YA – Page 3 – THE COOKIE JAR

Category: YA

11
May
2021

Work In Progress

categories: Adorkable, doing what you love, Entangled Publishing, Goodreads, New Adult, O'Brien Brothers, Romance, self-publishing, Wallflower, WIP, writing, YA

Honestly, I feel like that title describes my life lol.

Work in progress.

Trying, trying some more, hopefully progressing.

Anyway, WIP probably describes everyone’s life, so at least I’m not alone :).

Here are a few updates on my books and what I’ve been doing recently (I’ll try not to make it too boring ha).

WALLFLOWER is out in the world, and it’s been doing so well! If you’re reading this, I cannot say thank you enough. So: Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I love Viola & Dare so much, and people are actually reading their book, enjoying the story, writing such sweet reviews! Ugh, thank you again!

I’ve actually been working on several projects–which is so crazy bc I’m used to only working on one at a time. It’s been…a learning experience lol! And it’s not done yet.

Project #1: Editing my YA romance for Entangled! I just turned in my first pass of the manuscript to my editor and can’t wait to see what she thinks! Hoping, hoping, hoping all of you will love it! The title of the book is CUPCAKE. <3 It’s actually already on Goodreads. I’ll post more about it soon, but I love this book! Ugh, can’t wait to share it with you!

Project #2: Another YA romance for Entangled! Still in the early idea stages with this one. I’m waiting for approval of the summary, but I already am so excited about it!

Project #3: The co-authored project I’ve been writing! It’s YA. It’s awesome. It’s almost finished…maybe. The last time we spoke we said it will likely come out in June/July. Very excited (and nervous) about this ha!

Project #4: The O’Brien Brothers Book 2!!! I’m so looking forward to finishing this one–not because I don’t love it, but because I do! The book is at about 56k words. Still a few chapters to go. I love it SO much, and I’m just trying to do the main couple and this wonderful family justice. Again, I can’t wait to share and hope readers will swoon! *Also, the cover is GORGEOUS!!!! I need to finish the book first, but I can’t wait to put that bit of loveliness out in the world! *

Those are my WIPs!

Besides myself, of course :-).

I was sick last week, so that kind of sucked. FeedBurner is apparently going to stop sending email notifications–like the ones you get when I do a blog post. So, I need to figure that out for the ten people who actually read these posts ;).

I hope you’re all staying safe and that wonderful things are happening where you are!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. Oooh, and ADORKABLE is now available on the KISS app! It came out today! Yayyy!!! I think the publishing model is interesting; it involves tokens/chapters etc. Hope the KISS readers love Sally & Becks! 🙂

06
Apr
2021

Thankful

categories: Amazon, doing what you love, kindness, Romance, self-publishing, Wallflower, WIP, writing, Xpresso Book Tours, YA, YA Bound Book Tours

Hi everyone!

I wanted to check in with some bookish updates!

WALLFLOWER will have been out for 2 weeks on Thursday! The time has flown by. Honestly, I can’t believe how well it’s doing–and I’m so thankful.

Readers have been saying the kindest things about Viola & Dare’s story, and I’m just super grateful <3. Here’s a small sample of the wonderful reviews:

“All I kept thinking as I read this book was how much I loved it!”-Lisa, Lisa Loves Literature
“I think this book is my favorite contemporary YA romance that I have read in 2021 so far. It made me so happy, and I honestly just want to go back and re-read it again because I loved Viola and Dare so much.”-Michelle, Book Briefs
“Wallflower was impossible not to devour in one sitting! This story swept me away and the pages were filled with charm, humor and romance.“-Jen, Star-Crossed Book Blog
“One of the best parts of this story is the genuine friendships.”-Amy, Amy’s MM Romance Reviews
“I recommend this fun, charming, and clean YA romance with delightful characters and LOL moments. I couldn’t put this book down.”-Sharon, The Eclectic Review
“Definitely recommend if you want a sweet short read!”-Ceci, Goodreads Review
“I personally would trade all the other men I read about this week for Dare in a second and he was one of seven. #LetsKeepDare”-Ali Crean, Have Coffee Need Books
“I loved loved this book!!!!”-Kiana, Goodreads Review
“I think many bookworms and hopeless romantics will find part of themselves in Viola. Her growth and character evolution from start to finish was great.”- Lauren, SERIESous Book Reviews
“Overall, there was so much to love about this book and you’d be crazy not to read it if YA romances are your jam. I’m so glad I was able to revisit old characters while continuing on with new ones. This book was truly a delight!“-Ariel, The Book View
“It’s an opposites-attract (popular guy/ unpopular girl), friends to lovers and fake dating romance that will make you remember your first crush and first love.”-Kristee, Goodreads Review
“This is cheesy, cute and soooo romantic. I’ve been smiling wide enough for my jaw to hurt and have definitely leaked a few tears.
✓High school
✓Fake Dating
✓Coach’s daughter
✓Clean romance
✓Animal lovers”-Navya, Goodreads Review
“I could not keep from smiling the entire time I read this book.“-Gabrielle, Goodreads Review
“I really enjoyed reading Wallflower!! The banter between Viola and Dare was such a vibe!”-Amazon Review
“Love all her books. She is top of my one-click. Couldn’t wait for this and it didn’t disappoint.”-Amazon Review

You guys, seriously, bloggers are awesome, and readers rock! And the romance writing community rocks as well! Special thanks to YA Bound Book Tours & Xpresso Book Tours!!! I can’t say thank you enough, so again…to every person who has helped spread the word about WALLFLOWER, for every review/post/share/encouraging message/comment: THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

WALLFLOWER is just a little YA romance. I’m pretty helpless when it comes to marketing. And yet, the book is doing well, and that’s all thanks to you!

Last week was Book Birthday Week, and I’m holding a giveaway here! There are still a couple days to enter if you haven’t already. Good luck, you guys!

I also finally hit 20k on my current WIP, hooray! It feels like it’s taken me forever ha. But I think that’s because I keep switching POVs–and just general writer’s block blech. But I finally hit 20k words woop! So thankful for that!

And I was able to get the COVID vaccine. Not going to lie. My thoughts were tinged with sadness. I couldn’t help but think about all of the people who were lost to the disease, how very grateful they would’ve been to receive a vaccine or to have their families in the hospital room while they fought it. How much those families would’ve given to be with their loved ones for their last moments.

Anyway, I am very thankful to have gotten my shot. I’m hopeful that these crazy, sad times will one day come to an end. And I pray good health, strength and healing is with you my lovely readers.

Hope you are well and that you had a wonderful Easter!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. Here are a few of the screenshots I took for WALLFLOWER. <3 It’s been a #1 hot new release for several of its categories (in the U.S. & Australia), a #1 bestseller two of them in the U.S. and even hit #1 in Germany!

So many pictures lol, but who knows if this will ever happen again! Thank you so much for giving WALLFLOWER such a wonderful start!!!

25
Mar
2021

WALLFLOWER Release Day!

categories: doing what you love, Harry Potter, Release Day, Romance, self-publishing, Wallflower, YA

Yay, yay, yay!!!! It’s finally here, you guys!

Book baby #7 is now out in the world!

Happy Release Day to WALLFLOWER!!! <3

The cover and book still make me smile/sigh.

I hope WALLFLOWER gives you the warm fuzzies, too! I loved every second of writing this story. Oh, I hope people can see a bit of themselves in introverted, hopeless romantic Viola. She’s also a dog, movie and Harry Potter lover. Totally a girl after my own heart lol. And Dare. Gah! I am so in love with him. He’s confident, popular, a talented athlete–but it’s his thoughtfulness, awesome sense of humor, and his sincerity that I hope will win readers’ hearts. He definitely won mine :).

If you love YA romance, fake boyfriends, dogs, dorks, jocks, swoon-worthy kisses and laughing out loud, I hope you’ll give WALLFLOWER a try! This is my 7th book, you guys! And yes, one of those was a novella. But still! There are seven books in the Harry Potter series. So that must be a good sign, right???

Ah, I can’t believe it!

WALLFLOWER is now available!

May the Force, Harry Potter and all the good juju in the world be will you little book! I hope you bring anyone who reads you so much joy and love!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

19
Mar
2021

5 Things: I’m Looking Forward To…

categories: 5 Things, doing what you love, Romance, self-publishing, Wallflower, WIP, writing, YA

Hi everyone!

March has been flying by, and I can’t believe book baby #7 comes out next Thursday!!!

Yes, you read that right.

I have a book coming out next week! And it’s one that I love, love, love! Hooray!

So, I figured I’d do a post about the 5 Things: I’m Looking Forward To :).

Here we go!

Sharing Viola & Dare with the world. Of course, this is #1! I can’t wait to put these characters and this story out there. Although it’s a bit scary, I feel like I’ve been holding onto this forever, and I just hope readers find and embrace WALLFLOWER <3.
The WALLFLOWER Blog Tour. It starts Monday, eep! Not sure I’m ready–actually, I know I’m not lol! This is the part I dread and look forward to in equal measure: Finding out what people think. Gah. I really hope they like it.
Holding onto the love. Okay, this one kind of goes hand in hand with #2. I just want to remember how wonderful it felt while I was writing and when I finished this book. There was so much love there. I hope I can always remember that.
Sleep. No explanation needed lol.
Writing, writing , writing. Currently at about 13k words on my WIP and very much looking forward to adding more, yay!!!

And those are my 5 Things! 🙂 I’m also looking forward to spending time with my family–but this is always at the top of the list. I feel so very thankful for them. Also, my students have been working hard, and their dances are really coming together. It is such a privilege to teach them, so of course, I look forward to that, too!

Anyway,there are so many awful things in the world. And yet, there is so much to be thankful for.

Stay safe, be well, and I hope you have a ton of wonderful things you’re looking forward to, my awesome readers!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. WALLFLOWER comes out next week!!!!! Yay! 😀

26
Feb
2021

Happy Reading

categories: Adorkable, doing what you love, giveaway, New Adult, O'Brien Brothers, Romance, self-publishing, Wallflower, WIP, YA

Hi everyone!

So, it’s the last Friday of February—can you believe the month went by so fast???

March is right around the corner, and I wanted to do a quick post to check-in :).

First, congratulations to Judy G.!!! She was the winner of my giveaway to celebrate ADORKABLE hitting 10,000 ratings on Goodreads! I hope you enjoy your gift card, Judy, and thank you so much to everyone who entered!

Second, I’ve been trying to write! I’m loving the book(s) I’m working on, but honestly, I haven’t quite mastered the skill of writing more than one project at a time lol. My brain takes a minute to flip between stories. I just want to be consistently productive. Still trying to get the hang of this!

And third, there’s less than a month until the release of WALLFLOWER, yayyy! I’ve been trying to make sure it’s ready. There’s a blog tour and blitz scheduled. I sent out a few ARCs. Trying to work up the nerve to contact some authors for newsletter swaps (cue the nerves LOL). I still need to work on my dedication and acknowledgments.

I’ll definitely be posting more about WALLFLOWER in the coming weeks :). I so love this book. I hope you will, too! Crossing my fingers so hard!

I’ve got a to-do list about a mile long and am slowly making my way through it. Also, in case you’re interested, my current WIPs are a co-authored YA and book 2 of the O’Brien Brothers, woop! What have you been up to? Anything interesting? 🙂

Hope you are well, bookworms!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

18
Feb
2021

Focus on the Good

categories: Adorkable, giveaway, Goodreads, Romance, self-publishing, Wallflower, YA

The other day I sent out a few ARCs for WALLFLOWER, eep! I was so excited—still am. Not going to lie, I was nervous though—still am lol. But it’s a good feeling to know the book is out there.

I think/hope the readers who enjoyed my other YA romances will enjoy this one. That’s not something I say lightly. Doubt comes easy to me; confidence is hard. But yeah, if you’re reading this, I think/hope you’ll love WALLFLOWER.

One important thing to know: This is not a sequel to ADORKABLE.

Viola is Sally & Becks’s daughter—but the book stands alone. This is why there’s no mention of ADORKABLE in the book summary as well. I hope people will love Viola & Dare’s romance regardless of if they’ve read any of my previous work.

Honestly, as I was writing, the parents just were Sally & Becks (at least in my head). Two or three awesome readers picked up on the “Kent” name and asked about it. I probably could’ve made Viola the child of one of the older Kent brothers—but I didn’t really think of that lol! Again, the parents just were Sally & Becks. Viola was the daughter I thought they would create together. I see bits of both characters in her. Her parents have an awesome relationship, and the family loves each other. I truly hope that comes across—along with the funny/swoon-worthy moments—which mostly involve Viola & Dare—because this is very much their book and not a sequel to my debut (both of which I love :D).

I gave up being negative and complaining for Lent (and a couple of other things). It’s challenging, but things are going okay so far! See there, no negativity :).

We’re in the last 24 hours of a giveaway to celebrate ADORKABLE reaching 10,000 ratings on Goodreads. Hooray!!! If you’d like to, you can enter here! Good luck to you!

I never thought one of my books could be that widely read. I always hope all of my books will reach people. I hope readers will love WALLFLOWER. May it find the readers and hearts it’s meant to. Hopefully, it will brighten someone’s day <3. There’s a little over a month before the book’s release on March 25th, gah! Can’t believe it’s coming up so soon. And now, I’ll stop rambling lol.

Whatever’s happening with you, I hope you’re able to focus on the good. Hope you’re doing well, bookworms! Positive vibes to you! Be safe out there!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

26
Jan
2021

WALLFLOWER cover reveal

categories: cover love, doing what you love, Goodreads, Romance, self-publishing, Wallflower, writing, YA

Today is the day!!!

I’m revealing the cover for my YA romance WALLFLOWER! Yayyy!!! I’ve wanted to share this with you for a while because I love it so much.

I can’t wait to see if you do, too…

…and now…

…here is the cover…

…for my new book…

…WALLFLOWER <3.

Apologies if you see this twice lol! I just had to share!

I love, love, love it, you guys! The way they are looking at each other is everything, and the feel is so romantic! Love the colors, pose, and again, that look! <3

I’d love to hear what you think! 🙂

I hope this cover makes your heart glad, and I hope you fall in love with Viola & Dare’s story! WALLFLOWER is coming on March 25, 2021!!!

That’s right, you guys! We have a release date, woop! So excited!

I spent this past weekend reading two books from one of my favorite series, and it was wonderful. *sigh* It reaffirmed my belief that: Books are awesome. 🙂 Hope you’re all well and having a wonderful week so far!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. Be on the lookout for a giveaway soon!!!

19
Jan
2021

One Week

categories: Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, Goodreads, Romance, self-publishing, Wallflower, YA

Just one week until the cover reveal of WALLFLOWER!!! Hooray!

Okay, I know I’ve said it already, but…I’m so excited to share this cover (and story) with you and see what you think :)!

The time leading up to a book release is always super exciting. I just want to give Viola & Dare every chance possible to reach readers–and hopefully, crossing my fingers so hard, people will love them as much as I do <3.

Another exciting thing is happening as well!

As of now, ADORKABLE is 12 ratings away from 10,000 on Goodreads! Eep!!!

Isn’t that cool?

I love math and numbers, so for me, it definitely is ha!

Never in a million years would I have thought one of my books would reach that many people. It’s like a little miracle. I don’t have a big family or many friends (though the ones I do have are THE BEST). I’m not good at networking (*see: I suck at networking). I’m an introvert-perfectionist who struggles with putting my work out there. Even my doubts have doubts lol.

Despite all this, ADORKABLE is still being read. It’s crazy–and I’m so very thankful that people are actually finding my books!

I’ve had a hard time writing recently. My mind has felt so mushy/muddled with everything going on in the world. I know I’m not the only one, and I hope it gets better. Little miracles happen all the time. Maybe one is just around the corner for all of us. If you need a little inspiration, here’s a poem by Emily Dickinson that I thought about today, particularly the first stanza :).

Stay safe and hopeful, everyone!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

05
Jan
2021

Hello 2021

categories: #passthebookchallenge, Adorkable, doing what you love, Goodreads, Instagram, New Adult, O'Brien Brothers, Romance, self-publishing, The Best Mistake, The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge, writing, YA

New year, new goals, new books! Yay!!!

Hello, my lovely readers! I hope you’re doing well and that you got to read some awesome books over the holidays :). I didn’t get a chance to read, but I did finish writing a book, woop!

This one is for Entangled, and it’s with my editor now (very thankful to work with an amazing editor!). I love it, so I’m very much hoping she will, too! Crossing my fingers!

Just being honest: Sometimes it feels like I get nothing done lol. And with last year being so full of sadness, suffering and scary times, I was surprised to see that I’d reached several of my goals.

Bookish goals achieved last year: I published my 5th book baby and first ever New Adult romance, The Best Mistake, woohoo!!! The Good Girl’s Guide to Being Bad came out in paperback, and the Hungarian translation Piszkos Tánc was released, yay! I also published my first novella, The Kissing Challenge <3! The ADORKABLE paperback got a second printing! *happy dance* In June, some wonderful people helped me do the #passthebookchallenge with ADORKABLE (still so thankful & would love to do it again)! I attended a virtual writer’s conference hosted by The Writing Gals–which was awesome! Pretty sure I wrote more than I ever have in a year (completed 2 books + 1 novella and started another co-written book!).

I also had a few goals I didn’t achieve…but I’m rolling them over to this year :). Okay, so here we go. Bookish/Writing Goals for 2021: Write a book (or several! 2-3+). Publish a book. Write more and consistently. Send newsletter once a month. Post on blog, FB, Instagram without being scared/freaking out. Participate more in the author/book community; again, don’t be afraid to reach out. Learn how to run ads.

I also have several personal goals, but here are the big ones: Be thankful & focus on the good. Spread love & positivity.

And there you go! No idea if I’ll be able to reach any or all of them–but I’m going to try. How did your 2020 goals turn out, and what are your goals for this year? I’d love to know!

I wish you all the best and hope 2021 is treating you well so far! Be safe and well, bookworms!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. I’ll do another post soon, but in case you’re interested, my upcoming release is on Goodreads!!! This is truly a book of my heart. <3 It’s my first time mentioning it anywhere; I’m already beating myself up that it’s in a post script ugh, but I just wanted to say thank you so much to the 4 people who have already added WALLFLOWER! You rock!!! Be on the lookout for another post soon, you guys! I can’t wait to share it with all of you! 😀

31
Dec
2020

Happy New Year!

categories: Adorkable, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Ninja Girl, Romance, The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad, writing, YA

Happy New Year, everyone!

That’s me in my most bookish mask lol :). I could only put three of my books on there, and I can’t wear it out because of the little gaps in the sides and chin. But whatever! I love it! ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, and The Good Girl’s Guide to Being Bad look awesome in mask form!

I’ve been doing a lot of writing/editing/formatting, yay!!! Earlier this week, I completed and sent in the WIP I was working on for Entangled, and today, I’ve been formatting what will be my next release! Eep! So many exciting things going on :).

Just wanted to do a quick post since 2020 is coming to an end. Hopefully, there will be better times ahead for everyone–especially you awesome bookish peeps! I hope you had a merry Christmas, are having happy holidays, and that this new year is awesome for you!

Stay safe and be well!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. I’ll probably do another post later, but Bridgerton was AMAZING!!! I’d already loved the books. I now love the show. Besides our dogs and maybe a Taylor Swift song, it is the best thing to come out of 2020 imo :). Thank you, Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes!