Yappin' Live

Happy Monday!

I know! It's an amazing surprise that I've managed to actually, you know, do an update on a Monday. (Don't get used to it. LOL) It's a reasonably short and sweet one today, too. I know again! What were the odds, right?

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend -- I certainly did, getting to hang out with awesome author and cartoonist Christopher Baldwin and awesome author Marsheila Rockwell. And today, I'll get to virtually hang out with some over you, over at Night Owl Reviews where the Paranormal Romance Dream Team -- Erin Kellison, Erin Quinn, Caris Roane, and moi -- will be doing a live chat at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT. You still have time to RSVP in order to win lots of prizes! When you RSVP you'll also get a reminder about the live chat. I can't wait to be able to talk (and talk, and, as all those who were on before remember, talk) to all of you!

Speaking of paranormal, a reminder that I have a collection of paranormal stories, written as Jemma Chase, available for pre-order from Amazon right now. The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal will be on sale at all outlets on March 20th.

After you get all set to yap with me this evening, head over to the Nameless Digest where they're spotlighting stories from the epic A Darke Phantastique anthology. You'll get a taste of mine, "Outsiders", written as J.C. Koch, so check it out and find out why I wrote this particular story.

Then see what DAW Books Reviews thought of Alien Collective. And join the conversation about the bookie wookie, too!

Don't forget this upcoming weekend, Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15, I'll be at the Tucson Festival of Books. It's the fourth largest Book Fair in the country, so you don't want to miss out. When I'm not doing panels or signings, you can find me at The Dreams Booth, Booth #106.  Yes, I'll be signing all the bookie wookies, including Universal Alien, so come out, say hi, and bring all your books to get 'em signed or buy them from me when you're there -- I'm easy that way!

My current TFoB schedule: 
--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


The Alien Separation book tour in May is shaping up. I'll be at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, CA on Saturday, May 9th, Barnes and Noble in Henderson, NV on Sunday, May 17th, and The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ on Monday, June 8th. The chicklet is graduating from law school in the midst of all that and Phoenix Comicon is the last weekend in May, so full details and more dates will be announced as we have time and sanity to announce them! Keep an eye out here and on the Datebook for updates and for alerts for which events we have Food With Fans planned.

Have you taken a picture with moi? Of the bookie wookies in the wild? Of any Gini Swag you've gotten your paws on? Then send those pics to Team Gini's most enthusiastic member, our Super Sightings Girl, Kelsey (kelsey@ginikoch.com), so she can get them up at Sightings in the Wild. She's been doing tons of updates, so if you sent in a pic a while ago, check out the redesign of the Sightings pages and see where your pic's ended up (and let her know if you don't see it there so we can hunt it down and rectify!).

Believe it or not that's it for today. But never fear, more's on the way. So enjoy the week and let's be live chatting readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Tour the Universe

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great week and a wonderful weekend. I had a fantastic time in Los Angeles for the A Darke Phantastique mass signing. Check out the recap from author E.E. King for deets.

I got to celebrate a fun, fast in-and-out trip to SoCal by being back home to see the Cardinals beat the Rams (yes, I'm a football fan, but, seeing as I'm a Cardinals fan, I tend to fly under the radar...but this year, wowza!) live and in person. But there's lots going on, and lots to come in the next few weeks, so let's get to it all, shall we? We shall!

First up, the Universal Alien Top 10 Blog Tour begins today! Head on over to Pearls Cast Before a McPig to see what Jeff & Kitty's Top 10 Vacation Spots are AND get entered to win one of the first 9 books, signed and personalized! Contest open through Nov. 28th.

The rest of the stops are:
11-11 Larissa's Bookish Life
11-11 Feeling Fictional
11-12 Gizmo's Reviews
11-13 A Buckeye Girl Reads
11-13 Bibliognome
11-14 boeklogboek
11-17 Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell
11-18 I Smell Sheep
11-19 Lu's Buchgefluster
11-20 Under the Covers
12-01 Books-n-Kisses
12-02 Smart Girls Love Sci Fi

Every stop has either a new Top 10 List or an interview, and every stop has prizes to be won, so make sure you hit 'em all! And remember to do your girl a solid and pre-order Universal Alien online or from your favorite bookstore, including any bookstore where I'm making a Book Tour stop.


And don't stop there! See what Pearls Cast Before a McPig thought of Universal Alien. Then, check out Bibliognome's Pre Review Ravings and Favorite Quotes/Lines are from Universal Alien.

Next up, see what Books-N-Kisses thought of Alien Research, and what Feeling Fictional thought of Unidentified Funny Objects 3.

Then see which Top 5 Characters Larissa's Bookish Life would like to hang out with!

See any movies last weekend? If you missed Big Hero 6, check out my review at Slice of SciFi to see if you should see it or not. (Spoiler: you should see it.) Agree? Disagree? Join the discussion over at Slice!

Amazingly enough, that's it for today, but based on the fact that the Top 10 Blog Tour is large and in charge, expect to hear from me a lot in the upcoming days. So get ready to start the latest rounds of winning, and let's be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Pick Up Some Aliens

Happy Monday! It's a long one today, but that's because I'm heading out of town (more on that below) and don't want all y'all to miss out on anything!

But first up, hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! All winners who won ebooks have them now. And for those of you who are getting physical books, they will go out by the week of the 10th (and you're waiting for a couple of reasons, but you'll be happy for the delay, I promise).

Also, welcome to November! Know what November is? Nah, I and the Stampeding Herd don't do NaNo ('cause we do our own version all year long). Nope, November is when my third Alien Series Short, "Alien Pick-Up", is available in the current issue of Penumbra eMagazine! So, if you're jonesing for an Alien fix and don't want to wait until December 2nd when Universal Alien releases, go grab a copy of Penumbra today!

And, for those of you who may have somehow missed the May and July issues, containing "Alien on the Runway" and "Mr. Dash Saves the World" respectively, don't continue missing out! Penumbra has all their back issues for sale, too!

After getting all caught up with Penumbra, see what Books-n-Kisses thought of Alien Collective.

And then it's time for some science! In honor of the story I'll be writing for the Temporally Out of Order anthology,
see what io9 wants to remind us all about the true perils of time travel. (Hint -- it's NOT killing your grandfather...it's much, much worse...) And it also totally absolves the Ancients of a lot of errors, too. Well, somewhat anyway. And, shocking one and all, the comments on this article are really great, well thought out, and thought provoking -- which is probably the most surprising thing about the article, when you think about it...

As a reminder for all SoCal area peeps -- I'll be in da hizzy on Thursday, November 6, for the mass signing of A Darke Phantastique. And I won't be alone! A slew of awesome authors will be there, including William F. "Logan's Run" Nolan! Truly, if you're in the area, get over to the Mystery and Imagination Bookstore at 5:30 this Thursday for a fun party with authors, cake, and wine! Also, if you have any of my bookie wookies you want signed, bring 'em all and I'll sign 'em all!

Also, since I'll be out of town starting on Wednesday, be sure to hit Slice of SciFi on Friday, to see what I thought of Big Hero 6.

  

Speaking of being out of town, Vegas Area Peeps, we have time confirmation for my signing at the Barnes & Noble Henderson on December 13, 2014, where I'll be joined with fellow Wyked Women Who Write authors T.L. Smith and Sharon Skinner for a party and more from 1-4pm! Cake, yaps running, prizes being handed out left and right, so don't miss out! This is our first Vegas area signing, so if you want us to keep on coming back, help us pack the house!

Other Southwestern area peeps, I'm still finalizing the last stops on my December Book Tour, so keep your eyeballs peeled for a signing in your area! And hit the Datebook for info on all confirmed stops! Every stop currently planned with have a party -- including cake and prizes -- so be sure to make your plans now to attend! You'll be glad you did. (And remember: If you haven't yet, pre-order Universal Alien TODAY from your fave bookstore or online retailer!)

Remember to keep the eyeballs peeled and mark your calendars for November 17th, when Sensational Six: Action and Adventure in Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance will hit the airwaves. Six great stories from seven great authors, and all for $0.99! Plus you'll get a long, and the only, excerpt of Necropolis Enforcement Files #2, Night Music (coming early in 2015), as a boxed set extra! (BTW, I swear that's Ralph on the Sensational Six cover, and no one gets to tell me otherwise!)

Gosh, is that it? I think it is, at least for, most likely, this week. See some of you on Thursday, all of you have fantastic weeks and even better 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

Halloween Sensations

Hey there, everyone! Hope everyone's had wonderful weeks so far! It's been busy over here, you know, as per usual, in part with all the handing out of prizes from the last contest and whatnot. However, much is going on and all y'all need to know about it!

First up, in honor of Halloween, there's a new flash fiction short story of mine, "Moonlight Becomes You", over at Books Make Me Happy as part of their week-long celebration. There's also lots of other shorts from other UF/PNR authors there, and prizes, so go have some fun!


After that, check out what Collings Notes has to say about the A Darke Phantistique anthology, which features "Outsiders" by moi writing as J.C. Koch. Then, for those Members of the Alien Collective in Very Good Spanish Reading Standing, check out what Fantástica – Ficción has to say about Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets, featuring my story "All the Single Ladies".

Speaking of A Darke Phantastique, if you're in SoCal, don't forget to come see the me, and at least ten other awesome authors, at the mass signing on Thursday, November 6, 2014, at the Mystery and Imagination Bookstore. The party starts at 5:30 and rumors have it that there will be cake and wine. And who can so no to cake AND wine? Many, I'm sure, but I'm not one of them. And remember to bring any books of mine that you have to the event so you can get your bookies wookies signed and such!

2D - Innit beautiful? (Ralph says, "Hi.")

Speaking of irresistible things, check out what's coming your way in November, on the 17th to be exact. That's right, the Sensational Six: Action and Adventure in Sci Fi, Fantasy and Paranormal Romance ebook boxed set! Featuring stories from Sasha White, Jordan Summers, Vivi Anna, Caris Roane, Marsheila Rockwell & Jeff Mariotte, and, of course, moi. That's six great stories from seven authors, or as I think of us, Six Gals and a Guy. (I think we have a TV show in the making here...)

And how much will this sensational set be? For a limited time it's going to be a whopping $0.99. YES, less than a DOLLAR for six great stories! For full details on each author and story included (and blog tour spots, if you're a blogger who'd like in on the action) check out the cool page NK Book Tours set up!

3D - so cool! (Ralph says, "Buy this set!")

And, yes, the book of mine that'll be included in this set is The Night Beat, Necropolis Enforcement #1. For those of you who already have The Night Beat, don't think you'll miss out. First off, there will be those five other awesome stories. And...there will be a very good-sized excerpt of...wait for it...yes...Necropolis Enforcement #2, aka Night Music. (Yes, it's coming to you early in 2015...and this time that's a firm promise.) This is the only place you'll find this excerpt until Night Music releases, so if you want to catch up on what Victoria and her team of ready and willing undeads are up to, this boxed set is the only way to get a Necropolis fix for a while. Bottom line: Don't miss out on this one!

Speaking of missing out, did you, on the Temporally Out of Order anthology Kickstarter? Well, fear not! You can actually get in on pre-orders and other goodies via the publisher, Zombies Need Brains -- scroll down to the bottom of the page for details on how to pre-order this exceptionally cool antho, loaded with exceptionally cool authors, including moi.

We move from issues with time travel and its related issues to some shenanigans. Apparently there's some woman named Jody Wallace who's written some kind of book thing that parodies lots of  other book things. And she apparently even found a way to get me to give her a blurb for this book thing of hers. (I was probably drinking.) Check out her extremely suspect interview over at SF Signal where she and Heather Massey discuss the very suspect Mari Shu series. (BTW, Jody Wallace is NOT moi -- seriously, she's not -- though I hear she likes to pretend she is late at night when no one else is looking...at least when she THINKS no one else is looking...ha ha ha Jody, I have friends at the NSA!)

And now, for some science! Science that is determined to prove that I write nonfiction, to be exact. Check out what Scientific American has to say about quantum worlds and universes and all that cool jazz. ACE, Sandy, and Algar all say you should get educated, lest what happens to Kitty in Universal Alien happens to you.

Speaking of Universal Alien, have you done your girl a solid and pre-ordered that puppy yet? If yes, many {HUGS} and *smootchies*. If no, what, really, are you waiting for? Pre-orders matter, hugely, and you can pre-order copies to be sent right to you or to be picked up at your favorite bookstore, whatever you like best. 

Last but not least, for those participating, have a very fun, happy, and above all, safe Halloween. Remember to keep your eyes open for all the little A-Cs out there, and also please be vigilant with pets -- yours and anyone else's -- especially those with black or dark fur. Enjoy the candy comas, and let's be sugared up readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Pre-Chicago Roundup

Hey there! Hope everyone had a great week last week, a wonderful weekend, and good Mondays. As a reminder, I'm heading to Chicago tomorrow and will be there and in the surrounding environs for a week, so it's unlikely I'll be doing another blog until sometime after I'm back, meaning in October. I know! How WILL you all survive? (Facebook, Twitter, realizing that I'll still check in faster than I did due to surgery, blah, blah, blah.)

But, exotic travel aside (hey, the Windy City is exotic as compared to Hell's Orientation Area), there's plenty going on to hold you all over until I return, so let's take a look at it, shall we? We shall!

First up, the Temporally Out of Order Kickstarter is going strong. There are plenty of great freebies and awards in a variety of support levels, so don't miss out on getting in on this anthology and all the free books and more. Also there are still tuckerizations available, including 2 of mine, so if you've ever wanted to be immortalized in my, or another author's, writings, now IS your time.

After you've checked out the Kickstarter, head on over to Beyond the Veil and see what cool author Jean Marie Ward has going on. Why am I highlighting Jean Marie? She's not only an awesome author, but she's also a stretch goal author for Temporally Out of Order. SF Signal also has a nice roundup of current Kickstarter anthologies available right now, including, of course, Temporally Out of Order. (Aha, see how it all ties together.)

Next up, see what Amazing Stories thought of Unidentified Funny Objects 3, particularly what they thought of my story in the anthology, "Live at the Scene". After that's whet your appetite, guess what? UFO3 is live at the scene in terms of being available in all eformats. And physical copies will be available October 1st! So if you missed out on the Kickstarter, you can still get the anthology now.

Then check out the 10 Webcomics i09 thinks would make great TV shows. In addition to some good ones, they list a great one -- Spacetrawler by my BFF, awesome author and artist Christopher Baldwin. Get introduced to a wide variety of cool comics out there for your reading pleasure and don't miss Spacetrawler!

IN PERSON UPDATES
I know, I just did this last week, but I already have more stuff to tell you about, so here we go!

CHICAGO AREA: September 25-30, 2014 -- Chicago area peeps, if you haven't let me know you're there yet, do so now. I'm setting up very impromptu stuff that I'll be letting you guys know about privately, so don't miss your (very rare) chance to see the me when I'm in your nape of the woods!

LOS ANGELES AREA: Thursday, November 6, 2014, 5pm -- mass signing for A Darke Phantastique anthology (signing as J.C. Koch), Mystery and Imagination & Bookfellows Bookstore, 238 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91203  818-545-0206
NOTE: This bookstore doesn't carry my books (yet!) so if you're coming, bring any and all of the bookie wookies along to have them signed!

PHOENIX: Friday & Saturday, November 28 & 29, 2014 -- featured speaker at the MENSA RPG, Hilton Garden Inn, 4000 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85012

PHOENIX: December 2, 2014, 7pm -- Universal Alien Release Day Signing and Party! Come get your copy of Universal Alien and help celebrate Book 10's release in style, with cake, readings, games and prizes! The Poisoned Pen, 4014 N. Goldwater Blvd., #101, Scottsdale, AZ 85251  480-947-2974 

I think Book 10 deserves this car!

SAN DIEGO: December 6, 2014, 2pm -- Universal Alien Signing and Party! Come get your copy of Universal Alien and help celebrate Book 10's release in style! Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Ste. 302, San Diego, California 92111-1040  858-268-4747
NOTE: MG is moving and the location of this signing (and related activities) is subject to change therefore. But wherever MG is on Dec. 6th, so shall I be. :-D

LAS VEGAS AREA: December 13, 2014, time TBD -- Universal Alien Signing & Wycked Women Who Write Party! Come get your copy of Universal Alien and help celebrate Book 10's release by partying with some of the Wyked Women Who Write (moi, T.L. Smith, and Sharon Skinner) while we regale you with our writing awesomeness! Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 567 North Stephanie, Henderson, NV 89014  702-434-1533

SAN DIEGO: Friday-Sunday, January 23rd-25th, 2015 -- Faculty, San Diego State University Writer's Conference, San Diego Marriott Mission Valley, 8757 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego, California 92108  619-692-3800

Well, that's it for today but, as always, more's on the way. But not until October (barring earth-shaking news which, as you know, I'll share with all y'all immediately if not sooner). So, get down with your bad selves while I'm gone, and let's be readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the far 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