March 2018 Catch Up

Hey there, Strangers! I know, I know -- it's been, literally, ages since you've heard from me. And I feel badly about it. But life can really get you sometimes, and it definitely got me in 2017 and through the first few months of 2018, too. BUT, I am doing my best to be back in terms of regular(ish) updates (I mean, how could I do worse than the slow decline in updates for the last two years, right?) and keeping all y'all in the loop. With that in mind, let's get to lots of news both a little older and a little newer, and I'll give you the Quick Life Catch Up as well. So, read on MacDuffs... In Case You Didn't Know... Aliens Abroad released February 6th. For those of you who are wondering why I didn't advise all y'all sooner, well, this newsletter's theme is Better Late Than Never so...it's out! If you haven't gotten your copy yet, don't delay, because Kitty and Company are on the wildest road trip ever...and the fate of the galaxy rests in their hands. But Kitty's got her purse and her music, so no worries. There are a lot of great reviews of Aliens Abroad out there -- and it even made the Barnes and Noble Bestsellers List for February! So, here's a sampling for those of you who like to check out the reviews before you buy, or add in! RT Book Reviews Top Pick! - “If you are in need of pure escapism paired with wacky adventures and snicker-producing humor, then this is absolutely the series for you.” Kirkus Reviews Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to Read in February - "Koch's Alien novels have proven themselves to be swift-moving, engaging and flat-out fun." Gizmo's Reviews - “This stunning ending really leaves me eager to pick up the next book in the series.” The Neverending TBR - "First of all, this is my favorite book series for adults." Books in Brogan - "It was so worth the wait you will not want to miss this adventure." Stormy Vixen's Book Reviews - "Kitty is back and once again, she storms through my world creating a complex but exhilarating adventure for me to get lost in." Tome Tender - "Talk about your high octane, hilariously funny, outrageously animated, A.D.D. ultimate adventure and that was just the first chapter." Ravenous for Reads - "I’m speechless. It’s Amazing." Bibliognome - "Overall, if you haven't started this series yet, check it out ASAP." Speaking of things that you might not know about... Meet Belle. This is the book, and the character, that started it all for me in terms of writing, and the reason I kept on writing, and is the reason I have "Old West Expert" on my resume. This is the first in a series, by moi writing as A.E. Stanton, and it's only on audiobook from GraphicAudio. They say it's a movie in your mind, and they're not wrong! So check it out and enjoy the wild ride! In addition to all the other things, I'm now a regular contributor to TG Geeks. And I've been busy! Check out all the ways to catch on up all things moi over there! And check out all the other stuff at the site, too -- tons of fun to be had! Old Classics? Newly Reviewed! (Weekly on Wednesday) D.O.A. Ruggles of Red Gap Bachelor Mother Trouble in Paradise Ocean's 11 Soderberg's Ocean's Trilogy Strangers on a Train Social Saturday The Marietta Diner  Miscellaneous Moi Spotlight Sunday - Gini Koch Review of Touched by an Alien Gini Koch IS the Walking Dead   The Yap In Charge It's interviews time and that means it's time to learn new things about moi, what we laughingly call my process, the characters, my teenaged dreams, and more! Check out the Yap over at: Jean Book Nerd Ninetoes Love Books I've also been running the yap at some cool podcasts, for all your listening pleasure! So spend a couple hours just hanging out with moi and the rest of the chatty crew! Aliens Abroad release week podcast with TG Geeks. Aliens Abroad release week podcast with Genre Talk. Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest So, I promised you more of a real catch up on what's been going on. So here 'tis. Most of you know that we had to move from Hell's Orientation Area (aka Phoenix, AZ) to HotButReallyColdlanta (aka Atlanta, GA). Right after Thanksgiving. And right after I spent the better part of a month searching for a new home. But I found one, so, yay. And we made it across the country in one piece, so double yay. Turns out that a camper that can sleep 6 is plenty roomy enough for 2 humans, 3 large dogs, one small dog, and two cats. (Thank you, Cruise America, for making that possible. Expensive, but possible. And I learned I love driving your campers AND I'm good at it, which sort of terrified the hubs, making the trip that much better.) We made it out here and before we'd been in Atlanta a week we got 6 inches of snow. Because of course. Never have we missed the desert so much. Right up until it rained. For days. And then we missed the desert even more. Right after this, we had to say goodbye to the Spotted Fiend. She'd made it across the country in a rental camper like a champ (the less said about how the hubs and I did, with 4 freaked out dogs and 2 screaming cats, racing across the land in order to beat moving vans and car carriers to the Manse, the better), but she was on her last paws and we knew it. She got to see the Manse, expressed her dismay with snow and rain, rolled in the grass on a couple of dry days, and then headed off to reunite with The Big Fella, Neuroses the Swift, Couch Potato, Supermodel Supreme, Dementia Kitty, and the Little Prince of Purrsia in the big Pet Park in the Sky. We shall not see her like again. (Seriously. Never again. We loved her but Dalmatians are cray.) All this happened after I was so very late with Aliens Abroad that we had to move the release date back. Hence why the "hey, the book's out, by the way" notification isn't nearly as late as it could be. Thankfully, DAW was, and is, understanding and supportive because 2017 really knocked me down and I had a heck of a time getting back up again. But up again I finally am, and hoping to stay up, even if that's achieved by being propped up against a wall, so to speak. Atlanta is finally starting to feel a bit like home (thanks to the Wonderful Agent and author James Ray Tuck, Jr., in particular) and I just about have the Manse done exactly the way I want it. The last additional cat condo should arrive next week (hey, the Killer Kitties have NEEDS) and the Canine Death Squad love their gigantic backyard with their very own tonnage of trees to pee on! All their own! So the family is adjusting. We now return you to your regularly scheduled updating... Need Things to Keep You Occupied Until Aliens Like Us Releases?   We've got you covered. New from Zombies Need Brains Featuring "The City Beneath the Sea" by moi writing as J.C. Koch Featuring "A Kitty-Bot's Tale", an Alien Series short taking place during Alien Education New from Baen Books        New from UFO Press Featuring "H.P. and Me", a Necropolis Enforcement Files prequel Featuring "Alexander Outland: Space Jockey", an Alexander Outland prequel (aka, How Nap Met Slinky) New from the Independent Collection Book 1 of The New West series by moi writing as A.E. Stanton Book 2 of The New West series by moi writing as A.E. Stanton That's all for today but, miraculously, more will honestly be on the way, and far sooner than the last updates (I know, SUCH a low bar...). So, in the meantime, check out all the things, and let's be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side! Love, Gini

