Recap Roundup

Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a great last weekend and a wonderful week. I had a blast at Phoenix Comicon, and we'll get to that recap, along with other things, right now!

Phoenix Comicon was, without a doubt, made of awesome! I had a blast on my panels, the Food With Fans event, and the Evening Erotica event. And the exhibit hall was totally fun and jam packed with things to do and things to buy.

Of course, the highlight was getting to see so many Members of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing both from near and afar (waves to Missy, Paul, and Linda who all came from states away to be with us).

I got to panel with some really awesome authors including -- M.L. Brennan who is a hoot AND a half, Yvonne Navarro, Stephen Blackmoore, Paul Cornell, Richard Kadrey, and Joe Nacisse. I ended up paneling with M.L. Brennan not once, not twice, but three times, and all three of them were tons of fun. She is hilarious!

Photo courtesy of J. Armentani

I got to enjoy the Steampunk Tea Room and ninety minutes in an oasis of relaxation and civilization with BFF Sharon Skinner and Viola Carr and her totes adorbs Aussie accent. Many thanks to Dee Astell and her team for putting on such a lovely event.

I was in the Author's Alley portion of the Artists Wing with new author Austin Aslan, David Lee Summers, Tom Leveen, Michael Stackpole, Weston Oches, James A. Owen, and Paul Cornell, Joe Nacisse and the Lovely Miss Yvonne Navarro again.

Bought some cool jewelry from Geekbella and some cool artwork from Kaiju Rising artist and total sweetie Robert Elrod. (Wanted to shop more but had no time to do so.) And I got to visit with the ever awesome Jonathan Maberry and talk X-Files and Out of Tune 2, and Jamie Wyman and talk about our Holmes novellas coming out this summer. (Jamie's is out in June/July, my "A Study in Starlets" will be out in August, and the third novella will be out in September.)

Food with Fans was at Province in the Westin and the restaurant really rallied when we called two hours before the dinner to share that we, ah, um, had more than double, closer to triple, the number of people that we'd given for our reservation. Food and service were wonderful, and we will definitely be back (and I can heartily recommend Province to anyone who might be coming into town, too).

Photo courtesy of J. Gaxiola

But what, WHAT, was the Evening Erotica event like, asks you? Three hours of raucous hilarity, says I. I recruited M.L. Brennan to join me and she was more than game. And this year we went to Mardi Gras (thanks to MotACiVGS Shawn Sumrall) and it was amazing. We had assistance from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the newest super-group, the Bead Boys.

"The Bead Boys", photo courtesy of M. Katano

Great audience and some excellent euphemisms were had this year, everyone went home with at least one prize, and to the man who wanted to shut us down when we were supposed to stop but let us run an hour over 'cause it was what the crowd demanded -- we're sorry, you're beautiful, and thanks, we won't run over again. Until next time.

I'd tell you more, but most of it's not repeatable in polite company. So make your plans to be with us next year!

Gini & 2 Bead Boys, photo courtesy of M. Katano

From a sales standpoint, it was pretty exciting, too, since I sold out of several titles including Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, A Mother's Wisdom, and The Happy Acres Haunted Hotel for Active Seniors, and came dangerously close to selling out of Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets, Touched by an Alien, and Alien Separation.

As always, couldn't have done it without my fabulous all volunteer crew -- Joseph, Duncan, Andrea, Missy, Brad, Cathy, Edward, and Paul, and many thanks for food, drinks, and sundries to Anne, Janet, Jan, and many of the con staff (who I won't name 'cause they weren't sneaking food & drinks to everyone) (just the sexy people) who kept us going when the booth was hoppin'. And if I've forgotten anyone, blame Con Brain, 'cause I still haz it.

Did you miss seeing the me at Phoenix Comicon somehow? Missed me on book tour? Did not get your hands on a copy of Alien Separation while you were at the con? Well, fear not. Your last chance (for right now, anyway) is just around the corner. On Monday, June 8th, to be exact. Come see the me and get your hands on any and all of the bookie wookies, Alien Separation included (and Happy Acres, for those who wanted a copy after we'd sold out), at the Poisoned Pen from 7-8pm for the End of Tour Party. Which will, yes, include cake (and the cake will not be a lie) and prizes!

For those of you who can't attend in person, the event will be shown via LiveStream, and you'll be able to win prizes, too. Really, there's no excuse not to attend either in person or virtually!

Speaking of which, contest winners have been notified and checked in, for both the Alien Separation contest and the Unidentified Funny Objects 3 contest. But never fear if you didn't win (and never fear if you did), more contests will be on the way!

