The October READ THIS! Author Q&A, the Long-Awaited Recap, Halloween Fun, & More!

So much closer to Halloween! I'm looking forward to the spookiness, and, in fact, there's some spooky happenings if you scroll on down that including winning free books. And a reminder that 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, including, finally, the pictorial recap of my major cons (sorry for the weight, so to speak) 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 these nice reviews of the anthology from Kirkus Reviews and the School Library Journal.

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

October 2024 READ THIS! Author Q&A

October's READ THIS! author Q&A featuring Author Teresa Cutler-Broyles, will be on Thursday, October 17, 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 November'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.)

October 2024 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for October 2024 is:  Dante's Garden by Teresa Cutler-Broyles Gini's Take: A time-traveling romantasy novel with magic, danger, protagonists you root for all the way through, and villains you're happy to hate. About the Author: Teresa Cutler-Broyles writes historical fiction/romance, edgy kinky murder mysteries, articles about travel, wine, culture and architecture, and chapters on film, TV and culture. She teaches film (Zombies, Vampires, Post-Apocalypse, Cult) at the U of New Mexico, and food history and culture, and Italian film, at the Umbra Institute in Perugia (Italy). Her research interests include sci-fi, vampires, circuses and carnivals, pop culture, wine, architecture, gardens and garden history—basically everything. She lives in Italy and the US, and plays board games weekly with a group of women who can’t stop laughing. Find her books at: www.amazon.com/author/teresacutler-broyles

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

The READ THIS! Selection for November 2024 is:        Fall's Girl By Gini Koch & Bebe Bayliss

It's that time of year again, so that means it's time for the Funk-N-Fiction Halloween Blog Event! This year I'm doing the blog with my co-writer, Bebe Bayliss, with an excerpt from our upcoming release, Something Wicked. Plus, if you answer a question on the blog correctly, you could win a free ebook (before publication!). Our excerpt post goes live on October 26, but the event starts on the 24th and runs through the 31st, so head over and have some fun and win some bookie wookies!

It's Recap Time!...Sorta... Well, it was supposed to be...and it mostly is... So...once again, I ran out of time. SO, I'm going to share some of the pics from the various cons and that little dab is gonna have to do you, because I'm now focused on getting...wait for it...Alien Rescue started so we'll have teaser copy for that in Aliens Like Us. I know, I'm a giver, me. First up, the biggest show on Earth, so to speak: San Diego Comic-Con

Next we go to Gen Con, which has FAR fewer pics because I forgot to ask anyone to take pics while I was on panels. It happens.

And now for DragonCon! Many pics, more win! (And an engagement! Yes, the happy couple is the first pic and it was super cool to be there with them to celebrate.)

For those who were late coming in... DRUMROLL, PLEASE... I wrote "the end"!  I wrote "the end"! I wrote "the end"! Yes, it's true, Aliens Like Us is FINALLY done and Kitty and I are super happy with it. Now it's with my crit partners and beta team, then once I make their fixes, if any (hey, a girl can dream), it goes to my agent. Then, from her, it goes to DAW. At that point, DAW will go over edits and such with me and then I should have at least a guesstimate for the official release date. As always, all y'all will be the first to know! (And yes, I'm getting the teaser pages for Alien Research ready as we speak, so to speak...)

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