Category: fun


Oct
2020

THE KISSING CHALLENGE Release Day! <3

categories: cover love, doing what you love, fun, novella, Release Day, Romance, self-publishing, The Kissing Challenge, YA

Oh my goodness, it’s here, you guys!!!

My first ever YA romance novella is now out in the world! Yayyy!!! And oh, I hope people will read and love it!

Happy Release Day to THE KISSING CHALLENGE! <3

Anne & Captain’s novella was so fun to write, and I hope it brings you some joy, lots of laughs, and a heaping dose of swoon <333. If you love it, please let me know! And oh, I’d be so grateful for a review! Even a few words would be wonderful!

Thank you again for all of the support and love! This one is for you, my awesome readers! If you love best-friends-to-lovers, TikTok challenges that lead to kissing and fun, flirty novellas packed full of swoon, I hope you’ll check out THE KISSING CHALLENGE!

Stay safe, good karma and positive vibes to you, everyone!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. I really can’t believe it’s out there, you guys! Hooray!!! And the paperback is on the way! Hope your October is going well so far, bookworms! 🙂


Sep
2020

New YA Romance Novella!

categories: cover love, doing what you love, fun, Goodreads, Romance, self-publishing, The Kissing Challenge, YA

Hi everyone!

I hope you’re doing well! I have a new book coming out soon, woohoo! It’s a YA romance novella called THE KISSING CHALLENGE!

If you’re subscribed to The Cookie Jar Newsletter you may have already seen this, but I wanted to post here as well!

Here is the swoon-worthy cover <333.

And here is the summary:

The challenge: Kiss your best friend.

Sixteen-year-old Anne Elliot is in love with Captain.

He’s been her best friend for years. A rising musician with a special smile he reserves just for her, Captain even lets Anne practice her makeup skills on him—though his bandmates give him flack for it.

When Anne gets an anonymous comment challenging her to kiss her best friend, it threatens to reveal her secret. But how can she resist doing the one thing she’s wanted forever? It’s just one kiss. She and Captain’s relationship can stay the same…right?

The real challenge: Kiss your best friend, and don’t let him know you’re in love.

This YA romance novella is fun, fast-paced, and flirty, the perfect story for anyone who loves best-friends-to-lovers. Inspired by TikTok & Jane Austen, THE KISSING CHALLENGE is sure to make you swoon!

Again, I’m so excited to share Anne & Captain’s story with all of you! It’s 20k words, full of YA romance goodness, and I hope it makes you smile and swoon :). You can add THE KISSING CHALLENGE on Goodreads–and I hope you will lol! A few people have added it, and just seeing that really made me glad.

I’ve been feeling kind of tired and down. September is always hard, but I’m trying to stay positive. If you’re struggling, I hope you are able to stay positive, too.

Most of my focus has been on a charity event that I founded and have organized for the past few years to raise awareness & funds for childhood cancer. If you wouldn’t mind, please cross your fingers that it all goes okay. I’d truly appreciate the good vibes.

I hope you are all well, my lovely readers! Virtual hugs and good karma to you! Stay safe out there!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Sep
2020

Yay!!!

categories: doing what you love, fun, Romance, self-publishing, The Cookie Jar Newsletter, writing, YA

Hi everyone!

I’ve been sick for a bit. Blah. If you’re wondering, I was tested for COVID-19 (just to be on the safe side), but I’m very thankful to report the test came back negative. Whatever I’ve got is still hanging around. Hopefully, it will go completely away soon. But even with all that, I still managed to post on FB and Instagram, so yay?

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that I reached another goal!

I didn’t tell anyone besides a few family members and one friend about it because I was afraid I’d jinx it and fail.

Story of my life ha.

My goal was to complete a 20K-word novella in ten days. And guess what? I did it, hooray! The story is a fun, swoony YA romance, and I’ll be offering to my newsletter subscribers for free just as soon as I can get a cover lol!

