Category: YA


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! 😀


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!


Oct
2020

5 Things: I wish…

categories: 5 Things, kindness, Romance, The Kissing Challenge, WIP, YA

Hi everyone!

Can you believe it’s already the end of October??? Goodness, where did the time go lol?

I wanted to see how everyone is doing and check in :). Not gonna lie, I’ve been a bit down (which may be reflected in this post ha), but I’ll try and keep it positive!

So for today’s post, I’m doing 5 Things: I wish…

  1. I wish everyone had a dog. Or more than one. They are so lovely, so often better than people, and they really make life better <3.
  2. I wish my readers knew how much I appreciate them! THE KISSING CHALLENGE is doing awesome! That is thanks to all of you bookish peeps, and I am so very grateful! I truly didn’t know if anyone would read let alone enjoy my little YA romance novella—or any of my books for that matter! Thank you SO much for reading!
  3. I wish I didn’t pay attention to reviews. Actually, no. I wish I didn’t let them impact me as much as they sometimes do. *sigh* Recently, there have been some good and some bad. Guess which ones get in my head and won’t leave? Blah :/.
  4. I wish everyone would wear a mask. Because it protects others. Because we are all a part of this world and want to save each other from this virus. Because as Dan Levy (David from Schitt’s Creek) said, it is basically the kindest thing we can do.
  5. I wish everyone was healthy, happy and hopeful <3.

Okay, so those are my 5 Things! 🙂 I really and truly meant that last one. The times have been so dark and desolate for so many, and I just wish it would get better. I so hope it will <3.

Hope you are all well everyone! Stay safe out there! Have a very Happy Halloween! And maybe treat yourself to some peanut M&Ms and an awesome book!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. I have also been writing :). It’s been slow-going, but the other day I hit 20k on my brand new WIP! Yayyy! I’m really enjoying this story, you guys, and hope you will, too! I’m also about to start a collaboration with another wonderful author, my first ever, and oh, I’m so excited and hope it goes well! Very much looking forward to it! For my other book—the one I completed just before my novella? If you’re confused that’s okay lol!—I think I’ve found an awesome cover image. Hooray!!! Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know I’m still writing, pushing through the bad times and trying to stay productive. Good vibes and positive karma to all of you, my awesome readers!


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


Aug
2020

Write, write, write

categories: doing what you love, New Adult, O'Brien Brothers, Romance, self-publishing, The Best Mistake, WIP, writing, YA

Hi everyone!

I’m still here lol! And I’ve been writing! Yayyy!!!!

Tonight, I hit 50k on my current WIP, hooray! I am absolutely in love with this YA romance, and I’m hoping to finish it this week. That’s a big goal for me as I am not the fastest writer, but I’m going to try.

A little while ago, I attended a virtual writing conference held by The Writing Gals! (Sidenote: They are awesome and kind and so generous with the info they give to other writers! If you are a writer, I’d definitely check them out! :))

It was wonderful, you guys!

I haven’t gotten a chance to watch all of the courses that interest me (there were SO many awesome ones), but I did get to do a few things.

One of the things I did was writing sprints!

That’s where you sit down, set a timer for 20 minutes and just write as much as you can. I may have done this at some point, but it was never with a 20-minute time frame or with other authors. I always did at least an hour, usually two hours and would feel so disappointed if I got tired half-way through or didn’t end up with an awesome word count.

Long story short, the writing sprints have dramatically increased my productivity, and I am so thankful!

Now, I know I am capable of upping my word count, and it doesn’t feel so draining to sit for hours on end, hoping for the words to come. Who knew taking a little break and then jumping back in could be so effective? Everyone but me? Okay then, lol ;).

Again, I’m thankful for the conference and for Maggie Dallen’s course on writing faster and more efficiently (she mentioned sprinting, too, whoop!), and for all of the awesome live chats/panels I got to see!

It was just such a breath of fresh air, a bit of light in all this darkness, and it really has lit a fire under me to finish this book–and hopefully, many more to come.

I hope you are all doing well, my lovely readers! Stay safe, keep reading, and May the Force be with you!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. ICYMI: The Best Mistake is now available in paperback, and it is oh so pretty! <3 Have you got your copy of Honor & Archer’s story yet? 😉 I hope you love it!


Jul
2020

365 Giveaway and Writing Updates!

categories: giveaway, New Adult, O'Brien Brothers, Romance, self-publishing, The Best Mistake, WIP, writing, YA

Hi everyone!

In an effort to make your Monday awesome…I have a giveaway for you!

Hosted by Tina Donahue, who recently celebrated a new release (if you’re into hot paranormal romance/reverse harem, you might want to check her out!), she let a whole bunch of authors be a part of her giveaway! Yay!

The prize is $365 in gift cards as well as a ton of ebooks–including The Best Mistake!

Enter here for a chance to win! And good luck, bookworms!

Also, an update on my writing progress :).

I hit 20K on my WIP this Saturday!!! Woohoo!

It’s a milestone for each of my manuscripts, and I’m so thankful to have reached it! The story is a YA romance, and I am absolutely loving it! Seriously, sometimes the joy of the process gets lost. It’s easy to celebrate the final product, but I really enjoy the writing–especially when I fall head-over-heels for the characters and their love story *sigh*.

Oh, I hope you’ll like it, too!

The downside is this means I haven’t been working on my next O’Brien Brothers book…BUT I do plan to write more in the series!

I’ve gotten questions about whether I’m going to continue the series, and every single time, it makes my heart glad <3. My first foray into the NA romance world has been going well! People are actually reading The Best Mistake! Honestly, I wish even more people would read Archer & Honor’s story! Ugh, I just love it! But I’m so grateful to the readers who have read and taken the time to send me their kind words and leave a review! It means more than they will ever know!

This weekend I formatted the paperback, and I’ve contacted my cover designer about the print cover, woop! So hopefully, that will be coming soon! I promise, I’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready :)!

Also, I’ve been in talks with Entangled about possibly doing another book with them, so yay! Hoping and crossing my fingers that wonderful things come from this!

And that’s pretty much all I’ve got. Just trying to hang in there, stay hopeful, and keep creating during this frankly awful time in the world.

I hope you’re doing well, my lovely readers! Hope you have a wonderful week!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman


Jun
2020

Hello Again

categories: Adorkable, Goodreads, New Adult, nice surprise, O'Brien Brothers, Romance, The Best Mistake, WIP, writing, YA

Hello again!

I hope you’re all doing well! Yes, I’m still here and just…trying, every day trying, like everyone else.

My last blog post wasn’t sent out for some reason—and it was a nice one about a fun ADORKABLE bookish video I was able to do with some truly awesome people! <3 (ICYMI: here it is!)

I hope this one gets sent—and if it doesn’t, I guess I’ll ask the people at WordPress lol? Not really the best with technology, so I’ll definitely need help ha.

But anyway, here are a few writing/book-related updates:

  • I reached 10,000 words on my current WIP yesterday!!! Yay, yay, yay! I’m really in love with this book and the characters. It’s a YA romance with funny and swoon-worthy moments and…ugh, I hope to keep writing, can’t wait to finish and share it with you guys!
  • THE BEST MISTAKE, my New Adult sports romance, is doing awesome! It’s gotten some wonderful reviews, and I’m so thankful for all of them! Here’s a pic from back when THE BEST MISTAKE reached 100 ratings on Goodreads! *sigh* If you haven’t read it yet, I hope you’ll check it out, and let me know what you think of the O’Brien brothers!!!
  • Just found out Sarah J. Maas is writing another book in the A Court of Thorns & Roses series! Literally one of my favorite series ever! And it’s not just any book. It’s for two characters that I love: Nesta & Cassian! <333 Can’t wait to read!
  • A kind person at work got me a Kindle! It happened around Christmas, was totally unexpected and just really thoughtful. Because of this, I now have 3 free months of KU! Very excited to read all the books lol!

Also, on a totally different note, and because I’m a real person who cares about you and your loved ones, and I hope you care about mine: Please, if you have to go out and be around people, wear a mask.

I don’t know how this has become an argument. It’s not about infringing on people’s rights; it’s not even about you protecting yourself. The masks are worn to protect others. It’s about caring for those around you because you could have the virus, be asymptomatic, and spread it to a loved one—or to someone else’s loved one. I’ve had my own experiences, and I’ll share them here.

The first time I ever had to wear a mask was five years ago. It was to protect my best friend who had cancer.

Her immune system was down because of the chemo treatments. I’d caught a cold which of course wouldn’t usually be too concerning. But for someone with cancer and lowered immunity, a cold could turn into something far worse, like pneumonia. My little cold that I knew I’d likely recover from could’ve been life-threatening to her.

So I wore a mask.

To protect her.

Because I love her.

I had to do this a couple of times because I got sick again while she was undergoing treatment. I would’ve done anything to protect her. Wearing a mask was not a hardship. I wish I could’ve done so much more. She was and still is my favorite person of all time.

*And if you at any point while you were reading this thought: “Well, she was dying anyway” or have ever said something cruel like that to a person with cancer, please don’t buy or read any of my books. They are written for people with hearts. And I’m pretty sure you’ve misplaced yours.*

There are still people who I love that I want to protect. So again, when you go out and are around people, please wear a mask.

I hope you’re all safe and healthy, finding happiness during this time. Be well, readers.

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