I Ain't Ded 2016/SDCC 2016 Schedule

Hey there! Don't faint, I'm still alive.

I know, it's been ages. I've been busy (read: been horrifically late on yet another book but it's finally turned in). Hoping the first half of 2016 has been good to all of you (and, let me just say right now that I cannot BELIEVE that I have not done one of these all year, but, um, it's been an intense year so far). I have tons going on. I have no time to tell you about it yet. I swear to all the Gods and Monsters that I will catch all y'all up on all the things once I'm home from San Diego Comic-Con, where I go tomorrow.

BUT, until then, and for those of you who might be going or have friends, family, or acquaintances going, here's my SDCC schedule.

Wednesday, July 20, Preview Night Author signing Camp Alien and all the other bookie wookies at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore booth 1119, 6-9pm. Preview night special: If you buy 3 books or more (don't all have to be mine, just have to be available at the MG booth), you get an exclusive Gini Koch totebag. It's large, it has a Poof on it, and you know you want it.





Thursday, July 21, Signing The Night Beat and Alexander Outland: Space Pirate while showing off all the cool things they have in their Gini Koch Collection (including an amazing expandable Poof Tote) at Museum of Robots booth 4634 (near the big Warner Bros. booth), 11:30am-12:00pm

Friday, July 22, Signing The Night Beat and Alexander Outland: Space Pirate while showing off all the cool things they have in their Gini Koch Collection (including an amazing expandable Poof Tote) at Museum of Robots booth 4634 (near the big Warner Bros. booth), 11:30am-12:00pm

Saturday, July 23, Signing The Night Beat and Alexander Outland: Space Pirate while showing off all the cool things they have in their Gini Koch Collection (including an amazing expandable Poof Tote) at Museum of Robots booth 4634 (near the big Warner Bros. booth), 11:30am-12:00pm

Saturday, July 23, Worldbuilding: Creating Realistic Fantasy Settings panel, Room 9, 2-3pm -- come see the me, Scott Sigler, Seanan McGuire, Claudia Christian, Brandon Mull, and Jon Skovron yap about how we do all the things we do, moderated by Cindy Pon!

Saturday, July 23, Worldbuilding Panel Autograph Session, Sails Pavilion, AA09, 4-5pm

Sunday, July 24, Signing Camp Alien and all the other bookie wookies at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore booth 1119, 2-3pm

Hope to see some of the Alien Collective there. If you want to stay abreast of what's going on while I'm at the con, Facebook and Twitter will be your best bets.

Hope all of you have a fantastic time while I'm gone. Hope I'll get that contest I've been promising actually going.  Hope I'm not going another 6+ months without catching all y'all up on the madness that is Life With Gini. :-D So, until the next time (cross the digits that it's in about 2 weeks), let's be readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Smackdown in the House

Happy Hump Day! Kitty's in a contest and she needs your help. That's right, it's the Supernatural Smackdown over at Dark Faerie Tales and Kitty needs your votes to win -- and the voting is ONLY open until Friday!

And, to encourage said votes, there's lots of giveaways -- winner's choice of any book in the back list (Touched by an Alien, Alien Tango, Alien in the Family, Alien Proliferation, Alien Diplomacy, or Alien vs. Alien), signed and personalized, along with a set of cover magnets, cover postcards, and signed flyers. But that's not all. There's a chance to win several copies of Alien in the House, too! So get over there, cast your vote, and get entered to win! (Voting's only open until Friday, but you can enter to win through next week.)

A Cup of Joe by Anita Ensal (yes, that's moi) is now available in trade paperback as well as ebook. It's also available at these selected bookstores: The Poisoned Pen, Dog Eared Pages, and Mysterious Galaxy. All three bookstores have signed copies and all three of them ship to readers.

Next, head over to The Night Bazaar and see what I and some other Night Shade authors are doing, and don't forget to check out their books -- there's lots of good reading in this list!

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So go vote for Kitty, enter to win, check out new books, and let's be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Dimensional Monday

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and that the start to the week isn't too rough. The Cardinals beat the Eagles and USC beat Cal, so my weekend was full of happy football moments, in between writing hours, and fun handing out prizes moments. And congrats to all the winners (so far!) of The Night Beat!

Speaking of which, the Necropolis Blog Tour is still going strong, so head over to Book & Movie Dimension a Blog for the next stop along the way. Don't forget to enter for another chance to win a copy of The Night Beat.

Be sure to hit all the other stops on the Tour and enter to win a copy of The Night Beat at each stop. If you've missed a stop, get caught up at Invasion of the Blog Tour, including: Stop 1/Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, contest ends Sept. 27; Stop 3/I Smell Sheep, contest ends Sept. 28; Stop 6/Pearls Cast Before a McPig, contest ends Sept. 29; Stop 8/A Buckeye Girl Reads, contest ends Sept. 28; Stop 9/Hanging with Bells, contest ends Sept. 25; Stop 10/The Peasants Revolt, contest ends Sept. 27; Stop 11/Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog, contest ends Sept. 29; Stop 12/Book Lovers Inc., contest ends Oct. 6; and Stop 13/VVB Reads, contest ends Oct. 5.

I also fit in a new blog over at The Night Bazaar, so check out "Tuned to the Nike Channel" for the latest yappings from moi.

For those keeping score at home, the pre-order info is now live for Three Card Monte over at Musa Publishing. Release date is Friday, October 5th.

And, Book Lovers Inc. had a nice roundup of the prior week in review. A lot went on, so check out their recap.

That's it for today, but as with every other week this month, there's more on the way. So, enjoy the start of your week and let's be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Gone But Not Forgotten

Happy Monday! Well, I've been gone, but I hope you haven't forgotten me! *sniffle* Connectivity issues at the 'rents' house in SoCal prevented a lot of interaction while I was getting the chicklet settled into USC (Go Trojans! Brought to you by Len and Kyle.)

But I'm back...at least, for a few days. Then it's off to CopperCon...but more on that later. Let's get caught up on goings ons whilst I was away, shall we? We shall.

First up, check out the awesome contest running over at Bibliognome. For the price of a haiku, you can get entered to win some amazing prizes, featuring coolness from moi, Carolyn Crane, Anton Strout, and Beth Revis. Truly, you don't want to miss out! Contest runs through August 31st, so enter today!

Speaking of winning, remember that there's an ARC of Alien vs. Alien up for grabs at Goodreads. Yes, you'll get another chance at more of them later, but if you want to increase your odds, hit Goodreads and get entered today.

Speaking of winning in a different way, if you've missed it somehow, check out this hilarious video, "We're NASA and We Know It" sent to me by alert Alien Collective Member in Very Good Standing Shawn. And let's not forget to have a moment of silence and a lot of reflection of amazing accomplishments for the passing of Neil Armstrong, who went to join ACE's collective consciousness last week.

Now, onto some reviews. See what boeklogboek and Mixed Book Bag think of The Night Beat. Then check out Heroes and Heartbreakers and chime in on what you read when you've finished with the latest great book from Patricia Briggs.

After that, head over to The Night Bazaar, where I'm running the yap about How to Con for Fun and Profit.

As mentioned earlier, I'll be at CopperCon this coming Labor Day Weekend. And I have my schedule, so if you're in or around the Greater Phoenix Metro Area, come by and hang out with me and other awesome authors like Marsheila Rockwell, Jordan Summers, Ari Marmell, and Saul Garnell. This year's con appears to be a Night Owl's Delight, too...and so, I give you: My Schedule

Friday, August 31
7-8pm How NOT to Get Published
9-10pm Creating Alien Characters
Saturday, September 1
1-2pm It's a Weird World of Contemporary Fantasy
4-5pm Autograph Session
6-7pm Are Space Adventure Stories Still Viable?
Sunday, September 2
4-5pm Guilty Pleasures
7-8pm Reboots: Do They Work?
9-10pm Writing Erotica
Monday, September 3
1-1:30pm Reading (and yes, it might be a reading from Alien vs. Alien...you never can tell...)
3-4pm It Started With Lovecraft

And that's just MY schedule. So, don't miss out, come to CopperCon this weekend and have a blast!

There's a lot more coming this week, including an exciting sales opportunity (starting tomorrow!), but I'll leave you with this news: There's something starting next week, with lots of winning attached to it, so check out Invasion of the Blog Tour and get ready for some winning fun!

Until next time, peace out, my li'l gangstas and let's be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Thursday's Cravings

Well, hope everyone had a fab July and all y'all are enjoying the start of August. It was a great start for me, because August is a big month in our family. Yesterday, the 1st, was my 25th anniversary of being married to the hubs. (And they said it wouldn't last. No, really, they did.) We celebrated by going out for sushi and watching White Collar and Covert Affairs which were DVRd, and saved for this occasion, from the night before. I know -- we LIVE. The 7th is the chicklet's bday, the 14th is the hubs' bday, and mid-month I take the chicklet to SoCal to start law school. (USC, go Trojans! Len and Kyle totally approve.)

I also spent yesterday finalizing my edits on Alien vs. Alien and getting them to the awesome editor so that AvA can actually release on time (December 4th, yes, start your pre-order engines). So that's why you haven't heard from me for what might seem like a long time (or might seem just right, your mileage may vary). BUT, before I get back to work on Alien in the House, let's get caught up on all that's going on "out there" besides the Olympics.

First off, a reminder that the next stop on my Split Personality Summer Signing Tour will be this Sunday, August 5th, from 2-4pm at The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ. I'll be signing Alien Diplomacy, The Night Beat, and Alexander Outland: Space Pirate (as G.J. Koch). I'll also sign whatever else you want, 'cause I'm easy that way. Chocolate had assured me it will be making an appearance, too, so you do NOT want to miss out!

Now, head over to Paranormal Cravings where they've done a full Series Spotlight on the Alien/Katherine "Kitty" Katt series as part of their August Strong Heroines Month, AND where you can win a signed, personalized copy of Alien in the Family.

Speaking of entering to win and The Night Beat, the second half of the Double Kickass Heroines contest to win an ebook copy of both The Night Beat and Skein of Shadows by Marsheila Rockwell is still going strong. Leave a comment on the Blah, Blah, Blah Blog (the post under this one) and get entered to win both books! Contest ends Sunday, August 5th, so don't delay, enter today.

Next, let's look at some reviews. See what A Buckeye Girl Reads thought of The Night Beat, what Journey With Words thought of Touched by an Alien, and, if you can read French :-D what Bananas in the Void thought of Alexander Outland: Space Pirate.

Then, head over to Larissa's Bookish Life to see which fictional worlds she'd most like to live in.

And last but not least, hit The Night Bazaar where yours truly is running the yap about a certain kind of Sin authors worry about perpetrating. (And, since it's moi, you know it's not gonna be a conventional sin. ;-D)

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. Hope to see many of you on Sunday, and hope everyone has a great weekend. So, peace out, my li'l gangstas, and let's be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Let's Yap Outland

Hope everyone's having a great week so far. We have more fun for you today, so let's get to it! First off, head over to the always fun and entertaining Pearls Cast Before a McPig and check out the first-ever interview with G.J. Koch (yes, moi, but still, it's the first AS G.J. Koch, so, you know, go with it) talking about Alexander Outland: Space Pirate. And pigs. Because we can.

Speaking of Alexander Outland, we're in the last days to get 50% off on every book at Night Shade Books, including pre-orders. Get your book on, buy or pre-order at least 4 books, get 'em for the price of 2. Such a deal! After you've scored great books for half price, remember to check out my guest blog over at The Night Bazaar.

Next up, the Bitten By Books Alien Diplomacy Launch Party is still going for one more day (today) so you still have time to get entered to win a 10-Book pack from Penguin, plus 2 other chances to win books from me. While you're there, see what Bitten By Books has to say about Alien Diplomacy. Then, get over to the DAW Books Community and add your $0.02 into the discussion of Alien Diplomacy. Make it All Alien Diplomacy All The Time, at least for a few minutes.

In Person Reminder: I'll be at the Desert Dreams Writers' Conference in Scottsdale, AZ, April 27-29. There is an Open To The Public Mass Book Signing on Saturday, April 28, from 5:30-7:00pm. So whether you're attending the con or not, come on by, get your bookie wookies signed, and check out the TON of authors who'll be there signing in addition to me, myself and I -- Erin Quinn, Erin Kellison, Caris Roane, Amber Scott, Kathryne Kennedy, Bob Mayer, Brenda Novak, Tara Taylor Quinn, Vicki Lewis Thompson, and MORE!