I’ll also make it available for $0.99 on Amazon because I’m not sure if everyone even knows about The Cookie Jar Newsletter–let alone this blog! *cries* But it’s cool! I just want everyone who loves my books (or wants to try my books ;)) to be able to read it, and from what other writers have done, I think that’s a good way to get the word out :).

I’ll have more on that later, but you guys!

Twenty thousand words in ten days!!! Not too shabby, especially for me and how slow I usually write.

If you have any goals you’re working on, I hope you reach them! I’ll be cheering you on from here and giving you virtual cookies along the way! Hope you are staying safe and having a wonderful week, bookworms!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Jun
2020

ADORKABLE #passthebookchallenge

categories: #passthebookchallenge, Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, Entangled Publishing, fun, Romance, YA

Hi everyone!

So, this has to be one of the coolest things I have ever done. And it was made possible by all of the wonderful people in this video! <3

If you need a little brightness added to your day, check out our ADORKABLE #passthebookchallenge! Featuring some awesome people who I have so much love for! So thankful!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBN9bMng4SY/?igshid=jhmmfzgirr3u

You can also find the video on Facebook here–because of course, I’m sharing it everywhere lol! 🙂

And you can still find the paperback at Target and Barnes & Noble, yayyy!

If you’ve followed me on this publishing journey, from ADORKABLE and beyond, you know that I believe the world has too many tragedies and not enough happy endings. That is why I strive to give all of my characters happily-ever-afters, and why I try to spread at least a little happy where possible.

I’ve included this on all of my posts so far because it’s true:

Wherever you are, whatever you are going through, I hope this brings you some happiness!

Stay safe and well, bookworms!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Mar
2020

Road Tripping with Entangled Teen!

categories: Adorkable, doing what you love, Entangled Publishing, fun, giveaway, Road Trip, Romance, YA

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!!! I’ve got something really fun for your guys today!

I’m so glad to be a part of Entangled Teen’s Road Trip (aka blog hop)! Each day there will be a new stop with new authors and giveaways just for you!

Today’s stop is Chariot, North Carolina–the setting for my YA romance ADORKABLE! Chariot is a small fictional town and home to a whole cast of quirky characters–including Sally Spitz who asks her best friend, Becks, to be her fake boyfriend for a month. The problem: She’s been in love with him all her life–and he’s completely clueless :).

Here’s an excerpt from one of my most favorite scenes in the book (get ready to swoon <3):

     Gently, Becks placed his hand on top of mine.

     I didn’t jump this time, but my body was like a live wire, lit up from the inside.

     “Jeez,” Becks said quietly, running the tips of his fingers up and down my arm.  “You’re shaking, Sal.”

     Mortified, I looked down to see that he was right.  Every time his fingers passed a certain place on my skin, gooseflesh appeared first followed by a tiny quiver.

     “Sorry,” I said, completely at a loss.

     As much as I tried, I couldn’t command myself to not react. Why was my body betraying me like this?  Didn’t it realize that if Becks saw how much I loved his touch, how much it moved me, he would know?

     Just as I feared it might already be too late, he said, “This isn’t working.”  Removing his hand, he sat back, shaking his head.  “I don’t know why I freak you out so much, but we need to try something different.”

     I was a lot of things, but “freaked out” was definitely not one of them.

“Here,” he said, moving a bit closer.  “You do me.”

—ADORKABLE by Cookie O’Gorman

Gah, I really do love that scene and Sally & Becks *sigh*!!!

ADORKABLE is such a fun, romantic, happy, dorky and swoon-worthy story! If you decide to check it out, I truly hope it brightens your day!

Here is the complete schedule for the road trip–and don’t forget to check out the next stop with author Lindsey Duga!

March 16 – Jus Accardo
March 16- AK Wilder
March 17- Cookie O’Gorman — You are here! 🙂
March 17- Lindsey Duga
March 18- Katie Delahanty
March 18- T.H. Hernandez 
March 19- Chris Cannon
March 19- Barb Han
March 20- Lisa Brown Roberts
March 20- Marlene Perez
March 21- Pintip Dunn
March 22- Brenda Drake 
March 23- Kelly Anne Blount
March 24- Emily McKay
March 25- Entangled Teen Facebook Event at 6 pm PST/9 pm EST

The road trip culminates on March 25th @ 6 pm PST/9 pm EST with a big party on the Entangled Teen Facebook page! I’ll be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card, yay! Hope to see you there!

