You guys probably remember that not too long ago I reviewed a book called Loss by Jackie Morse Kessler and, much to happiness and surprise, it's my favourite book in the Riders of the Apocalypse series yet! That, my bloggy friends, is a feat in and of itself because series far too often go downhill after an extraordinary first-installment, which is what prompted this post last week.

So, for me it was a no-brainer when asked to participate in the blog tour for this all-too-awesome book. Today, I am so excited to welcome the amazing Jackie Morse Kessler, author of the series, to my blog. And what, pray tell, is she going to post about for us today? Well, I'm so glad you asked! Take the floor, Jackie!

Why Getting Sidetracked Can Be Good

When I first started writing LOSS, I knew, just knew, that Robin Hood would have to feature prominently. The protagonist of the story, a bullied teen named Billy, is given the bow of Pestilence, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Pestilence is an archer—and hey, that meant that Robin Hood would have to come into the story! Brilliant!

Except it didn’t work out that way.

The entire second section of the book was supposed to be about Billy’s trip into the past, searching Sherwood Forest for the elusive White Rider, also known as Pestilence. Billy was going to hook up with Robin Hood and the Merry Men, learn a little something about himself, and eventually find what he was looking for, but not in the way he’d imagined. I actually wrote about three chapters of this part of the story. They were good chapters. Solid.

And completely wrong.

I knew this because I hit a wall and couldn’t write another word. For me, writer’s block happens when my forebrain has taken the story all the way down a path that my back brain knows won’t work. Man, that sucked. I wanted to write. I tried to write. No writing happened.

But…as I tried forcing the Robin Hood part of the story to happen, something else was going on. I was doing research about plagues and other diseases through the history of the world. I didn’t have a reason for it; I just started Googling about infectious diseases, and soon I had an entire notebook’s worth of notes, a page per plague. I had no idea what I’d do with the information; it certainly didn’t fit in to the spiffy outline I’d written for the book. But it was fascinating stuff, totally worth getting sidetracked over.

So there I was, with the book due in two months, and the story wasn’t working. I decided to try something radical: I threw out the outline, whipped out my notebook full of pox and other sicknesses, and started writing. And I wound up using all of the research that had fascinated me. The second section of LOSS is still about Billy’s trip into the past, but in a completely different way…with very different results. We get to see so much more about the previous White Rider this way. I’m very happy with how it turned out.

And it was all because I let myself do research that, I thought, had nothing to do with what I was writing.

Sometimes, it’s worth throwing out the outline. (Just don’t tell your editor!)

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And now...the generous Jackie has offered a great giveaway! 

LOSS by Jackie Morse Kessler came out YESTERDAY! 

One lucky commenter below will win a small cover poster of LOSS — and will be entered in the grand prize drawing! The grand prize winner will receive signed copies of HUNGER, RAGE and LOSS — and will get to name a character in BREATH, the fourth book in the Riders of the Apocalypse series. The grand prize winner will be picked on Sunday, April 1, 2012. No foolin’. 

TO ENTER: You MUST be a follower to enter this giveaway, please! Leave a comment about what you think the best part about getting sidetracked is for you. Please leave your email address and give yourself a +3 in your comment if you tweeted it or liked the lil' ol' facebook from the link on the right. This giveaway ends at midnight EST on Friday, March 30! Good luck, all!

I am extremely blessed by the continued generosity of great authors and publishers who provide me with incredible books to review (and which I pretty much always end up buying, too!) Sometimes I end up with duplicates though, and rather than horde them, I feel it's time to give them away to all of you lovelies! So, without further ado...here's what's up for grabs in the I Swim for Oceans Spring ARC Giveaway:

1. The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

2. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

3. Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis

4. Loss by Jackie Morse Kessler

5. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Here are the rules: This giveaway is open internationally. You do NOT have to be a follower to enter, but it is always appreciated, and being one gets you bonus entries! This giveaway will end promptly at midnight (12 AM) EST on March 23rd. There will be THREE winners picked by Random.org. First winner will select two books. Second winner will select two books. Third winner gets the fifth book. Still interested? 

 Click HERE to enter!

Title: Loss
Author: Jackie Morse Kessler
Publisher: HMH
Publish Date: March 20, 2012
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 272
Source: Author

Fifteen-year-old Billy Ballard is the kid that everyone picks on, from the school bullies to the teachers. Things change drastically when Billy learns that years ago, he’d been tricked by Pestilence, the White Rider of the Apocalypse. Now it’s Billy’s turn to wield Pestilence’s Bow and spread sickness through the world. He uses his new power to lash out at his tormentors…and accidentally causes an outbreak of disease. Horrified by his actions, he wants nothing more than to be rid of the Bow. For that to happen, Billy must track down the previous White Rider, who is hiding in a place where even Death cannot go.

Billy’s search takes him across the centuries: from ancient Phrygia, where a man called King Mita agrees to wear the White Rider’s Crown, to a mighty forest, where Pestilence plans to cheat Death; from the docks of Alexandria, where plague is packed into cartons of grain, to the Children’s Crusade in France, where the White Rider learns a truth that will break him. By the time Billy finds the man who had tricked him so long ago, the White Rider is completely insane—and is poised to unleash a plague that would make the Black Death look like a summer cold. And only Billy can stop him.

Billy is tormented. It doesn’t matter the day of the week, or even where he is. He is bullied, tortured and beaten down every single day. His life, as far as he’s concerned, is one living hell. That all changes in an instant, however, when Billy discovers that years ago he was tricked by the White Rider and fated to carry Pestilence’s bow and spread disease throughout the world. Suddenly, he has more power than he could have dreamed, and he can finally get vengeance for the misery he’s faced. However, his actions have consequences, and when Billy realizes what he’s done, he must race to undo it before time runs out…for everyone. 

I’ve been a fan of this series from the start. Veteran author, Jackie Morse Kessler, has created a riveting series based around the story of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, hence the aptly-titled series, Riders of the Apocalypse. Loss is deeper than its predecessors, delving into one of the grittiest supernatural tales I’ve read in a good while. Equally heartbreaking and intense, Loss represents the darkest hells of the world, offers redemption and gives both the character and readers the chance to choose – what would you do in Billy’s position. Fluid and fast, the story spins on an epic arc, searing that very question into your mind. 

I made a commitment to reading more books from a male POV this year, and I’m so glad that Loss fit the bill. Billy was an excellent, multi-layered character that, despite his pain and anger, was not blinded by it and was able to understand the repercussions of both his actions and inactions. Furthermore, I also loved the fact that Billy wasn’t afraid to touch the dark aspects of the book. Bullying, too, is a completely relevant topic in today’s day and age. While Loss could very easily have spun into a preachy novel, it maintained a thoroughly objective standpoint while still allowing you to access the deep-seeded pain at the heart of it. I will say that parts of the story were a bit unbelievable, namely the epic journey that Billy must face to encounter the White Rider, as a whole, it worked well. Throughout Loss, Billy’s story was raw, gritty and honest, giving you a protagonist you wanted wholeheartedly to believe in. 

 In my opinion, I humbly state that this was the best book in the whole series for me. Loss was poignant and powerful, superseding the paranormal and becoming an honest, emotional story that resonates. I give it a 4 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy the series, as well as those who enjoy the paranormal. 

I received this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.