Friday Catch-Up, Catch-All, Catch of the Day

Happy Friday!

I know, this is coming out on Saturday for some of you. Hey, better late than never, right? Right?

As promised, we have recaps and winners. Recaps first. Phoenix Comicon and Arizona Dreamin' were great! Now, on to the winners.

Made you look.

Both cons WERE great. I got to hang out and panel with a variety of awesomely cool authors at Phoenix Comicon, including but not limited to: Marsheila Rockwell, Jordan Summers, Kevin Hearne, Yvonne Navarro, Cherie Priest, Jennifer Ashley/Ashley Gardner, Ravyn Crescent, Michael Stackpole, and Robert B. Sawyer -- some of whom did actual play-by-play updates (so, um, go read their very interesting blogs!).

Also got to see a ton of awesome fans - hugs to all who were there (and thanks again to Heidi for getting me a LB&C from Einstein's and thereby saving my life - Browncoats to the rescue!) - hope you had as good a time as I did! Pictures are inching their way onto the Sightings page, too. (And if you have some to share, send 'em along!)

Arizona Dreamin' was also totally cool. I got to hang out with more awesome authors, including our own beloved Amber Scott, Erin Quinn, Erin Kellison, and Janeen O'Kerry. (If you haven't read their books yet, what are you waiting for?) Fans were all readers, and they were all just a joy to be around, making this event very fun from an author standpoint. We're doing it again next year, so if you missed this year's event, do NOT miss 2012's!

I got a lot of swag, most of it posters, from Comicon, and some lovely stuff from Arizona Dreamin', too. But you knew that. What you want to know is who won it, right? (Yeah, I know what makes my li'l gangstas roll.)

So, without (too much) further ado...I give you the winners of the Poster Frenzy Contest!

The Blockbuster:
Van Pham

Simply Huge:
Samantha Briffett, aka Calliope

Gimme Gimme (2 winners):
Tara Winther, aka ducknme
and
Carolyn Lee

The Grab Bag:
Dana Alma

The Consolation:
Rich Atkinson, aka ratkin
(Hey, we felt we needed to do something to cheer him up in the Old Folks Home ;-D)

Congrats to all the winners!

NOTE: Winners, PLEASE be sure to check in to claim your prizes, or else the Gods of Random will demand a new sacrifice and winner be chosen (deadline to respond before a new winner will be picked is Thursday, June 30th). Send me an email with your snail mail address (no P.O. boxes, please), along with how you want anything that can be personalized to be personalized (as in, what name to sign to).

Next contest likely coming? San Diego Comic-Con Swag Packs. Those of you who were around last year KNOW why it's gonna be the best reason in the world to be on Hook Me Up! But if you're not on yet, now's the time. Send an email to gini@ginikoch.com with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line so you can be ready for the Mother of All Swag Giveaways!

We also have a couple new great reviews to check out. See what The Musings of M.D. Christie thought of "Touched by an Alien", then see what Book Mom has to say about "Alien in the Family".

Have you seen the new cover for "Alien Proliferation" yet? Whether you have or haven't, check out the cover retrospective Book Noise did, and share whether or not YOU think Daniel Dos Santos is an artistic genius.

Oh, and yes, some spoilers are being dropped over at the Alien Collective Virtual HQ, so if you haven't visited and/or registered yet, what are you waiting for?

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! And let's remember to be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

The Yap Has a Drink or Two

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a fun weekend! As my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, I sure did, especially because I was hanging out on The Galaxy Express chatting it up with my gal pal Agent Z and tossing back a few. Check out the transcript and see what happens when someone gives me truth serum.

After that, head over to Simply Books for a new review of "Touched by an Alien". Then hit Mixed Book Bag for a new review of "Alien Tango".

Then check out the blog hopping and following and what new series they lead to over at That Bookish Girl and Parajunkee's View. Then see the Top 5 Book Covers that Larissa's Bookish Life is anticipating for 2011 -- yes, "Alien in the Family" is on that list!

Finish up by checking out what all Book Mom carries in her purse, which she swears isn't the same size as Kitty's purse (though I have my doubts).

