fun – Page 3 – THE COOKIE JAR

Category: fun

13
Sep
2017

An Unexpected Kindness

categories: Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, fun, nice surprise, Ninja Girl, Romance, YA

Last week, I happened upon an unexpected kindness.

Seriously, I googled my author name (yes, I do that from time to time :)), and when I saw what came up? Oh man, my heart! It clenched; I literally sighed; my eyes got a little watery, and it was such a nice moment. The ladies over at Star-Crossed Book Blog are celebrating their 3 year blogiversary! Yayyy, go ladies! To celebrate, they’re doing a giveaway as well as posting about one of my favorite topics: Book boyfriends.

I love book boyfriends.

I think I’ve said this before, and it’s still totally true. Book boyfriends are *sigh* the best, and there so many amazing ones out there! I have a ton of much-loved BBFs on my shelves; you probably do, too, right? I don’t think I could pick a favorite (tbh, I probably could pick a few, but I wouldn’t want to upset all the other BBFs lol).

So anyway, the Star-Crossed ladies are doing posts about BBFs, and guess what?

They included Becks (twice!!) from ADORKABLE on their list of Kindest BBFs <3. You can see the post here!

Ugh, Becks is kind. He is thoughtful. He is smart and wonderful, and this was absolutely unexpected and so thoughtful. What they said about Becks/the quotes they included…I just loved everything about it. I felt so honored that they included Becks on their list, and I can say with certainty that Becks would have felt honored and loved it, too :).

Kindness matters. It really does. I always try to focus on the positive, but September is a hard month. And this was such a nice surprise. I don’t think it can be stated enough: I’m so thankful for my ADORKABLE and NINJA GIRL readers. You guys lift me up, and I truly hope my stories do the same for you <3.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

28
Aug
2017

I <3 HUNGARY!!!

categories: Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, fun, Kamuzasok Kavarasok, Romance, YA

So first of all, here is my ADORKABLE shelfie :).

adorkable shelfie

Not sure if I’ve mentioned it, but in addition to YA romance, I am a BIG fan of YA fantasy–obviously lol. You’ll also notice the Slytherins outnumber the Gryffindors in this picture *gasp*. (Although I’m pretty sure Captain America would be a Gryffindor.) And next to those guys, I have my book babies, Kamuzások, kavarások and ADORKABLE <3. Four copies of ADORKABLE–one for each of the places the book is sold–and one copy of my beloved Hungarian debut! Speaking of which…

hungary

To all of the LOL readers who posted their shelfies: Imádom, imádom, imádom!!! <333333 I just loved looking at all of your beautiful book pics–and seeing that you’re #TeamBecks ;). Tija, I feel like you are my bookish fairy godmother or something, and I am so so grateful to you! I might get this wrong, but…köszönöm! Köszönöm szépen! You all rock and so do your awesome bookshelves :).

Thank you for making my week, and I hope you have a great one, too!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

31
Jul
2017

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!

categories: Adorkable, fun, Happy Birthday, Harry Potter, YA

It’s July 31st, and every muggle knows this is a very important day!

Today, Harry James Potter was born. The boy-who-lived came into the world; the lightning bolt symbol gained a whole new meaning; and love stood up against evil…and won. These books changed my life. They made me want to read. 7 books, a golden trio, a boy living in a cupboard under the stairs of number four Privet Drive, a school called Hogwarts that felt like home, and the amazing woman who created them all. I can say with complete honesty that I wouldn’t have become a voracious book lover–or a writer, for that matter–without her or her magical world.

image(1)

So Mister Potter, I’d like to wish you and your lovely creator, J.K. Rowling, the happiest of happy birthdays!!! Thank you for the books, the characters and the magic!

Happy reading (and Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!),

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. My ADORKABLE character Sally would totally be celebrating this day with a party, cake, butter beer, chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans , the works! She’d probably even have everyone (Becks, Hooker, Ash, Snow, all the parents and the Kent brothers) over for an HP movie marathon. I have to work, but I will definitely be rocking my Snape/Lily earrings! 🙂 Also, I’ll have a giveaway coming up, so be on the lookout for that. I hope you have a great day, my fellow muggles!