Amazingly enough, 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

Psst, Wanna Be In One of My Stories?

Happy Tuesday! Well, it's another short and sweet one today! So hang onto your hats and away we go!

First up, the Kickstarter anthology, Unidentified Funny Objects 4 is live and in less than 24 hours two out of my 3 tuckerizations are gone! My story, "Support Your Local Alien", will be an Alien series short, set in my steampunk world, giving you the next adventures of the characters you met in my story in the Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens anthology, "A Clockwork Alien". So, if you want to get in on this and be a character in one of my stories (and unlike many, I tend to not kill off my tuckers but turn them into long-term supporting characters), now's the time!

The UFO4 anthology will also have stories from Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Jody Lynn Nye, Piers Anthony, and more. So don't miss out, get in on this one today! (Also authors, aspiring and otherwise -- UFO4 is accepting submissions for this antho, too, so scroll down to see what they're offering and looking for.)

After you check out this new fun anthology, take a look at what The Bookie Monster thought of one of the first Kickstarter anthos I've been in -- Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, featuring "With Bright Shining Faces" by moi writing as J.C. Koch.

And last but not least, since we're yapping anthologies, you can still get a pre-order in for the Temporally Out of Order anthology, featuring my Alien series short, "Alien Time Warp", which takes place during Alien Separation. Pre-orders are from Zombies Need Brains -- scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find the TOoO pre-order info.

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So let's be anthology and Alien series short story reading readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Cover Premiere Friday

Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a great week. It's been busy over here in Gini Land, and, as our title suggests, we have a cover premiere for all y'all. So let's get to it, shall we? We shall! 

Leah Cannon attended all of the workshops I taught at the SDSU Writer's Workshop in January and she blogged about it, too, over at Leah Can Science. Check it out and discover some of the wisdom I extolled.
 
Then check out Heroes and Heartbreakers to see why they recommend Touched By An Alien as one of their book to read as well as re-read.
 
After that, author Henry Hertz's newest book, Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes from Birch Tree Publishing is now available. It's full of fun stuff for all of us into geek and nerd culture, so have a looksee!

Next up, check out a new review of Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters from United Federation of Charles to see what he thought of all the stories, including With Bright Shinning Faces by moi writing as J.C. Koch.
 
Now for some science! Per IFL Science, mathematician and Father of the Computer Alan Turing’s code-breaking papers were recently discovered by some workers at the multimillion pound restoration project of Bletchley Park. These papers will be going on display soon, right after the Dazzlers have a look at them.
 
Universal Alien is turning out to be fact and not fiction according to a report from The Spirit Science. I'm sure all y'all will agree with me when I say that I told you about it first!  

A reminder for my upcoming in-person schedule of events:

Monday, March 9, 5-6pm PST/8-9 EST - I and the rest of the Paranormal Romance Dream Team will be be participating in another Night Owl Reviews live chat. Last time we gave out lots of prezzies, and I'm sure this time will be no different. The chat will run from 5-6 pm PST/8-9 EST. Don't miss out, it's sure to be a blast and a half!

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. 

My current TFoB Schedule: 

Saturday, March 14, 4-5pm - Making Magic Real: Suspending Reader Disbelief, Integrated Learning Center Room 130; signing immediately after Sales & 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 & 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 & Signing Area - Koffler Patio

Saturday, March 28, 12-4 pm - mass author signing at the Book Vault, 2055 S. Power Road, Entrance #3 in Mesa AZ, featuring moi along with awesome authors Alan Black, Kris Tualla, Deena Remiel, and Melanie Tighe. 

New Sightings in the Wild are up at the website. Have pics to send in? Send 'em to our SuperSightingsGirl, Kelsey, at kelsey@ginikoch.com. She LIVES to get your pics, yes she does!

Last but not least, it's time for what you've been waiting for. Yes! The cover for Alien Separation is here! Check it out over at my Premieres page and revel in its awesome beauty!

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So, enjoy your weekends, for those of you watching the Oscars like I'll be, enjoy the fashions and the fashion disasters, and let's be cover adoring readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Winner, Winner, Antho Dinner

Happy Monday! The entries are tallied, the lists are in, and the Gods of Random have spoken and declared their winners! (And, BTW, I loved all the blog comments, and all y'all had some really good ideas that are now percolating. :-D)

So, without further ado, let's have our drum roll and share the lucky 20 (yes TWENTY) of you who won prizes! (Hey, I told you there'd be extras.)

U.S. Physical Copy Winners -- signed and personalized copy of Unidentified Funny Objects 3 (featuring my story, "Live at the Scene"):

Tess Wooten
Blanca Bernal
Nancy Spradling
Jo Jones 

Honorable Mention U.S. Physical Copy Winner -- for sheer dedication to the cause in terms of meaningful blog comments: 

Shelia Horne

U.S. and International eBook Winners -- winner's choice of one ebook copy of either Unidentified Funny Objects 3 (featuring my story, "Live at the Scene") or Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets (featuring my story, "All the Single Ladies):
Shavana Merrick
Chrysta Stuckless
Kim Roper
Ronald Southwell
Arielle Rae Aguilar
Tamara Baker
Dawn Murphy
Shawn Sumrall
Lori Joyce Parker


Honorable Mention eBook Winners -- Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters (featuring my story, "With Bright Shining Faces", writing as J.C. Koch):
Lynn Crain
Deanna Russell
Matt Payne
Michelle Willms
Christina Callahan
JoAnna Becker

ALL WINNERS PLEASE NOTE: You need to send me an email with specific information outlined in Monday's (10-27) Hook Me Up! newsletter by end of day on Friday, October 31st -- yes, at midnight on Halloween your prize turns into a pumpkin and is reassigned to someone else because the Gods of Random have standards.

Congrats to all the winners and, once again, if you didn't win, take heart. Another contest is coming soon, and it's gonna be out of this world. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more.) (If you get my drift.)

Love,
Gini

Yapping & Winning Time

Happy Thursday!

It's a short and sweet one today! A Buckeye Girl Reads is doing a week long blogoversary event, and I'm up on today's docket. There's a new interview with moi, as well as a chance to win a signed copy of Touched by an Alien, open internationally.


After you've checked out all the ways to win over at ABGR, head over to Kirkus Reviews where they've got a nice write up on Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, which features a story by moi writing as J.C. Koch, as well as other Kaiju collections. 

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. Enjoy the downward slide to the weekend, if you're celebrating Labor Day, enjoy the extra long 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

Pre-San Diego Comic-Con Catch-Up

Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a super week. I got the teaser pages for Alien Separation done and turned in and am reviewing copy edits for Universal Alien while simultaneously doing research for my X-Files story and generally living the writer life.

I'll be at San Diego Comic-Con next week, and, as a reminder, here's my schedule:

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.)

If you're going to be there, be sure to let me know so we can meet up!

Next up, Geeks 4 Good has a great silent auction going on, to help out Oakwood Creative Care, a great place providing alternative innovations in senior care options. In addition to great stuff from a wide variety of folks, including authors Sharon Skinner, Tina Williams, and Marsheila Rockwell, I have an Alien Starter Pack up for grabs (Lot 28) worth $75. Bid often and early, the silent auction only goes until Friday, July 25th.




After you've bid on cool things for a good cause, head on over to something else cool -- the audiobook for Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, which features "With Bright Shining Faces" written by moi writing at J.C. Koch. And news alert...physical copies of Kaiju Rising are on their way and very nearly here!


Next, see what More Geek Than Gay has going on.

After that, head over to the DAW Book Review to see what they thought of Alien in the House.

Then hit The Nameless Zine and see what they thought of the cool collection, Tales of Sand and Sorcery, by my BFF Marsheila Rockwell. Do you need this collection? Yes, yes you do.

That's it for today, and probably for the rest of the month, seeing as for most of it I'm going to be getting ready for, heading to, at, and coming home from Comic-Con. Facebook and Twitter followers will have the best chances of hearing from me while I'm gone, but all y'all will be in my thoughts! So, have a wonderful rest of the month and let's be readers out there while I'm away! Peace out my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the far flip side!

Love,
Gini

Insert Witty Catching Up Title Here

Happy Monday! I know it's been a while (okay, like, um, about 2-3 weeks), but I'm back from Phoenix Comicon AND Universal Alien is done and turned in to the Awesome Editor! Meaning, I get to catch up on all the things, like updating all of you, that I had to let slide to get the bookie wookie in on time. And there's a LOT to catch you up on, so let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

First up, check out the great Table of Contents for Unidentified Funny Objects 3, courtesy of SF Signal featuring "Live at the Scene" by yours truly, moi. It's coming in October, but you can pre-order UFO3 right now! Hint, hint.

Speaking of pre-orders (we always are, trust me), it's never too late or too early to pre-order Universal Alien, coming to your bookstores December 2, 2014. You can also pre-order Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens at the Zombies Need Brains website (scroll down to find the book pre-order), featuring short story that started my writing short stories set in the Kittyverse.Yes, pre-orders matter, a lot, to publishers of all sizes, so pre-order often and early!

Next up, let's check out some reviews! See what Another Castle thought of Kaiju Rising (featuring "With Bright Shining Faces" from moi writing as J.C. Koch). Then see what Zwartraafje thought of Alien in the House. Check out what Gizmo's Reviews thinks are the 10 best books she's read so far in 2014. And last but not least, see what A Succubi's Tale thought of Hotter Than Hell by moi writing as Jemma Chase.

And now it's time for some science! Check out the news about a gigantic underground ocean, or, as I put it, see how Jules Verne was a reporter, not a novelist. Then watch the amazing time lapse video of a Stellar Explosion or, as I put it, see Sandy up close and personal. Then, once again proving my hard science fiction and Star Trek loving grandma right in that what man can imagine, man can create, check out the real life Enterprise that's set to take us where, um, no man has gone before (ACE allowing).

My San Diego Comic-Con schedule will be finalized soon, so keep the eyeballs peeled. See as many of you as possible there!

Have you made your plans to hit CopperConFANtasm August 22-24? You should, 'cause I'm an author guest and it's going to be a fun, intimate con. This is the con where you get to hang out with all the authors, artists, and scientists because that's just how it rolls.

Chicago Area Peeps -- I will be there at the end of September (25th-30th); book signing dates are (hopefully) getting set up, but if you're there, let me know so you can see the me and I can see the you! I am NOT in this part of the country very often (um, this would be the first time in at least 10 years), so if you're in the Greater Chicago Metro and Outlying Areas, this will likely be your only chance, so let's be sure to make it happen! And yes, if you have a local bookstore that wants me to do a signing during this time, let me know and we'll do what we can to make that happen.

More in-person announcements are coming, as well, so stay tuned!

And now, finally, it's time for my extremely belated Phoenix Comicon wrap-up. The con was wonderful and it was great to see so many of the Alien Collective out in force! I'd list everyone here, but there were a LOT of you, so just know that I loved seeing (and hugging) you all and cannot wait for the next time!

And speaking of "out in force"...we had almost 79,000 people attend. So, yeah, it was big, and it was great, too. But don't just take my word for it. See what Rissa Watkins thought of it, too. I got to have breakfast in the con's guest suite with two very nice guys who happened to be Billy Tucci and Mark Evanier. Mark in particular was extremely gracious and we had an interesting chat about editors and deadlines. He even stopped by my booth to tell me he'd enjoyed meeting me, and wrote about his con experiences as well at News From Me.

I got to panel and hang out with and at least say hi and give hugs to a ton of cool authors and some artists, and because this is already scary long I'm just going to do the roll call here: L.E. Modesitt, Jr.; Seanan McGuire; Jim Butcher; John Scalzi; Wesley Chu; Marsheila Rockwell; Jordan Summers; T.L. Smith; Patrick Rothfuss; Myke Cole; Amber Benson; Tom Leveen; Weston Ochse; Yvonne Navarro; David Lee Summers; Joe Nacisse; Leanne Renee Hieber; Kris Neri; Robert Elrod; Mike MacLean; Zachary Jernigan; Gilead; Ed Erdelac; Jaye Wells; and many more besides who I am forgetting because I have had to sleep, and had to write a lot, since then.

Everyone was awesome and I loved all my panels, but one of my favorite things was doing my impromptu Food with Fans event which I plan to make a "thing" and have happen every year, because it was so much fun this year and last year, too.

Sadly, I did NOT get to hang out with either Nathan Fillion, Stephen Amell, John Barrowman, Michael Rooker, or Carey Elwes. Because I was hella busy, that's why. Yes, all my friends have pics with Nathan or John or Stephen. I have pics with my fans, and I'm happy about that :-D. I DID, however, get to share an elevator with Danny Glover (that man is TALL) and walked by and spoke to John Rhys Davies (that man is TALL and HANDSOMER in person than on screen). I may have had other celebrity sightings or moments, but if I did, they're just moon dust now. Next year the con is May 28-31 -- don't miss it!

Finally...that's it for today. But, as always, more's on the way. So stay tuned, have a fantastic week, and let's be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Funny Fest

Happy Friday!

Well, I'm about to head to Tucson Festival of Books but before I go, there's been a lot going on, so I'm going to catch all y'all up before I hit the road. 'Cause I'm just that nice a girl.

