Winning Announcments

Happy Hump Day! The contest for Alien Tango's galley is closed, and that means we have a winner to be announced. We also have another winner to announce, so if you've entered at all during the Tidy My Office contest, you want to keep reading.

For those who don't know what's going on, and who might not realize that this week's contest is for the marked up galley of Alien in the Family, that's because the contest is for Hook Me Up! only. So if you're not on, now's the time. Send an email with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line to gini@ginikoch.com and you'll be in and sent the contest rules.

In between entering and, for some of you, winning, let's check out some of what's going on in the Greater Blogosphere. Check out what My 5 Monkeys thought of Alien vs. Alien. See what Into the Dreaming thought of Touched by an Alien. Then go watch the lastest vlog over at The Book Tart where she shows off her latest acquisitions. And last but in no way least, head over to author Deb Erelene's page, where she's interviewing author Paige Daniels who has some lovely things to say about moi and the Alien series. *sniff*

Finish up by hitting Terribleminds, author Chuck Wendig's page, and check out some truths about writing and publishing. It's interesting for those of you who just like to know what authors go through, and it's vital for any of you aspiring to this cray-cray life we call "write".

I'm going into the Slice of SciFi studio later this week, and I can't wait! If you missed it somehow, don't forget to check out my first ever live Slice Sirius XM radio webcast over at Slice of SciFi. The Slice gang LOVES comments and feedback, and they really love calls. Calls get on the air. Hint, hint. Calls about your fave new guest 'caster get on the air, too. Hint, double hint. Call the Feedback Number 206-339-TREK (8735) to get the melodious sounds of your voice onto the airwaves, or leave a comment on any of the current Slice of SciFi on the Radio features and you, like me, could be sharing your thoughts with the world!

And now, for what you've all been waiting for -- the winner of the Alien Tango! So, without further ado, I give you this week's winner:

Bryan Teague

Note to our winner: You have until Sunday, February 2nd to check in by sending me an email with your name (first and last) and your full mailing address. If I don't hear from you, the Gods of Random will demand a sacrifice and a new winner will be chosen.


Why is this important? Because, sadly, last week's winner did NOT check in. And you know what that means? I know you do. Yes! The Gods of Random have snatched back their prize and demanded a new sacrifice. 

Meaning we have a new winner for the galley of Touched by an Alien. So, the new winner is:

Margaret in ON Canada

Note to our winner: As with this week's other winner, you have until Sunday, February 2nd to check in by sending me an email with your name (first and last) and your full mailing address. If I don't hear from you, the Gods of Random will demand a sacrifice and a new winner will be chosen.


That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So enjoy the downward slide towards the weekend, and let's be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Tidy My Office: Alien in the Family

HOOK ME UP! EXCLUSIVE CONTEST

TIDY MY OFFICE!
WEEK THREE: Alien in the Family

It's time to tidy my office, and I need filing space. To that end, I'm giving away my edited galleys -- the hard copies that have my scribbles on them. There's only one of each book, so these are extremely rare, one-of-a-kind items.

The contest will run weekly for 7 weeks, and cover the first 6 books in the Alien series and Alexander Outland: Space Pirate by G.J. Koch.

The contest for the Alien in the Family edited galley will run from Tuesday, January 29, 2013 through Monday, February 4, 2013. Any contest entries received for AITF after 02-04 will not qualify.

So, registered Hook Me Uppers!, answer this question: If you were gifted with a Poof, what would you name it?

Love, Gini

LEGALESE
This is for Hook Me Up! subscribers only, so if you're not on, now's the time. Send an email with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line to gini@ginikoch.com and I'll send you the rules to enter.

Contest will run weekly from Tuesday, January 15, 2013 through Monday, March 4, 2013 (TBAA runs 01-15-13 to 01-21-13; AT runs 01-22-13 to 01-28-13; AitF runs 01-29-13 to 02-04-13; AP runs 02-05-13 to 02-11-13; AD runs 02-12-13 to 02-18-13; AvA runs 02-19-13 to 02-25-13, and AO:SP runs 02-16-13 to 03-04-13). Each galley's contest will run for a week -- winners will be announced sometime in the week following each galley's entry close. Winners will have until the following Sunday to check in -- any galley not claimed by then will be pulled back by the Gods of Random and a new winner(s) will be chosen.