11
Jul
2017

Congrats!!! And hey…is that Ansel?

categories: fun, giveaway, Ninja Girl, YA

It’s time to announce the winner of the NINJA GIRL Book Blitz Giveaway :). It’s actually a little past time, but thank you so much to everyone for entering and for your patience and support. Without further ado, big CONGRATS to:

Yadira!

I believe Yadira won the last giveaway as well–which of course means that she is a true ninja ;). And a lucky one apparently! Congrats again, Yadira, your gift will be on the way soon.

Hope you are all having a great week with wonderful people and great books! If anyone is wondering, I will be doing another post about my trip, writing progress, and just general updates in the upcoming weeks.

But for right now, I will tell you…there is a guy on this bus who looks strikingly like a broad shouldered Ansel Elgort! I’m doing my best not to stare; he’s probably 18 or something and looks like he would be great in a YA novel lol. Hmm…maybe this is the muse telling me to write, write, write. 🙂

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

31
May
2017

5 Things: I’m reading right now

categories: 5 Things, Adorkable, doing what you love, fun, Ninja Girl, YA

Okay, this is a bit of a cheat because what I’m loving right now is actually a series–but there are 5 books in the series, so it works ;).

About two weeks ago, I finally picked up the first book in The Selection series. I know, I know, I am so behind! One of my students (a girl who is always reading YA :)) recommended it to me…well, she said it was SO good and that I should read it, and she had that look in her eye that I get when I find a book I really love.

So, I got the first book, and Kiera Cass drew me in right away! I sped through book 1 and immediately got the next 3 books!!! I was semi-upset (I was very upset) that they didn’t have the 5th and final book, The Crown. Literally, I stood there for about 5 minutes staring at the bookstore shelf, hoping it would magically appear lol. It didn’t :(. And of course, I read through the next three books like wildfire, and book 4 actually did leave me hanging. Thank goodness the final book was available as an ebook.

The Selection, The Elite, The One, The Heir, & The Crown

It took me about 5 days–5 freaking days!–to read these books. I couldn’t help myself. The endings weren’t really cliffhangers, especially in the first 3 books, but I devoured the pages. It was so addictive! There was some type of magic in there, too, because I did not start out loving the main heroine *gasp*. But she totally grew on me. And I actually loved several of the main guys! My favorite books were 3, 4 and 5; the first trio of books ended just right, and I loved how we got to see what happened to the characters we loved in the next two books as well as meet a whole new, awesome cast.

If I had to give one reason to read, I would say: Maxxon!!!! <333 I totally get it, fellow Selection readers. I really do. A few more would be: America, May, Marlee, Kile (he was my personal favorite!), Henri and Erik.

There are mixed opinions about this series, but for me, it was very enjoyable. Loved it!

If you’re wondering what I have coming up, there will be a book blitz for NINJA GIRL the week of June 12th, which I think will be a ton of fun! ADORKABLE hit #1 several times in the last few weeks, huzzah!!! Also, I’m editing the book I think will be my next release and working hard on the rough draft of another YA book :). I hope your week is going well!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

20
May
2017

Oh My Ash! <3

categories: Adorkable, doing what you love, fun, Ninja Girl, Romance, YA

It’s a fact: Readers love book boyfriends.

Actually, a lot of us collect book boyfriends. No really, it’s a thing! And I know for a fact that I’m not the only one because I’ve seen other blog posts, discussions and articles about this. Different readers look for different things in their favorite male leads, but the common trait that all of them share is this.

A great book boyfriend will make fangirl bookworms everywhere swoon and fall hard for him.

