It's Time for July's READ THIS! BotM, SDCC is close, and More!

Happy July! And happy Independence Day to those who celebrate (and happy Tuesday to everyone else)! While I don't like the bombs bursting in air because the noises terrify the Canine Death Squad and Killer Kitties, I do love how the fireworks look. Please remember to be super safe with them -- they are literally bombs that burst and they can cause harm, and we want no harm to befall any Member of the Alien Collective! LibertyCon was great and my recap is below, along with the next READ THIS! selection, and a whole lot more! So let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

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

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 2023 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for July 2023 is:  “The Substance of My Lives, The Accidents of Our Birth” By Jose Pablo Iriarte Gini's Take: An encounter with a friend’s neighbor awakens long ago memories for Jamie, who sees a chance to right an old wrong. This novelette was a 2019 Nebula finalist and it's easy to see why. About the Author: José Pablo Iriarte is a Cuban-American writer and teacher who lives in Central Florida. José’s fiction can be found in magazines such as Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, Fireside Fiction, and others, along with various year's best anthologies. Jose’s novelette, “The Substance of My Lives, the Accidents of Our Births,” was a Nebula Award Finalist and was long-listed for the James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award. Learn more at www.labyrinthrat.com, or follow José on Twitter @labyrinthrat.

July 2023 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 Hal Bodner featuring author Jose Pablo Iriarte will be on Thursday, July 20, 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 2023 is:  Indomitable By J.B. Garner

The Wait is Almost Over! The printers have done us all a solid and the next anthologies from Zombies Need Brains are almost ready to go! How ready? They're dropping on July 15th! So if you haven't pre-ordered yet, now's the time. And if you're anti-preorder, mark your calendars and grab Dragonesque, featuring "A King Arthur Dragon in Space Station 23's Court" by moi and co-writer Bebe Bayliss, July 15th!

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.

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!   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!     Wednesday, July 19 7:00-7:30, Booth 1100 -- Signing at Mysterious Galaxy, so come see the me there during Preview Night!   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   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 6-7pm, Wabash 1 - Meet The Pros 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 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! World Fantasy Con Kansas City, MO October 26-29, 2023

LibertyCon was a really good time! Got to panel with some awesome authors including David Boop and Nancy Northcott (buy their books), autographed with author and ZNB editor David B. Coe (buy his books and the Zombies Need Brains books, too), spent time with a variety of old friends who are all Members of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing, like Mel Todd (buy her books), Cisca Small (listen to her podcast), Paul Sparks, John Sloan, and Vicki Greer (need an editor? she's got you covered), and made some new ones, like Jeffery H. Haskell (buy his books). Also got to have some delicious meals in Chattanooga -- it's definitely a foodie town! What I didn't get to do was take pictures. Supposedly there is proof out there of all the fun times, but I don't have it. Someone does, though... But it was a lovely little con, a nice start to my very packed con season, and I'm already looking forward to next year!

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 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