This an international contest -- as long as you're on Planet Earth, you can enter and win. You must have a deliverable address, though - no P.O. boxes. Prize may take 2-4 weeks to ship; it may take 6-8 weeks for international or longer. Prizes will NOT ship until the final contest week close, on the off chance someone manages to win more than one galley (yes, it's possible, because, as we know, the Gods of Random are capricious).

A Slice of Yap

Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone's having a good week so far. I have a good news/bad news announcement. The bad news: the writer's conference in Eureka Springs was cancelled. The good news: I get to stay home with the family for my birthday weekend, and do my galley review of Alien in the House without timing stress. So it's an ultimate win. Bummer that I won't see those of you who were planning to make the trek, but there's always next time, right? Of course right!

As a consolation prize, you still get to see the me, only via the interwebs. I got to be in the Slice of SciFi studio last week and wow, was that a blast! My first ever Slice show, Terrorists in Space is up at the Slice of SciFi website today. Check it out and see the me run the yap live! And yes, I'll be in with the Slice gang semi-regularly, as scheduling permits.

After checking out my inaugural debut, see what Fresh Fiction thought of Alien vs. Alien. Then see what Full Moon Bites thought of Touched by an Alien, and while you're there, get entered to win a free copy of said bookie wookie. After that, catch up on some ponderings from Medusa's Library about Alien in the Family, Alien Proliferation, and Alien Diplomacy; then see what Larissa's Bookish Life chose as her top 5 Sci Fi (Space Opera) Books.

Speaking of galleys, week two of the Tidy My Office contest is going strong, and this week Alien Tango's galley is what's up for grabs. But it's for Hook Me Up! subscribers only. Not on? Now's the time. Send an email with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line to gini@ginikoch.com and you'll be in and sent the contest rules.

And then, next week, maybe you'll be the person who's gonna get to go "squeeee"...because the winner of the marked up Touched by an Alien galley is...

Filia Libri

Note to our winner: You have until Sunday, January 27th to check in by sending me an email with your name (first and last) and your full mailing address. If I don't hear from you, the Gods of Random will demand a sacrifice and a new winner will be chosen.

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So enjoy the downward slide towards the weekend, and let's be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Tidy My Office: Alien Tango

HOOK ME UP! EXCLUSIVE CONTEST

TIDY MY OFFICE!
WEEK TWO: Alien Tango

It's time to tidy my office, and I need filing space. To that end, I'm giving away my edited galleys -- the hard copies that have my scribbles on them. There's only one of each book, so these are extremely rare, one-of-a-kind items.

The contest will run weekly for 7 weeks, and cover the first 6 books in the Alien series and Alexander Outland: Space Pirate by G.J. Koch.

The contest for the Alien Tango edited galley will run from Tuesday, January 22, 2013 through Monday, January 28, 2013. Any contest entries received for AT after 1-28 will not qualify.

So, registered Hook Me Uppers!, answer this question: What's your favorite dance to do or to watch?

Love, Gini

LEGALESE
This is for Hook Me Up! subscribers only, so if you're not on, now's the time. Send an email with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line to gini@ginikoch.com and I'll send you the rules to enter.

Contest will run weekly from Tuesday, January 15, 2013 through Monday, March 4, 2013 (TBAA runs 01-15-13 to 01-21-13; AT runs 01-22-13 to 01-28-13; AitF runs 01-29-13 to 02-04-13; AP runs 02-05-13 to 02-11-13; AD runs 02-12-13 to 02-18-13; AvA runs 02-19-13 to 02-25-13, and AO:SP runs 02-16-13 to 03-04-13). Each galley's contest will run for a week -- winners will be announced sometime in the week following each galley's  entry close. Winners will have until the following Sunday to check in -- any galley not claimed by then will be pulled back by the Gods of Random and a new winner(s) will be chosen.

This an international contest -- as long as you're on Planet Earth, you can enter and win. You must have a deliverable address, though - no P.O. boxes. Prize may take 2-4 weeks to ship; it may take 6-8 weeks for international or longer. Prizes will NOT ship until the final contest week close, on the off chance someone manages to win more than one galley (yes, it's possible, because, as we know, the Gods of Random are capricious).

