The First READ THIS! Author Q&A of the Year, Pre-Order Time, & More!

 

It's Almost My Birthday!

We're at the midpoint of the first month of the new year in the midpoint year for the Sucking 20's as I have somewhat unaffectionately named this decade.
And Sucking it is. Frozen wastes across the Midwest, the Eastern Seaboard, and right here in Supposedly Hotlanta. Which has nothing on the fact that my beloved SoCal is up in flames. The worst fires in California history. 2025 is clearly showing off to the prior 2020's. I don't know what we've done, but apologies to SOMEthing seem to be in order.
But the decade has many good things in it, too (it does, I swear), and the first READ THIS! Author Q&A of 2025 will be one of them. So don't miss out, be there THIS Thursday!
My birthday is later in the month (the 25th) and I like to celebrate it by begging all y'all to leave reviews of my bookie wookies on all the places (though Amazon, B&N.com, and Goodreads probably matter most), because it's free to do and easy -- you don't have to do more than leave between 1 to 5 stars in most places. All the books need this, old as well as new, so if you're feeling generous, please spare a review for your author.
Well, that's probably all the begging needed...for now at least, so let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

Want to Kill Something Over How the Year's Started? Read a Murder Mystery Instead and Avoid Jail Time! Something Wicked, the first novel in the Santa Paloma Mysteries series written by moi and Bebe Bayliss, from Ginger Blue Publishing, is alive and out in the world, available in ebook and paperback at Amazon, B&N.com, Kobo, and Apple Books. Bebe and I kill a lot of people in this one, so get your cathartic copy today!

It's Preorder Time! Natural Born Outlaws: Book One in the Legend of Belladonna by moi writing as A.E. Stanton is coming out in Trade Paperback on February 25th! It's already out in ebook and Hardback, but if you're more of a soft cover person, then this release is for you! Preorder from B&N.com (because Amazon can't handle this kind of thing) today!

Speaking of Picking Up Copies... All of these are available now from Ginger Blue Publishing and available at Amazon, B&N.com, and the rest of the usual suspects. If you haven't grabbed these yet, now's the time!

A group of mystery-solving grandmothers, a daring granddaughter, a surf bum, homeless men, and a mysterious stranger all involved in a series of brutal murders in a sleepy seaside town... The re-release of my first humor collection, now with bonus funny! Despite what you may have heard or believe, all the stories are true...well, almost all...

The story of the Old West's most notorious female outlaw, the infamous Belladonna. Available in Hardback and ebook. Read the story that started it all... Stacey Weir didn't mean to become an amateur sleuth. But when her adoptive father's accused of murder, there was only one thing for her to do...

Romantic suspense set in and around New Orleans, now with an (extended) epilogue! (Re-release.) Mosaic post-apocalyptic novel set in the far future that's reverted to Old West ways, where love, friends, and family are what get you through.

A collection of paranormal tales, with new bonus stories and an introduction from the author of BITE CLUB. (Re-release.) A collection of all my humorous SF/F/P (non-Alien series) stories, together in one place for the first time!

January 2025 READ THIS! Author Q&A

January's READ THIS! author Q&A featuring Author Jean Marie Ward, will be on Thursday, January 16, 2025 from 9pm-10pm Eastern. Access to Discord is available worldwide, and everyone is invited to attend! You do not need to be a Discord member/user to attend: Use this link https://discord.gg/GYpzD25JvW to go directly to the chat room! (You also don't need to have finished the book to join in the fun. We authors know that everyone reads at their own pace and we just want to hang out with you guys and have some good times!) Once in, you'll get to join in the fun of asking authors about their "process" and more. PLUS, one lucky winner will get February's READ THIS! selection for FREE! I know! It's too happy to be true! But true it is, so don't miss out! (You must be present in the chat to win. Physical copies U.S. only; ebook copies worldwide.)

January 2025 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for December 2024 is:  Dragons, Cats, & Formidable Femmes A Collection by Jean Marie Ward Gini's Take: A fantastic collection of stories from microfiction to novellas -- there's something for everyone in this one! About the Authors: Jean Marie Ward writes fiction, nonfiction and everything in between. Her credits include a multi-award nominated novel, numerous short stories and two popular art books. The former editor of CrescentBlues.com, she is a frequent contributor to Galaxy’s Edge magazine and ConTinual, the convention that never ends. Learn more at her Amazon Author Page.

February's READ THIS! Selection   And Remember: One Lucky Q&A Participant can win it early!

The READ THIS! Selection for February 2025 is:        Songs & Sorcery Book One from The Tales of the Walled City By Emelia Quantrille

For those who came in late... Yes, it's true, Aliens Like Us is FINALLY done and Kitty and I are super happy with it. The next milestones -- review by my critique partners and beta team -- has happened. The next milestone has now also been reached! My agent's reviewed the book and she loves it just as much as I do. Now, it'll be going to DAW sometime this month. Once it's reviewed and they go over edits and such with me  I should have at least a guesstimate for the official release date. As always, all y'all will be the first to know! (And yes, I'm getting the teaser pages for Alien Research ready as we speak, so to speak...)

Read Out Loud! Do you have your copy of the Touched by an Alien audiobook yet? If not, don't wait! Grab yours today and start your year right!

Speaking of Reading Out Loud... Graphic Audio has renewed the contract for The Legend of Belladonna, Part 1: Natural Born Outlaws, by moi writing as A.E. Stanton. If you haven't grabbed this fantastic audiobook, don't delay, grab it today!

Random Randomness As I said at the start of this newsletter, reviews are the biggest gift you can give an author. 1 star, 5 stars, or anything in between, it all helps, far more than you realize. So, please, toss a review to your author as a lovely birthday, or unbirthday, present!

So many bookie wookies, so much time to catch up on all of them while waiting for Aliens Like Us and the next READ THIS! selection. Check out my Bookstore for all the things!

That's it for today, but, never fear, another Update, including details for the next READ THIS! selection, will be arriving in a couple of weeks! In the meantime, stay safe and healthy, remember we're all in this together, be kind to one another, give love and support to all those who are on the front lines in any capacity, hope this year continues to give all of you much joy and goodness, and let's be readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch all y'all on the flip side! Love, Gini

The First READ THIS! Book of the Month for 2025, My Bday Approaches, & More!

Welcome To 2025! Hope all y'all had wonderful holidays and brought the new year in right, in whatever ways are right for you! We had a great time at the Manse, but now it's time to get back to all the things, especially because January is my birthday month. And, if you want to know what I want, it's reviews. They are the best gift you can give any author (right after buying their books) and they matter far more than you realize. We've got a great book for the first READ THIS! of this new year, plus an update on what all y'all care about most, and more. So let's get to all the things, shall we? We shall!

Read Out Loud! Do you have your copy of the Touched by an Alien audiobook yet? If not, don't wait! Grab yours today and start your year right!

Speaking of Reading Out Loud... Graphic Audio has renewed the contract for The Legend of Belladonna, Part 1: Natural Born Outlaws, by moi writing as A.E. Stanton. If you haven't grabbed this fantastic audiobook, don't delay, grab it today!

READ THIS! A Book Club by Moi for All Y'all Welcome to READ THIS! A Book Club by Gini Koch. This is my chance to introduce you to some great authors that I love and know you will, too. Every month I'll spotlight a book and, even better...every month I'll host a live discussion with the author, that all y'all can join! I know, it's too happy to be true, but true it is!

January 2025 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for January 2025 is:  Dragons, Cats, & Formidable Femmes A Collection by Jean Marie Ward Gini's Take: A fantastic collection of stories from microfiction to novellas -- there's something for everyone in this one! About the Author: Jean Marie Ward writes fiction, nonfiction and everything in between. Her credits include a multi-award nominated novel, numerous short stories and two popular art books. The former editor of CrescentBlues.com, she is a frequent contributor to Galaxy’s Edge magazine and ConTinual, the convention that never ends. Learn more at her Amazon Author Page.

January 2025 READ THIS! Author Q&A

So, you've read the READ THIS! selection and you want to share what you thought with the author, hang out with them and Gini, and generally talk books for an hour. Well, guess what? You can! The third Thursday of every month will be READ THIS! Author Q&A time. The event will be held utilizing Discord, and the invitation to Gini's READ THIS! room will come out in the week prior to the chat. And that's not all! Near the end of each Q&A session, we'll be doing a raffle and one lucky winner will get a copy of the next month's READ THIS! selection! (You must be present in the Q&A to win. Physical book prizes will be U.S. only. Ebook prizes will be worldwide.)

January's READ THIS! author Q&A  featuring Author Jean Marie Ward will be on Thursday, January 16, 2024 from 9pm-10pm Eastern. Access to Discord is available worldwide, and everyone is invited to attend!

February's READ THIS! Selection   And Remember: One Lucky Q&A Participant can win it early!

The READ THIS! Selection for February 2025 is:  Songs & Sorcery Book One of the Tales of the Walled City By Emelia Quantrille

Check It Out! Something Wicked, the first novel in the Santa Paloma Mysteries series written by moi and Bebe Bayliss, from Ginger Blue Publishing, is alive and well and out in the world, available in ebook and paperback from Amazon, B&N.com, Kobo, and Apple Books. Get your copy today! Also, the Dollhouse Park Conservatory & Imaginarium has some lovely things to say about moi in general and this bookie wookie in specific.

The Great Reviews Keep On Coming! The Festival of Lights anthology from Albert Whitman & Co. celebrating Hanukkah with a diverse collection of poems and stories filled with history, humor, and hope, which released in the first week of September, is still getting awesome reviews. My story, "The Luck of the Irish," deals with a family discovering they have a whole history they know nothing about. This YA collection is great for everyone of all ages, even if you don't know a yarmulke from a menorah. Get your copy today! And check out these great reviews of the anthology from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and The Sydney Taylor Schmooze.

For those who came in late... I wrote "the end"!  I wrote "the end"! I wrote "the end"! Yes, it's true, Aliens Like Us is FINALLY done and Kitty and I are super happy with it. The next milestones -- review by my critique partners and beta team -- has happened. The next milestone has now also been reached! My agent's reviewed the book and she loves it just as much as I do. Now, it'll be going to DAW sometime this month. Once it's reviewed and they go over edits and such with me  I should have at least a guesstimate for the official release date. As always, all y'all will be the first to know! (And yes, I'm getting the teaser pages for Alien Research ready as we speak, so to speak...)

As I said at the start of this blog, reviews are the biggest gift you can give an author. 1 star, 5 stars, or anything in between, it all helps, far more than you realize. So, please, toss a review to your author as a lovely birthday, or unbirthday, present!

So many bookie wookies, so much time to catch up on all of them while waiting for Aliens Like Us and the next READ THIS! selection. Check out my Bookstore for all the things!

That's it for today but, never fear, another Update, including the Discord Q&A chat invitation, will be arriving in a couple of weeks! In the meantime, stay safe and healthy, remember we're all in this together, be kind to one another, give love and support to all those who are on the front lines in any capacity, and let's be readers out there. Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side! Love, Gini