Again, bookworms, I hope you’re all doing well and staying safe! This is a very scary and uncertain time for so many. May you live long and prosper. May the odds be ever in your favor. May COVID-19 stay far, far away from you. I wish you all the best–the best health, the best books, and the best times with those you love!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Mar
2020

Something New

categories: doing what you love, fun, New Adult, Romance, self-publishing, The Best Mistake, writing

Hi everyone! So I’ve got some exciting news to share with you guys! My next book I’ll be publishing is something completely…new.

As in New Adult!

As in a New Adult sports romance about a family that I love and cannot wait to release into the world <3.

Yayyy!!!!!

NA means it’s set in college, and the characters are a bit older (and awesome and hilarious and swoon-worthy!). I’m so excited about it! I’m so excited about sharing it with you guys–but I’m also nervous as all get out lol.

This is my first NA book, and it has more mature content. That means it’s intended for readers 18+. Gah, even writing that I feel like people may get the wrong idea! With all of my stories, I’ve always let the characters be my guide. My stories whether YA or NA are still swoony and sweet imo, but I hope there will be a crossover between the readers who like YA and a little more mature NA romances.

Yes, this book is sweet and kinda steamy, nerdy, heartfelt, hilarious and hot, which is why again, it is intended for readers 18+.

That does not mean it is dirty or raunchy–I don’t think I could write like that if I tried LOL!!! However, there is more than kissing, and I just want to be totally up front about that.

I’ve always loved sports romance and family series and knew that one day I wanted to write my own :).

I blame Julia Quinn and Susan Elizabeth Phillips (and so many other amazing authors) for this!

And though I considered releasing this book under a different pen name, I decided against that because…well, besides having no idea how to write under a second pen name and currently releasing one book a year lol…I’m still me. I still write like me. Under my current bio, it says, I write “to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after,” and under the About Me section (that probably nobody reads), it says, I write books with “humor and heart for the nerd in all of us.” That still holds true for my NA books :).

I hope you’ll want to read it when it comes out and meet the O’Brien Brothers <3. I really do love this family and all the sporty romance goodness! Also, never fear! I’m definitely not done writing YA romance. My current WIP is actually YA, and I wish I wrote faster lol!

So yeah! New adult, new adventure, new characters in a new college/university setting!

It’s going to be so much fun!!! I’ll release the summary soon, and I hope you love it! Have an awesome day, bookworms!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Mar
2020

Hello, My Name Is Cookie O’Gorman

categories: Adorkable, doing what you love, Entangled Publishing, fun, kindness, nice surprise, Romance, Target, writing, YA

If you read the title, and immediately thought of The Princess Bride, awesome! We are part of the same dorky/geek-ish tribe lol.

Bonus points if you heard Mandy Patinkin AKA Inigo Montoya saying the iconic lines ;).

Anyway, hello, everyone! I wanted to share some cool things with you guys.

I went to an author event almost 2 weeks ago, and it was a lot of fun—despite my awkward.

Yes, that’s me LOL! The name tag was given to us courtesy of the bookstore (which I love!) that hosted the event. The freaked out/hilarious expression? Well, that’s all me ha!

This is what happens when you put an introvert in a room full of authors (who mostly already know each other argh) and expect them to just talk to people/have fun/mingle. Le sigh.

My mom, who was my wingman for the night, pointed out this book because she’s 1) a smart aleck and 2) hilarious!

She also told me, in all seriousness, that I did a great job and am actually good at talking to talking to people (gah, I love her and her pretty lies lol!).

Oh and did you notice her sleeve? We accidentally twinned that day—which my mom claimed we were not doing…but which was of course pointed out by the lady at Starbucks, who right when we walked in asked if we’d “matched on purpose.” *mental headslap*

No, Starbucks lady. No we did not match on purpose. We just both really like plaid/gingham LOL!

