The READ THIS! BotM, Aliens Like Us is Almost Here, and More!

No Foolin', Aliens Like Us Is Almost Here! I know, it's too happy to be true, but true it is -- the book all y'all have been waiting for for SO long will be released in less than a week!  Mark the calendars -- Aliens Like Us releases on April 7th! Get your preorders in, so you can get the book as fast as possible! And that's not all, of course. Passover starts tonight, Easter arrives right before Aliens Like Us, and we have the READ THIS! Book of the Month announced. Plus more! So let's get to it, shall we? We shall!

Pre-Order Time Is Still Now!

Spread the word: Aliens Like Use -- aka the book EVERYONE has been waiting for -- is releasing on April 7, 2026 from Ginger Blue Publishing, and it's available for pre-order right now! So, now's the time to get your copy reserved from your distributor of choice:  Amazon -- ebook (trade paperback and hardback editions will be available on release day) B&N.com -- ebook, trade paperback, and Trophy Hardback Kobo -- ebook Apple Books -- ebook An Important Note #1: If you pre-ordered this book back when it was with DAW your preorder WILL NOT reactivate. The ISBN numbers are different, and that publisher will not advise the various outlets that they should look for the new ISBN number coming from this publisher (it's not their job to do that), and there's no way for the new publisher to get those pre-orders transferred, either. SO, if you pre-ordered before, please do so again, via the links at the Ginger Blue website. An Important Note #2: You cannot go into a Barnes & Noble store to pre-order. The in-store systems and the online systems don't actually work all that well together (I know, it's the same company...a battle for another day with a different army). So if you're planning to get your copies from B&N, please go to the Ginger Blue website and choose your links from there. An Important Note #3: REMINDER in case you didn't read the intro to the newsletter: Amazon basically took GBP down for no good, or legal, reason, and it's all fixed, supposedly, and everything is back, EXCEPT any preorders for Aliens Like Us. So, if you preordered your copy through Amazon, you will need to preorder that AGAIN or you won't get it. (Or preorder from B&N.com, Kobo, or Apple Books who never do this kind of shenanigans.)

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!

New Aloud Reading! Behold! The first Ginger Blue audiobook is A Cup of Joe by moi writing as Anita Ensal!

It's time for the Second Official Mini Gini Con, April 24-26, in Phoenix, AZ! Friday, April 24, 7-9pm: Reading from Aliens Like Us, Q&A, and autographing your bookie wookies.  Saturday, April 25, 4-7pm: Meet & Greet, aka hang out and yap with moi, a Reading from Aliens Like Us, Q&A, and autographing your bookie wookies!  Sunday, April 26, 4-6pm: Meet & Greet, aka hang out and yap with moi. I'll also autograph your bookie wookies! Space is extremely limited, so you have to register for what days you want to attend prior to the event. There is a deal for all 3 days, as well! I'll be giving away a copy of a book for each paid attendee (not copies of the Alien series, though, sorry), while supplies last. I'll also have some copies of Aliens Like Us to sell, too, but if you have your copies already, bring 'em, because my supplies will be limited.

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!

April 2026 READ THIS! Selection

The READ THIS! Selection for April 2026 is:  Crystal Rebel by Joshua Palmatier Gini's Take: The tense, action-packed sequel, and second book in a great trilogy, from a master of epic fantasy. About the Author: Joshua Palmatier is a fantasy author with a PhD in Mathematics who also runs an SF&F small press called Zombies Need Brains. Yes, he's insane. Check out the complete "Crystal Cities" trilogy, out now!

April 2026 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.)

April's READ THIS! author Q&A  featuring author Joshua Palmatier will be on Thursday, April 16, 2026 from 9pm-10pm Eastern. Access to Discord is available worldwide, and everyone is invited to attend!

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

The READ THIS! Selection for May 2026 is:  Surviving the Starways By Vincent Bek

The First Official Review Is In! And here it is, the first review of Aliens Like Us, from longtime reviewer Welcome to Larissa's Life. Check it out!

In case you missed it, we're all caught up! The first 16 books in the Alien Series AND The Alien Collection are now available from Ginger Blue Publishing in ebook, trade paperback, hardback, and trophy hardback! And Aliens Like Us/Book17 will be out within days!

It's official -- Ginger Blue got the enter Alien Series re-released AND The Alien Collection published before Aliens Like Us.   The situation with how the hardbacks go out is still the same - you can get the new versions in ebook, trade paperback, hardback, and trophy hardback complete with a snazzy dust cover! The trophy hardback is from B&N.com only, as a reminder, and the regular hardback is from Amazon only. The searching via Amazon and B&N.com remains spotty, in no small part because those two distributors still have some mass market copies they're determined to sell. So, as suggested for Touched and Tango, and as recommended for every book coming through 16/Aliens Abroad, go to the Ginger Blue Releases page, click on the cover of your choosing, and choose which option or options you want. The links on GBP's website will take you to the right spots at B&N and Amazon to get the version you want. Confusing? Yes. Ultimately manageable? Sure. It's only adding a step to what you'd normally do. Now for the old reviews status. It had seemed like all the old reviews had stuck at B&N, but not so any more. And the same for Amazon - they were there for all and, suddenly, they were not. SO, several of the books do not have all their reviews connected to the new versions. We have no idea why. Yes, they may connect at a later date, we have no idea if that will or won't happen and, if they do connect, if they'll actually remain. SO, please review early and often on either site, but particularly on Amazon, since, as we well know, reviews matter, especially at Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads. So, officially, now the first sixteen books and the Collection are live everywhere! And Aliens Like Us is literally almost here! Woot!

So many bookie wookies, so much time to catch up on all of them while waiting for Aliens Like Us (so close now!) and Aliens Like Them, 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 mid-month. 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, aka my Rabid Raccoons, and I'll catch you on the flip side! Love, Gini