The READ THIS! Author Q&A is THIS Thursday, Plus More!

Schools are all back in session and so am I! I'm home from DragonCon and writing like the wind! Plus this month's cool READ THIS! Author Q&A, which is definitely going to be a fun one, is THIS Thursday. There's more besides, so let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

Speaking of Books You Need to Read... 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, from Ginger Blue Publishing is out NOW! Get your copies from Amazon, B&N, and all the other usual suspects! (And yes, for you audiobook lovers, scroll farther down because the excellent audiodrama has been available from Graphic Audio for a while and is waiting for you to enjoy it.)

Have You Gotten Your Copy Yet? Fall's Girl, my first straight-on mystery, co-written with Bebe Bayliss, is alive and out in the world, available from all the usual suspects! Trot on over to B&N.com, Amazon, or anywhere else you buy your books, grab your copy TODAY, and meet Stacey, who we think you're going to love as much as all y'all love Kitty!

Speaking of Picking Up Copies... All of these are available now from Ginger Blue Publishing and available at Amazon, B&N.com, and the rest of the usual suspects. If you haven't grabbed these yet, now's the time!

Romantic suspense set in and around New Orleans, now with an (extended) epilogue! (Re-release.) Mosaic post-apocalyptic novel set in the far future that's reverted to Old West ways, where love, friends, and family are what get you through.

A collection of paranormal tales, with new bonus stories and an introduction from the author of BITE CLUB. (Re-release.) A collection of all my humorous SF/F/P (non-Alien series) stories, together in one place for the first time!

Speaking of Books... I'm in a wonderful anthology from Albert Whitman & Co. celebrating Hanukkah with a diverse collection of poems and stories filled with history, humor, and hope, which released in the first week of September! My story, "The Luck of the Irish," deals with a family discovering they have a whole history they know nothing about. This YA collection is great for everyone of all ages, even if you don't know a yarmulke from a menorah. Get your copy today! And check out this nice review of the anthology from Kirkus Reviews.

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. I've been advised that B&N is being persnickety, but that the book will be there for preorders soon enough.

In Santa Paloma it’s unwise to go to the lighthouse at night –- because it’s deadly… Sleepy little Santa Paloma is a relaxed beach town with a lovely marina, a large retiree population…and a lot of very bad things, like murder…and worse. Geraldine and Nancy Fullerton share a granddaughter, Samantha –- Geraldine through blood, Nancy through marriage to Geraldine’s ex. They also share a love of mysteries and are excellent partners in solving crime. Samantha Greene loves her grandmothers and their friends, and not only because solving mysteries that elude the police is their favorite hobby. But some crimes are more dangerous than others, and investigating a string of brutal murders puts them all on the killers’ radars, Samantha especially. A surfing drug dealer and his mule, a classical musician, wealthy and shady yacht owners, mixed martial arts fighters, and the leaders of Santa Paloma’s community are all potentially involved. But a homeless man could hold the key –- or he could have imagined everything. But as more and more people die, Samantha knows one thing for sure – whatever’s happening, the lighthouse is involved. What Geraldine and Nancy know is that something wicked is going on –- and they need to stop it before Samantha is the next victim.

Speaking Once More About 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

August 2024 READ THIS! Author Q&A

September's READ THIS! author Q&A featuring Author Alex Shvartsman, will be on Thursday, September 19, 2024 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 October'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.)

September 2024 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for September 2024 is:  Kakistocracy by Alex Shvartsman Gini's Take: Another fun, funny, and exciting entry in the Conradverse, where magic's all around us, if you know how to look for it. If you somehow missed Book 1 (The Middling Affliction), do NOT miss Book 2 (um, this one). About the Author:  Alex Shvartsman is the author of The Middling Affliction (2022) and Eridani’s Crown (2019) fantasy novels. Over 120 of his stories have appeared in Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, etc. He won the WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction (2014) and was a two-time finalist (2015 & 2017) for the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Fiction. His translations from Russian have appeared in F&SF, Clarkesworld, Tor.com, Asimov’s, etc. Alex has edited over a dozen anthologies, including the long-running Unidentified Funny Objects series. Alex resides in Brooklyn, NY. His website is http://www.alexshvartsman.com.

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

The READ THIS! Selection for October 2024 is:        Dante's Garden By Teresa Cutler-Broyles

It's Recap Time!...Sorta... Well, it was supposed to be... All the cons were great, and I had a great time at all three of them. They're very different -- San Diego Comic-Con is huge, but everyone there can't wait to get in to see ALL THE THINGS. Gen Con has that fun, friendly let's all play a game vibe, meaning you can make new friends around any gaming table at any time. And DragonCon is a cosplay mecca, with a lot of fun, audience participation panels. And I'm dying to tell all y'all all about them. BUT...once again, I've run out of time. Because I am literally "THIS CLOSE" to writing "the end" and we all know that's got to take priority. SO... Digits crossed that next newsletter will be "the one" for the cons updates, and we'll just go back to the chant of "Finish! Finish! Finish!"

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.)  I'm still optimistic that I'm going to have good news in this space soon...

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!

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 continues to give all of you much joy and goodness, 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