (such as commenting on this post ;)).  Just use the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I also wanted to share this screenshot that made me smile.

Okay, so did anyone else notice all of the Harry Potter goodness going on in that picture???  Since ADORKABLE is now available on iTunes, when I click on the “related” tab, I am instantly transported to Hogwarts lol!  How freaking awesome is that?  I’m sure it’s because the HP books are the bestselling YA/kids audiobooks and are therefore related to everything, but it’s still cool.  I loved seeing that–and you know Sally would’ve loved it, too!

Good luck everyone on the giveaway, and I hope you are having an awesome summer!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

 

ADORKABLE Audiobook Release Day!

Today’s the day: ADORKABLE is officially available as an audiobook!!!  Woohoo, yayyy, huzzah!

Don’t you just love how the ADORKABLE audiobook cover is so like the original?  The gorgeous/swoony feel, the colors and that bench *sigh*.  Thank you so much to Tantor Media for making this happen and to Andrea Emmes, the incredible narrator!  Seriously guys, she rocks, and I’m so lucky she’s the one reading Sally and Becks’s story <3.

As many times as I’ve read ADORKABLE, I absolutely LOVED hearing the story read to me!

It’s such an amazing experience to hear the words.  If you loved Sally and Becks, I think you’ll adore the audiobook!  And if you haven’t read the book, there’s a new way to experience ADORKABLE on Audible, Google, iTunes, Kobo and other outlets, including libraries *__*.

(FYI: Libraries are made of awesome.)

ADORKABLE is now an audiobook, you guys!  Ugh, I’m so excited, and if you’d help spread the word, I’d be so very thankful.  Please check it out, and let me know what you think :-).  May the Force, Becks, and Harry Potter be with you.  I hope you all have an awesome Saturday!

Happy reading (and listening),

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S.  There will be a giveaway next week to celebrate, yayyy!

Thank You, Lemonade, and Bookish Updates

First off, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who offered their condolences.  I never expected so much support from my readers—though I should’ve known better because you girls and guys are simply the best.  Your support and understanding during this time was so appreciated.

Not gonna lie.  June has been a tough month.  Life has a way of kicking you when you’re down, and that’s definitely been the case these past weeks.

*Deep breath*

But now, it’s time to make lemonade.

I mean, what else can you do, right?  Real life is over there, chucking all these lemons at your head—the jerk—and do you just sit there and take it?  No.  You stand up, gather the lemons, take the sour/bitter stuff, pour some sugar on it and try to make some freaking lemonade.

Luckily, I have some really sweet things coming up.

Prepare yourself for some truly awesome updates.

1)  I wrote the foreword for a YA romance anthology that comes out June 29, 2018!  It’s called The Art of Taking Chances, features some very talented YA authors–including Kelsie Stelting, who is awesome and orchestrated this whole thing–and you can read more about it here.  If you’re interested, you can also get an Advanced Reader Copy here.  I hope you’ll check it out!  Also, isn’t that cover a beauty? <3

2)  ADORKABLE is being made into an audiobook!!!  Actually, it’s already been made and comes out June 30, 2018!  *Gasp*  I know!  I’ve been wanting to share this exciting news for a long time.  Now, we’ll get to experience Sally and Becks’s story in a whole new format, and that is just incredible!  I’ll have more news on this later, but…yippeeee!  ADORKABLE will soon be available in audio!

3)  After receiving an email from Amazon, for a limited time, ADORKABLE is enrolled in Prime Reading.  I’m somewhat nervous but hoping this will be a good opportunity to reach new readers.  I’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out.

And those are the updates!  There’s a lot of great things happening, and I’m trying to take them all in—even though, like I said, those dang lemons keep coming.

I think I have enough at this point to last a lifetime lol.

But I’ll keep trying to make lemonade, breathing deep and hoping for the best.  How has your summer been so far?  More lemons or lemonade?  Here’s hoping you’ve found a ton of great reads along the way!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

All About Ethan

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

Bookish Updates

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

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

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

 

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

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

Now Available for Pre-Order!

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

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

Congratulations!

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