Festival Bound!

Happy Friday! Well, I'm heading off to Tucson for the weekend, but before I go, there's something you have to see!

Check out the awesome cover for the X-Files anthology my story "Sewers" is in, Trust No One, coming April 7, you can pre-order the audio version at Amazon right now. (No idea when book pre-orders will be available.)

Speaking of pre-orders, The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal by moi writing as Jemma Chase is available for pre-order from Amazon. The book will release on March 20th.

The Kickstarter for Unidentified Funny Objects 4 is still underway and going strong, but it's not funded yet! Check it out -- it's going to be a good one. Also, I have one tuckerization left available. You'll be in "Support Your Local Alien", the Alien series short that's the next adventure for the characters from my steampunk universe first introduced in "A Clockwork Alien", part of the Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Zombies anthology.

I'll be signing that, Unidentified Funny Objects 3, and Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets, not to mention all the Alien series, including Universal Alien, and more bookie wookies besides, at the Tucson Festival of Books this weekend, Saturday March 14 and Sunday March 15. When not on panels or at signings, you can find me at Booth #106.

My panel and signing schedule is:
--Saturday, March 14, 4-5pm - Making Magic Real: Suspending Reader Disbelief, Integrated Learning Center Room 130; signing immediately after Sales and Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center  
--Sunday, March 15, 11:30am-12:30 pm - I Got Nuthin' – Battling Writer's Block, Integrated Learning Center Room 141; signing immediately after Sales and Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center  
--Sunday, March 15, 2:30-3:30pm - Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, and Sci-Fi, Koffler Room 216; signing immediately after Sales and Signing Area - Koffler Patio

But I can't leave you without some science! Per Huff Post Science, there's a diamond planet out there. Oh, the story possibilities this creates! Also, Scientific American shares that we've got one heck of a new and improved particle accelerator on the way. This will give scientists a way to study things we haven't been able to before (and, you know, potentially get to say hi to ACE, Algar, and Sandy and the Superconsciousness Seven).

Well, that's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So enjoy the weekend, hope to see many of you at the Festival, and all of you be universally happy readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Psst, Wanna Be In One of My Stories?

Happy Tuesday! Well, it's another short and sweet one today! So hang onto your hats and away we go!

First up, the Kickstarter anthology, Unidentified Funny Objects 4 is live and in less than 24 hours two out of my 3 tuckerizations are gone! My story, "Support Your Local Alien", will be an Alien series short, set in my steampunk world, giving you the next adventures of the characters you met in my story in the Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens anthology, "A Clockwork Alien". So, if you want to get in on this and be a character in one of my stories (and unlike many, I tend to not kill off my tuckers but turn them into long-term supporting characters), now's the time!

The UFO4 anthology will also have stories from Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Jody Lynn Nye, Piers Anthony, and more. So don't miss out, get in on this one today! (Also authors, aspiring and otherwise -- UFO4 is accepting submissions for this antho, too, so scroll down to see what they're offering and looking for.)

After you check out this new fun anthology, take a look at what The Bookie Monster thought of one of the first Kickstarter anthos I've been in -- Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, featuring "With Bright Shining Faces" by moi writing as J.C. Koch.

And last but not least, since we're yapping anthologies, you can still get a pre-order in for the Temporally Out of Order anthology, featuring my Alien series short, "Alien Time Warp", which takes place during Alien Separation. Pre-orders are from Zombies Need Brains -- scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find the TOoO pre-order info.

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So let's be anthology and Alien series short story reading readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Yapping for the Win!

Hey there! Hope everyone's had a wonderful past couple of weeks. Yes, I'm kind of slow on the updates right now because I'm still recovering from surgery, but never fear, I'm always thinking of all of you, promise!
And so you can see how I'm thinking of you, head on over to Books-n-Kisses to check out the latest yap about writing AND a contest! Contest is open internationally, there will be not one, not two, but three winners, and it runs through the end of the month. There's lots of winning over at B-n-K, so check it all out while you're there!

After that, head over to awesome author T.L. Smith's page, Shooting Stars and Bad Guys. Why? She's at Hawaii Con right now and plans to bring back a lot of goodies, that you could win! Just tell her who you think are the best female science fiction authors and you'll be entered to win! Contest is open through Sept. 17th.

Speaking of awesome authors, and since I didn't really give all y'all much of a CopperCon recap, check out what Marsheila Rockwell and Sharon Skinner have to say about it, complete with pictures.

After that, check out what Pages of Forbidden Love thought of Alien Proliferation. After that, see what Piers Anthony -- YES, THAT PIERS ANTHONY -- thought of UFO3/Unidentified Funny Objects 3, which he's in along with moi and a host of other cool authors.

Next up, some science. CNET shares the awesomely cool news that astronomers have mapped our address within gigantic superclusters of galaxies. It's extremely cool to see this the way ACE, Algar, and the Superconsciousness Collective see it. It also kind of looks like the Tree of Life in the Thor movies and comics. Science = proving fiction every day!

Heading to the movies this weekend? Head over to Slice of SciFi and see what I thought of The November Man. Staying in and reading comics instead? Then hit It's Comic Book Day and check out my review of Big Trouble in Little China #1, which I got for the hubs at San Diego Comic-Con ('cause it's his favorite movie of all time and always makes my Top 10). And feel free to join in and share your thoughts on the movie or the comic, or anything else, over at both sites!

Have you gotten Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens yet? If not, why not? It's now available in trade paperback as well as on all eformats, and it features the first Alien series short I ever wrote, "A Clockwork Alien", plus other great stories from a bunch of cool authors.

And, last but not least, there's some exciting news coming next week, from Zombies Need Brains, aka the same folks who brought us Clockwork Universe. What is it, you ask? Why, a new Kickstarter anthology featuring yet another new story by moi. There will be prizes and extras galore, along with the opportunity to get tuckerized in my story, so don't miss out on supporting Temporally Out of Order Anthology (SF&F)! This Kickstarter should go live on Monday, September 15, so check early and often, because the tuckerizations and other cool extras tend to go quickly. And check out this beautiful cover artwork for the anthology by Justin Adams of Varia Studio.

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. Hope you all have wonderful weekends, and let's be readers out there! Peace out my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

I Ain't Ded

Hola! I know...long time no see. So...to explain for those who somehow have't read Terry Pratchett's DiscWorld series, the subject line is also a sign Granny Weatherwax, a powerful witch, holds when she goes wandering outside of her body. And it's been a month since you've heard from me, and...well...I was sorta wandering outside of my body.

As most of you probably do not know, I got back from San Diego Comic-Con and promptly got sick. And then got hospitalized. And then got my gall bladder removed. And then got to recover (which I am still doing). So, it's been an exciting kind of time at the Casa.

But, I'm back finally JUST in time to head off to CopperCon this weekend. And check out what AZ Central has to say about the con, which includes some quotes from yours truly. Yes, I'm still recovering, but the con is nice and intimate and the venue is nice and small, and I plan to not race around and all should be well. Plus, I have panels and readings and signings to go to, yes I do. In fact, for those of you coming to the con, here's my schedule:

Fri 5p-6p, Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime, Avondale 4
Fri 6p-7p, Point of View and Pacing, Avondale 3
Fri 730p-9p, Meet the Pros, Avondale 3

Sat 1p-130p, Reading, Boardroom
Sat 130p-230p, Autographing, Merchants Room
Sat 3p-430p, Meet Our Guest: Gini Koch, Avondale 4
Sat 6p-7p, Structure of a Story, Avondale 3

Sun 11a-Noon, Does It Matter Where We Publish?, Boardroom
Sun 1230p-1p, Reading, Boardroom
Sun 1p-2p, Autographing, Merchants Room

But of course, with me being "gone" for a month, there's a LOT to catch up on. So let's do that, shall we? We shall.

First up, exciting news. I've been moved from Book 3 to Book 1 of the X-Files anthology series! So, am madly and excitedly working on my story and can't wait to give all y'all the expected pub date!

Next up, let's catch up on some reviews. See why Night Owl Reviews gave Alien Collective a Top Pick! Then see what Word of the Nerd thought of Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens, featuring my Alien series short story, "A Clockwork Alien"; Amazing & Waiting: Two Novelettes by moi writing as Jemma Chase; and A Cup of Joe by moi writing as Anita Ensal. After that, see what Sand Between the Pages thought of Touched by an Alien. And last but in no way least, check out this triple review of Unidentified Funny Objects 3 from Tangent.

Speaking of UFO3, you can pre-order it now! And while you're at it, do your girl another solid and pre-order Universal Alien. And why do pre-orders matter? Let Musing and author Tony Earley explain it all for you.

After all the pre-ordering and learning and such, head over to see what Larissa's Bookish Life chose as the top 5 series she'd give as a gift. Then check out The Tex Files and see what moi and some other authors taught her about The Swan Song for Anonymity. And see who the gals at Sci-Fi Romance Quarterly like to interview, and more, over at USA Today.

For those of you not able to attend CopperCon and see the me and hear the dulcet tones of my voice, check out the interview I did with Two Gay Geeks, and my video interview with InD'Tale Magazine. Then, check out the full interview at InD'Tale Magazine -- the subscription is free and you get a real in-depth interview of moi (albeit with a few errors that talking into a voice recorder can cause), plus more, so don't delay, get your copy today!

Amazingly enough, that's it for today. I will try not to be gone for so very long and you all try to forgive me for being gone so long and we will all remain healthy, right? Of course right. Enjoy the downward slide to the weekend and let's be readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Schedules & Covers & Announcements, Oh My!

Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone's been having a great week. I sure am! The edits for Universal Alien are done and it's turned in to the awesome editor, and I have a fun weekend planned with my crit partner, who's visiting Hell's Orientation Area in the middle of the monsoon season because, um, I'm worth it. (Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.) But there's lots going on, so let's get to it!

To start us out, it's official -- I'm going to be one of the authors in an upcoming X-Files anthology set, edited by Jonathan Maberry! There are just a TON of awesome authors included in this anthology set, and so far, there are 3 volumes planned, and I'll be in Vol. 3. Jonathan's shared the full list at Facebook if you want to peruse and see what other fave authors of yours are going to be a part of this. I'm really excited about being able to become a little part of the X-Files mythology, and while I can't say much about my story yet, I think it's safe to say that those of you who have a fondness for Gigantagator and Alliflash will enjoy it. ;-D

Another cool anthology I'm in, this one writing as J.C. Koch, is The Madness of Cthulhu Volume 1, edited by S.T. Joshi. This Lovecraftian anthology is coming October 7, 2014. But as we know, it's never too early to pre-order, so check out all the awesome authors in this with me and get your copy lined up today! I mean, did you check out the names on this cover? Look at them! (I'll wait.) SEE? It's a darned exciting anthology, this one, and your library won't be complete without it!

This will be one of three anthologies I'm in that are all coming out in October. In addition to The Madness of Cthulhu, I will also have a story in Unidentified Funny Objects 3, and Two Hundred and Twenty-One B Baker Streets. UFO 3 is edited by Alex Shvartsman and is filled with funny SF stories, and 221B is edited by David Moore and is filled with Sherlock Holmes stories set anywhere, any time, and anyhow, and both of them are made of awesome. And you can pre-order BOTH of them right now! I mean, why not be sure you have lots of fun things to read in October?

Also, lest you think that I'm only in these upcoming anthologies, I'm also in A Darke Phantastique, writing as J.C. Koch again. This another cool Lovecraftian and horror collection, edited by Jason Brock. The link is for the collector's edition, but there will be other editions coming down the line. And don't forget Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens, edited by Joshua Palmatier, and featuring "A Clockwork Alien". This one has been a little delayed, but should be out later this month.

After you've gazed at all these pretty covers, remember that the July issue of Penumbra eMagazine, featuring my next Alien series short, is on sale now. Don't miss out on "Mr. Dash Saves the World", and also don't miss out on the Gini Special, where you can get a full year's subscription for half price, plus the 2012 and 2013 Best Of issues. Use 2014Gini when you order to get the deal!

Next up, see what Larissa's Bookish Life chose as the top five book covers of the first half of 2014! And speaking of book covers, while I can't show it to all y'all yet, I've seen the final art for Universal Alien and Dan Dos Santos has done it yet again! The cover is GORGEOUS and I can't wait to share it with you the moment I'm allowed to!

Now it's time for my upcoming appearances schedule!

First up, San Diego Comic-Con! I'm there for the whole con, but here are my scheduled appearances:
Thursday, July 24 -- PANEL: World Building and Storytelling, Room 32AB, 7pm-8pm
Saturday, July 26 -- BOOK SIGNING, Mysterious Galaxy Booth #1119, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Saturday, July 26 -- PANEL: Small Print 101 (Indie/Small Print Run Comics), Room 9, 8pm-9pm
Sunday, July 27 -- BOOK SIGNING, Penguin Booth #1028, 3:30-4:00 pm (Note: Penguin will be giving away 48 copies of Touched by an Alien -- you'll need to get tickets for that prior to the signing; I'll also be signing any other books anyone has with them.)

San Diego Peeps: Make sure to let me know if you'll be at SDCC so we can all meet up!

Saturday, August 2: I'll be signing at the Cosplay/Superhero Day at Dog-Eared Pages from 2pm-4pm.

Friday, August 22 through Sunday, August 24: CopperCon FANtasm. I'm one of the author guests and this is a great, intimate con, where you get to hang out with all the guests and talk all things geek all weekend.

Late September: I'll be in the Chicago area. Appearance dates to come.

Friday, November 28 and Saturday, November 29: Greater MENSA Regional Gathering, Phoenix Phiesta XXXII -- "Phifty Shades of Mensa", at the Hilton Garden Inn in Central Phoenix. I'll be presenting on both days and non-MENSA members are encouraged to attend (and take the MENSA test, too!)

Saturday, December 6: Mysterious Galaxy San Diego, time TBD. I'll be signing Universal Alien either alone or at the MG Holiday Party. Hey, it's months away...plans change, but not this date, 'cause it's set. I'll have details on the rest of my book tour in a few weeks (but Las Vegas, there's a really excellent chance that I will be in you in December...just sayin'...)

Amazingly enough, I think that's it for today. But, as always, more's on the way. So enjoy the downward slide to the weekend, and let's be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

California Dreamin'

Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, a lovely Easter for those who celebrated, and that the week's been treating you well. I'm heading off to SoCal -- WITH my holiday gift from the hubs of a brand new laptop that is not running no longer supported OS (farewell, XP...we barely knew ye) -- for a family reunion and related activities. But before I go I wanted to catch you all up on the latest stuff.

First off, the annual Brenda Novak auction for diabetes is starting May 1st, and I've got a super item in the auction -- an Alien Pack. The winner will get all 9 books so far in the Alien series, an exclusive, limited edition totebag to hold them all in, and more. Bookmark the site and my bid section so you can bid to win! All proceeds go to a great charity, and there are tons of amazing things to bid on, so take a look and get ready to go crazy!

Have you gotten Touched by an Alien in audio format yet? Well, if not, join the party! Available from Audible, Amazon, Tantor Audio, and other fine retailers all over.

Even the news media is talking about my Early Release Party for Alien Collective over at The Poisoned Pen on Saturday, May 3rd, from 2:00-3:00pm. There will be prizes, lots of fun, moi, and the happiness of getting Alien Collective days earlier than anyone else will -- don't miss it!

BTW, it's not too late to pre-order Alien Collective from any bookstore. But if you pre-order from The Poisoned Pen or Mysterious Galaxy you can get the book signed and personalized, too -- they're just cool that way.

Speaking of pre-orders, May is just around the corner -- have you pre-ordered Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens yet? In addition to a ton of other cool stories, it will contain the first ever Alien series short, "A Clockwork Alien", aka The One That Started The Craze.

Speaking of The Craze, have you bought your subscription to Penumbra eMagazine yet? If not, what are you waiting for? The story all y'all have been waiting for -- when Reader met Gower -- will be in the May issue. "Alien on the Runway" will be only one of the great stories in Penumbra's May issue, but I have two more shorts coming in this year. And, sure, you could just buy each issue separately for $3.99 each.

However, 'cause I'm a giver and so is the editorial staff at Penumbra, there's a special deal going. Right now, you can get The Gini Special -- instead of paying $3.99 an issue, you'll get a year's subscription for just $24.00; that's half price. But there's more! You'll also get the Best of Penumbra 2012 AND 2013. That's a full year's subscription for half price plus two free Best Of collections and three Alien series shorts that will only be available in Penumbra...as long as you use this coupon code (exactly as shown here) when you order: 2014Gini This offer is good only through August 1, 2014, so don't miss out and get your subscription going today!

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way, but it'll be next week, seeing as I will be reunioning for the next few days. So, enjoy the downward slide towards the weekend and let's be readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Just Can't Hide It

Happy Friday! Hope everyone's had a wonderful week and has an even better weekend in store! It's been busy over here, but that's good, right? Of course right! There's lots going on, but first, as my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, we have a big announcement, and I'm so excited about it! (Points to those who now get the point of the headline.) (Extra points to those who got it before reading this paragraph.)

The votes are in for the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Awards and guess what won Best Futuristic Romance? Go on, guess! Oh, I can't wait for you to guess -- it's Alien in the House! I'm extremely thrilled that it won, especially considering the awesome books it was up against. Check out all the winners and nominees in all the categories -- there's a lot of great reading there!

Speaking of great reading and the Alien series, I'll have 3 Alien Series short stories in Penumbra eMagazine this year; the first one comes out in next month's/May's issue. The magazine sells for $3.99 an issue, and I suppose you could just buy the three I'll be in. But, each month there are great stories, and Penumbra has a special offer for you, all because of moi. 'Cause I'm a giver, me.

Right now, you can get The Gini Special -- instead of paying $3.99 an issue, you'll get a year's subscription for just $24.00; that's half price. But there's more! You'll also get the Best of Penumbra 2012 AND 2013. That's a full year's subscription for half price plus two free Best Of collections and three Alien series shorts that will only be available in Penumbra...as long as you use this coupon code (exactly as shown here) when you order: 2014Gini

This offer is good only through August 1, 2014, so don't miss out and get your subscription going today!

Speaking of the Alien Series (no, we haven't really stopped), check out the Table of Contents for Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens. Should be coming in May (could be delayed due to printer issues, but the publisher is still hoping for May), and it contains "A Clockwork Alien", which is the first Alien Series short I've ever written (and the story that started the craze, so to speak).

Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens Table of Contents
Introduction by Patricia Bray
“The Cavorite Job” by Ian Tregillis
“Gracie’s Fire” by Leah Cutter
“Quinta Essentia” by Bradley P. Beaulieu
“When Comrade Ekaterina Died for the Motherland” by J.R. Hargenrader
“A Clockwork Alien” by Gini Koch
“Heart of the Empire” by Jason Palmatier
“The Red Queen and the White” by C.B. Pratt
“The Wizard of Woodrow Park” by Jean Marie Ward
“Of War and Wings” by Tansy Rayner Roberts
“Airship Down:  A Sound and Fury Adventure” by Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin
“Steamsuit” by David J. Fortier
“Fingers of Steam, Veins of Gold” by Brad Hafford
“Heart of Clockwork” by S.C. Butler
“Lady Antheia’s Guide to Horticultural Warfare” by Seanan McGuire

Don't those all sound great? Yeah, I can't wait for this book, either! If you weren't part of the Kickstarter campaign, you can pre-order from Zombies Need Brains to be sure you get your copy!

Speaking of not waiting, see what Bibliognome is going to be reading this weekend. And then, check out the first review of Alien Collective over at boeklogboek! After that, see what Word of the Nerd thought of Alien Diplomacy. Finish up over at my Deathless Prose page, where you can get the prologue and first chapter of Alien Collective for your teaser reading pleasure!

Whew! That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So let's be winning readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini