Monday, March 13, 2023

READ THIS! Author Q&A, CoastCon Recap, and More!


It's Almost St. Patrick's Day!

Time for all of us to pretend we're Irish at least for a day and love the color green, the Emerald Isle, U2, and putting green food coloring into many things it doesn't belong in. The fact that this year St. Patty's (Paddy's? Paddies? Patties?) Day falls on a Friday should mean a weekend of fun. But SAFE fun, because Monday is the first official day of Spring, and we all want to see that, right? Of course right!

But before we celebrate the Irish and Spring (letting the soap joke go, with effort), we have the READ THIS! Author Q&A com this Thursday. So let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

March 2023 READ THIS! Author Q&A
March's READ THIS! author Q&A with author Liana Brooks
will be on
Thursday, March 16, 2022
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/MnQDEKFYjU 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 April'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.)
March 2023 READ THIS! Selection
The READ THIS! Selection for March 2023 is: 

Even Villains Fall in Love
By Liana Brooks

Gini's Take: A cute, funny SFR about superheroes and supervillains that will have you giggling and rooting for the hero/villain/husband all the way through.


About the Author: Liana Brooks writes science fiction, fantasy, and romance for people who like fast ships, big guns, witty one-liners, and happy endings. She has lived almost everywhere in North America and currently resides in Seoul, South Korea. She is best known for her super villain romances starting with EVEN VILLAINS FALL IN LOVE and the enemies-to-lovers space opera series, Fleet of Malik. You can find Liana on the web at www.lianabrooks.com or on Twitter as @LianaBrooks.  
April's READ THIS! Selection
 

And Remember: One Lucky Q&A Participant can win it early!


The READ THIS! Selection for April 2023 is: 
 

 

No Choice
By Mel Todd

 

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.

CoastCon Recap!

I had a super time being the Author Guest of Honor at CoastCon this year! It's a nice smaller con that really knows how to take care of its guests. All the attendees were lovely, the guests were super, the con organizers were on top of things, and I had a blast! 
 
In addition to getting to meet a lot of new folks, including awesome authors J.B. Garner and and Julie Wetzel (who also makes adorable crafts), I got to spend time with the Media Guests of Honor, Kevin E. Thompson and Tracey McCoy Thompson. You know Kevin from a ton of movies, but foremost as one of the main Ewoks in "Return of the Jedi". Kevin and Tracey are awesome folks and they have a book out about Kevin's experiences making Jedi -- My Journey to Endor -- which is a really great read I highly recommend.

The Ewok Patrol (clockwise from top left: Moi, Bruce Duckett, John Perkins, Kevin E. Thompson, Tracey McCoy Thompson)



Speaking of all things Star Wars, Fan Guest of Honor Chip Lechner was both a lot of fun and instrumental in getting Kevin to the con, so a win all around!

I also got to spend time with one of the Originals on Team Tuckerization, James Conason (yeah, you know his name) who's been A Member of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing for a very long time.
And of course there was the food. Biloxi is right on the Gulf of Mexico and that means amazing sea food. Delicious meals abounded, including at See Wee Roll, where we had a lot of delicious sushi and hibachi.
(Clockwise from front: Elizabeth, Glenna, and Michael Lambert, Christina Spinelli, and Moi)


CoastCon has it all, including panels, tons of gaming, workshops, a great dealer's hall, and, of course, cosplay. There were a lot of great costumes, but Jay and Silent Bob were my favorites.


Read Out Loud!

Do you have your copy of the Touched by an Alien audiobook yet? If not, don't wait! Grab yours today! 

SEE THE ME!

CoastCon is over, but there's lots more cons a'comin' and these are the ones I'll be attending. This list is definitely subject to change, with schedules to come and other events added on. So make your plans to come see the me!



LibertyCon 35
Chattanooga, TN
June 23-25, 2023



San Diego Comic-Con 2023
San Diego, CA
July 19-23, 2023



DragonCon 2023
Atlanta, GA
August 31 - September 4, 2023

I'm an Author Guest this year AND we'll be back in the booth, so lots of ways to see the me!


GenCon 2023
Indianapolis, IN
August 3-6, 2023

I'm a Symposium Author again this year, so make your plans to make it to this fun con now!


World Fantasy Con
Kansas City, MO
October 26-29, 2023


 
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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 and Bibliography 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

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Wednesday, March 1, 2023

February's READ THIS! BotM, My CoastCon Schedule, and More!


Happy March!

February flew by and I'm about to fly to Biloxi, MS for CoastCon45. And, like February, March is chock-full of good going's ons, including the next READ THIS! selection for you, and more. So let's get 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!

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!

 
March 2023 READ THIS! Selection


The READ THIS! Selection for March 2023 is: 

Even Villains Fall in Love
By Liana Brooks


Gini's Take: A cute, funny SFR about superheroes and supervillains that will have you giggling and rooting for the hero/villain/husband all the way through.

About the Author: Liana Brooks writes science fiction, fantasy, and romance for people who like fast ships, big guns, witty one-liners, and happy endings. She has lived almost everywhere in North America and currently resides in Seoul, South Korea. She is best known for her super villain romances starting with EVEN VILLAINS FALL IN LOVE and the enemies-to-lovers space opera series, Fleet of Malik. You can find Liana on the web at www.lianabrooks.com or on Twitter as @LianaBrooks.
 
March 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.)
March's READ THIS! author Q&A with author Liana Brooks
will be on
Thursday, March 16, 2022
from 9pm-10pm Eastern.


Access to Discord is available worldwide, and everyone is invited to attend!
April's READ THIS! Selection
 

And Remember: One Lucky Q&A Participant can win it early!


The READ THIS! Selection for April 2023 is: 

No Choice
By Mel Todd

 
I'm super excited to be the
Author Guest of Honor
at CoastCon 45 in Biloxi, MS!

My current schedule:
Friday, March 3
6pm -- Opening Ceremonies
Saturday, March 4
1pm -- Laughter in Space: Including Humor Into Your Fiction
5pm -- Writer's Workshop
Sunday, March 5
1pm -- Debate This!


Otherwise I'll be hanging about running the yap and checking out all the things, so come on by and join me!
 

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.

More Yapping!
 
That's right, more yapping from me and other awesome authors over at ConTinual. The latest offering is Sci-Fi and Alien Romance, which we know I know a thing or two about. 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


There's a whole lot more over at the ConTinual YouTube page, so browse around and get your panel fixes in!
 
Random Randomness

Are you like Kitty, Surly Vic, and Hacker International in that you like "Star Wars", possbily quite a lot? Well, per NASA, we have 8 "Star Wars" planets in our own galaxy, and, universally speaking, not so far away...
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 and Bibliography 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

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