The READ THIS! Author Q&A Deets, My (Very Packed) DragonCon Schedule, & More!

I'm Ho-ome...! Well, I'm home for at least a little while. Then it's off to DragonCon for me. Scroll through for my very packed schedule. SDCC and Gen Con were great. I know all y'all are expecting the big recaps now, but I'm on a roll with the getting certain things written (and, if you notice, this is coming out days late because ON A ROLL), so I'm going to do a BIG recap for all three BIG cons mid-September. When I will have plenty of time and possibly the news we're all hoping for. (No promises, but hope.) But before I head for my third of my Big 3 cons, we have the READ THIS! Author Q&A TOMORROW, which promises to be another fun one, and more besides! So let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

IT'S ALMOST KICKSTARTER TIME!   Starting on August 15th, the next set of awesome anthologies from Zombies Need Brains will be looking for funding. I'll be in WERE-2, writing another Missy the Were-Pomeranian story (which you know you don't want to miss). I will be offering tuckerizations (where you get your name, or the name you choose working with me, in lights in the story -- most authors kill their tuckers. I tend to keep mine around...). I'm also offering various rewards at certain levels, as are a bunch of the other authors, so be sure not to miss out! So look sharp! The link will work now (so you can check out all the things) as well as on the 15th and after, so don't miss out and support this great Kickstarter for more great reading! IT'S ALIVE! If you didn't preorder this cool anthology filled with familiars and the magic-users who hang out with them, well it's too late to do that because it's live and available! Order from Amazon, Kobo, B&N, or straight from Zombies Need Brains. Don't miss out on "Have Voodoo, Will Travel" by moi and Bebe Bayliss along with a host of other great stories from other awesome authors -- get Familiars TODAY!

Speaking of Being Alive... There is no Kitty without Belle. Want to read the book that is, truly, the reason I started writing? Well, now you can, because Natural Born Outlaws: The Legend of Belladonna Book 1 by moi writing as A.E. Stanton, from Ginger Blue Publishing is out NOW! Get your copies from Amazon, B&N, and all the other usual suspects! (And yes, for you audiobook lovers, scroll farther down because the excellent audiodrama has been available from Graphic Audio for a while and is waiting for you to enjoy it.)

Have You Gotten Your Copy Yet? Fall's Girl, my first straight-on mystery, co-written with Bebe Bayliss, is alive and out in the world, available from all the usual suspects! Trot on over to B&N.com, Amazon, or anywhere else you buy your books, grab your copy TODAY, and meet Stacey, who we think you're going to love as much as all y'all love Kitty!

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!

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!

IT'S PREORDER TIME!

Something Wicked, the first novel in the Santa Paloma Mysteries series written by moi and Bebe Bayliss, will release on November 22, 2024 from Ginger Blue Publishing. Coming in ebook and paperback, preorders are live at Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books. I've been advised that B&N is being persnickety, but that the book will be there for preorders soon enough.

In Santa Paloma it’s unwise to go to the lighthouse at night –- because it’s deadly… Sleepy little Santa Paloma is a relaxed beach town with a lovely marina, a large retiree population…and a lot of very bad things, like murder…and worse. Geraldine and Nancy Fullerton share a granddaughter, Samantha –- Geraldine through blood, Nancy through marriage to Geraldine’s ex. They also share a love of mysteries and are excellent partners in solving crime. Samantha Greene loves her grandmothers and their friends, and not only because solving mysteries that elude the police is their favorite hobby. But some crimes are more dangerous than others, and investigating a string of brutal murders puts them all on the killers’ radars, Samantha especially. A surfing drug dealer and his mule, a classical musician, wealthy and shady yacht owners, mixed martial arts fighters, and the leaders of Santa Paloma’s community are all potentially involved. But a homeless man could hold the key –- or he could have imagined everything. But as more and more people die, Samantha knows one thing for sure – whatever’s happening, the lighthouse is involved. What Geraldine and Nancy know is that something wicked is going on –- and they need to stop it before Samantha is the next victim.

Speaking of More Preorders... I'm in a wonderful anthology from Albert Whitman & Co. celebrating Hanukkah with a diverse collection of poems and stories filled with history, humor, and hope, releasing September 5th. 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. Preorder your copy today! And check out this nice review of the anthology from Kirkus Reviews.

Speaking Once More About Preorders... Ginger Blue Publishing is re-releasing my humor collection, Random Musings from the Funny Girl, with new pieces (!), coming October 22nd. If you don't have this collection yet, now's the time to preorder from Amazon, B&N, and all the usual suspects. And if you have the original, but want those new pieces in their snazzy new format, well, I'm not gonna tell you no. :-D

August 2024 READ THIS! Author Q&A

August's READ THIS! author Q&A featuring Author Joshua Palmatier, will be on Thursday, August 15, 2024 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 September'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.)

August 2024 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for August 2024 is:  Crystal Lattice by Joshua Palmatier Gini's Take: The start to another great epic fantasy series filled with magic, war, and betrayal, and yet another one from a master of the form that you do not want to miss.  About the Author:  Joshua Palmatier is a fantasy author with a PhD in mathematics. Reaping the Aurora, concludes the fantasy series begun in Shattering the Ley and Threading the Needle, although you can also find his “Throne of Amenkor” series and the “Well of Sorrows” series still on the shelves. He is currently hard at work writing his next novel and designing the Kickstarter for the next Zombies Need Brains anthology project. You can find out more at www.joshuapalmatier.com or at the small press’ site www.zombiesneedbrains.com. Or follow him on Twitter as @bentateauthor or @ZNBLLC.

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

The READ THIS! Selection for September 2024 is:        Kakistocracy By Alex Shvartsman

Come See The Me! My 2024 con schedule was full but now it's time for the last one. Hoping to see as many of all y'all as possible! And, speaking of full... DragonCon, August 29- September 2 Atlanta, GA Friday, August 30  10:00-11:00am, Embassy AB Hyatt -- PANEL: The Power of Friendship and Networking 12:00-12:45pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING 1:00-2:00pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 1, Booths 1201, 1203, 1300, 1302 -- SIGNING  2:30-3:30pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING 4:00-5:00pm, Chastain 1-2 Westin -- PANEL: Character Beginnings and Endings on Angel: A Fan Panel 5:30-6:30pm, Macon Courtland Grand -- PANEL: Things You Should Have Learned in History Class Game Show 8pm-midnight, International Ballroom, Hyatt -- Fantasy Gather, SIGNING, SELLING & HUGGING Saturday, August 31 10am-12pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING 1:00-2:00pm, Embassy CD Hyatt -- PANEL: Cloaks, Daggers, and Whispers: Intrigue and Spies in the Shadows 2:30-3:30pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING  4:00-5:00pm, Embassy CD Hyatt -- PANEL: True Confessions: What Our Favorite Tropes Say About Us 5:30-6:30pm, Embassy AB Hyatt -- PANEL: Humor is Subjective: Everybody Laughs Differently 8:30-9:30pm, Embassy CD Hyatt -- PANEL: Delphic Oracle Sunday, September 1 10:00-10:30am, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING 11am-12pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 1, Booths 1201, 1203, 1300, 1302 -- SIGNING 12:30-2:00pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING 2:30-3:30pm, Embassy CD Hyatt -- PANEL: From Heists and High Jinx to Crime and Punishment 4:00-5:00pm, Overlook Westin -- SIGNING: Signing Showcase: Fantasy Lit Track: Heists & Hijinks, Crime & Punishment 5:30-7:00pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING 8:30-9:30pm, Embassy CD Hyatt -- PANEL: Take The to the Punnery: Pride and Punnishment Monday, September 2 10:00-11:30am, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING 12:00-1:00pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 1, Booths 1201, 1203, 1300, 1302 -- SIGNING 1:30-2:00pm, America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING 2:30-3:30pm, Embassy EF Hyatt -- PANEL: Where in the World is Fiction Going Next? 4:00-5:00pm,  America's Mart Building 2, Floor 2, Booth 2125 -- SIGNING, SELLING, & HUGGING

I know, I know -- all these other books and where is Kitty's next one, darn it? Super close now, that's where. (And again I wince, waiting for the punishment for hubris and excitement.)  I'm still optimistic that I'm going to have good news in this space soon...

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!

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