First up, it's been Gini Week over at Word of the Nerd. Check out a cool interview with yours truly combined with their review of the Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters anthology, which includes "With Bright Shining Faces" by moi writing as J.C. Koch. Then check out their reviews of Touched by an Alien, Alien Tango, and my newest release, Random Musings from the Funny Girl, which is my first ever humor collection, available now!

Then, still on reviews, see what Daydreams of a Cluttered Mind thought of Alien Tango, what Swept Away Again thought of The Night Beat and several other January reads, and which 5 books Bitten By Books honored for Flashback Thursday. And check out the latest bestsellers from Locus Online where Alien Research is making a move up!

Now, check out the io9 feature on the "One Way" web comic, created by my good friend and all around awesome guy Christopher Baldwin. And check out his comics -- they're subversively funny and wickedly cool. 

For those of you making the trek to one of the largest book fairs in the country, aka the Tucson Festival of Books, be sure to come see the me while you're there!

My schedule:
Saturday
9:30 am - 12:30 pm Valley of the Sun Booth #s 107, 108, 109, 118, 119, and 120
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm How Do You Do It? Writing Fast and Writing Well, Koffler Room 216
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm Signing area: Sales & Signing Area #6 - Koffler Patio
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm A Knight, a Zombie and a Klingon Walk into a Bar: Writing Genre Comedy, Integrated Learning Center Room 150
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm Sales & Signing Area #4 - Integrated Learning Center 
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Werewolves, Witches and Aliens: Putting the Magic in Romance, Integrated Learning Center Room 141
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm Sales & Signing Area #4 - Integrated Learning Center
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm Valley of the Sun Booth #s 107, 108, 109, 118, 119, and 120

Sunday
9:30 am - 11:30 am Valley of the Sun Booth #s 107, 108, 109, 118, 119, and 120
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Poisoned Pen Bookstore, Booth #270, 271, 272
1:30 pm - 6:00 pm Valley of the Sun Booth #s 107, 108, 109, 118, 119, and 120

That's it for today, but more's on the way! See some of you at the Festival this weekend, all of you enjoy the slide into 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

It's Funny Time

Hey there! Well, as promised, we have a lot going on today. Including but not limited to the winners of my Coastal Magic Con contest. But more on that later. (Oh, not much later. Stop whining.)

First up, a big announcement happened over at Amy Lane's Yarning to Write blog yesterday, discussing a lot of new March releases. But because some of you may be impatient to know why I'm caring about March releases, it's because I have one. My first humor collection, Random Musings from the Funny Girl, is now available in both trade paperback and ebook! Yes, it's true, and if you've ever wanted to know the inner workings of my mind, or just what I find funny, this book is for you.

Now, it's live interview time! Head over to More Geek Than Gay, where you can listen to or watch their 50th and 51st video podcasts. Why should you tune in? Both feature a two-part exclusive live and in person interview with moi, that's why! Check out Episode 50 audio, Episode 50 YouTube, Episode 51 audio, and Episode 51 YouTube for all the fun!

Next up, it's the Writing Process Blog Tour. If you missed last week's entry from T.C. Blue go check it out now. Then hit yesterday's post here at the Blah, Blah, Blah Blog for information on my so-called process. You'll also find the links to next week's entrants, authors Marsheila Rockwell, T.L. Smith, and T.M. Williams

After that, see which series Larissa's Bookish Life doesn't want to end. Then see who Gizmo's Reviews picks as the top 10 female characters in all genres. 

Now it's time for some reviews and such of Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, which includes my story, "With Bright Shining Faces", written as J.C. Koch. See what Fantasy Book Review and Mass Movement Magazine think of the anthology. Then head over to Delirium Tremens where you can get a sample of Ed Erdelac's story.

Now for something a little different. My critique partner's husband (Andrew Dovichi) is a cool game designer, and he, along with other hotshots in the gaming industry, was interviewed by Polygon in a really interesting article about checkpoints and why they're good, bad, and many times ugly.

Big reminder that I'll be at the Tucson Festival of Books March 15 and 16. It looks like all my panels will be on Saturday the 15th but that could change. I'll be signing at the Poisoned Pen's booth on Sunday (I believe), times to come. And you can find me all the rest of the time at the gigantic Valley of the Sun booth, #s 107, 108, 109, 118, 119, and 120. If you're anywhere near Tucson next weekend, don't miss this Festival or your chance to see the me!

Last but in no way least, the Gods of Random have chosen the winners of the Coastal Magic Con Contest. So, without further delay, but with a nice drum roll, a big whoo hoo of congrats, and some tossing of confetti, here they are:

U.S. Winner: Brenda Hyde

International Winner: Dawn Murphy

Winners, you have until this Sunday, March 9th, to send me an email confirming your win, with the US winner providing their full mailing address and the international winner providing both their email address and what eformat they would like to get their books in. If the prizes are not claimed by the due date, the Gods of Random will demand a sacrifice and choose another winner. Meaning you will be sad and someone else will be very happy.

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. Peace out my li'l gangstas, and let's be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

My Writing Process Blog Tour

Thanks to awesome author T.C. Blue who I met at Coastal Magic Con and bonded with over a wide variety of alcohols, I've been tagged into a gigantic Writing Process Blog Tour. As I've learned, T.C. can usually be found sitting in front of her computer, trying to wrangle rabid and numerous plot bunnies, though her muses insist that she not be too hard on the poor little fluffy things. (Poor little fluffy things with sharp teeth and claws, but whatever. Muses don’t seem to care much about the possible bloodshed if the bunnies think T.C.'s not writing quickly enough.) Clearly she's my kind of gal.

But, enough stalling, right? Of course right. So, here you go -- the questions and my answers.

1) What am I working on?
So many things at the same time. But mostly Book 10 of my Alien/Katherine "Kitty" Katt series, Universal Alien. And a variety of short stories for a variety of awesome anthologies & eZines, including 221 B Baker Streets, Penumbra eZine, Kaiju Rising II, UFO3, and more. And yes, yes, yes, Night Music and Alexander Outland: Space Avenger. (No, I never sleep.) And I'm prepping for Tucson Festival of Books, and the releases of Penumbra's May issue, Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens, and Alien Collective.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre? 
They're the best books ever written and a deal at twice the price!

No? Okay then. Mostly I differ from most science fiction because my books are funny, have a ton of action, and a lot of romance, and some of them (but not all) have extremely steamy sex.

3) Why do I write what I do? 
Because I have no choice. I try to write in all the genres -- and I do -- but at least 85% of the time it comes out as science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, or horror. I try to write seriously -- and I do -- but at least 75% of the time it comes out funny. So, I gave up and just accepted that I'm science fiction's funny girl and rolled on with the writing.

4) How does your writing process work?
Ah ha. Ahahaha. Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Um, I have no real process. I put on the right music (right now, as I write this, it's Panic! At the Disco, for example), I figure out my title, I write the first line...and when I get to the end...I stop. That's pretty much it. I edit as I go along. I'm an extreme linear writer and while I'll kind of outline short stories, I never outline novels. And I don't think that's ever going to change. Because if I know what happens, as in, I wrote down what happens, I don't care anymore. And I'm sure we don't want that, now, do we?

Up next week you'll get a dose of the same from these three awesome authors -- Marsheila Rockwell, T.M. Williams, and T.L. Smith. A little bit about the gals following me:  

Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell is the author of The Shard Axe series, the only official novels that tie into the popular MMORPG, Dungeons & Dragons Online. She also had two original short story/poetry collections published in 2013 and is currently hard at work on the second book in a trilogy based on an exciting comic book property created by one of the biggest names in fantasy today.  

T.M. Williams was born, 30 some odd years later she started writing and hasn't stopped since. She is the author of the Bohemian Grove trilogy; an ancient alien adventure, Undead Winter, and the Moonlight series. She is also a freelance business journalist, blogger extraordinaire, copywriter, and lover of cupcakes.

T.L. Smith writes Science Fiction, often from a military perspective, but with a touch of romance. Her insight into military culture came after a stint in the U.S. Air Force but the only vacuum her characters live in, is on the other side of the airlock. Come visit her vision of future worlds as we throw ourselves out into the universe.Their posts will go live on Monday, March 10th. So don't miss out on their answers to these questions!

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and let's be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Overdue Recapping with a Bonus

Hey there! I know, I know, I've been MIA. Had a lot to do the moment I got back from Coastal Magic Con, and then many other things were going on. How many? Let's find out! Oh, and read on until the end, because you'll be glad you did.

First up, I can't remember if I've mentioned this before or not, but the nominees for the RT Book Lover's Reviewer's Choice Awards are in, and Alien in the House is up for Best Futuristic Romance! As always, I'm thrilled that one of my books has made the cut into the finalists. Go check out all the books nominated -- there are some fantastic reads in this year's nominees!

Next up, let's check out some reviews! See what Shiny Book Review thought of Kaiju Rising, which features a short story by moi writing as J.C. Koch. Then see what Wicked Little Pixie, Fresh Fiction, Mixed Book Bag, and Bitten By Books thought of Alien Research. 

Speaking of Kaiju Rising, the ebook version is available now! So get your copy today, you'll be glad you did!

Then see what new covers have Addicted 2 Heroines excited. And check out the article in the Arizona Daily Star about the upcoming Tucson Festival of Books including information on one of my three panels.

Now, head over to Southwest Magazine where Alien Collective Member in Very Good Standing and Lego Builder Extraordinaire Mariann Asanuma is one of many cool folks interviewed about, what else, Building Lego. And after that, see what cool author Amy Lane had to say about and coming home from Coastal Magic.

Speaking of Coastal Magic, it was made of awesome. I had so much fun with Members of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing Michele, Joe, Lisa, Jo, Bill, and more! And I got to speed date and catch up with Shannon K. Butcher, hang out with the amazing Queen of SFR Linnea Sinclair, the wickedly cool James R. Tuck, the lovely and talented Janice Hardy, the wild and wooly T.C. Blue, and the aforementioned cool Amy Lane.

And, because I had such a good time, I'm going to share some of that fun with all of you. Yes, that's right...I'm talking contest time, baby! And for this one, there will be 2 big winners. One U.S., one International.

The U.S. winner will receive signed copies of the following:
The first 3 books of the Deacon Chalk Occult Bounty Hunter Series by James R. Tuck -- Blood and Bullets, Blood and Silver, and Blood and Magick
The first 2 books of the Shifter Series by Janice Hardy -- The Shifter, and Blue Fire
3 books from Linnea Sinclair -- An Accidental Goddess, Shades of Dark, and Hope's Folly
1 book from Amy Lane -- A Solid Core of Alpha
Plus some swag, mostly courtesy of Ms. Cool, Amy Lane
That's 9 signed books plus swag!

The International Winner will receive ebook copies of the following:
Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, from J.C. Koch, aka moi
The Keeping Promise Rock Series from Amy Lane -- Keeping Promise Rock, Making Promises, Living Promises, and Forever Promised
The Talker Series from Amy Lane -- Talker, Talker's Redemption, and Talker's Graduation
The first 2 books in the FGC Spy Series from T.C. Blue -- A Game of Chances, and A Game of Skills
Trine, from T.C. Blue
Making It Up, from T.C. Blue
That's 12 ebooks!

Doesn't it sound awesome? Because it is! It's also for Hook Me Up! subscribers only. Not on? Clearly now's the time to get on! Send an email with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line to gini@ginikoch.com and you'll be on the list and sent the contest entry rules.

So, for those on Hook Me Up! who've read and followed the entry rules and all that jazz, riddle me this: In your opinion, what's the most magical thing about reading?

Good luck to all, and let's be winning readers out there!

Love,
Gini

LEGALESE

Contest will run Thursday, February 20th through Friday, February 28th. Winners will be announced by Tuesday, March 4th, and have until Sunday, March 9th to reply -- any prize not claimed by then will be pulled back by the Gods of Random and a new winner(s) will be chosen.

This both a U.S. and an international contest -- as long as you're on Planet Earth, you can enter and win. You must have a deliverable address, though - no P.O. boxes. Prize may take 2-4 weeks to ship to the U.S. winner. International winner will be contacted by the authors providing the books to determine format, etc., within 2 weeks of the winner's claiming their prize.

Collective Kaiju

Hey there! Hope everyone had a great week last week, a wonderful weekend, and are having a fantastic week this week. I had a fabulous time at the SDSU Writers' Conference. But before I tell you about that, there's LOTS of exciting things going on, so let's get to them!

First up, I'm super excited to share a Kaiju-Level Big Reveal: the cover for Alien Collective! Check it out over at my Premieres page! And remember, it's never too early to pre-order, either online or from your favorite bookstore!

After that, The Writer Librarian is talking about Alien Research, and Feeling Fictional, Bring on the Books, and Open Book Society all have new reviews of the bookie wookie up as well.

The SDSU Writers' Conference was great. In addition to getting to spend tons of time with the Awesome Editor, I also got to run the yap with the fantastic and talented Susan Squires, Jennifer Ashley, Erin Quinn, and Mark A. Clements, and hang out with authors Shelley Coriell, Jeff Mariotte, Henry Herz, and Lisanne Norman. All this PLUS I got to spend time with several Members of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing including Glen, Allison, Joseph, and Mariann. All while celebrating my birthday in style. It was a fantastic weekend, and if you're an aspiring author or one on the brink, I can't recommend this conference highly enough.

Of course, there was more to the trip than just the conference. For all that plus many things geeky and nerdy, check out the latest edition of More Geek Than Gay either in audio or on YouTube. Then, for a little retro (as in earlier this month) fun, check out Blogging With Badger and his brush with fame via The Dish -- read all the way to the end for the big reveal!

Speaking of reveals, the ebook version of Kaiju Rising is out to the Kickstarter backers, as is the final cover for the physical books! Head over to SF Signal to get a bigger look, and get ready to read my short story, "With Bright Shining Faces" by moi writing as J.C. Koch along with a ton of other awesome shorts soon, very soon. (Perhaps sooner than you think...)

Speaking of Kickstarter anthologies (oh, yes we were), there's still time to get in on Unidentified Funny Objects 3. And there are still a couple of tuckerizations of mine left, so if you want to be immortalized in some way in the story I'll be writing for this anthology, or just see what I and all the other awesome authors involved do with it, then head on over and fund as you're able.

Speaking of short stories (yes, we definitely were), I'm doing several for Penumbra eZine this year. And why do you care, aside from the fact that it's moi writing them? You care because each and every one of them will be set in the Alien series universe. That's right -- the Clockwork Universe anthology has sparked a trend! AND, the first one, coming out in May (just like Clockwork Universe, and Alien Collective), will be something you've all been waiting for -- how Reader met Gower. I know! It's too happy to be true! But wait! There's more!

Each month Penumbra offers you fantastic fiction on a theme. And right now, they're offering you The Gini Special -- instead of paying $3.99 an issue, you'll get a year's subscription for just $24.00; that's half price. But there's more! You'll also get the Best of Penumbra 2012 AND 2013. That's a full year's subscription for half price plus two free Best Of collections and three Alien series shorts that will only be available in Penumbra...as long as you use this coupon code (exactly as shown here) when you order: 2014Gini  
 
This offer is good only through August 1, 2014, so don't miss out and get your subscription going today!

Last but in no way least, a reminder that I'll be heading to Daytona Beach, FL and Coastal Magic Con in a week. Looking forward to seeing many of you there! If you haven't registered but still want to go, send me an email, and I'll give you the legal "back door" into registration.

That's it for today, but as always, there's more on the way. So enjoy the downward slide towards the weekend, those who watch enjoy the Superbowl and its commercials, and let's all be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Last Days of...

Hey there! Yet another short and sweet one today. I know! I either save it all up and you don't hear from me for a week or more, or I dribble it out, one little thing at a time. It's all down to my whim and the timestamps on the "things".

In this case, we have two timestamps! Number one -- hit Books Make Me Happy for the third and final day of the Coastal Magic con giveaway featuring dinner with moi. Today's the last day to enter and win, and the winners from Days 1 and 2 are already announced, so this puppy moves fast!

Our other timestamp is on the Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters Kickstarter. We're down to the last 2 days, and the last few hundred dollars to make the last stretch goal, which is some awesome, Kaiju Rising specific, full color artwork. This is a great anthology, filled with awesome authors including moi, writing as J.C. Koch. So if you haven't funded yet, today's really the day. Check it out, you'll be glad you did! 

Last but in no way least, check out the covers Gizmo's Reviews is loving on right now.

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So enjoy the upcoming 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

Kaiju Humping

(Made you look.)

Happy Hump Day! Another short and sweet one today, but still managing to be action-packed. So let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

First up, it's Day 2 of the Alien Research Cover Reveal Contest over at Books Make Me Happy. Yesterday's winner is already chosen and announced, so get on it and get entered to win dinner with moi at the Coastal Magic con in February.

BTW, in case you'd like to see the cover along with its full back cover blurb, head over to the Alien Collective Virtual HQ for a looksee and the teaser for what's coming in December.

The Kaiju Rising Kickstarter is down to its last 3 days and last stretch goal. We've unlocked all authors and stories, and we're less than $725 away from getting some amazing new, full color artwork for supporters. So check it out and fund now if you're able, because this is gonna be huge!

Last but not least, see what Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens Kickstarter contributor Alligators and Aneurysms -- love that name! -- thought of one of the prizes for contributors: A Cup of Joe by Anita Ensal (yes, that's moi).

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

Love,
Gini