Winning Come Lately

Hey there! I know, I know, I'm late and was on unexpected radio silence. But, you know how it goes when the deadlines pile up. And if you don't, it goes like this -- I tend to be way behind. So let's get caught up, shall we? We shall!

First off, let's start with some reviews. Check out what Books 'N' Kisses thought of Alien Separation. Then see what I thought of SPECTRE over at Slice of SciFi and join the discussion over at Slice! After that, head over to Pearls Cast Before a McPig and check out her Teaser Tuesday for Alien in Chief!

Speaking of Alien in Chief, I have a very special announcement! In addition to receiving a Top Pick from RT Book Reviews, Alien in Chief is also up for an RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Award in the Urban Fantasy category! It's up against books from nobodies like Patty Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Devon Monk, Nicole Peeler, and Lisa Shearin, so I know it's not winning, but it's a thrill to be nominated in their company!

Want a preview of what you're getting in about 2 weeks? Then head over to the Deathless Prose page and check out the prologue and first chapter of Alien in Chief!

A fast Tuscon Comic-Con recap. It was great. Got to panel with awesome authors T.L. Smith, Alan Black, and Sharon Skinner. Got to visit with many peeps, hang out a bit with authors Marsheila Rockwell, Jeff Mariotte, Austin Aslan, and Thomax Green, and grabbed an awesome painting from Chaos in Color as well as a cool Catwoman (circa Michelle Pfeiffer) mask that I wore to the Joshua Tree Gala the next weekend. For more on TCC, check out the recording, interviews, and pictures from Ragnarok and Roll and Creative Play and Podcast Network. Also had a great deal of fun at the Free Fall Writer's Workshop in Scottsdale, where I got to run the yap and hang out with cool authors, fans, and aspiring authors. So it's been a busy couple of weekends, but they've been worth it!

Next up and just in time for the holidays and all that jazz, you can now get the Martian Alliance Chronicles 1-3 in one volume! And for those of you who don't e-read, rejoice -- the physical copy is available at Create Space.

A reminder that Touched by an Alien is trying to earn votes and attention over at the If List so if you'd care to cast your vote for it to get made into a TV show or movie (hey, we can dream, right?), and also suggest who should play what, please do! The more attention, the better the chances!

Now for some science, because per blastr NASA spotted something coming OUT of a black hole! Algar's really hoping it's not the Black Hole Universe's Sheriff's Department, but only time will tell. ;-D

And now, finally and a week late, it's time to announce the winner of the edited galley for Universal Alien.

Beth Stevens

Many congrats! Winner has until November 20th to claim their prize. After that time, the Gods of Random will snatch back the prize and demand a new sacrifice, I mean, winner.

But you know...I was planning to announce Beth as the winner over a week ago, and then launch another contest. But deadlines have meant that I've run out of time and am going to be out of time for the foreseeable future. SO, rather than do another contest right now, it's Oprah Time, and the Gods of Random and I are just going to hand out prizes to those who entered to win this last edited galley 'cause we can!

Michael Creager -- you've won a physical copy of Unidentified Funny Objects 3 AND 4!
Giedre Sliumba -- you've won an e-copy of Unidentified Funny Objects 3 AND 4!
Hope Taylor -- you've won an ecopy of Unidentified Funny Objects 3 AND 4!
Linda Larrson -- you've won an ecopy of Unidentified Funny Objects 3 AND 4!
Peggy Preiss --  you've won an ecopy of Unidentified Funny Objects 3 AND 4!
Amanda Tamayo -- you've won a physical copy of Unidentified Funny Objects 4!
Viki S. -- you've won a physical copy of Unidentified Funny Objects 4!
Debbie Joyce -- you've won a physical copy of Unidentified Funny Objects 4!
Shawn Sumrall -- you've won a physical copy of Unidentified Funny Objects 4!

These winners also have until November 20th to claim their prizes. You know how capricious the Gods of Random can be. One day, they're giving generously, the next they're snatching away, so don't give them a chance to take your prize!

A reminder about my confirmed book tour stops for Alien in Chief:
Tuesday, December 1st
It’s the Release Day Signing & Party for Alien in Chief
Cake and prizes!
7:00pm
The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
4014 N. Goldwater Blvd., #101
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone:(480) 947-2974
Toll Free: (888) 560-9919
No Food With Fans event but we WILL have cake, and that's just as good, right? Of course right!

Saturday, December 5th
Signing Alien in Chief
Mass Signing of the Amazing Wyked Writers
Cake and prizes!
2:00pm
Barnes & Noble Henderson
567 North Stephanie
Henderson, NV 89014
702-434-1533
Food With Fans immediately after the signing

Saturday, December 12th
Signing Alien in Chief
Cake and prizes!
2:00pm
Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore
5943 Balboa Avenue, Suite #100
San Diego, CA 92111
858-268-4747
Food With Fans immediately after the signing

That's it for today (and probably this week), but as always, more's on the way! Congrats to all the winners, chin up there will be more chances coming soon to those who didn't win this time, 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

Winning and More Winning

Hey there! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that your Mondays weren't totally blue. My weekend was great! Spent it in Mesa, AZ at the Comic and Media Expo and had a blast.

CMX 2015 Guests

Marcy Rockwell, Johnny Cage, Moi

Karl Yune, Moi, CMX Director/Owner Gackto Takaida

Got to meet some hotties (like actor Karl Yune and the Johnny Cage cosplayer), had great panels, got to hang and panel with awesome authors Sharon Skinner, Marsheila Rockwell, and Tom Leveen, visited with many cool members of the Alien Collective, sold and signed many of the bookie wookies at the lovely Bonny Books booth, and generally had tons of fun.

Speaking of seeing the me, if you're in the Greater Phoenix Metro Area on Sunday, October 25th, come to the Arizona Consortium for the Arts' Annual Fall Festival of the Arts. (Say that three times fast.)

The Festival is at Papago Park, which is lovely, and will be loaded with authors and artists of all kinds, including awesome authors Alan Black and T.L. Smith. It should be tons of fun, so don't miss out!

And now it's time to announce the winner of the edited galley for Alien Collective:

Gina Todaro Freed

Many congrats! Winner has until October 26th to claim their prize. After that time, the Gods of Random will snatch back the prize and demand a new sacrifice, I mean, winner.

Next up, check out my review of "Steve Jobs" over at Slice of SciFi and see if it's right for you. Saw it already? Not sure if you want to? Join the conversation about it over at Slice!

Reminder 1: Unidentified Funny Objects 4, featuring "Support Your Local Alien", is now available. And check out the release day post from one of my fellow UFO4 authors, Michael J. Martinez.

Reminder 2: Touched by an Alien is up for votes at the If List so if you'd like to see the book/series as a TV show or a movie, add in your vote (please and thank you)!

Reminder 3:  From now through Halloween, the price of The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal by moi writing as Jemma Chase has dropped to $2.99 for ebook at all outlets, Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble. The price goes back up on November 1st, so get your treat now and enjoy some paranormal adventures during the rest of the Month O' Spooky.


And now, it's time for the next in our Long List O' Giveaways! That's right, now we're going to find out who's going to to be the next person to help me clean my office by winning the edited galley of Universal Alien!

The Rafflecopter is below the signature line. This contest is for Hook Me Up! subscribers only. If you're not on yet, get on now, because we're nowhere close to being done with contests this year. Send an email to gini@ginikoch.com with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line and you'll be in and able to win, win, win. (Reminder: If you're already on Hook Me Up! you do NOT need to resubscribe to be entered, and resubbing doesn't get you extra entries.) Contest is open internationally.

Contest will run from today, October 20, 2015 through Wednesday, November 4, 2015. Winner will be announced by November 10th and and will have until November 13th to claim their prize. After that time, the Gods of Random will snatch back the prize and demand a new sacrifice, I mean, winner. And yes, if you've won in recent contests you can still enter this one. The Gods of Random enjoy being generous sometimes, and you never know when it'll be your time to score more than once!

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So enjoy the rest of the week, see some of you on Sunday, and let's be winning readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

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Halloween Treats Early

Hey there! Hope everyone's been having a wonderful week! I've been busy writing away on Camp Alien and other things, but since there's much going on, I figured I needed to stop and share it.

First up, a reminder that I'll be at Comic Media Expo this coming weekend. If you're into cosplay it's definitely the place to be. There's also a literary cosplay event -- so if you're coming, bring your Converse and rock t-shirts or your black suit and get in on the fun! You'll also get to hear from me and some other awesome authors about various fun things. AND I'll be doing some random giveaways at the event, both at my panels and at the Bonny Books bookstore booth, so don't miss out!


 My full CMX schedule:

Friday, October 16, 5:30pm – A Spotlight on Gini Koch’s Alien Series
Saturday, October 17, 1:00pm – Wyked Writers Panel
Saturday, October 17, 2:30pm – Using Comics in Your Novels
Sunday, October 18, 1:00 – Humor in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Next up, I have a Halloween special for all y'all. From now through Halloween, the price of The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal by moi writing as Jemma Chase has dropped to $2.99 for ebook at all outlets, Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble. The price goes back up on November 1st, so get your treat now and enjoy some paranormal adventures during the rest of the Month O' Spooky.


Also, if you haven't gotten your copy yet, don't forget to pick up A Study in Starlets, my next alternate Sherlock Holmes adventure.

And, Unidentified Funny Objects 4, featuring the next story in my steampunk Alien universe, "Support Your Local Alien", is now available at Amazon. Get your copies today!

As a reminder, you have a couple days left to enter to win the edited galley of Alien Collective. It's for Hook Me Up! subscribers only, so if you're not on yet for some reason, now's the time to fix that oversight. Send an email to gini@ginikoch.com with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line and enter at the Rafflecopter below and hope that the Gods of Random choose to smile on you! Contest is open internationally.

Now it's time for the next Ask 5 Friends over at Slice of SciFi, and this time we're talking about Mars. Check it out and join the discussion over at Slice!

Then, head over to the If List where one of the Alien Collective has suggested that Touched by an Alien be adapted for film or TV. If you agree, please add your votes!

After that, check out the next places where you can see the me:

Sunday, October 25^th 
12-5pm, Amazing Wyked Writers Booth, Arizona Consortium for the Arts Fall Festival of the Arts, Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park, 1300 N. College Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85281

Friday, November 6th through Sunday, November 8th 
Amazing Wyked Writers Booth, Tucson Comic Con, Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, AZ

Friday, November 13th 
Guest Speaker 
JoshuaTree Masquerade Gala 
6-10pm, Elks Lodge, 14424 N 32nd St, Phoenix, Arizona 85032

Saturday, November 14th 
Desert Rose RWA Free Writer’s Workshop 
10:15am - 4:30pm
11:30-12:20 Keeping Romance Fresh & Alive in a Long Running Series
Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 N Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, AZ

Tuesday, December 1st 
It’s the Release Day Signing and Party for Alien in Chief
7:00pm 
The Poisoned Pen Bookstore 
4014 N. Goldwater Blvd., #101, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone:(480) 947-2974
Toll Free: (888) 560-9919

Saturday, December 5th 
Signing Alien in Chief
Mass Signing of the Amazing Wyked Writers
12:00pm 
Barnes and Noble Henderson 
567 North Stephanie, Henderson, NV 89014
702-434-1533

Saturday, December 12th 
Signing Alien in Chief
2:00pm 
Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore 
5943 Balboa Avenue, Suite #100, San Diego, CA 92111
858-268-4747  

More dates to come as they get confirmed!

Last but in no way least, my friend and author -- and the writer who many of you have heard me talk about as the person who gave me permission to write and who is, therefore, the reason all y'all have met Kitty and Company and all the others -- Phyllis Hemann, has a new poetry book out, The Invisible Heroine. It's wonderful, and you can get signed copies, even if you aren't anywhere near where her signings will be. 

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. See some of you this weekend at Comic Media Expo, I'll be announcing the winner of the Alien Collective galley on Monday, October 19th and another contest as well ('cause I'm a giver, me), so enjoy the rest of your weeks, have fantastic 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 

One Last Thing Before I Go-Go

Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and thanks again to all of those who served, serve, and continue to do so. Just a few things going on before I go once more to radio silence and head off to Phoenix Comicon.

Speaking of which, you can find my schedule on the Phoenix Comicon site, but here it is in all its glory, just in case you haven't looked yet (aka, you're lazy like moi).

Thursday 3:00pm - 4:00pm, Paranormal Romances, Room North 124
Thursday 4:30pm - 5:30pm, Paranormal Romance Signing with Gini Koch, M. L. Brennan, Room North 126b
Thursday 7:30pm - 8:30pm, Books and Authors' Kickoff - Featuring Arizona Authors (such as moi, Weston Oches, Yvonne Navarro, Michael Stackpole, David Lee Summers, and more!), Room North 124
Friday 8:00pm, Food With Fans (location still TBD, check in at Table 14133 before 7pm on Friday or pay attention to my Twitter and Facebook feeds for final destination -- you do NOT need to be attending the con in order to come to Food With Fans)
Saturday 3:30pm - 4:30pm, Steampunk Tea House Cafe of the Rising Sunset, Renaissance Hotel, Salon 5-8 PRIZES
Saturday 7:30pm - 10:00pm, Evening Erotica, Room North 125 PRIZES
Sunday 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Urban Fantasy, Room North 125

At any time when I'm not on panels or doing official signings, I'll be in the exhibit hall at Table 14133. Come see the me and also don't miss visiting the Amazing Wyked Writers at Tables 17115-17117-17119. There will be a big basket o' prizes at the AWW table, including goodies from moi, Erin Quinn, Terry Smith, David Lee Summers, Sharon Skinner, Hal Astell, Bruce C. Davis, and Alan Black!

Next up, check out what Readaholics Anonymous thought of Alien Separation. And, as a reminder, after Phoenix Comicon, my last official book tour stop will be the End Of Tour party at the Poisoned Pen on Monday, June 8th from 7:00-800pm. The event is also being shown concurrently via LiveStream so you can participate and have fun -- and get entered to win prizes -- whether you're there in person or virtually!



And now it's time for some winning! First off, head over to Under the Covers where they're giving away a fantastic book bundle that includes Universal Alien!

Then, check out the final cover for Unidentified Funny Objects 4 and check out the Table of Contents at editor Alex Shvartsman's page! It'll have the next Alien series short set in my steampunk universe, "Support Your Local Alien". And in honor of the ToC announcement, you're getting a chance to win a signed, personalized copy of Unidentified Funny Objects 3, which features my short, "Live at the Scene". Contest will run from today through Tuesday, June 2nd and is open internationally. So get entered to win and good luck to all!

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way, though this is likely it until after Phoenix Comicon. So, I leave you with this article about one of my fave movies, Real Genius. See many of you at the con, all of you have wonderful weeks and fabulous 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

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Hump Day Catch Up

Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone had a great week and weekend last week and that this week's going swimmingly, too! Tucson Festival of Books was fantastic -- I had wonderful panels with awesome authors Dennis McKiernan, Gail Carriger, Erin Quinn, and Cynthia Garner, plus got to see many of the Alien Collective -- but it does take a lot out of a person, and then there was all the catching up and such, and basically, the time flew. However, we have a lot that's going on, so let's get all caught up, shall we? We shall!

First up, the Kickstarter for Unidentified Funny Objects 4 is halfway through, but we're only a little over halfway funded, too. This makes me sad, because this is going to be another great collection, and there are still a ton of cool levels that you can support in order to get another awesome humor collection created. If you haven't looked, take a gander right now. And remember, I still have one tuckerization left, meaning there's one more chance to get into an Alien series short story (and the related stories that come after)!

Speaking of UFO4, check out the latest Mind Meld over at SF Signal where I and many others discuss our favorite short humor stories. And feel free to add yours in the comments! After that, read what Crain's New York has to say about my UFO editor, Alex Shvartsman.


Next up, The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal is live at all outlets including Amazon, Smashwords, BandN.com, and CreateSpace. So, get your copies today! And, for those of you coming to see the me this weekend, I will have copies in my paws for my signing this Saturday, March 28, at The Book Vault at 2055 S. Power Road, Entrance #3, Mesa, AZ. Be there from 12-4pm and see moi along with four other awesome authors, Alan Black, Kris Tualla, Deena Remiel, and Melanie Tighe. And if you haven't given them a try, don't delay, get their books today!

Speaking of upcoming books, remember that pre-orders matter hugely to authors and publishers, so please do your girl a solid and pre-order Alien Separation and Alien in Chief from your favorite bookstore (including any bookstore where I'll be going live and in person during Book Tour) or online retailer. And while you're at it, pre-order The X-Files: Trust No One, where you'll get a ton of great, creepy fiction, including my story, "Sewers".

My book tour for Alien Separation is getting solidified. I'll be at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, CA on Saturday, May 9th, at Barnes & Noble in Henderson, NV with the Arizona Wyked Writers on Sunday, May 17th, and at The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ on Monday, June 8th. There will be a Livestream of the event at the Pen, so if you can't see the me in person, make plans to watch me live and get in on the fun (and the winning) that way! Full details to come soon!

Speaking of Alien Separation, see what books Larissa's Bookish Life is most looking forward to in her TBR pile!

Then see what SF Reader thought of Alien Collective.

Next up More Geek Than Gay is back! So, check out Episode 96 and Episode 97 and get caught back up on the fun. After that video fun, check out the rollicking podcast interview at Drinking with Jason #6 where fun, cool author S.P. Durnin chats lots of stuff, much of it zombies (because he writes about them), but also including Aliens, Game of Thrones, and Star Wars.

Speaking of fun, have you gone to see the live action Cinderella yet? If not, check out my review over at Slice of SciFi. And if you have, join in on the comments! Same again for Galavant, where I have my 5 Episodes In review up at Slice. Join in the comments there, too!

Last but not least, we have some science! IFL Science shares that Alliflash and Gigantagator had some very cool, and rather scary, ancestors.

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 pre-ordering and Kickstartering readers out there! Peace out my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Festival Bound!

Happy Friday! Well, I'm heading off to Tucson for the weekend, but before I go, there's something you have to see!

Check out the awesome cover for the X-Files anthology my story "Sewers" is in, Trust No One, coming April 7, you can pre-order the audio version at Amazon right now. (No idea when book pre-orders will be available.)

Speaking of pre-orders, The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal by moi writing as Jemma Chase is available for pre-order from Amazon. The book will release on March 20th.

The Kickstarter for Unidentified Funny Objects 4 is still underway and going strong, but it's not funded yet! Check it out -- it's going to be a good one. Also, I have one tuckerization left available. You'll be in "Support Your Local Alien", the Alien series short that's the next adventure for the characters from my steampunk universe first introduced in "A Clockwork Alien", part of the Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Zombies anthology.

I'll be signing that, Unidentified Funny Objects 3, and Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets, not to mention all the Alien series, including Universal Alien, and more bookie wookies besides, at the Tucson Festival of Books this weekend, Saturday March 14 and Sunday March 15. When not on panels or at signings, you can find me at Booth #106.

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

But I can't leave you without some science! Per Huff Post Science, there's a diamond planet out there. Oh, the story possibilities this creates! Also, Scientific American shares that we've got one heck of a new and improved particle accelerator on the way. This will give scientists a way to study things we haven't been able to before (and, you know, potentially get to say hi to ACE, Algar, and Sandy and the Superconsciousness Seven).

Well, that's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So enjoy the weekend, hope to see many of you at the Festival, and all of you be universally happy 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