More Cons, New READ THIS! BotM, New Books, & More!

Happy July! There are a lot of big days in July, but here in the U.S. it's all about the 4th (though we are not the only country with a July independence day -- apparently a lot of us got testy when it got hot). Here at the Manse all we hope for are less fireworks because the Canine Death Squad and Killer Kitties really hate the bombs bursting in air. After that, of course, there are other things going on. Namely, I'm heading to San Diego for the Grandaddy of All Cons -- San Diego Comic-Con. Due to the immensity of the con, my schedule won't be official until the next update, but it looks like I'll have 3 panels and signings, as well as being at my table. So lots of ways to see the me. Before I go, though, we'll have a great READ THIS! Author Q&A, so read on for all the info on the latest selection, plus all the other things, including my LibertyCon recap!

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!

July 2024 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for July 2024 is:  The Opening Bell by J.B. Garner Gini's Take: A compelling book with a very different protagonist that takes you right into what it's like on the wrestling circuit. If you're a fan of G.L.O.W., WWE, or just plain fun storytelling, this book is for you. About the Author: Talented top flight author and editor Jamie Beth "J. B." Garner has written over twenty novels across multiple genres and edited hundreds more. J.B.’s seen and done many things in her life, from honors student to factory worker to garbage collector to construction worker. In addition to doing so many fascinating things, she's lived in the wonderful cities of Baltimore, Atlanta, and Pensacola, before landing in the beautiful city of Chicago. She writes fantasy, sci-fi, and pro-wrestling epics, among other things, and is always out to entertain and amaze. https://www.jbgarnerwrites.com/

July 2024 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  featuring Author J.B. Garner will be on Thursday, July 18, 2024 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 2024 is:  Cyrstal Lattice By Joshua Palmatier

Speaking of Books...

IT'S ALIVE! There is no Kitty without Belle. Want to read the book that is, truly, the reason I started writing? Well, now you can, because Natural Born Outlaws: The Legend of Belladonna Book 1 by moi writing as A.E. Stanton, is out NOW! Don't wait, get your copy from Amazon, B&N, and all the other usual suspects, and read the book and meet the characters that really started it all for me. (And yes, for you audiobook lovers, scroll back up because the excellent audiodrama has been available from Graphic Audio for a while and is waiting for you to enjoy it.)

It's Preorder Time! Ginger Blue Publishing is re-releasing my humor collection, Random Musings from the Funny Girl, with new pieces (!), coming October 22nd. If you don't have this collection yet, now's the time to preorder from Amazon, B&N, and all the usual suspects. And if you have the original, but want those new pieces in their snazzy new format, well, I'm not gonna tell you no. ;-D

HAVE YOU MET STACEY YET?   FALL'S GIRL, book 1 in the Fall's Girl Mysteries series, cowritten by moi and Bebe Bayliss, is alive and doing well! So well that Ginger Blue Publishing has contracted for Book 2! So if you haven't gotten your copy yet, don't delay, grab it today from Amazon, B&N, and all the other usual suspects! Don't miss out on a new heroine you're going to love -- possibly almost as much as you love Kitty.

Come See The Me!   My 2024 con schedule for this year is below. Schedules will be updated as they're confirmed, but I WILL be at these cons and hoping to see as many of all y'all as possible! San Diego Comic-Con, July 24-28 San Diego, CA Table D-09 During all Exhibit Hall Hours other than when I'm at panels or signings Gen Con, August 1-4 Indianapolis, IN Thursday, August 1 12:00pm, Ballroom 3: New Books! New Games! New Love! (Session A) 3:00pm, Exhibit Hall - Author Signing Tables: Book Signing and Meet & Greet Friday, August 2 11:00am, Boston: Pulp Fiction for Contemporary Audiences 1:00pm, Exhibit Hall - Author Signing Tables: Book Signing and Meet & Greet DragonCon, August 9- September 2 Atlanta, GA

More Yapping! That's right, more yapping from me and other awesome authors over at ConTinual. The latest offerings are Westerns, where we talk about the Old West and I may or may not have talked a bit about Natural Born Outlaws, Weird Westerns, where we talk about what constitutes weird and what we do and don't like and I may have talked about all my Weird West stories. So head over and watch and have some fun along with the rest of us at ConTinual! Don't miss these other cool panels I've run the yap on recently: Favorite Origin Stories The Terminator Universe The Pulp Era Writing True Crime Magic in the Comics Favorite Comic Book Couples And check out all the other cool ConTinual panels I've run the yap this year and over the past years -- you can find them over on The Yap In Charge! Plus there's a whole lot more over at the ConTinual YouTube page, so browse around and get your panel fixes in!

LibertyCon Was Da Bomb! I had a lovely time at LibertyCon. My panels and fellow panelists were great, my reading was actually attended (thank you to everyone who came!), and it was great to get to see friends new and old. Plus not one but TWO stops at Buc-ee's, dining at my fave restaurants in Chattanooga, and generally getting to ease into con season with friends was really nice. Big love to Vicki, Jessi, Alex, Brian, John, Cisca, Paul, James, Sarah, and Colgan, as well as everyone else I got to hang with, whether it was for hours or just enough time for a hug. But I realized that, unlike the last years when I took more pics than my phone could hold, I only got a couple of pictures of the whole thing for this year. Why? Because I was having such a good time I forgot to take any. Well, almost any. I loved meeting everyone who bought bookie wookies at the con but, understandably, Sarah was my Con Favorite, for the obvious reasons below... Yes, Virginia, when YOU buy every copy of the Alien series that's available and the first book in the Fall's Girl series in one go, you, too, will manage to get onto my photography radar and become Hook Me Up! Famous. :-D

It's a new year and a new "I'm not quite done" message. BUT, I'm so close to done that I'm willing to say that all y'all can start expecting the Official News Of Goodness much sooner than later. (And now I wince and duck, waiting for what 2024 will throw at me for my hubris in sharing that I'm excited to be this close to turning the book in.) So, watch this space, I have all the digits crossed that the information here is going to be new and different soon, quite soon...

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