The READ THIS! BotM, I'm Back From SDCC, and I'm Off to GenCon!

Happy August! It's also Happy Anniversary for me and the hubs. 37 years married, 39 together. And they said it wouldn't last. (Yes, really, they said that. We ignored them.) I'm also literally in Indianapolis for Gen Con as you get this. The hubs is with me this trip, which is super exciting for me -- an anniversary we get to spend together! It doesn't happen nearly as much as we'd like, honestly.  As such, it's a shorter newsletter this time, because I have zero time between SDCC and Gen Con to do recaps or anything else much (though there IS a special bit at the end of the blog in regard to this, so don't forget to scroll all the way down), but the laptop is with me, so yes, yes, writing is indeed happening. So, grab the next READ THIS! Book of the Month, and know that all the recaps and such will be coming in the mid-month newsletter!

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!

August 2024 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for August 2024 is:  Cyrstal Lattice by Joshua Palmatier Gini's Take: The start to another great epic fantasy series filled with magic, war, and betrayal, and yet another one from a master of the form that you do not want to miss.  About the Author: Joshua Palmatier is a fantasy author with a PhD in mathematics. Reaping the Aurora, concludes the fantasy series begun in Shattering the Ley and Threading the Needle, although you can also find his “Throne of Amenkor” series and the “Well of Sorrows” series still on the shelves. He is currently hard at work writing his next novel and designing the Kickstarter for the next Zombies Need Brains anthology project. You can find out more at www.joshuapalmatier.com or at the small press’ site www.zombiesneedbrains.com. Or follow him on Twitter as @bentateauthor or @ZNBLLC.

August 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.)

August's READ THIS! author Q&A  featuring Author Joshua Palmatier will be on Thursday, August 15, 2024 from 9pm-10pm Eastern. Access to Discord is available worldwide, and everyone is invited to attend!

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

The READ THIS! Selection for September 2024 is:  Kakistocracy By Alex Shvartsman

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! Something Wicked, the first novel in the Santa Paloma Mysteries series written by moi and Bebe Bayliss, will release on November 22, 2024 from Ginger Blue Publishing. Coming in ebook and paperback, preorders are live at Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books. Per the publisher, B&N is (still) being persnickety, but the book will be there for preorders in the near term.

Speaking of Preorders... 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! 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

I know, I know -- all these other books and where is Kitty's next one, darn it? Super close now, that's where. (And again I wince, waiting for the punishment for hubris and excitement because, yes, the last time I posted I was close the Universe laughed a nasty laugh and said I'd pay for that...and I did.)  However, I'm still optimistic that I'm going to have good news in this space soon...

Since I have no time for this year's recap, this is an SDCC blast from the past -- moi with Walter Emmanuel Jones who played Zack Taylor aka The Original Black Power Ranger in the 1990's. He was one of the nicest celebs I've ever met and literally still does not look a day older than when he was in the Power Rangers. And no, I did not have to pay money for this selfie with him, because he is literally made of awesome.

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