On the Road Again

Hey there, everyone! Well, this is the last missive before I go off on Book Tour. I'll be checking in as I can, but not nearly as much as recently. So, you know, don't worry or anything. :-D

Actually, come see the me! On Saturday, Dec. 6th I'll be at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego, CA at 2pm for the Universal Alien Party. We'll have games, prizes, and cake! And if you're out of town and missed getting a signed book ordered, Mysterious Galaxy has you covered, just call or email and order!

After that I'll be bouncing around Los Angeles, and then off to Las Vegas, for my signing with half of the Wyked Women Who Write -- T.L. Smith and Sharon Skinner. We'll be at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Henderson, NV, from 1-4pm on Saturday, Dec. 13th. Again we'll have prizes, games, and cake, but we're also doing a workshop as well as signing books, so if you're an aspiring author, or an author who just wants to hear more "this is how we do it" stuff, come on down, too!

Then I'll be home again, in time for my last official tour stop at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore at Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix, AZ, at 7pm on Wednesday, Dec. 17th. Prizes and games for sure. Still checking on the cake situation, but there will at least be candy, so it's all good!

Haven't read Universal Alien yet? Have read it? Either way, check out what Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell thought of it! Also, Universal Alien needs your vote! Head over to Addicted 2 Heroines and vote for Kitty and Universal Alien as the Hottest Heroine Cover of 2014!

BTW, if you missed seeing the me at the Poisoned Pen on Tuesday, you can still check out the LiveStream recording! It's broken up because of, well, honestly, a crazy dog lady. But most of the interview and party is there, and we had a blast, so check it out!

After that, see what Lu's Buchgefluster thought of Alien Diplomacy and Alien vs. Alien. And yes, yes, bring along Google Translate. Then see which anthology I'm in that The Passionate Foodie chose as one of the best of the year.

Speaking of being out of town, the appearance rota never stops (not that I'm really complaining -- I like getting the chance to see all y'all out in the wild), so mark these upcoming 2015 appearances on your calendars now.

Book signing with Gini Koch & Erin Quinn -- Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, San Diego, CA, Thursday, January 22n, at 7pm

San Diego State University Writer's Conference -- Jan. 23-25, San Diego, CA; teaching Finding Your Voice, World Building in SF/F/H, and Short Story and Novella Writing workshops

Tucson Festival of Books -- March 14-15, Tucson, AZ; in The Dreams Convention booth all weekend, tentative panel schedule:
--Saturday, March 14th, 4:00-5:00pm, Integrated Learning Center Room 130 - Making Magic Real: Suspending reader disbelief
How to make imaginary things so real you can touch them
Panelists: Gail Carriger, Gini Koch, Dennis McKiernan
Signing immediately following the panel
--Sunday, March 15th, 11:30am-12:30pm, Integrated Learning Center Room 141 - I Got Nuthin': Battling Writer's Block
How do you deal with writers block? Ask the professionals
Panelists: Gini Koch, Dennis McKiernan
Signing immediately after, Sales & Signing Area #4 - Integrated Learning Center
--Sunday, March 15th, 2:30-3:30pm, Koffler Room 216 - Paranormal, Urban Fantasy & SciFi
A Different Kind of Screaming
Panelists: Gini Koch, Erin Quinn, Cynthia Garner
Signing immediately following the panel, Sales & Signing Area #6 - Koffler Patio

And last but not least, let's have some science! See what the Huffington Post article about the Black Hole Universe (well, that's my take on it, anyway) has to say about all things wormholey. Algar thinks you need to educate, just in case.

That's it for today, but more's on the way next week. So, everyone enjoy the race to the weekend, see some of y'all at Mysterious Galaxy, others all over L.A., and some more of y'all in the Vegas area. And for the rest of you, let's be Universal Alien reading readers out there! Peace out, my li'l ganstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Conning For Fun, Frolic, and Education

Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone had a great week last week, an even better weekend, and that this week is going swimmingly. Before and after DarkCon (which was made of awesome!) I've been busy with edits and related activities around Alien Collective, and getting Universal Alien started (Standard Operating Reminder: It's never, EVER, too early to pre-order!), but before I head off for the SDSU Writers' Conference, I wanted to catch you up on all that's been and is going on.

First off, I'm in a new Kickstarter campaign, UFO3 -- Unidentified Funny Objects 3. AND, as has become my standard, there are three tuckerizations up for grabs. (Note: at this time, not sure if this short is going to be in the Alien universe, the Alexander Outland universe, the Necropolis Enforcement Files universe, or an entirely standalone story. It may depend on whose names are used...) So check it out, and please support if you're able!

Speaking of DarkCon (I was earlier, trust me), it was incredibly fun. Probably the most fun I've had a con ever, and that's saying a lot. The Firefly vs. Dr. Who Smackdown and Evening Erotica/The Euphemism Game were highlights, but really, everything I did at DarkCon was fun, interesting, cool, or all three. And the end of con Pajama Party was DA BOMB. This con is only done once every other year, so I suggest making plans now to be here in 2016, because you'll be glad you did.

In addition to getting to panel with the wonderful Michael Stackpole, Marcy Rockwell, T.M. Williams, T.L. Smith, and Chris Swanson, I got to hang with some fantastic members of the Alien Collective, all in Very Good Standing -- Andrea and Duncan Rittschof, Hal and Dee Astell, Joseph Gaxiola and Edward Pulley, Brad Jensen, Javier, Rob Palsma, and, coming from very far away, Colette Chmiel, Missy Katano, Paul Sparks, Terry Lopez, and Betty Russell, plus many more who were both working and attending the con. Many thanks to Hal and Edward for their fantastic moderating, too! Made new friends, had a blast with old ones, got to snuggle up to Adrian Paul (who is NOT aging...seriously, this dude is clearly a vampire, and a hot, nice, charming one, at that), and generally had the best time. DarkCon for the win!

But don't just take my word for it. Check out More Geek Than Gay either via audio or YouTube for a full conference recap, complete with clips. These guys were taking care of my table during the con, so trust me, they have lots of scoop!

Speaking of audio things you may have missed, I was interviewed by the Blog Goddess last week. Check out the replay -- there were some great questions asked by the Goddess and from those phoning in.

Speaking of cons, it's not too late to get down to Daytona Beach February 6-9 for Coastal Magic. TONS of UF/PNR/SFR & other awesome authors will be there, including moi. If you want to go but missed the registration deadline, drop me a note -- I know a (legal) "back door" in for registration and we'll get you set up and all in! It's going to be tons of fun, including the Dress As Your Character party, where I will be, yes, going as Kitty.

Speaking of interviews, check out the latest one from the Nameless Zine featuring my BFF, awesome author Marsheila Rockwell.

Then, see what A Buckeye Girl Reads thought of Alien Research. And stop by and see what Larissa's Bookish Life chose as her favorite book covers of 2013.

Speaking again of cons, the Tucson Festival of Books is right around the corner, March 15-16. I've currently got 3 panels, 4 signings, and I'll be in the Arizona Dreamin' booth again all the rest of the time, so there will be a ton of chances to see the me there. It's the 4th largest book fair in the country, and brings in a fantastic number of authors, so be sure to make plans to attend!

More news is on the way once I get back from San Diego. Until then, 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

2014's Starting Off Busy

Happy New Year! I know, that was so last week ago, right? However, as long as it's January, it's still new in my book. And speaking of my books, there's much going on, so let's get caught up, shall we? We shall.

First, a reminder that I'll be the Local Author Guest of Honor at DarkCon this weekend. For those dropping by, or still considering dropping by, here's my schedule: 

 

VIP Party & Raffle, Thursday 6p-10p, DarkSuite room #1014
Grand Opening Gala, Thursday, 9pm – ??, Yuma 
Kaffee Klatsche, Friday 3p-4p, Terrace
Self-Publishing Tips from the Trenches, Friday 5p-6p, Sagebrush
SF vs. Fantasy in Literature,Friday 6p-7p, Yuma
VIP Brunch, Saturday, 11a-12:30p, Yuma
Autographing, Saturday, 1p-2p, Merchant’s Room, my table
Kaffee Klatsche, Saturday, 3p-4p, Terrace
Dr. Who vs. Serenity Smackdown, Saturday, 4p-6p, Sagebrush
Evening Erotica w/Gini & Tina, Saturday, 6p-8p, Sagebrush
Aliens Among Us, Sunday 10a-11a, Sagebrush
Autographing, Sunday, 11a-Noon, Foyer
Worlds of Gini Koch, Sunday, Noon-1:30p, Sagebrush
Writing Different Lengths in Multiple Genres, Sunday 1:30p-2:30p, Sagebrush

I will also have a table in the Merchant's Room: 
Friday, 10a-7p
Saturday, 10a-7p
Sunday, 10a-4p

Right after DarkCon I head to San Diego for the SDSU Writers' Conference, January 24-26. I'll be on these panels -- all on Saturday, January 25th (happy birthday to me! LOL), times and rooms still TBD:
Science Fiction/Fantasy--To Infinity and Beyond
The Hybrid Author--Publishing in Both Traditional and Indy Arenas
Speculative Fiction: The Weird, The Wild and the Scare-You-to-Death

Once I'm back from that, I head out again in February to Coastal Magic, Feb. 6-9; Tucson Festival of Books, Mar. 15-16; my Mini Book Tour for the release of Alien Collective, most dates TBD but I'll be at Mysterious Galaxy San Diego on Saturday, May 10 for their 21st Annual Birthday Bash, and at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach doing a signing at 7:30 on Monday, May 12, for sure; Phoenix Comicon, June 5-8; and San Diego Comic-Con, July 23-27. So far.

Now, on to some things that don't require travel! See what Bibliognome, Gizmo's Reviews, and Seeing Night Reviews thought of Alien Research. Then see what klondykewriter thought of Touched by an Alien.

Then check out what Larissa's Bookish Life thinks are the best books of 2013. And see which are the top 10 books that Gizmo's Reviews wishes Santa had brought her.

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. See some of you at DarkCon this weekend. The rest of you enjoy the downward slide towards 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

Kaiju Faculty

Happy Hump Day! It's a short one today, but, as my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, it's action-packed, so let's get to it without delay!

First up, I turned my Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters Kickstarter story in yesterday. The anthology is almost fully funded -- but not quite. However, there's more. Trust me when I say that y'all both want to get this and all y'all also want it to reach the stretch goals. Why? Because at the first stretch goal every story -- EVERY story -- will be illustrated. And check out the AWESOME artist who will be illustrating my J.C. Koch story, none other than the uber-talented Chuck Lukacs!   

Check out his artwork, and then realize how much you MUST have a book that combines his art with my writing. You must, you MUST! And there are other awesome specials to be unlocked as well, so if you haven't funded yet, please head over and get in on this now. And if you have, please encourage your friends and family to join in and get their hands on what promises to be one of the best anthologies around!

Next, I told you on Monday that I had another in-person announcement coming, and I do and now's the time. I'll be one of the presenting author faculty at the San Diego State University Writers' Conference, January 24-26, 2014. If you're an aspiring author, this is one of the best conferences you can attend, so don't miss your chance to see the me, meet tons of agents and editors (including my awesome editor from DAW), and generally have a great time learning. Oh, and to add some more incentive -- this conference happens over my birthday weekend, so if you're there, you'll be partying with me. SUCH a deal!

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! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini