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