Pre-event, we went to dinner, and our lovely server brought us complimentary champagne to celebrate my first book being in the bookstore <3. I don’t drink, but it was such a nice, kind and unexpected surprise!

Another awesome surprise was actually seeing ADORKABLE on the shelves!!!! <333 Yay!

We also got to see ADORKABLE on the shelves at Target for the first time ever, and that was just too much amazingness for one day!!!

Recently, I’ve been trying to outline my new book, yay, and emailing my cover designer about what will hopefully be my next release, hooray!

I’ll post more about that soon; there’s a lot to say lol, and I’m so excited (and nervous) to share! 🙂

I’ve also received some awesome messages from readers, and I just have to say: Thank you so much!!!! I absolutely love hearing from you! You have no idea how much your kind words and support means to me! It really lifts my spirits and pushes me to keep writing, so again: Thank you!!!

I hope you’re all well, bookworms, and have an awesome weekend!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Feb
2019

5 Things: That are awesome!

categories: 5 Things, Adorkable, fun, Ninja Girl, Romance, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA, YA mystery

It’s been a while since I’ve done a post like this, but I’m bringing it back because: Lists rock, and I found some things I think are wonderful and wanted to share them with you :).

Without further ado, here are 5 Things: That are awesome!

  1. Blooming Books. My mom got me these lovely bookish flowers made out of my debut novel, and I just had to share <3. Isn’t that the most ADORKABLE bouquet you’ve ever seen? 🙂 I got one for my aunt made out of the Dr. Seuss books, and they turned out beautiful as well!
  2. Silver Linings Playbook. So yes, I’m late to the party, but I so enjoyed this movie! It took me by surprise, made me laugh and was just really well done. Thanks again, Netflix!
  3. Kindle Unlimited. I’ve been enjoying KU, wishing I read faster lol! I also remembered this cool article: 11 Titles Worth Checking Out on Kindle Unlimited. They mentioned ADORKABLE and NINJA GIRL, you guys! Yay, and thank you, Sarah!
  4. The Wicked King. You guys!!! Remember how my favorite book from 2018 was The Cruel Prince by Holly Black? Well, the second book, The Wicked King, came out in January, and I have it in my possession, exuding wonderful wickedness, just waiting to be read! Cannot. Wait.
  5. Instagram. Okay, so I still haven’t started an author/bookish instagram…but posts like this one about The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder definitely make me want to ;). I think I already said it, but thank you so much again, Jen!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpXY7zVHXoW/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

So much awesome! Also, I got a wonderful comment on my last post from a reader that really made my day. Thank you so much again, Karen! You rock! I’ve been re-thinking my goals for 2019, wondering if I really need a newsletter if I have a blog? I’ve also been working on my next book. Gah, you guys, I love, love, love it! The cover is in the process of being made, woot! It’s all moving right along, and I’m so excited <3.

Sending positive vibes your way, readers, and hoping your weekend is full of awesome!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. Also, starting Monday, next week NINJA GIRL will be available for a limited time for just $0.99!!! I’ll do another post, but if you know anyone you think would enjoy Ash and Snow, please let them know! 🙂


Dec
2018

You’re Invited!

categories: Adorkable, author takeover, fun, giveaway, Romance, The Bookworm Box, YA

Hi everyone!

I hope you’re having a great week and are done Christmas shopping (unlike yours truly lol).  ICYMI, my debut, ADORKABLE, was included in the Young Adult Bookworm Box for November.  The Bookworm Box is a non-profit subscription service founded by superstar author Colleen Hoover where each month different books and bookish goodies are sent to subscribers, and 100% of proceeds benefit various charities.  I was so honored to be a part of this, and I’d like to officially invite you to an event this Saturday!

