Universally Yapping

Happy Hump Day! The middle of the week is always nice -- the uphill struggle to get to mid-day on Wednesday, and then the lovely downward slide towards the weekend begins. But, as always, we have a lot going on, so let's hump on over to it.

For today's stop on the Universal Alien Top 10 Blog Tour, we have something a little different. Head over to Lu's Buchgefluester where there's a new interview with yours truly. She asks some new questions, too, so don't miss it even if you've read the yap before. As with all the other stops, you can win a copy of any one of the first 9 books in the Alien series, signed and personalized, and open internationally. This is a German blog, but the interview and giveaway portions are in English, so don't give up when you hit the first paragraphs (unless you also read and speak German, which many of the Alien Collective do, in which case, enjoy it all) and keep on down to the interview and contest entry information.

There are still more Tour stops to come, and you can still get entered to win at the prior stops as well. Some of the contests end SOON, so hurry up and get entered to win so you don't miss out!

Top 10 Blog Tour Stops
11-10 Pearls Cast Before a McPig, contest ends Nov. 28th
11-11 Larissa's Bookish Life, contest ends Nov. 18th
11-11 Feeling Fictional, contest ends Nov. 30th
11-11 Gizmo's Reviews, contest OVER, winner announced
11-12 A Buckeye Girl Reads, contest ends Nov. 18th
11-13 Bibliognome, contest ends Nov. 18th
11-14 boeklogboek, contest ends Nov. 25th
11-17 Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell contest ends Nov. 30th
11-18 I Smell Sheep, contest ends Nov. 25th
11-19 Lu's Buchgefluster, contest ends Nov. 28th
11-20 Under the Covers
11-21 Word of the Nerd
12-01 Books-n-Kisses
12-01 Readaholics Anonymous
12-02 Smart Girls Love Sci Fi

Speaking of contest ending soon, today is the last day to get entered for the fantastic prizes that awesome author Caris Roane (http://www.carisroane.com/celebrate/) is giving away for her big Celebration Event. Prizes are from a host of cool authors, including moi, Erin Quinn, Erin Kellison, and Jennifer Ashley, to name only about a 1/3 of the authors who have bookie wookies up for grabs. So don't miss out, get entered to win right now!

Sensational Six is available now, for the amazingly low price of $0.99, for a limited time, anyway. Yes that means it won't stay this price forever. So don't delay, get your set today! And remember, at this price, it's a great way to give someone a Thanksgiving or early holiday present that they'll love without killing your own wallet.

What's in the set? Six great stories from seven authors -- Six Gals and a Guy -- including The Night Beat, Necropolis Enforcement Files #1, along with an extra-long excerpt of Night Music, Necropolis Enforcement Files #2. And right now, this boxed set is the only place where you can get both The Night Beat and the Night Music excerpt, and since you can get them both AND five other awesome stories for less than a dollar, there's really no reason not to race out and grab them right now! And to make it easy for you, here are all the buy links ('cause I'm a giver, me).

Kobo
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada
Amazon Australia
iTunes
Barnes and Noble

Speaking of Night Music, and just to prove that it's really coming to you in early 2015, head on over to my Premieres page where you can see the worldwide unveiling of the cover! Yes, once you have a cover, you know it's real, and it's really real!

The Sensational Six Blog Tour is also in full swing. Details for all stops are here at the Blah, Blah, Blah, Blog (see posts below). Every stop has prizes and there's a gigantic grand prize, too, so definitely get entered to win. And if that's not enough, there's a big party on Facebook this Thursday, Nov. 20th, aka tomorrow, starting at 3pm EST. RSVP now so you don't miss out because, of course, there's going to be authors chatting and prizes being handed out the entire time!

Already got Sensational Six? Already read some or all of the stories in the set? Do all Six Gals and a Guy a favor and leave a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, or Goodreads. Review (like pre-orders) help books and authors tremendously, and right now, Sensational Six needs reviews!

That's it for today but, as always, more's on the way. So enjoy the beginning of the downward slide to the weekend, and let's be winning and reviewing readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Monday: Night Owl Yapping

Happy Sunday!

Go me for late notice and all that, but I wanted to advise all y'all that I'll be live chatting -- along with awesome authors Erin Quinn, Erin Kellison, and Caris Roane, aka The Paranormal Romance Dream Team -- over at Night Owl Reviews this Monday, October 6 at 5pm Pacific / 6pm Mountain / 7pm Central / 8 Eastern. International attendees are encouraged to join us, too!

The chat room will appear on the scheduled chat day (like magic, apparently). Chat Schedule, all times Pacific, is:
(5:00 PM) Erin Quinn
(5:15 PM) Gini Koch
(5:30 PM) Caris Roane
(5:45 PM) Erin Kellison

Oh, and, lest we fear it's all just yap, there will be prizes, too. Knowing the four of us, lots of prizes.

You will need to RSVP by 4pm Pacific on the 6th in order to be entered for prizes. Details for how to RSVP are on the event page.

Hope you're all having great weekends and I also hope to see a bunch of you at the Night Owl Reviews chat on Monday evening!

Love,
Gini

Recap Winning

I'm ba-ack...after the awesome Tucson Festival of Books, where I got to see so many awesome Members of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing. But before the recap, we have some business to get to. The business of WINNING.

We have our winner of the Christopher Baldwin giveaway. So, the lucky winner of Spacetrawler #1 is:

Root

NOTE TO OUR WINNER: You have until Thursday, March 21st to respond via email to gini@ginikoch.com with full name and physical address. If the winner does not reply by the 21st, the Gods of Random will snatch back the prize and demand a new sacrifice.

Speaking of which, the first winner of the Erin Kellison giveaway did NOT check in (shame, shame, the Gods of Random withdrew your name). So the newly minted winner is:

Betty Hamilton
  
NOTE TO OUR WINNER: You have until Thursday, March 21st to respond via email to gini@ginikoch.com with full name, email address, book selected, and requested e-format. If the winner does not reply by the 21st, the Gods of Random will snatch back the prize and demand a new sacrifice.

One of the Members of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing, the velvet-voiced Bob Mutascio gave me a lovely shout-out during his last At The Show show on Killradio. Check it out and guess which song he dedicated to moi! Then check out what KD Did It thought of Alien Tango.

And now, back to the Tucson Festival of Books. It was cold, rainy, and windy, but it was still a fantastic weekend. I got to hang with awesome authors like Marsheila Rockwell, Christopher Baldwin, Erin Quinn, Erin Kellison, Jeff Mariotte, Kris Tualla, Jennifer Ashley, and tons more! I got to panel with the ever-wonderful Nancy Holder -- twice! -- as well as the excellent Jennifer Roberson, Ed Hoornaert, and Chris Marie Green. And, thanks to the wonderful Eric Penney Haury, I got to meet Ted Danson in person. And, let me just say that not only is he gracious, he's even more handsome in person than he looks onscreen. (As in, I've recast Richard White in my mind. For reals. FOR REALS.)

Many thanks to all the Alien Collective who came by the Arizona Dreamin' booth, to my signings at the Mysterious Galaxy and Poisoned Pen booths, to Nicole from The Book Pushers () for the goody bag, and especially Hal and Dee Astell who brought me the newest cool addition to my awesome sparkly pink hat collection! Pics are on Facebook for those who want to see the hat as modeled by the Travel Poof.

And now, it's time to get Alien Research done. Because it's due, um, soon. Really soon. Scary soon. SO, if you don't hear from me too much for the rest of the month, it's because, well, the Awesome Editor would like to actually get this book in hand, and I have a long, long way to go before I sleep.

So, enjoy the coming weekend, beware the Ides of March, and let's be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Weekending

Happy Friday! As my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, it's a short and sweet one today! I know, what were the odds?

First off, another reminder to enter to win a free book from comics author and artist Christopher Baldwin, right here at the Blah, Blah, Blah Blog. Click the link or just scroll down a little and get your entry in today!

For those who won goodies in the Tidy My Office contest, your packages will go out next week, once I'm home from Tucson Festival of Books. I tried to get them ready and out before leaving but it was that or, you know, packing clothes and books and such, and for some reason, the clothes and books won. I know, I know, I need to work on my priorities.

Last but not least, this should have come out yesterday, because I have a winner to announce. But since I leave for the Festival in a few hours, we all know this means that I'm not done packing yet. I had a ton of things I had to do in order to safely get out of Dodge, and the day just basically slipped away from me.

But I'm here now! So all's good, right? Right! Especially all good for the winner of any ebook of her choice from the fabulous Erin Kellison who is: 

Erin (no joke) 

NOTE TO OUR WINNER: You have until Tuesday, March 12th to respond via email to gini@ginikoch.com with full name, email address, book selected, and requested e-format. If the winner does not reply by the 12th, the Gods of Random will snatch back the prize and demand a new sacrifice.

Now, it's back to the packing for me. And then the driving, the booth setting up, the panels and yap running, the book signings, and the repacking and unpacking and repacking and the driving home. I know, it's ALL glamor all the time. I plan to fit some fun in there somewhere, too, of course.

See some of you at the Festival. Hope all of you 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

It's Another Winning Day!

Hope everyone's had a good start to the week and all's going well. I'm girding my loins (what DOES that actually mean, anyway?) and prepping for this weekend, aka the Tucson Festival of Books. I'm all over the place, so don't miss your chance to see the me, hear the yap, and get bookie wookies signed! Yes, I will be the one in the pink, sparkly cowgirl hat. Yes, that actually does make me impossible to miss.

But before the weekend we have a lot going on, so let's get to today's installments! First off, the Tidy My office contest is over, and I'll be announcing the winner of the Alexander Outland: Space Pirate marked up galley in just a few moments. I'll also be sharing who won the Honorable Mention prize, so it's two winners today!

Speaking of winning, there's still time to get your entries in to win any ebook from Erin Kellison, so don't miss out -- click the link or scroll down a bit and get your entry in! Contest closes tomorrow, March 6th.

And speaking of tomorrow, in honor of one of my booth mates at the Tucson Festival of Books, who also happens to be a good pal of mine, we'll have the creator of the "Spacetrawler" comic, Christopher Baldwin, as tomorrow's Spotlight guest. And yes, there will be a giveaway. I know! We are just ALL about the winning this week!

Next on the hit parade, check out my latest column, The Ides of Meh, over at It's Comic Book Day. Then hit Larissa's Bookish Life and see who her favorite book duos are -- and they're not necessarily romantic.

Back at the website, don't faint, but we have a new Playlist up, Newsy Stuff has somewhat new news, and to answer a burning question a whole lot of you have asked me recently, YES, there will be more Creation Agent coming, I swears it upon the memory of the Big Fella and Dementia Kitty. (We now know I mean it.) Team Gini also swears that Sightings in the Wild will be updated before Alien in the House releases (but they didn't swear it on anything, so I remain somewhat skeptical...hopeful, but skeptical...).

And now for what many of you have been waiting for...the winner of the marked up galley of Alexander Outland: Space Pirate by moi writing as G.J. Koch is:

Elizabeth Vrabel

Note to our winner: You have until Sunday, March 10th to check in by sending me an email with your name (first and last) and your full mailing address. If I don't hear from you, the Gods of Random will demand a sacrifice and a new winner will be chosen.

And now, for our Honorable Mention Winner. While all participants made me laugh or go awww, and some of you were darned creative in your various answers, this Member of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing went out of their way to consistently make me snort tea out of my nose through all seven weeks. Said winner will get a choice of one signed and personalized book of any of the 7 offered this week, a totebag with the cover of any of the 7 titles offered this week on it, OR an I Heart the Poofs T-shirt (size 2-1XL). 

So, ratkin, baby, come on down and tell mamma what to send in the Care Package to The Home!

Well, that's it for today, but as we know, there's more on the way. So peace out my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Last Days of Winning Disco

Happy Friday! Well, the weekend is upon us, but before we get to go relax, party, and run a zillion errands, let's do a short and sweet catch up on some things going on all over.

First up, check out a love letter from Martini to Kitty, as envisioned by Julie from My 5 Monkeys over at Vampire Book Club. So cute!

Remember that the Erin Kellison Spotlight interview along with a book giveaway is live right here at the Blah, Blah, Blah Blog (click the link or just scroll down). If you haven't read Erin yet, get entered to win and find a new author. If you have, get entered to win a book of hers you might not have yet. It's a win-win all the way and open to anyone, international included!

Speaking of winning, we're in the last days of the Tidy My Office contest. But, as most of my contests are, this is for Hook Me Up! subscribers only. Not on? Send an email with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line to gini@ginikoch.com and you'll be added on and get the rules sent right out to you so you can get in on the win!

Speaking of fun, you know I've been talking about Arizona Dreamin'. Well, someone else is talking about it today over at StephsBookRetreat. My half-price tickets are gone, but even at full price of $79 for the weekend, this is a great deal. You'll get to hang with moi, our Spotlight author Erin Kellison, Erin Quinn, Amber Scott, Caris Roane, and 15 other amazing authors. Lots of access, lots of fun, so make your plans to join us now!

For those wanting to see the me before May and June, you're in luck, because Tucson Festival of Books is next weekend (how did it get here so quickly?). Come to the 4th largest book fair in the country and see me, a lot of those Arizona Dreamin' authors, and a ton of other cool and famous authors for a weekend at a book lover's Disneyland.

Well, that's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So everyone have a wonderful 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

Spotlight: Erin Kellison

As promised, we have a special treat for you today. The ever-awesome Erin Kellison has dropped by to share with us!

For those who might not know who she is, Erin Kellison is the author of the dark fantasy romance Shadow, Shadow Touch, and Shadow Kissed series. Stories have always been a central part of Erin's life. She attempted her first book in sixth grade, a dark fantasy adventure, and she still has those early hand-written chapters. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English Language and Literature and went on for a masters in Cultural Anthropology, focusing on oral storytelling. When she had children, nothing scared her anymore, so her focus shifted to writing fiction. For excerpts, newsletter, and giveaways, go to www.ErinKellison.com.

Erin, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions. My readers, and my website, appreciate!

GK:  What prompted you to become a writer? Was it voices in your head, a burning desire to tell a story, or just too creative for your own bad self?
EK: Probably all of the above J. Writing has been a passion of mine since I was a kid. I asked for a typewriter for Christmas when I was in fourth grade. I don’t think I got much further than typing the title, but stories have always been part of my life. I always have one going on in my head, and have been known to make them up about strangers I see at stoplights or at adjacent tables in restaurants.  After I had kids I got serious about writing.

GK: What was the first book or piece that you wrote and why? Is it published, being shopped, on the shelf waiting for you to get back to it, or in a heap of ashes at the bottom of the fireplace?
EK: I’ve written a million bits and pieces over the years that are mostly in a trash heap somewhere. I wrote a crime thriller novel with my sister, unpublished. It taught me how to write a novel – it was the first thing I’d ever written that was longer than a few chapters. The first full-length book I wrote myself was also my debut novel, Shadow Bound.

GK: Wow. My first novel that I wrote...was not my debut novel. Or even close to my debut novel...*makes awed face* Moving on! Give us a funny story about writing your latest release. It’s okay if your funny story involves a nervous breakdown as the deadline loomed, btw. I like to relate to my guests.
EK: I was happily working away on Shadow Hunt, my latest release in my Shadow Touch Novella series, making good progress, feeling the story, hitting my writing stride, when I was suddenly thrust into Hell. One night I got crazy sick and was in some serious pain. I went to the ER, absolutely certain I had food poisoning. I wanted the pain to stop. Drugs, please. I have a habit of self-diagnosing, so I told the doctor what I was sure I had, which she promptly disregarded. I always find disregarding my internet-based diagnoses so frustrating, though my track record is not good (two years ago, my “ulcer” was really appendicitis—thank you, Dr. Cheng, for insisting on those tests). Anyway, I had to have my gall bladder removed, so I was pretty far off on the food poisoning.

GK: OMG! So glad you're okay...and that your doctor doesn't listen to you, LOL. So, what’s your most and least favorite things about being an author?
EK: My most favorite part is telling a story. When the writing is coming fast and easy and I’m in the zone, there’s nothing better. My least favorite part is (pick one): stressing over deadlines, the moments where I realize I have to delete entire passages that I’ve worked on for days because they just don’t work, etc.

GK: Yeah, that deleting entire passages thing is not my fave, either. Now, for the biggie. What’s one fact about you that someone who didn’t know you well or hasn’t read this blog wouldn’t know? Make it juicy -- my readers expect.
EK: I love to people-watch and eavesdrop on people when I’m out in public.

GK: So, Eavesdropping Author, can we have an excerpt?
EK: Yes, this excerpt is from Shadow Hunt, part three in my Shadow Touch Novella series:

   Marcie rinsed her chef's knife in the kitchen sink of the Segue Institute, and in a flash of overhead light on the long triangle of steel, she caught the brief reflection of an unfamiliar brown-haired man watching her from the doorway. Something about the tilt of his head signaled stealth and menace. She knew and cooked for everyone at Segue, so…
   Intruder.
   Fear thinned her breath, but her heartbeat didn't jolt, thanks to the beta blockers she was taking for her high blood pressure. She kept her hands steady, gripping the wet handle of the blade in her right.
   She forced herself to turn, the knife uplifted. Drops of rapidly cooling water slid down her arm to amp her spook-born goose bumps.
   She glanced around the kitchen—stainless walk-in fridge, island stacked with clean dishes to put away, double-wide dishwasher open to her left. The corners and cubbies of the kitchen were dark, while the air smelled soapy and water fresh.
   There was no one there.
   Which, after so many years of working there, she knew that meant she had to look harder.
   The Segue Institute was the preeminent research organization for all things paranormal and it was housed in a haunted, renovated turn-of-the-century hotel. The place was supposedly loaded with what the scientists there called Shadow, capital S, a scary word for magic. Dark magic.
   What she'd learned from all their research, however, was to trust the skittish hairs on the back of her neck. And right now they were tingling with a message of imminent danger.
   She reached back and tagged the panic button under the counter and primed herself for the wait. Steam rose from the sink to dampen the back of her T-shirt.
   Everyone either had retired for the night or was downstairs on the research level in a supersecret meeting—not so secret if she knew about it. They might as well have had the meeting in the kitchen, because if she lived through this, she would know the details in bits and pieces by the end of tomorrow anyway. And if she died, she'd take the secrets with her.
   She giggled a little hysterically, then went for an old-fashioned, "Who's there?"
   He wasn't a ghost or a wraith. A ghost, like that mean, hollow-eyed girl who haunted Segue, could scare her but couldn't do much else. And a wraith would've killed her already and eaten her soul. The intruder wasn't beautiful like the angels who'd been in and out of Segue this last year. And the fae were trapped in Twilight.
   Which left something new. Goody. She got to be today's ambassador to the paranormal.
   "Just so you know," Marcie said to the kitchen, "I'm using you for a raise."
   Most of the staff were required to do some defensive training; she was required to feed them. But she was proud of her fast and even chopping skills, had her tool of choice in hand—the only knife a chef needs really—and was prepared to use it, even if she had to flail into open air.
   She held her breath to listen for the slightest movement. Felt something cold … there.
   She struck out as an unearthly light shimmered into sight on the other side of the island. A little girl in gold ringlets and a pinafore appeared out of nowhere, ultrareal yet otherworldly. Segue's ghost. Her eyes were hollow, and her expression was contorted with rage. Behind her face lurked another, that of a grown woman, bitter and violent. Darkness was etched around her as if she were punched out of time.
   "This is my place!" the girl shrieked in the direction of the lasagna dishes on the island.
   The ghost's anger blasted through the air like ripples on water, and for a moment, the intruder was revealed. A man, on the thin side. Average height. He'd recoiled at the ghost's appearance, then glanced at Marcie, and she frowned at his black eyes. Oh. You're one of those. He was clutching a black dagger, ready to kill. And he was now standing close enough to strike.

GK: Oooh, love it! So, what's next for you?
EK: Up next for me is Hotter On The Edge, a sci-fi romance anthology. For excerpts, buy links, and details, visit www.HotterOnTheEdge.com.

GK: Erin, thanks for being here today! And thank you also for your contest, which is open internationally.

Erin will be giving away one e-copy to one lucky commenter, winner's choice of the books at her website, so check out all the prize options and then answer this: What's your favorite thing about shadows?