Yapping While Galley Humping

Happy Hump Day! As you know, the Tidy My Office contest officially started yesterday. But, since it's running for 7 weeks, you're not too late if you haven't entered yet. However, remember that each galley is only "up" for 1 week, so if you want to win, increase your chances and get entered each week, starting today, for the Touched by an Alien galley. (And yes, as always, this is an international contest.)

But it's for Hook Me Up! subscribers, only, so if you're not on, now's the time. Send an email with "hook Me Up!" in the subject line to gini@ginikoch.com and we'll get the contest rules right out to you.

But there's more going on than just winning, so let's get to it! Though, our first stop also involves winning -- 'cause I'm a giver, me. Head on over to Under the Covers where the yap is large and in charge with new info (It's true! Well, some of it's true...) AND a chance to win your choice of one of the first four books in the Alien series (Touched by an Alien, Alien Tango, Alien in the Family, or Alien Proliferation), signed and personalized. And yes, also open internationally.

Once you're done over there, head off to see what Kathy Takes on Books and The Anfractuous Bookaholic thought of Touched by an Alien, and what Medusa's Library thought of Alien Tango. Then see what Gizmo's Reviews is waiting on.

That's it for today, so get to the winning, enjoy the downward slide towards the weekend, and let's be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Tidy My Office: Touched by an Alien

HOOK ME UP! EXCLUSIVE CONTEST

TIDY MY OFFICE!
WEEK ONE: Touched by an Alien 

It's time to tidy my office, and I need filing space. To that end, I'm giving away my edited galleys -- the hard copies that have my scribbles on them. There's only one of each book, so these are extremely rare, one-of-a-kind items.

The contest will run weekly for 7 weeks, and cover the first 6 books in the Alien series and Alexander Outland: Space Pirate by G.J. Koch.

The contest for the Touched by an Alien edited galley will run from Tuesday, January 15, 2013 through Monday, January 21, 2013. Any contest entries received for TBAA after 1-21 will not qualify.

So, registered Hook Me Uppers!, answer this question: Which alien do you want to be touched by the most?

Love, Gini

LEGALESE
This is for Hook Me Up! subscribers only, so if you're not on, now's the time. Send an email with "Hook Me Up!" in the subject line to gini@ginikoch.com and I'll send you the rules to enter.

Contest will run weekly from Tuesday, January 15, 2013 through Monday, March 4, 2013 (TBAA runs 01-15-13 to 01-21-13; AT runs 01-22-13 to 01-28-13; AitF runs 01-29-13 to 02-04-13; AP runs 02-05-13 to 02-11-13; AD runs 02-12-13 to 02-18-13; AvA runs 02-19-13 to 02-25-13, and AO:SP runs 02-16-13 to 03-04-13). Each galley's contest will run for a week -- winners will be announced sometime in the week following each galley's  entry close. Winners will have until the following Sunday to check in -- any galley not claimed by then will be pulled back by the Gods of Random and a new winner(s) will be chosen.

This an international contest -- as long as you're on Planet Earth, you can enter and win. You must have a deliverable address, though - no P.O. boxes. Prize may take 2-4 weeks to ship; it may take 6-8 weeks for international or longer. Prizes will NOT ship until the final contest week close, on the off chance someone manages to win more than one galley (yes, it's possible, because, as we know, the Gods of Random are capricious).

Here, There, and Everywhere

Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone's weeks are going nicely and that everyone's healthy. I say that because pretty much everyone I know is sick (other than moi, and I'm trying hard to hold the illness hordes at bay). Sick is never fun, so sending get well thoughts out to any who are under the weather, and stay healthy thoughts to everyone else!

There's much going on, of course, so let's get to it! First off, awesome DAW author Patrick Rothfuss is doing a huge fundraiser with some seriously huge prizes, including a prize of a copy of every book published by DAW Books in 2012. That's BIG, gang, and the cause is a great one (Heifer International), so if you're able, give a little and get entered to win a lot.

Next up, see what Larissa's Bookish Life thinks are the top 5 covers coming in 2013 so far. Then head over to see what Medusa's Library has started the year off reading, and rereading, and The Writer Librarian is showing off Alien in the House.

Now, let's check out some of the places where you can see the me, and many other awesome authors, in the upcoming months! First off, I'll be in Eureka Springs, Arkansas later this month for the Other Worlds Fantasy Fest, January 25th through 27th. This is likely the only time I'm going to be in this part of the country this year, so if you can make it, this is the con to make it for.

I'll also be at the Tucson Festival of Books, March 9th & 10th. The TFoB is the 4th largest book fair in the country. And I won't be alone. Check out the listing of authors confirmed to attend, and then see the list broken out by genre and activity. Make your plans to attend, it's gonna be huge.

Speaking of huge, I'll also be at Phoenix Comicon over Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-26. This is a great con because it's big enough to attract huge media guests (cast of Babylon 5, anyone?) and small enough that you can meet and interact with those guests. If you can only hit one this year, this is the one.

But if you want a more intimate experience that's more reader focused than anything else, hit Arizona Dreamin', May 31st through June 2nd. And, for the opposite of intimate but the granddaddy of cool, of course I plan to be at San Diego Comic-Con from July 18th through July 21st.

Speaking of huge...if you can only go to one con in 2014, make sure that it's DarkCon 2014, January 16th through 19th, where at I will be the Local Author Guest of Honor AND we will be having GiniCon on the last day of the con on the 19th, with extra activities all the way through for all Members of the Alien Collective in Very Good Standing. This is a full See The Me situation where you'll get access like never before and lots of it, PLUS there will be other awesome authors and media guests in attendance as well. Seriously, start saving up and getting the time off work now, because it's gonna be huge.

If you didn't catch my inaugural review column over at Slice of SciFi and It's Comic Book Day now's the time. Feel free to leave comments at the sites if you enjoy my reviews of all things nerd -- it makes the folks at Slice of SciFi feel warm and fuzzy, and we all like to feel warm and fuzzy, don't we?

Last but not least, the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll is still going on, and Alien Diplomacy and I both still need your votes. So do your girl a solid and cast your votes, please and thank you. And while we're on the subject of solids, remember to pre-order Alien in the House, please and thank you again. Yes, those pre-orders matter, matter, matter, and I love you all for doing so!

Well, that's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. So enjoy the downward slide to the weekend, and let's be readers out there! Peace out, my li'l gangstas, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Love,
Gini

Eureka!

Springs, that is.

It's a short and sweet one today. Just wanted to announce that, as my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, I'll be a featured guest at the Other Worlds Fantasy Fest in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, January 25-27, 2013.

Hosted at the most haunted hotel around, the Crescent Hotel Eureka Springs, the event is focused on fantasy and horror readers and authors. And we all know how much fun I have in haunted hotels.

It's going to be an action-packed fan con AND writer's workshop, so if you're anywhere near the area, come on down! It's also my birthday weekend, so come celebrate with me...and, um, help me keep the spirits at bay! (Will it be more haunted than the Hotel Gadsden? Show up and find out!)

Love,
Gini

Happy Nerd Year!

Happy 2013! Hope everyone had a safe, fun, and happy New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. I personally can't believe 2013 is here already, but here it is, and with it, as my Hook Me Up! subscribers already know, lots of goings ons, so let's get to them!

First up, my first ever guest column at Slice of SciFi/It's Comic Book Day! is large and in charge, so check out my Happy Nerd Year! column and enjoy my recommendations for what to pick up or keep your eyes open for that you might have missed.

Then, the yap keeps on running over at SF Signal, for today's True Confessions Mind Meld: The Books We Didn't Love. While you're there, share the books you don't like that everyone else feels you should.

After you discover my secret reading shame, head over to The Ranting Dragon and see what their top 50 anticipated novels of 2013 are.

Next, see who won The Orange Handcuff Awards of 2012 over at Larissa's Bookish Life. And if you've somehow missed it, check out the cover for Alien in the House over at Books-n-Kisses.

Jim Hines' Cover Posing for a Good Cause is done, for now, but we raised over $15,000 for the Aicardi Syndrome Foundation! More challenge poses are being posted regularly, so keep on checking back. Trust me, Jim's version of Alien Diplomacy is not to be missed!

Speaking of Alien Diplomacy, voting for the Predators & Editors Readers Poll is still going on over at Critters Writers Workshop and Alien Diplomacy and I need your votes in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel and Authors categories. Voting's open through Jan. 14th.

That's it for today, but as always, more's on the way. Now, I need to get back to writing Alien Research, Alexander Outland: Space Avenger, and Night Music, so peace out my li'l gangstas, and let's be readers out there!

Love,
Gini