That's it for today, but don't worry, more's coming. Have a great time, and let's remember to be readers out there!

Love,
Gini

Weekend Update & Yapping Roundup

Happy Weekend! I know you don't usually hear from me on the weekends, because I'm always doing exotic things like writing like a fiend and/or running the yap in person, but, as my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, there's so much going on that I had to sort of slip this one in.

First off, I'm now the Resident Guest Blogger over at The Night Bazaar, which is for Night Shade Books authors with releases coming out in 2012. My first blog for the Bazaar is live on the site, so please go have a read and feel free to leave a comment, too. Nothing to win other than my undying gratitude, but hey, isn't that enough?

No? Then a reminder that now through April 19th, Night Shade Books is having a 50% off sale on all their books, both in stock and forthcoming, with a 4 book minimum order. That's a deal you don't want to miss out on, especially since you can pre-order Alexander Outland: Space Pirate by G.J. Koch (aka moi) for 50% off. It's such a great deal, you should buy two copies, right? Of course right!

Coming Monday, there's a huge Release Party Event for Alien Diplomacy over at Bitten By Books . RSVP now for the event, which includes an amazing 10 Book Pack giveaway from Penguin Books, plus books from my backlist for 2 additional winners. You have to RSVP for the event in order to be entered to win the prizes, so don't miss out!

Now, onto the roundups I've been promising for weeks and days.

First up, Jambalaya Writers' Conference. Located in lovely Houma, LA in Terrebonne Parish, this is a conference focused on teaching aspiring authors the various tricks of the trade. I could go on and on about how lovely all the folks were, what an awesome location they have (the Terrobonne Public Library), and how great the students were. And I could wax even more rhapsodic about the food. But what shocked me the most was how inexpensive this writer's conference was. I'm used to entry costs of $250 per person, minimum. This one? $35.00 Yeah, you read that right. So, next year, if you're in the vicinity of Louisiana at the end of March/start of April, don't miss out on this great conference, a deal at twice or even three times the price.

But a conference is only as great as its presenters, right? Well, in addition to moi, there were a ton of amazing authors and industry professionals there. In addition to Rick Bragg, Heather Graham, Debra Holland, Eileen Dreyer, and MANY more, children's book authors Robert San Souci he of "Mulan" fame (and the nicest man on the planet) and Dianne de Las Casas were also there. Dianne's a hoot and a half, btw, so if you get a chance to see her in person, don't miss it. I got to hang out with these folks, and all I can say is "wow". Great authors, awesome people. For those of you with kids, I can't recommend Robert's and Dianne's books enough.

Next up, LepreCon. This is an annual fan convention in Tempe, AZ, so topics range from writing how-to to discussions of the pros and cons of book to TV/movie adaptations and everything in between. Local cons are great fun, and a wonderful way to get up close and personal with authors, actors, fans, and readers.

I was on a ton of panels with some really cool and interesting folks, including the guest of honor, SF/F Grand Master Joe Haldeman and comic book legend Bryan Augustyn. I got to hang with a variety of cool Alien Collective Members in Very Good Standing (waves madly to Janeen, Penni, Terry, Raul, Hal, Dee, Chris, and Alisa) which of course made the whole experience even better.

I also paneled with, in no particular order of awesomeness: Janeen O'Kerry, Bruce Davis, Emily Devenport, Saul Garnell, Rick Novy, Ernest Hogan, Chris Swanson, Susan Lindsey, Jack Mangan, and Don Wiest. I know, that's a lot, but there were probably more. It was a busy con, so I'm sure I've forgotten some things and people (and beg their forgiveness for the oversight, of course).

I also got to visit with my beloved Winston, aka Weston Ochse and one of my all-time favorite artists, Gilead, and his lovely wife, who've been mentoring me in cons since my very first one.

So, much fun was had by all, but it's also nice to be home. For a week or two. Before the next event which is Desert Dreams Writers' Conference in Scottsdale, AZ at the end of this month.

That's it for this Weekend Update. Enjoy the links, RSVP to win, and have a great, restful rest of the weekend! And let's remember to be readers out there!

Love,
Gini