The Last READ THIS! Book of the Month and More!

Happy December Holidays! Well, December is here and with it a plethora of holidays. You can pretty much celebrate something every day this month, so happy celebrations to everyone! Speaking of celebrations, just a mention that the three best gifts you can give an author are to buy their books, gift their books to a friend or family member, and leave a review. Not just for me, but for every author you love, these three things are what we all wish for. This month's READ THIS! Book of the Month shouldn't be too much of a surprise (hint: it's one of mine), and we have other cool stuff for you, so let's get right to it, 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!

December 2023 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for December 2023 is:  The Dawning of the New West By A.E. Stanton Gini's Take: A mosaic novel about a far-future post-apocalyptic Earth that's reverted back to Old West ways. Survival is tough, but love in all its forms is what saves the day. About the Author: A.E. Stanton likes horses and motorcycles, the past, the weird, and the far future. A.E. writes about the Old West, Weird Westerns, and post-apocalyptic futures, and any combo therein. In addition to stories in many fine anthologies currently available and upcoming, The Dawning of the New West (The New West Collection #1), a mosaic novel, is available now from Ginger Blue Publishing. Natural Born Outlaws: The Legend of Belladonna Book 1, is also available from Graphic Audio. When not writing or riding, A.E. spends time thinking about writing or riding. Reach A.E. (aka Gini Koch) at Old Westerner  (http://www.ginikoch.com/asbookstore.htm).

December 2023 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.)

December's READ THIS! author Q&A  featuring Guest Host Hal Bodner and author A.E. Stanton (aka Moi) will be on Thursday, December 15, 2023 from 9pm-10pm Eastern. Access to Discord is available worldwide, and everyone is invited to attend!

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

The READ THIS! Selection for January 2024 is:  The Trouble with Hairy By Hal Bodner

Speaking of Gifting Books...

The Happy Acres Haunted Hotel for Active Seniors & Other Stories is a great gift for those who want funny SF/F/P and want it in smaller chunks. This is a collection of my non-Alien series shorts and novelettes, all in one place! Includes the Missy the Were-Pomeranian stories, The Vampire's Apprentice, and MORE! (Like all the things more.)   The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal by moi writing as Jemma Chase is a great gift for those of the more gothic persuasion, as well as those who like a variety of paranormal options - vampires and werewolves, of course, but others besides. This is a re-release collection, featuring new stories and an introduction by our own Hal "Bite Club" Bodner.

More Yapping! That's right, more yapping from me and other awesome authors over at ConTinual. The latest offering is Multiverses & Time Travel, where you get to find out my favorite time travel movie -- and you KNOW you want to know. So head over and watch and have some fun along with the rest of us at ConTinual! And don't miss these other cool panels I've run the yap on: Breaking Down the Genres Economics in World Building Horror and Romance Sherlockian Mystery Sherlock Returns Christmas in July Holiday Short Reads Hot off the Press #54 Characters in the Public Domain Zombies! Holiday Special Event 2021 Christmas & New Years in Film Holidays Real and Imagined Favorite Holiday Episodes in SciFi and Fantasy Series Holiday Action-Adventure Hot Off the Press #64 Weird Westerns Pets and Familiars Intellectual Property for Creatives Separating Problematic Creators from Their Work Selling At Conventions Scarred For Life How To Write Animals Hot off the Press #72 Unicorns And Other Fantastic Creatures Tinkerers and Inventors A ConTinual Special Mystery Event: The Game is Afoot - Sherlockian Universes Hot off the Press #76 Space Opera Technology in Your Tales Building the Story and Scares Things That Go Bump in the Night -- Monster Hunters Mythological Tropes in SF and Fantasy Bad Places - Evil Locations that Set the Scary Scene We Love You, Scooby-Doo! Magic, Monsters, and True Love Ghost and Monster Hunters Haunted Places Creature Feature - Monsters and Hunters Hot Off the Press #81 Demons Galore Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction A Fantastic Fantasy Holiday Hot Off the Press #87 Banned Books 2023 When Technology Goes Awry Sci-Fi and Alien Romance Daring to Write Fantasy Books That Formed Us Fandom: British Mysteries Comics Lair: Shang Chi's Journey Writing Spies and Secret Agents Monster Motivations PIs, Gumshoes, and Sleuths The Universes of Blade and Underworld Hot off the Press #108 The Wizard of Oz Heroes of a Certain Age Monster Romance Blending Genres Death Customs in Fact and Fantasy Hot Off The Press #109 Hot Off The Press #110 Classic Thrillers and Horror - Hitchcock & Universal Writing With Partners There's a whole lot more over at the ConTinual YouTube page, so browse around and get your panel fixes in!

Because I get asked this daily (often multiple times daily)... Yes, Aliens Like Us IS coming, but... No, Aliens Like Us still isn't ready for Prime Time, but... I'm on Version 5 of the rewrite process. Does every book take me this long? No. Will all the others in the series take this long? Likely no. Life has tossed a lot at me and mine and that's made some things a struggle, but... Kitty is always with me, and she's not going to let the bad things win, in any universe. So...Watch this space for more updates as I have them. And keep those digits crossed for the hope that my shouting "the end!" comes sooner as opposed to later. P.S. I am definitely heading towards the end game. I realize that's vague, but it means that I think we'll be shouting "hurrah" somewhere in the nearish term. Digits crossed, at any rate... P.P.S. Watch this space, I'm hoping to share happy news soon. Like, really soon.

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

All the Things for November Including This Week's READ THIS! Author Q&A Deets!

(Very Late) Happy November Wishes! Well, THIS is late, isn't it? I had a great time at World Fantasy Con but got "poisoned" by my last dinner there and was pretty down and out for a good part of this month. Hey, when you have a zillion food allergies and end up at a place that swore they could handle them and couldn't, it happens. SO, this newsletter is chock full, but you definitely still have time to get this month's READ THIS! Book of the Month and devour it, because it's a novella, and it's awesome. Speaking of awesome, my favorite holiday is just around the corner, so I'm hoping everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving has a wonderful, safe, and happy one, while the rest of you have a lovely November 23rd. Details on all the current things, my WFC recap (the fun parts, which was 99% of it), PLUS details for this month's READ THIS! Author Q&A THIS Thursdsay are below! So let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

November 2023 READ THIS! Author Q&A

November's READ THIS! author Q&A with author Jean Marie Ward will be on Thursday, November 16, 2023 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 December'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.)

November 2023 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for November 2023 is:  Siren Bridge By Jean Marie Ward Gini's Take: A great steampunk world peopled with wonderful characters and hilarious situations. A must read if you like humor, adventure, steampunk, and/or awesome female leads. 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.

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

The READ THIS! Selection for December 2023 is:      The Dawning of the New West By A.E. Stanton

There's a new small press out there, and I'm their first author! (Though I doubt I'll be their last.) Ginger Blue Publishing has launched and has taken three of my books and they're all on sale now! You can order from the Releases page, and you can buy the books from all the usual suspects, so grab them today so you don't miss out! And yes, all the books are available in both electronic and physical formats.

AVAILABLE NOW!  The Dawning of the New West is a mosaic novel collecting the first three stories of The New West (The Darkening, When Josie Comes Home, and Deacon's Ark). And this puppy is live and available where the bookie wookies are sold!   The Happy Acres Haunted Hotel for Active Seniors is one of my best-loved stories. But now, it's not in a volume all alone. NOW it's combined with every other humorous SF/F short I've written that aren't a part of the Alien Series (and yes, I promise, The Alien Collection is still coming). Get all of the fun in one place! The book is live and you can get your copy today!

The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal, by moi writing as Jemma Chase, has indeed been available elsewhere. But now it has additional never-before-seen stories and a lovely forward from author Hal Bodner (Bite Club) and I'm super excited it's getting a new lease on life, so to speak. Get your copy today!

The Neverending TBR has a nice throwback review of Alien Proliferation. Check it out!

One of the folks I met at San Diego Comic-Con this year did a nice little review of Touched by an Alien. Check it out - Cannonball Read is focused on helping to fight cancer, one book at a time!

Because I get asked this daily (often multiple times daily)... Yes, Aliens Like Us IS coming, but... No, Aliens Like Us still isn't ready for Prime Time, but... I'm on Version 5 of the rewrite process. Does every book take me this long? No. Will all the others in the series take this long? Likely no. Life has tossed a lot at me and mine and that's made some things a struggle, but... Kitty is always with me, and she's not going to let the bad things win, in any universe. So...Watch this space for more updates as I have them. And keep those digits crossed for the hope that my shouting "the end!" comes sooner as opposed to later. P.S. I am definitely heading towards the end game. I realize that's vague, but it means that I think we'll be shouting "hurrah" somewhere in the nearish term. Digits crossed, at any rate... P.P.S. Watch this space, I'm hoping to share happy news soon. Really, I mean it. :-D

More Yapping!   That's right, more yapping from me and other awesome authors over at ConTinual. The latest offerings are Monster Romance, where we discuss what happens when you fall in love with that bloodsucking fiend, Blending Genres, where we discuss what being a cross-genre and genre-blending author is like, Death Customs in Fact and Fantasy, where we discuss what we know and what we've made up, Hot Off The Press #109 & Hot Off The Press #110, where I talk about my newest releases and why you should read them, Classic Thrillers and Horror - Hitchcock & Universal, where we discuss all the movies we love in those genres, and Writing With Partners, where Bebe Bayliss and I discuss why we love writing together and others share the right way to find that special co-writer. So head over and watch and have some fun along with the rest of us at ConTinual! And don't miss these other cool panels I've run the yap on: Breaking Down the Genres Economics in World Building Horror and Romance Sherlockian Mystery Sherlock Returns Christmas in July Holiday Short Reads Hot off the Press #54 Characters in the Public Domain Zombies! Holiday Special Event 2021 Christmas & New Years in Film Holidays Real and Imagined Favorite Holiday Episodes in SciFi and Fantasy Series Holiday Action-Adventure Hot Off the Press #64 Weird Westerns Pets and Familiars Intellectual Property for Creatives Separating Problematic Creators from Their Work Selling At Conventions Scarred For Life How To Write Animals Hot off the Press #72 Unicorns And Other Fantastic Creatures Tinkerers and Inventors A ConTinual Special Mystery Event: The Game is Afoot - Sherlockian Universes Hot off the Press #76 Space Opera Technology in Your Tales Building the Story and Scares Things That Go Bump in the Night -- Monster Hunters Mythological Tropes in SF and Fantasy Bad Places - Evil Locations that Set the Scary Scene We Love You, Scooby-Doo! Magic, Monsters, and True Love Ghost and Monster Hunters Haunted Places Creature Feature - Monsters and Hunters Hot Off the Press #81 Demons Galore Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction A Fantastic Fantasy Holiday Hot Off the Press #87 Banned Books 2023 When Technology Goes Awry Sci-Fi and Alien Romance Daring to Write Fantasy Books That Formed Us Fandom: British Mysteries Comics Lair: Shang Chi's Journey Writing Spies and Secret Agents Monster Motivations PIs, Gumshoes, and Sleuths The Universes of Blade and Underworld Hot off the Press #108 The Wizard of Oz Heroes of a Certain Age There's a whole lot more over at the ConTinual YouTube page, so browse around and get your panel fixes in!

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!

World Fantasy Recap Well, World Fantasy Con was excellent! I got to visit with fellow authors, editors, agents, readers, and more! This was my first time in Kansas City and it was lovely and the food (other than that one restaurant's where they tried to kill me) was fantastic. They do more than BBQ there, and it's all delish! Hanging out and having a blast at the mass signing (special love to all the book collectors who brought their books for me to sign!) was definitely a highlight, but the best was just generally having a great, relaxing con with old friends and new. I also got to do some great panels and even managed not to choke to death during my reading (though it was a near thing, as everyone in the room can attest to). This is a business con, so no cosplay pics, and, sadly, I forgot to take pics with several long-time friends (looking at you, Sherry Peters and Lucienne Diver) but (thanks to Alyssa Casto) we actually have photographic evidence that I did more than hang out. (Okay, not MUCH more, but still, more, and that counts, right? RIGHT?)   The Evolution of Women in Horror Panel, where I got to moderate a fantastic cross-section of female authors.

The Mass Signing. From left: author-editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt, moi, author Paige L. Christie, author-editor Gerald Brandt (standing), and author-editor Joshua Palmatier. Yes, that's me and Paige, surrounded by editors. And we were not afraid! The pre-Mass Signing dinner at Jack Stack where the food was fab. From left: moi, Liz Gooch, Carol Doms, Paige Christie, Alyssa Casto, and Bryan Thomas Schmidt. And yes, I think every one of us shared that we were Bryan's Dining Harem with the waitress. LOL

My Reading. This shot taken Before The Choking, and you can tell because you can see Rosemary William's awesome hair. She left to handle con business and my throat decided we couldn't go on without her.   The Personal Highlight - before the con started, Liz and I went to see my beloved Sporting Kansas City (soccer) win their do-or-die wildcard playoff against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Me and my favorite book collector, Franklin Coleman, in the Dragon's Den hangout area. How cold was it in the Dragon's Den for those of us night owls hanging out into the wee hours? See me and Gerald, literally huddling together for warmth.

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 starts wonderfully for all of you, 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