September's READ THIS! BotM, My DragonCon Schedule, and LOTS More!

Happy Almost-September! I'm heading to DragonCon (final schedule below) before September actually starts, so this is out a bit early, but close enough, right? Of course right! We have lots of cool things for you today, including the READ THIS! Book of the Month, so let's get right 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!

Speaking of Reading Out Loud... Graphic Audio has renewed the contract for The Legend of Belladonna, Part 1: Natural Born Outlaws, by moi writing as A.E. Stanton. If you haven't grabbed this fantastic audiobook, don't delay, grab it today!

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!

September 2023 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for September 2023 is:  Blood from a Rose By Sharon Skinner Gini's Take: A cool collection that takes you on a ride through a wide variety of genres and into some spaces you might not have visited before. 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

September 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.)

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

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

The READ THIS! Selection for November 2023 is:  Farpoint Awakened By Vincent Bek

Don't Miss Out on This Great Kickstarter! The Zombies Needs Brains Kickstarter for a new awesome set of anthologies -- including FAMILIARS (check out that cover art!), where Bebe Bayliss and I will have a story -- is in full swing and there are still some great backer rewards available and upcoming, including tuckerizations in various stories, including the one Bebe and I are writing. Don't miss out on seeing your name, or someone else's, in lights. While many tend to kill off their tuckers, I tend to make them part of the overall series, so if you want in as a lasting character, now's the time to tuckerize! Head on over and help fund it today -- tons of great prizes, especially for early backers! Don't miss out, back it TODAY!

ONE WEEK ONLY!  Exclusive Drive and Digital Bundle Online Sale Collective drive from the GenCon Writers Symposium, loaded with retail books, media, and even exclusives! Don't miss out, grab this right away, because this exclusive deal is very time limited!

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!     DragonCon 2023 Atlanta, GA August 31 - September 4, 2023 I'm an Author Guest this year AND we'll be back in the Spartamac Publishing booth #2125 so lots of ways to see the me!     This should be my final schedule. Otherwise, find me at the Booth 2125 during hall hours or hanging out most likely at the Westin or Hyatt bar areas after the hall closes.   Friday, September 1 11:30am-12:30pm Panel, Embassy AB Hyatt - When Are We? Time Travel in SF 2:00pm-2:30pm, Graphic Audio Booth 3205 - Signing posters of my cool Graphic Audiobook cover for The Legend of Belladonna, Part 1: Natural Born Outlaws 8:00pm-midnight Event, International South Hyatt - Fantasy Gather Bookselling Event Saturday, September 2 1:00pm-2:00pm Panel, Embassy AB Hyatt - Strange Bedfellows: Combining SF & Fantasy 4:00pm-5:00pm Panel, Embassy CD Hyatt - Delphic Oracle 10:00pm-11:00pm Panel, Embassy AB Hyatt - Cracking Us Up: Our Favorite Humorous Science Fiction & Fantasy Sunday, September 3 1pm-2:pm, Signing, Booths 1201,1203,1300,1302 - The Missing Volume Monday, September 4 10am-11am Panel, Embassy AB Hyatt - Torn Between Cultures: Writing Characters in a World Not Their Own 12pm-1pm Signing, Booths 1201,1203,1300,1302 - The Missing Volume World Fantasy Con Kansas City, MO October 26-29, 2023

Australia Unwrapped has a cute little article about their favorite quotes of mine. Check it out and see if you agree with their choices!

The Neverending TBR has a cool shout-out to the entire Alien/Katherine "Kitty" Katt series so far and nice reviews of Books 1-3. Check it out and see if you agree with their reviews!

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

August's READ THIS! Author Q&A, Pics, So Many Pics, and Lots More!

 

OMG it's Mid-August and the Things Keep Coming Fast and Furious! GenCon was awesome (see my recap below) and now it's prepping for DragonCon time (see my schedule below). Half of my family-related August celebrations are done, but the other half loom large, but what matters most is that we have this month's READ THIS! Author Q&A THIS Thursdsay. It's gonna be a good one you don't want to miss! So let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

August 2023 READ THIS! Author Q&A

August's READ THIS! author Q&A with author J.B. Garner will be on August 17, 2022 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 September'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.)

