READ THIS! Q&A Details, Updates to My Con Schedule, & More!

Happy June Things! Father's Day is just around the corner and there are many graduations going on, so mega congrats to all the grads and lots of love to all the dads, in whatever form (or gender) you dad in!  And, of course, we have this month's READ THIS! Author Q&A which is gonna be a good one! So let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

June 2023 READ THIS! Author Q&A

June's READ THIS! author Q&A with author Meg Leader will be on June 15, 2023 from 9pm-10pm Eastern. Access to Discord is available worldwide, and everyone is invited to attend! You do not need to be a Discord member/user to attend: Use this link https://discord.gg/GYpzD25JvW to go directly to the chat room! (You also don't need to have finished the book to join in the fun. We authors know that everyone reads at their own pace and we just want to hang out with you guys and have some good times!) Once in, you'll get to join in the fun of asking authors about their "process" and more. PLUS, one lucky winner will get July's READ THIS! selection for FREE! I know! It's too happy to be true! But true it is, so don't miss out! (You must be present in the chat to win. Physical copies U.S. only; ebook copies worldwide.)

June 2023 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for June 2023 is:  Starcrossed Bride By Meg Leader Gini's Take: A fun and sexy SFR with a spunky heroine, a brooding and sexy hero, and some of the most excellent world building you'll find. About the Author: Meg Leader has been a published writer of nonfiction and fiction with major New York publishers for more than 30 years in a variety of genres and using various pen names. Her fiction is primarily in romance, science fiction, and urban fantasy. In nonfiction, she’s written everything from technical articles and textbooks on neural networks to memoir to popular science books for publishers like MIT Press and Oxford University Press. She has a new series of writing books available on Amazon, the Page-Turner Fiction books on topics including how to set up your novel, how to write great scenes, story tropes for any genre, and a comprehensive book on world-building for any genre.  megleader.com

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

The READ THIS! Selection for July 2023 is:      “The Substance of My Lives, The Accidents of Our Birth” By José Pablo Iriarte

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.

Remember to Preorder! Dragonesque, featuring "A King Arthur Dragon in Space Station 23's Court" by moi and co-writer Bebe Bayliss, is now available for preorder from everywhere! Don't wait, get your copy ordered today!

Is anything more terrifying than a dragon? Bat-winged nightmares swooping down from the sky to breathe fire and ice on the wretched humans below, kidnapping princesses, hoarding treasure, swallowing cows. Or not. In DRAGONESQUE, the latest fantastic anthology from Zombies Need Brains, you finally get to experience all that awfulness from the dragon’s point of view. And what if it isn’t necessarily that awful? What if the princess wants to be kidnapped, or the dragon is tired of being made fun of week after week at the Renaissance Faire? Or maybe a dragonet just really, really wants to be a unicorn? Perhaps they’re happiest collecting art, or enjoy being tattooed? Or maybe some dragons like putting out fires more than starting them…unless they absolutely have to? DRAGONESQUE features sixteen original stories from such fiery authors as Esther M. Friesner, Madeline Dau, Niall Spain, Russell Hugh McConnell, Grace Eliza, Mike Jack Stoumbos, Paul D. Smith, Jean Marie Ward, Gerald Brandt, Gini Koch & Bebe Bayliss, Larry Ivkovich, Barbara Campbell, Journey Sloane, Em McDermott, Auston Habershaw, and David B. Coe.  See the world as the dragons see it, from the delightfully delicious to the tastefully transactional. Welcome to DRAGONESQUE.

Read Out Loud! Do you have your copy of the Touched by an Alien audiobook yet? If not, don't wait! Grab yours today!

SEE THE ME! It's my current con schedule for the rest of this year. This list is definitely subject to change, with schedules to come and other events added on. So make your plans to come see the me! LibertyCon 35 Chattanooga, TN June 23-25, 2023   Friday, June 23 2:00pm, CC - Mtg Rms 9 & 10 -- What is the better genre: Traditional Romance or Paranormal Romance? 4:00pm, M - Plaza Ballroom B -- Weird Wild Westerns 5:00pm, CC - Ballroom E -- Opening Ceremonies 6:00pm, M - Plaza Ballroom C -- Arrgh! There Be Pirates! 8:00-11:00pm, Plaza Ballroom Mezzanine - Authors/Artists Alley -- Sellin' the Bookie Wookies and handing out hugs Saturday, June 24 11:00am, CC - Ballroom F/G -- Autograph Session: Gini Koch, David B. Coe, Les Johnson 10:00pm, CC - Mtg Rms 9 & 10 -- Writing Humor and Satire in Modern Science Fiction and Fantasy Sunday, June 25 1:00pm, M - Signal Mountain Room -- Reading: Gini Koch and Kelle Z. Riley   San Diego Comic-Con 2023 San Diego, CA July 19-23, 2023 I'll be doing signings and panels and will be at Booth C-03 in the dealers hall most of the time, so be sure to come get your signed bookie wookies and hugs!   Friday, July 21 3:00-4:00pm, Room 32AB -- The Scribe Awards and Media Tie-in Panel The International Association of Media Tie-in Writers presents the Scribe Awards to celebrate outstanding adaptations and original works tied to popular movies, TV show, comics, & video games. NY Times bestseller and IAMTW president Jonathan Maberry will present the award and host a panel discussion with Matt Forbeck, Stuart Moore, Gini Koch, Chris Ryall, Stacia Deutsch, and Paul Cornell. 7:30-8:30PM, Room 10 -- Mary Shelley Presents Horror gives us a collective frame of reference for our fears, so it’s no wonder women have created some of our most unsettling works of literature. Most people know the name Mary Shelley, but what about Elizabeth Gaskell, Edith Nesbit, or Ann Radcliff? The fact that these women, who were as famous in their time as Mary Shelley, are now not as well-known as many of their male counterparts is nothing short of tragic. This panel will talk about the incredible contributions of these women and more to the genre and the continuing influence their stories have on modern horror.     DragonCon 2023 Atlanta, GA August 31 - September 4, 2023 I'm an Author Guest this year AND we'll be back in the booth, so lots of ways to see the me! GenCon 2023 Indianapolis, IN August 3-6, 2023 I'm a Symposium Author again this year, so make your plans to make it to this fun con now! All Symposium activities other than signings will be at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.   Thursday, August 3 12-2pm, Atlanta - Finding Your Voice Workshop, Part 1, Atlanta Room Friday, August 4 12-2pm, Atlanta - Finding Your Voice Workshop, Part 2 5-6pm, Ballroom 4 - Writing Comprehensive Intimate Scenes Panel 7-11pm, Ballroom 1 - Special Event: D&D With Writers Saturday, August 5 11am-12pm, Boston - Humor in Speculative Fiction 1-2pm, ICC, Back Wall by Artists Alley - Signing Gini Koch & Bradley P. Beaulieu Sunday, August 7 9-10am, Ballroom 3 - Worldbuilding: Entertainment at the End of the World Panel   World Fantasy Con Kansas City, MO October 26-29, 2023

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 for all the things!

That's it for today, but, never fear, another Update, including details for the next READ THIS! selection, 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, hope this year starts wonderfully for all of you, and let's be readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch all y'all on the flip side! Love, Gini