This post will focus on Ash Stryker, one of my personal favorites, first introduced in ADORKABLE and most recently featured in NINJA GIRL. 🙂

Here is what I think makes Ash book boyfriend material:

He kisses back. If you’ve read NINJA GIRL, you know what I mean. If not, I’ll just say Ash goes with the flow and gives Snow an amazing/unforgettable first kiss (…and second…and third…).
He knows what he wants and goes after it.
He’s protective (but not in an overbearing a-hole kind of way). Yeah, he’s got a hero complex, but he makes it look good. Just picture a young Chris Evans/Captain America with a bit of a pottymouth, and you basically have our Ash.
He likes smart girls who can kick his ass. He’s encouraging and loves Snow’s strength and intelligence.
He tells it like it is and never gives up—especially when it matters.
He listens to country and K-Pop.
He’s multi-lingual—which means he can sweet talk you in a whole bunch of languages.
He’s athletic, talented and yes, fit. Soccer is his passion, and he’s darn good at it. The green eyes, dirty blond hair and lean body don’t hurt either ;).
He’s swoonworthy. In NINJA GIRL, Ash is willing to make a fool of himself for his girl (aka the singing), and he’s also thoughtful (the Bruce Lee marathon with Snow). *Sigh*
He’s smart, confident, a little cocky and a lot comfortable-in-his-own-skin. He’s a straightforward smooth-talker with charm to spare. He can also be jealous, incorrigible and a smartass. All in all, Ash is imperfect and real—which may be what I like best about him.

For all these reasons and more, I love my main man from NINJA GIRL.

Oh my Ash! <3

Btw huge thanks to Tija for inventing the phrase “Oh my Ash;” I love it lol! Basically, as Koi says in the book, Ash Stryker is a BAMF. He’s also a great book boyfriend imo. Feel free to add him and NINJA GIRL to your shelf if you’re looking for a sweet YA romance with a kickass heroine and a swoonworthy hero. 🙂

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

11
May
2017

Snow’s Top 10 Ninja Tips

categories: Amazon, Be Yourself, doing what you love, fun, Ninja Girl, Romance, YA, YA Bound Book Tours

The idea for this post was inspired by Snow from my YA romance NINJA GIRL (of course!) and Tressa over at Wishful Endings. (You can read the original here.)

One of my favorite things about writing is really getting into the heads of my characters. My MCs are people that I admire, that I could see myself being friends with, and Snow is a ninja girl after my own heart. 🙂 She’s tough yet vulnerable, strong yet soft on the inside, smart and incredibly loyal. In short, she is one tough cookie, and I love her for it. So without further ado…

Snow’s Top 10 Ninja Tips:

Embrace your inner ninja (aka love yourself and everything that makes you YOU).

Watch out for mean girls. Even ninjas have feelings, and mean girls always go for the weak spots.

Be stealth–especially when it comes to stealing a kiss from a stranger in a theater. Who said you have to wait for that first kiss?

Adhere to the ninja way, and always stick up for your friends (even when they keep secrets and drag you to Girls Night…ugh).

Say “no” to karaoke. Just because you kick ass does not mean you have ninja singing skills.

Work out every day–especially if you’ve eaten marshmallow fluff the night before.

Keep it professional (aka stop accidentally kissing the guy whose body you’re supposed to be guarding).

Some ninjas like chick flicks…or have a collection of every romantic comedy ever.

Be fearless if you can. If you’re scared, be brave and do it anyway.

If someone loves you for the ninja that you are, don’t be afraid to love them right back <3.

Like I said, I love Snow! I’m really hoping readers will as well. Next week, I’m planning to do a post about Ash…oh Ash, sigh <333. Keep a lookout for that if you’d like to fangirl right along with me lol. Also, if you like winning free stuff, there’s still a few more days to enter the NINJA GIRL Blog Tour Giveaway! I hoped you enjoyed these ninja tips as much as I did, and I hope you have a great day!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. NINJA GIRL hit #1 in the U.S. in one of its categories this week!!! Yayyyyy, whoohoo, and hi-yah!

23
Mar
2017

NINJA GIRL Giveaway!

categories: doing what you love, fun, giveaway, Goodreads, Ninja Girl, promotion, Romance, self-publishing, writing, YA, YA Bound Book Tours

Okay, so a lot of things have happened in the past few days.