August 2023 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for August 2023 is:  Indomitable By J.B. Garner Gini's Take: A great new take on superhero superfiction with a heroine Kitty would love, in a world that feels familar and yet brand new. About the Author: Z-tier author/S-class editor, but generally awesome, Jamie Beth (J. B.) Garner has written over a dozen novels across multiple genres and edited hundreds more. Born near Baltimore, MD in 1976, J.B's seen and done many things in her life, from honors student to factory worker to garbage collector to construction worker, but her true passion has always been the written word. She writes fantasy, sci-fi, and pro-wrestling epics among other things, and is always out to entertain and amaze! https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.-B.-Garner/author/B00KCPRKX8

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

The READ THIS! Selection for September 2023 is:      Blood from a Rose By Sharon Skinner

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! Zombies Needs Brains is kicking off a Kickstarter for a new awesome set of anthologies TODAY, including FAMILIARS (check out that cover art!), where Bebe Bayliss and I will have a story. Head on over and help fund it today -- tons of great prizes, especially for early backers! Don't miss out!

GenCon Was Made of Awesome Again! GenCon remains one of my favorite cons to attend. The folks are super nice and the Writer's Symposium is filled with awesome authors who are there to share their wisdom and have tons of fun while they're at it!

Moi with another Atlantean, Dedren Snead, comics artist and writer extraordinaire and a super cool dude, too -->   Part of the How to Work With an Editor panel (James Farner, Moi, Chris A. Jackson) -->   Part of the D&D With Authors panel (pictured: Moi, Richard Lee Byers, Karen Menzel; not pictured, Brandon O'Brien and E.D.E. Bell) vv

^^    Our Fearless Dungeon Master (Gregory A. Wilson) and part of the Dungeon. To Be Continued Next Year...truly...what a way to end the game, midway through. He is evil, is our Dungeon Master. Some of the line for the Masquerade vv

^^ It wasn't all work and play...there were also desserts! This is proabably the greatest hot fudge sundae experience I've ever had.  Last but in no way least, some of the pics from my signing. It was great seeing everyone, all the love and {HUGS} to everyone who came by, both longtime Members of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing and new folks adding into the Collective for the first time!    vv

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!

Speaking of Reading Out Loud... Graphic Audio has renewed the contract for The Legend of Belladonna, Part 1: Natural Born Outlaws, by moi writing as A.E. Stanton. If you haven't grabbed this fantastic audiobook, don't delay, grab it 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!   DragonCon 2023 Atlanta, GA August 31 - September 4, 2023 I'm an Author Guest this year AND we'll be back in the Spartamac Publishing booth #2125 so lots of ways to see the me!     Current tentative schedule (note: will be adding on at least one signing before this is 100% final). Otherwise, find me at Booth 2125 during hall hours or hanging out most likely at the Westin or Hyatt bar areas after the hall closes. Friday, September 1 11:30am-12:30pm Panel, Embassy AB Hyatt - When Are We? Time Travel in SF 8:00pm-midnight Event, International South Hyatt - Fantasy Gather Bookselling Event Saturday, September 2 1:00pm-2:00pm Panel, Embassy AB Hyatt - Strange Bedfellows: Combining SF & Fantasy 4:00pm-5:00pm Panel, Embassy CD Hyatt - Delphic Oracle Sunday, September 3 1pm-2:pm, Signing, Booths 1201,1203,1300,1302 - The Missing Volume Monday, September 4 10am-11am Panel, Embassy AB Hyatt - Torn Between Cultures: Writing Characters in a World Not Their Own 12pm-1pm Signing, Booths 1201,1203,1300,1302 - The Missing Volume   World Fantasy Con Kansas City, MO October 26-29, 2023

This little ball of demanding fluff... ...is now this BIG boy! Siler turns 1 next week. He is now too big for me to hold to safely do a selfie. LOL

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