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

Time for a Quickie?

Happy Hump Day! (Made you look.)

Lots of links today, but, as my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, still somehow short and sweet. Don't thank me...it's just how we roll around here.

Fist up, check out some awesome new reviews of "Alien Tango" at Book Noise and Publishers Weekly: Beyond Her Book.

Then, see what books Mark of the Stars and Ex Libris are waiting on.

Tor.com has an in-depth look at the science fiction releases for April (yes, "Alien in the Family" among them). And check out Anna's Book Blog and Wicked Little Pixie for comprehensive listings of what's coming next month.

That's it for today, but there's lots more coming (including new opportunities for the yap to run), so stay tuned!

Love,
Gini

The Yap & The Winning Run On

Happy Friday!

Hope those of you already into the weekend are having a fab one, and those eying the weekend's start have a great time planned. And, as my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, to help you entertain yourselves on the way to those good times, we have more yap and more winning going on.

Awesome author Jim C. Hines has yours truly featured on his First Book Friday column. Check out his excellent Goblin series while you're over there!

Bibliognome has the "Alien in the Family" ARC, thanks to the ARC Tour started by Absorbed in a Book. Check out where the ARC got to go last night!

Book Noise has a cool giveaway featuring "Alien Tango" and "Silver Zombie". Contest runs through March 20th.

Speaking of contests running through March 20th, if you haven't gotten your entry in for the TFOB Stuffed Penguin contest, what are you waiting for? Unless you're not on Hook Me Up!, of course, which would mean you're waiting to join. Now would be a really good time -- 'cause there are a lot more contests on the horizon, and, like this one, they're for Hook Me Up! only. Send an email to gini@ginikoch.com with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line, and get in on the win!

That's it for today. Next week is full of awesome, though, so be prepared for more! 'Til then, get down with your bad selves and peace out, li'l gangstas!

Love,
Gini

Holy Whirlwind, Batman!

Well, as you all know, I released my beautiful cover for "Alien in the Family" yesterday. And as my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know -- wow, the internet is hopping now, and not just about the cover!

First up, we have a new wonderful review of "Touched by an Alien" over at Book Noise. Have a read, leave a comment, show the Alien Collective love!

Then, check out Alien Collective Members in Very Good Standing Dark Wrym Reads and Books, According to Nicole for their take on the new cover for "Alien in the Family".

Now, head on over to 1st Turning Point and check out my latest article, Twitter Right. A lot of you use Twitter, and use it well, so please add any comments or suggestions you might have!

Reminder that my interview over at I Smell Sheep is still going strong, as is the chance to enter to win the "Sheeped by an Alien" t-shirt, so if you haven't hit the interview to get a chance to win, rectify that omission now!

Not enough? Well, if you want to promote the new "Alien in the Family" cover, or just look at it more up close and personal, send me an email and we'll send it right over so you can. Want more? "Alien in the Family" avatars and such will be up on the Free Stuff page soon!

Still not enough? Well...it'll have to be...'cause tomorrow is Friday, and we all know what Friday is, right? That's right -- it's the start of the "Alien Tango" ARC Giveaway, for Hook Me Up! only! What? You're not on Hook Me Up! yet? You don't want to win the ARC of "Alien Tango" along with a ton of other totally awesome goodies? What's wrong with you? Oh, wait...you DO want to win? Then sign up for Hook Me Up! Send an email to gini@ginikoch.com with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line, and do it today, 'cause Friday's coming up fast!

Love,
Gini