Remember that my first live chats EVER will be going on January 24th & 25th over at Tigris Eden's Forbidden Fruits & Carnal Pleasures. You need to register for the chat, so get that taken care of, because in addition to getting to talk to moi live and in real time, there are a TON of awesome prizes that are going to be given away and you won't want to miss out (trust me on this one). Chat times and some, but not all, of the prizes are listed on the page.

Until next time, spread that Alien Collective love and enjoy!

Love,
Gini

Thursday Roundup

Well, the new year's off to quite the start, isn't it? It's been busy at the casa, what with the new furry family members creating their own kind of havoc, "Boondocks Fantasy" releasing, and the smell of (many) deadlines in the air. Or maybe that's just the Canine Death Squad. But at any rate, 2011 is off to an exciting beginning and it looks like it's gonna be a contender.

First up today, as my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, we have some new reviews. Check out what Book Mom has to say about "Alien Tango" and what Ramblings of a Book Bitch thinks of "Touched by an Alien".

Then check out what books are the paperback bestsellers at Mysterious Galaxy right now! (Hint: one starts with Alien and ends with Tango).

There are new pics up at Sightings in the Wild. Have a shot of you with any of the books or swag? Send it in and have your pictures live on in infamy!

A couple of head's up notices. On Sunday, Jan. 9th my latest interview with Agent Z from The Galaxy Express will be large and in charge. And on the 24th and 25th I'll be doing my first live chats over at Tigris Eden's Forbidden Fruits & Carnal Pleasures that will also include a big international giveaway. All info, including times of the chats, is listed on the contest page. There's more in between those two, but we like to leave you wanting more.

And on that note...we leave you now and remind you to have a wonderful weekend gettin' down with your bad selves!

Love,
Gini

So Many Things, So Little Time

As my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, there's a lot going on in Gini Land.

My 'debut' as part of SF Signal's Mind Meld column is live today! Check it out to see how I and a lot of other well-known authors answer the question of what are The Best Aliens in Science Fiction. (http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2010/03/mind-meld-the-best-aliens-in-science-fiction/)

I'd like to mention that I was totally restrained and didn't bring up my own, personal aliens once. I know! What professionalism! Be awed, be impressed, but be speedy and go read the answers!

Next up, "Touched by an Alien" is out early in some places. So, if you pre-ordered (particularly from Barnes & Noble), it seems like you'll be getting your books this week. If you didn't, check your local bookstores and see if you can score a copy early. Please let me know if and where you find it prior to the official release date.

Since the book is out there, I've been getting some lovely reader reviews, for which I'm beyond stoked and, naturally, cannot wait to share with all of you. Links will take you to a variety of reviews, most recent are listed first.

Book Mom: http://bookmom.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/touched-by-an-alien-by-gini-koch/
Pearls Cast Before a McPig: http://mcpigpearls.blogspot.com/2010/03/touched-by-alien-book-review.html
B&N Review by Harriet Klausner: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Touched-by-an-Alien/Gini-Koch/e/9780756406004
Good Reads review by Diana Tixier Herald: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/87602994?utm_medium=api&utm_source=flash_widget

Have a review of "Touched by an Alien"? Let me know so I can share it on the Blah, Blah, Blah blog!

And then there's everything else. Don't forget to get your entries in for my first contest. Go to my Win Stuff page for all the details. The prize is cool already, and you'll for sure want to have a shot at the 'extra' I'm tossing in. The contest's official close date is this Thursday, April 1st, so hurry up! (BTW, HMU! subscribers get until Sunday, April 4th to enter, so if you're not in with the cool kids yet, send an email to gini@ginikoch.com with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line and you'll be in with some extra contest time!)

For those of you in or around the Phoenix area, I'll be signing "Touched by an Alien" at the Chaparral Suites in Scottsdale, AZ on Saturday, April 17th. Let me know if you're planning to come!

Watch the Blah, Blah, Blah blog for updates on where I'm guest blogging or being interviewed. There's a lot that'll be going on this week and next, particularly on the 6th, so you're all forewarned about the barrage of Gini-ness heading your way!

Love,
Gini