Who: Cookie O’Gorman (aka me)

What: Author Takeover (aka live Facebook video)

When: Saturday, December 15th @ 7:00pm CST (8:00pm ET)

Where: The Bookworm Box Facebook page

Ahhh, I’m so nervous/excited!  Honestly, I didn’t even know what an author takeover was until now, and I definitely don’t know how one of the most introverted of introverts (aka me) is going to get through it without making an absolute fool of myself.  Case in point:

Fact 1) I’ve never done a Facebook live video.  Fact 2) I’m okay at public speaking–but again, never done a live video.  Fact 3) Technology hates me.  Fact 4) I don’t even like having my picture taken…

…but I love Sally and Becks.

Fact 5) I love my book(s) and try very hard to know and accept the good things.  Even if they are kinda scary.

So, if you liked ADORKABLE (or any of my books) or if you just want to be there for moral support, please come to The Bookworm Box Facebook page on Saturday, December 15th @ 7:00pm CST (8:00pm ET)!!!  There will be giveaways and fun times involved!

Wish me luck, bookworms!  If you’d like to say a little prayer for awkward introverts everywhere, please do lol.  Thank you in advance, and I hope December is treating you well! 🙂

Happy Reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. Thank you so much to Amy for creating that awesome graphic! <3  It is awesome, and so are you!!! 🙂


Nov
2018

You’ve Got Mail!

categories: Adorkable, doing what you love, fun, Romance, The Bookworm Box, The Unbelievable Inconceivable Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, YA

Okay everyone, several really awesome bookish things have been happening, and I’m so excited to share them with you!!!

Awesome thing #1: The Bookworm Box!

About a month ago, I was contacted by The Bookworm Box!  What is The Bookworm Box, you ask?  Well, it’s a subscription service founded by superstar author Colleen Hoover that features a different signed book (or books) by different authors each month as well as other awesome bookish goodies.  The best part about it is that the funds they raise go to charity!  They’ve actually already given over 1 million dollars to various charities, hence the slogan: Good deeds to Great reads :).  Ah, it is so awesome, you guys.  Their mission really spoke to me because I have always wanted to give back.  I think we all do.  My books have allowed me to do this (through a charity event that I founded last year to help children with cancer and now through this book box!), and I am so very thankful!

They asked if I’d like to have one of my books featured in their YA box–and of course, I said YES!!!

I got to sign lots of these beauties (each box has a signed book, remember?), and they sent some of the cutest Bookworm Box swag (which I appreciated because even after I sent the pages back, it let me know this wasn’t just a dream lol!).

I told no one besides my family.  Half the fun of receiving a box each month is the surprise, the mystery, which I totally understand!  You know the little mystery boxes near checkout at B&N? Yeah well, I get excited over those, so I could only imagine the excitement of a whole box with a mystery book inside, eep!  So yes, I told no one, but I also ordered my mom and Aunt Colleen boxes–because hello, it’s for charity :).

And last week they were sent out, sigh <3 <3 <3.

Mom and my Aunt Colleen loved their boxes!

I hope everyone else who got one loved it, too–and that they fall in love with ADORKABLE!!! <3  The Bookworm Box is amazing, you guys, and I’m so grateful to them for this opportunity and for everything they do!

Also, full disclosure, I added the flowers because I thought they’d look nice in the pic lol.

Awesome thing #2: Ethan Wilder!

Last Saturday, I got the proofs for the paperback of The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder! *__*  This is the first time I’ve used KDP Publishing vs. Createspace.  And maybe it’s just me, but the guy on the cover still looks awesome even with the line over his mouth lol.  That being said, the line is only for the proofs and will NOT be on the acutal paperbacks ;).

Sigh, it’s been a long time coming, but Ethan Wilder should be out in paperback later next week, just in time for the holidays!  I don’t know about you, but I’m so excited to add the book to my shelves! 😀

And as I said in the last post, I’ve been writing.  It’s been going well so far (knock on wood).  I’m at about 54,000+ words and still hoping to finish before the end of the year.  I’ll be posting more soon, will definitely have to do a giveaway to celebrate all this awesomeness.  Did you guys get any awesome mail recently?  Were there books involved? 🙂  Have you ever subscribed to a monthly book box?  I’d love to hear all about it, and I hope you are all well!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman