It's Time For July's READ THIS! Selection and LOADS More!

Happy July! Because I decided to post this after the holiday weekend, it's time to wish belated tidings to those who celebrated Canada Day and Independence Day here in North America. I hope you had a lot of fun and stayed safe. For everyone else, hope you had wonderful weekends! And for those awaiting Bastille Day, viva la France! And any other big July dates I'm missing. Confetti tosses for all! We've got another great READ THIS! selection for this month plus more fun stuff -- and I do mean MORE, including a book giveaway and big announcement (that many of y'all have been impatiently waiting for) -- so be sure you scroll all the way through (trust me, you need to scroll to the end) so you don't miss out on any of the goodness. And with that, let's get right to it, shall we? We shall!

READ THIS! A Book Club by Moi for All Y'all Welcome to READ THIS! A Book Club by Gini Koch. This is my chance to introduce you to some great authors that I love and know you will, too. Every month I'll spotlight a book and, even better...every month I'll host a live discussion with the author, that all y'all can join! I know, it's too happy to be true, but true it is!

July 2022 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for July 2022 is:  The Healer's Legacy By Sharon Skinner Gini's Take: The start of a super-cool YA trilogy with a heroine who you not only root for, but kind of envy. I mean, the heroine talks to animals and has awesome animal companions while she does her best to save the day...sound like anyone you know? ;-D  About the Author: Sharon Skinner holds a BA in English, an MA in Creative Writing and is a Certified Book Coach and freelance editor, who helps writers weave their words into stories that shine. She mainly writes fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and the occasional steampunk, for audiences of all ages. Skinner is an active member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and serves as the Regional Advisor for SCBWI AZ. She also served aboard the USS Jason, the first US Navy vessel to take women to sea (WestPac cruise). But that’s another story. To learn more, visit sharonskinner.com or bookcoachingbysharon.com.

July 2022 READ THIS! Author Q&A

So, you've read the READ THIS! selection and you want to share what you thought with the author, hang out with them and Gini, and generally talk books for an hour. Well, guess what? You can! The third Thursday of every month will be READ THIS! Author Q&A time. The event will be held utilizing Discord, and the invitation to Gini's READ THIS! room will come out in the week prior to the chat. And that's not all! Near the end of each Q&A session, we'll be doing a raffle and one lucky winner will get a copy of the next month's READ THIS! selection! (You must be present in the Q&A to win. Physical book prizes will be U.S. only. Ebook prizes will be worldwide.)

July's READ THIS! author Q&A with Guest Host Jean Marie Ward featuring author Sharon Skinner will be on Thursday, July 21, 2022 from 9pm-10pm Eastern. Access to Discord is available worldwide, and everyone is invited to attend!

August's READ THIS! Selection   And Remember: One Lucky Q&A Participant can win it early!

The READ THIS! Selection for August 2022 is:  The Happy Acres Haunted Hotel for Active Seniors By Gini Koch

Because I get asked this daily (often multiple times daily)... Yes, Aliens Like Us IS coming, but... No, Aliens Like Us still isn't ready for Prime Time, but... I'm on Version 5 of the rewrite process. Does every book take me this long? No. Will all the others in the series take this long? Likely no. Life has tossed a lot at me and mine and that's made some things a struggle, but... Kitty is always with me, and she's not going to let the bad things win, in any universe. So...Watch this space for more updates as I have them. And keep those digits crossed for the hope that my shouting "the end!" comes sooner as opposed to later. P.S. I am definitely heading towards the end game. I realize that's vague, but it means that I think we'll be shouting "hurrah" somewhere in the nearish term. Digits crossed, at any rate... P.P.S. Watch this space, I'm hoping to share happy news soon.

It's Kickstarter Time!

That's right, it's time for a new Unidentified Funny Objects anthology, and that means it's time to get in on all the goodies via the Kickstarter.  I'm offering tuckerizations (where you get to have your name in lights) as well as a planet-naming tuckerization (where you get to name a planet), plus there's lots more cool offerings. So, check out the Kickstarter for Unidentified Funny Objects 9 and let's get this puppy funded so all y'all get more great, funny SF/F stories! Win-Win all the way!

More Yapping!   That's right, more yapping from me and other awesome authors over at ConTinual. The latest offering is Tinkerers and Inventors, another topic of which I think we all know I know a lot about. So head over and watch and have some fun along with the rest of us at ConTinual! And don't miss these other cool panels I've run the yap on: Breaking Down the Genres Economics in World Building Horror and Romance Sherlockian Mystery Sherlock Returns Christmas in July Holiday Short Reads Hot off the Press #54 Characters in the Public Domain Zombies! Holiday Special Event 2021 Christmas & New Years in Film Holidays Real and Imagined Favorite Holiday Episodes in SciFi and Fantasy Series Holiday Action-Adventure Hot Off the Press #64 Weird Westerns Pets and Familiars Intellectual Property for Creatives Separating Problematic Creators from Their Work Selling At Conventions Scarred For Life How To Write Animals Hot off the Press #72 Unicorns And Other Fantastic Creatures There's a whole lot more over at the ConTinual YouTube page, so browse around and get your panel fixes in!

See The Me! The Hermitage Is Over! Here are the upcoming cons I am confirmed to be going to this year. Panels, readings, signings, and such will be updated as I have the info, but I will definitely be at these places and hope to see some of or all y'all there!  San Diego Comic-Con San Diego, CA July 20-24 Wednesday, July 20 through Sunday, July 24 Table D-10 in the Exhibit Hall (Exhibit Hall Hours, other than where noted below) Come see the me, get your hugs, and get all the pretty things! Thursday, July 21 3:30-4:30pm - Signing for Breaking in Via Anthologies panel, AA area/Under the Sails (Note: Due to time constraints, this signing takes place BEFORE the panel). Featuring authors Gini Koch, Hal Bodner, S.G. Browne, Jonathan Maberry, and Lisa Morton. I also have 3 panels and another signing that can't be officially confirmed until the next newsletter. Because that's how it goes when you're the biggest gorilla in the jungle.   GenCon Indianapolis, IN August 4-7, 2022 Thursday, August 4 10-11am, Workshop: Finding Your Voice 1-2pm, Panel: Blurbs 2-3pm, Panel: Writing Sex Scenes 3-4pm, Panel: POV Pandemonium 4-5 pm, Panel: Trouble...Or Paradise? 5-6pm, Panel: Empathy for Your Other Friday, August 5 10-11am, Workshop: Writing the Dreaded Synopsis 11am-12pm, Panel: Picking Your Path as a Creator 1-2pm, Signing 2-3pm, Panel: My Book Has a Soundtrack 4-5pm, Panel: Writing in 3D Saturday, August 6 1-2pm, Signing 2-3pm, Panel: Quiet Fantasy 4-5pm, Panel: Imagining Alternate Futures     DragonCon Atlanta, GA September 1-5, 2022 Thursday, September 1 Hyatt International South Ballroom is the location for the Page to Stage Costume Contest, and check out which character of mine is going to be up for cosplaying (probably not who you're expecting)! Prejudging starts at 5:30, judging at 8:30, and yes, I plan to be there! Register to participate in this cosplay event here. Friday, September 2 8pm-12am, Fantasy Gather, Hyatt Hanover C-E Come hang out with me and a plethora of other authors. Find books and have fun!   *Note: this is not my full DragonCon schedule. As events confirm, I'll list them here, so watch this space!   World Fantasy Con New Orleans, LA November 3-6, 2022

A READ THIS! Author Has Some Specials Goin' On!

Book 6 in awesome author Mel Todd's Twisted Luck series, Faded Luck, is now available for pre-order and will go up for sale on July 8th! Grab your copies right now! Somehow missed out on February's READ THIS! selection, My Luck, the start of the Twisted Luck series? Not to worry! Right now it's FREE, but only through July 5th (as in, TODAY) so grab your copy right now! Bought it already? Grab a copy for a friend or family member, because it never gets better than free!

And, that's not all! Mel's got a giveaway going on all month, and the winner gets a signed copy of ANY book of hers of your choice! So get entered in to win today!

IT'S FINALLY (almost!) HEAR! (And no, that's not a typo...)

As you may recall, there were a lot of issues with the first (awful) audio version of Touched by an Alien that was out, and then buried, many moons ago now. It's taken a lot to find a company, and a voice actress, who I'm happy with, but we have done it!  I'm super excited to announce that there's a great audiobook version of Touched by an Alien on the way -- and you can pre-order your copy right now! New cover art to come, BTW, but I couldn't wait for it to tell all y'all about this!

So many bookie wookies, so much time to catch up on all of them while waiting for Aliens Like Us and the next READ THIS! selection. Check out my Bookstore and Bibliography for all the things!

That's it for today but, never fear, another Update, including the Discord Q&A chat invitation, will be arriving in a couple of weeks! In the meantime, stay safe and healthy, remember we're all in this together, be kind to one another, give love and support to all those who are on the front lines in any capacity, and let's be readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side! Love, Gini