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A Different Kind of News & Other Things

Hey there! First off, I'm trying something new to save time -- yes, it's the old copy/paste ploy. I'm not really sure how it's going to translate to the Blog from the Hook Me Up! newsletter, but if it's not heinous, wow, does it save me a ton of time. So, if you love it or hate it (or don't care either way LOL), I'd appreciate you letting me know in comments so I know whether this is good for all y'all or not. Now...I have some news. News that is not the normal news that I normally share. Some of you are going to hate this news, some are going to love this news, some are not going to care about this news. (What a build up, huh?) Due to the fact that the hubs works, as I used to, for Corporate America, and due to the fact that this means that Corporate America has a lot of control over our lives, it seems that though we are both lifelong and happy Southwesterners, we're about to discover what it's like to be...Southeasterners. We are being moved to Atlanta, GA. When we're going is somewhat up in the air, but by the start of January the hubs will be walking into an office in Atlanta that is not in our home (for the first time in over 15 years) and we will be fully moved by first quarter 2018, if not before. So, what does this mean?  Well, not too much for 2017, at least for all y'all. Deacon's Ark releases next week, The Deacon of Desert Springs is coming in the next month or two, the audiobook of The Legend of Belladonna Part 1: Natural Born Outlaws will be out by, they tell me, the end of summer, Aliens Abroad will be coming out in December, and all the anthologies I'm in are headed for publication in the next few months as well, plus hopefully more things as I can get them done. (We will NOT discuss my current track record for the whereabouts of Night Music or the next installment of the Martian Alliance, no we will not. They're coming. I swear. Just as Alexander Outland: Space Avenger is. Soon, they will be here. Cross my heart and hope to write like the wind.) But the move means that 2018 will only see one Alien Series release -- Book 17, Aliens Like Us -- and it's likely coming out in August 2018. I plan to have my short story collection, The Alien Collection -- which will have all the Alien Series shorts that are in print, out of print, and not yet printed in it -- release in May 2018. (Yes, I said it was coming this year. I've chosen to ensure that there's a May Alien release of SOME kind in 2018, plus I really need to take the time to, you know, move.) And I plan to have other releases coming out during the rest of this year and next year as well. For those of you who saw me all the time in the Southwest, or who have planned to see me but just haven't gotten around to it yet, your last easy chances for the foreseeable future are Westercon, San Diego Comic-Con, the High Desert Book Fair (and related signing events in Victorville, CA), and my December book tour (still being set up, but it will be the usual suspects and probably nothing extra). For those of you who live in the Southeast, or within a reasonable distance from Atlanta, when I get my bearings, I do plan on being active in that region as I was in the one I've called home for all of my life, and I'm looking forward to all the new experiences and, hopefully, getting to see a lot of you in person for the very first time. (If it's a second time or more, I can't wait to see you again and now it will be easier!) And, you know, for those of you who are too far away, um, well, you're probably still too far away. But, hey, hope likes to spring eternal, right? So, start looking at things like DragonCon (yes, I am hoping to be there in 2018) and other Atlanta-adjacent things. But, speaking of seeing the me...