Several people helped with the cover reveal of NINJA GIRL last week, and I just gotta say: YOU ALL ROCK! Thank you so much for your support! I received some awesome book mail from my Hungarian publisher–which really brightened up my Saturday. <3 I reached my goal of 70 people adding NINJA GIRL to Goodreads pre-release (which is sweeet :)). And I set up the giveaway below–because of course, we had to have a giveaway to mark the awesome/kickass/splendiferous occasion of NINJA GIRL‘s upcoming release March 30, 2017.

And yes, I have always wanted to use the word “splendiferous” in a sentence. This seemed like the right time :).

The NINJA GIRL Giveaway will run from March 23 until April 13, and the winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card! There are several ways to enter, and that means tons of chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now, I’m off to try and add NINJA GIRL on Amazon, hoping for no hiccups and that the process goes smoothly. I wish you all the best of luck with the giveaway, and I really hope you’ll check out NINJA GIRL when it comes out next Thursday!!! Ahh, can’t believe it’s so close!

Hope you have a great week!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

14
Feb
2017

Happy Valentine’s Day!

categories: Adorkable, Be Yourself, doing what you love, fun, Romance, YA

I’ve been saving this for today lol!

Not sure when I found the link, but I thought these Valentine’s Day cards were so cute/funny :).

Sally would’ve been all about that Yoda card–and Becks would’ve loved it because it was from his girl. Sigh…seriously, so ADORKABLE!!! If you haven’t found that special someone to tell you “Yoda one for me,” don’t let it get you down! Go out and buy a heart-shaped box of candy for yourself. Pull out your favorite chick flick (book or movie, doesn’t matter) and have a swoon fest. Or heck, get dressed up and go out dancing if that’s what you love to do. Tell the person you love–whether they’re family, friend or a beloved pet–how much you love them.

For that matter, look in the mirror and tell yourself that <3.

Whether you’re a hopeless (yet slightly cynical) romantic like me or something else altogether, I hope you have a very happy Valentine’s Day! And I hope you buy yourself some chocolate…and a great book. You deserve it! 😉

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

07
Feb
2017

5 Things: I Love About Romance

categories: 5 Things, fun, Goodreads, Romance, YA

It’s the week before Valentine’s Day, and hearts, chocolates, cute little stuffed animals are everywhere. Love is in the air, people.

Romance is one of my favorite genres (of course!), so this list could go on forever lol!

That’s why I decided to limit myself to 5 :). And it is an awesome 5 if I do say so myself. I loved each of these YA and NA books for different reasons, but whether it was butterflies-in-the-stomach inducing or a tear jerker, the romance/chemistry is on point in each story.

If you need a little help getting into the V-Day spirit, here are 5 romantic reads that bring the swoon:

1EP

If you’re like me, this one will stay with you long after the last page. Sigh. Eleanor & Park has to be one of the most heartfelt, real romances I’ve ever read. I don’t think I’ve ever cried/sighed more when reading a book. Incredible writing, unforgettable characters and chemistry, I just love this book <3.

What can I say? Rainbow Rowell is amazing! Fangirl is a beautiful, romantic, hilarious book. If you don’t fall in love with Levi and Cath, I’d be very much surprised :).

Katie McGarry is one of the best imo. Dare You To is my personal favorite (Beth and Ryan forever! <3)–but seriously, all of the books in the Pushing the Limits series are awesome.

If you love road trips, music, lovable characters (both main and side), I would recommend Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour. It’s a book that takes you along for the ride, puts you right there with the characters, and makes you fall in love with them. Loved it!

Easy was my first New Adult read, and I absolutely loved it! I’ve read several NA books since and found some great reads. But I have to say, Easy is still #1 for me :). The swoon factor is strong with this one lol! This book has heart, heat, and a hero that I love.

If you’ve read any of these books, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you haven’t, I hope they give you butterflies and make you see hearts <3. Hope you are well and that you find a ton of great romances to add to your shelves!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman