New Kickstarter with Chances to Get Your Name Into My Story!

Hey there! There's a new Kickstarter in town, and it's Unidentified Funny Objects 10. And you have first crack at tuckerizations (aka my putting your name, or name of choice, in lights in the story). Most authors kill their tuckers. I tend to make mine the stars and keep them around forever. The title is "The Cat Lady Cometh," currently planned as a new standalone (but we know how that tends to go, too, right?), and it should be a lot of fun with, you know, the standard mayhem and all that jazz.

From The Editor, Alex Shvartsman: Do you like funny science fiction and fantasy? Short stories that are humorous, unusual, and most of all fun? The Unidentified Funny Objects anthology series has been publishing such stories for the past thirteen years! (GK edit: And I'm in most of them!) In that time I have edited nine volumes as well as three supplemental books of reprint stories (Funny SF, Funny Fantasy, and Funny Horror.) The last of those came out in 2022. Then, I took a break. Well, not really a break. I was busy doing All The Things. But UFO has always been my passion project and I clawed out some extra time (mostly by sleeping less) to finally, finally work on UFO10. The goal of this campaign is to produce the latest volume in the series of funny, irreverent anthologies of humorous  science fiction and fantasy short stories. The series features a recurring cast of amazing headliners (GK edit: like moi), and the best funny up-and-comers I can find.  Each UFO volume features offbeat and unique stories unlike any to be found in other anthology series. We publish a range of humorous stories, from the outright hilarious to snarky (GK edit: *cough*), and try to cover a wide range of humor styles, from satire to absurdist. I already have the following stories in hand for UFO10: "How to Make Everything Better for Everyone" -- Gamification of everything leads to its natural absurdity. -- by Jane Espenson, screenwriter of Buffy, Firefly, Gilmore Girls, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones, and many other TV series. "Passengers" -- What are the Yeti, the Sasquatch and the Mothman doing on a flying saucer? -- by Simon R. Green, NYT bestselling author of Deathstalker and Nightshare series. "The Shank of the Evening" -- Dating in NYC is tough and you meet all kinds of people. -- Some of them may not even be people. by Nick Mamatas, Hugo, World Fantasy, and Bram Stoker Award finalist "I Hate This Planet" -- What's it really like to be an alien researcher stranded on Earth? -- by Alan Dean Foster, bestselling author of Star Wars, Alien, Star Trek, Terminator, and Transformers novels "Back to School Guidelines for Exceptiolon Planetary" -- Things at the school are going to be a little different under the new Tentaculon administration. You know, just minor stuff. -- by Tina Connolly, Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy award finalist "Stupid Cupid" -- Cupid's assistant has h̶u̶g̶e̶ tiny shoes to fill as she takes over matchmaking duties. Before long, a lovelorn tree is the least of her problems. -- by Zach Shephard, UFO series regular whose fiction has also appeared in F&SF, Galaxy's Edge and other venues. "Opacity" (translated from Russian) -- When an AI chatbot advises a man on how to get rich quick in the kakistocracy of modern Russia, it seems to miraculously work--but not for long. -- by Leo Kaganov, award-winning author and poet whose English language translations appeared in Clarkesworld and Asimov's. Additional authors who have also agreed to contribute a story include Caitlin Rozakis, Esther Friesner, Gini Koch, Jody Lynn Nye, and Lavie Tidhar.  Once the funding goal is met, UFO will open to general submissions in December.  From Moi: I enjoy writing stories for this anthology series. They keep my snark fresh for Kitty & Company as well as all the others. So, please support the Kickstarter if you can, whether it's by tuckerizations or just regular award levels, and also share the info if you're willing. The cool kitty below wants your support just like the editor and I do.

So many bookie wookies, so much time to catch up on all of them while waiting for The Alien Collection, Aliens Like Us, and Aliens Like Them. Check out my Bookstore for all the things!

That's it for today but, as always, more's on the way. Have great weeks, stay warm and dry or cool and comfy, depending on where you are in the world, and let's be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side! Love, Gini