Contest will run through Wednesday, March 6th. Winner will be announced Thursday, March 7th. Winner will have until Monday, March 11th to respond via email to gini@ginikoch.com with full name, email address, book selected, and requested e-format. If the winner does not reply by the 11th, the Gods of Random will snatch back the prize and demand a new sacrifice.

Pinning Moi Down

Happy Hump Day! This is coming out a little late because, well, there's so much going on it took me a while to gather it all. (Yes, that's my story -- versus "I was up late and got up late and am just running late, late, late" -- I think "so much going on" sounds way better, don't all y'all?) So, let's roll! (Yes, I know, I sound so gangsta when I say that. ;-D)

First up, head over to RT Book Reviews where they've totally done me the honor of including me in their Recommended Science Fiction Romance list! I'm there with some other awesome authors, so check it out and grab some reads you may have missed!

Romancing the Genres has a nice listing of some cons worth attending, including Arizona Dreamin'. I still have one half price ticket available for this year's AZD con, so if you want it, let me know ASAP. It's a great opportunity to hang out with moi and 19 other awesome authors, including Erin Quinn, Erin Kellison, and Caris Roane.

Speaking of Erin Kellison, tune in tomorrow, because she's our featured Spotlight guest. And yes, in addition to learning fun things about her, you'll also have a chance to win one of her excellent books.

Next up, see who Larissa's Bookish Life chose as her Favorite Female Book Characters. Then see what books My 5 Monkeys can't wait for. Then hit Gizmo's Reviews and see who her Top 10 Auto-Buy Authors are.

My awesome assistant Colette (aka She Who is Saving What's Left of My Sanity) has dragged me kicking and whining (but not screaming, so there's that) onto Pinterest. So, check out my Pinterest boards, pin away, and follow me so I can follow you back! In addition to series pins, I have a board for pins from the Alien Collective, recipes and food ideas from the Alien Collective, and pins so you can See The Characters (which I promise to fill in as much as I can :-D) as I do in my mind, or at least, close to.

Remember that this is the last week of the Tidy My Office contest, and the marked up galley for Alexander Outland: Space Pirate by moi writing as G.J. Koch is up for grabs. But it's for Hook Me Up! subscribers only. Not on? Now's really the time to get on. Send an email with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line to gini@ginikoch.com, and you'll be in and get the rules for entry sent right to you.

Speaking of which, it's time to announce the winner of the marked up galley for Alien vs. Alien. So, without further ado, here's who the Gods of Random liked this week:

Kathryn Willadsen

Note to our winner: You have until Sunday, March 3rd to check in by sending me an email with your name (first and last) and your full mailing address. If I don't hear from you, the Gods of Random will demand a sacrifice and a new winner will be chosen.

That's it for today, but more's on the way. Enjoy the downward slide to the weekend, and let's be readers out there! See you tomorrow for a stellar Spotlight, and peace out, my li'l gangstas!

Love,
Gini

TFOB Stuffed Penguin Contest

FOR HOOK ME UP! ONLY -- INTERNATIONAL CONTEST

I went to the Tucson Festival of Books and all you're getting is...well, a lot!

First off, there's a lovely, black, sleek yet sturdy Penguins Classics totebag. And what's in that tote? Lots and lots and lots. Buttons, bookmarks, keychains, a water bottle, and more. Books. Signed books. Books by Erin Quinn, Erin Kellison, Carrie Weaver, Holly Lisle and more! And, you know, a book from me might slip in there, too...you never can tell! ;-D

Contest runs from Thursday, March 17th through Sunday, March 20th. This is an international contest -- as long as you're on Planet Earth, and are on Hook Me Up!, you can enter and win. You must have a deliverable address, though - no P.O. boxes. Prize may take 2-4 weeks to ship; it may take 6-8 weeks for international.

So, Hook Me Uppers!, answer me this: What stuffed animal would you take with you on a trip to visit the A-C Home World and why?

Love, Gini

ADDENDUM: Some of you haven't actually entered the contest yet. Check the last Hook Me Up! emails to ensure you're properly entered entered. (Yes, I'm saying this 'cause several of you who've commented are NOT actually entered as of yet.)