The READ THIS! BotM, More Releases Now & Coming Soon, Alien Series Updates, and More!

Happy August!

It's also Happy Anniversary to me and the Hubs. And, as seems like almost always, we're not together - he's at the Manse and I'm at Gen Con. But such is the glamorous life of an author, right?

No con recap yet - that'll happen once I'm back from Gen Con. But the next READ THIS! Book of the Month is here, along with two new releases - one coming in a few days, one coming in two weeks, so let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

It's Alive! Book 7, aka Alien in the House, is available now from Ginger Blue Publishing! As per usual, it'll be easiest to go to Ginger Blue's website and choose your own adventure to get to the right version for you. While the B&N reviews appear to have stuck on this one,  the Amazon reviews have not. So, as for Alien Tango and Alien in the House, please remember that reviews (just stars without comment is enough, brief comments are fine, long comments are fine, whatever suits you) really matter to moi and to every other author you like, so please leave reviews for all the bookie wookies, particularly those whose reviews are few or, in this case, whose reviews are no longer there. Reviews or not, get your copy today from your distributor of choice!

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 2025 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for August 2025 is:  Magica 1: Rise of the Cult by E.S. Magill Gini's Take: A different take on magic and how it works, in a fascinating contemporary setting, loaded with family drama and characters you'll root for. About the Author: E.S. Magill is a dark fiction and fantasy author, best known for the Magica series about a powerful witch protecting her family from supernatural threats. Her work includes published short stories and edited horror anthologies. Magill holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in English. Now a retired middle school English teacher, she spends her days working with her writing group Wily Writers. Magill is also a mental health advocate and nonfiction author. She currently lives in Phoenix with her also-retired husband. Visit www.esmagill.com for book info and to sign up for her newsletter.

August 2025 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 E.S. Magill will be on Thursday, August 21, 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 2025 is:  Injustice Push Chronicles #2 By J.B. Garner

And don't forget to pre-order the next book in the Martian Alliance Chronicles series, releasing in two weeks, on August 12th!

Is the cost of a few innocent lives worth risking everything? When the crew of the Hummingbird discovers Pilla Colony recently destroyed by the Diamante Families, they’re faced with the smart choice of leaving or the dangerous one of searching for survivors – and Roy and DeeDee aren’t in agreement about their course of action. But the real question is: why would anyone be going out of their way to destroy the most helpless, fragile, and noncombative race in the galaxy? Preorder from your preferred retailer via Ginger Blue Publishing.

In case you missed it, Touched by an Alien, Alien Tango, Alien in the Family, Alien Proliferation, Alien Diplomacy, and Alien vs. Alien are now available from Ginger Blue Publishing in ebook, trade paperback, hardback, and trophy hardback!

Ginger Blue is trucking along and getting the Alien Series re-released just as fast as they can. The situation with how the hardbacks go out is still the same - you can get the new versions in ebook, trade paperback, hardback, and trophy hardback complete with a snazzy dust cover! The trophy hardback is from B&N.com only, as a reminder, and the regular hardback is from Amazon only. The searching via Amazon and B&N.com remains spotty, in no small part because those two distributors still have some mass market copies they're determined to sell. So, as suggested for Touched and Tango, and as recommended for every book coming through 16/Aliens Abroad, go to the Ginger Blue Releases page, click on the cover of your choosing, and choose which option or options you want. The links on GBP's website will take you to the right spots at B&N and Amazon to get the version you want. Confusing? Yes. Ultimately manageable? Sure. It's only adding a step to what you'd normally do. Now for the old reviews status. On B&N all the review seem to have stuck. Not so on  Amazon -- they were there for all and, suddenly, they were not. SO, Alien Tango, Alien in the Family, and Alien in the House do not have all their reviews connected to the new versions. We have no idea why. Yes, they may connect at a later date, we have no idea if that will or won't happen, and if they do connect, if they'll actually remain. SO, please review early and often on either site, but particularly on Amazon, since, as we well know, reviews matter, especially at Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads. So, officially, now the first seven books are live everywhere! Huzzah!

The Belters Volume 1 A mosaic novel set in my Belters universe, by moi writing as Anita Ensal.  In the far future, humanity has colonized the solar system, but only because the Belt - and those who live and do the dangerous work there - always provides... Preorder now via Ginger Blue Publishing. Releasing super soon on August 5th.

Con Season Continues My con season is in full swing. Keep checking this space for where I'll be and all the different ways and places where you can see the me! Gen Con Writers Symposium July 31-August 3 Indianapolis, IN Thursday, July 31st 4:00-5:00 PM, Marriott Ballroom 2, Panel: Finding Your Character's Voice 5:00-6:00 PM EDT, Marriott Ballroom 2, Panel: The Panel That Gets Everybody Sued 6:00-9:00 PM, ICC: 144-145, Signing Event: Meet the Pros ($4 entry fee, ticketed event) Saturday, August 2nd 1:00-2:00 PM, ICC-Exhibit Hall I, Authors Avenue Marketing 101, against the back wall, Book Signing and Meet and Greet with Erik Scott de Bie, Gini Koch, and J.B. Garner 3:00-4:00 PM, Marriott Ballroom 3, Panel: Marketing 101 DragonCon August 28-September 1 Atlanta, GA Bouchercon September 3-7 New Orleans, LA Saturday, September 6th 9:00-9:55 AM, Galerie 3, Panel: Humor - Laughter in the Midst of Chaos 10:00-10:25 AM, Acadia, Signing: immediately following  panel

So many bookie wookies, so much time to catch up on all of them while waiting for The Alien Collection, Aliens Like Us, Aliens Like Them, 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