CHECK OUT ALL THE WAYS TO SEE THE ME THIS SUMMER!

July 1-4 I'm the Local Author Guest of Honor at Westercon70 Tempe Mission Palms Hotel Tempe, AZ If you can only make it to one con this year, make this the one! Find me at my tables in the Dealers Room and all over the con! Click HERE for my Panel Schedule AND DON'T MISS THE LAST EVENING EROTICA EVENT OF THE YEAR! Haven't been to an Evening Erotica event and aren't sure what you're missing? Then check out The Two Gay Geeks' podcast from the event at Phoenix Comicon! Trust me, it's even funnier and more fun in person, and if you're there, you get to be the one winning the prizes! July 19-23 San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Convention Center San Diego, CA Full Schedule to Come    Don't miss seeing me this Summer -  make your plans today! Fall and Winter Dates are coming, so stay tuned!

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Need Things to Keep You Occupied Until Aliens Abroad Releases?   We've got you covered.

Deacon's Ark, Book 2 of the New West (by moi writing as A.E. Stanton) is available for pre-order right now from Amazon or Smashwords. It goes on sale everywhere June 27 (and yes, you can get it from me directly at Westercon). Head over to the Premieres page to check out the cover! And don't forget to pre-order!

Speaking of The New West series, have you gotten Book 1, When Josie Comes Home (by moi writing as A.E. Stanton) yet? If not, why not? Head over to Amazon, B&N.com, Smashwords, orCreateSpace to order. Mysterious Galaxy has signed copies, and The Poisoned Pen can get personalized copies to you, too! And you can always get copies directly from me at Westercon, too!

Check out the Q&A I did over at Unbound Worlds about Alien Education and a whole lot more, and read about the biggest WTH moment (so far) of my book signing career! Then, did you miss out on the Livestream event for Alien Education's book signing at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore? While I can't say that it had the same "zip" as the event described in the interview, it was still pretty darned fun. So, rectify and check it out!

Don't forget, the mass market re-release of Alexander Outland: Space Pirate (by moi writing as G.J. Koch) is available NOW, so get your copy from your favorite bookstore (Mysterious Galaxy and Barnes & Noble Victorville both have signed copies available, and you can get personalized copies via MG or The Poisoned Pen as well) or online retailer (such as Amazon or B&N.com). And you can always get copies directly from me at Westercon, too!

And now for some science! Per SyFy Wire, a pair of black holes sent ripples of time to Earth. I think we all know that probably indicated when Algar came to town, so to speak. Then, per HuffPost, an Aerospace executive is convinced that aliens are living on Earth. I think he's about to lose his security clearance and spend some time hanging out in the Dulce Science Center chatting with Christopher and Chuckie about why being a blabbermouth is a bad idea. Per Yahoo News, cold spot discoveries could mean there are parallel universes out there. Which Kitty finds hilarious and all y'all already know about, but it's nice to see everyone else catching up. And last but not least, per AIRS, NASA has discovered that we've created an artificial barrier around the Earth that protects it. ACE says hi and that ACE might be ready for ACE's closeup, but that ACE would prefer that Kitty do all the real talking.

And now, a little more about the whole moving thing. The hubs and I grew up in Southern California, and we loved it. All our friends and family were there and we never planned to live anywhere else. But then I got that job with Corporate America and the first thing they said was, "You're moving to Phoenix." So we did. We moved to Phoenix 22 years ago, and though I was leaving the home I loved with all my heart, I was excited, because Phoenix was also a place I loved. I had no idea that it would, essentially, give me my second career and show me the way to my "one thing" that I would do no matter what, which is writing. We made friends that became family, found our tribe, got a home we love, and created a new life in the Valley of the Sun. I love everything about Phoenix and Arizona, including the heat. (And yes, that's being tested this week. LOL)  But now we're going to leave that. And, just as we did when we left Los Angeles, we're looking at Atlanta in the same way as we did with Phoenix -- we have no idea what this city will bring to us, but we know that wherever we go, we will find new friends, new family, and a new home we'll love. We're choosing to live by the Girl Scout Motto -- make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver, and the other gold. So, soon I'll be saying "goodbye my love" to Hell's Orientation Area and "hel-looo sailor!" to Hotlanta. I won't say that it's not bittersweet to do this, but I also won't say that it's not a cool adventure awaiting us. And, after all, cool adventures are my business. Well, that's it for today but, as always, more's on the way. Enjoy the rest of your weeks, stay as cool as you can, and regardless of where you are, let's be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side! Love, Gini