Saturday, December 31st, 2011
LOSS will hit the shelves in less than three months. (Cue music!) I thought it would be fun to give you an idea of what to expect.
Top 10 Things To Know About LOSS
10. LOSS is about a boy named Billy Ballard, the most bullied kid in tenth grade.
9. LOSS is also about Pestilence, the White Rider, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
8. Some people refer to Pestilence as the Conqueror — and you get to find out why!
7. The cover depicts arrows and a crown, both of which are important to the White Rider.
6. You get to see more of Famine and War and all the steeds.
5. One of LOSS’s subplots focuses on coping when a loved one suffers from Alzheimer’s — and a portion of proceeds from the book will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.
4. There’s a hat-tip to Piers Anthony in LOSS. 
3. LOSS is very different from both HUNGER and RAGE — and yes, you can read it as a standalone without having read the two earlier books.
2. LOSS is peppered with foreshadowing about BREATH, which I’m writing now. AND…
1. LOSS shows a a lot more of Death — including an entirely different side to the Pale Rider.
~
I’ll be making LOSS posters, as well as more HUNGER and RAGE posters. Everything should be available by February!
Tags: Breath, Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Loss, Piers Anthony
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Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
I am so behind the times. But then, my kids could have told you that.
Today is Day 4 of the awesome Crossroads Blog Tour!
Here is the official press release, posted on the amazing Judith Graves’ blog. In sum, 15 authors (including yours truly) are doing blog tours from October 22 through October 29. What do readers get out of this, besides a chance to be introduced to new-to-them authors and learn more about authors they already knew? As Judith says, “Participating bloggers will give away ghoulish amounts of SWAG donated by the authors, as well as inscribed copies of books by touring artists and a chance to win a Skype author visit from bestselling author Rachel Vincent.”
Cool, eh?
I’m touring with the fabulous Lucienne Diver! Here is our schedule:
October 22 – Narratively Speaking
October 23 – Electrifying Reviews
October 24 – Just Your Typical Book Blog
October 25 – Late Bloomer Online
October 26 – Book Faery
October 27 – Confessions of a Bookaholic AND A Simple Love of Reading
October 28 – Book Swarm
October 29 – Kid Lit Frenzy!
Want to know why else you should participate in the Crossroads Blog Tour? You could win this:
 LOSS That’s right — LOSS ARCs have arrived!!! And one of them will be given away at the end of the Crossroads Blog Tour!!! So check out the official info, and go meet some terrific authors and bloggers. (And me too!)
Tags: Crossroads Blog Tour, Loss, Lucienne Diver
Posted in contest, Guest blog, Loss | No Comments »
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
You know what’s cool about being an author? Besides the bow ties and fezzes, I mean? It’s getting other authors to read your book before it’s a printed book. I was fortunate enough to have three amazing people read the LOSS manuscript…and here’s what they have to say about it.
“Jackie Morse Kessler has a keen eye for capturing the awkward uncertainty of adolescence, which she wraps quite deliciously in a coating of mystery, fright, and suspense. LOSS is a treat for readers, a one-of-a-kind, twisty turny carnival ride through Billy Ballard’s struggles and triumphs. I loved this book.”
—Andrew Smith, author of The Marbury Lens
“I lost sleep to finish this, and I’m not sorry at all. Jackie Morse Kessler’s prose illuminates an ancient, disintegrating king as poignantly and effortlessly as it does a bullied teen; it’s easy to see ourselves reflected in Mita’s grief and Billy’s desperation. LOSS is whip-smart and elegant, a truly worthy companion to HUNGER and RAGE.”
—Saundra Mitchell, author of The Vespertine
“Gritty and raw with powerful truths. An addictive read.”
—Sophie Jordan, New York Times bestselling author of Firelight
Thanks so much, Andrew, Saundra and Sophie!!!
And really, if you haven’t read The Marbury Lens, The Vespertine, or Firelight (or Sophie’s latest, Vanish)…what are you waiting for? Also, Andrew’s new book, Stick, will hit the shelves in October. Preorder your copy at fine bookstores near you!
Tags: Andrew Smith, Firelight, Marbury Lens, Saundra Mitchell, Sophie Jordan, Stick, Vanish, Vespertine
Posted in Loss | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
Look! Look, look, look!!!
The third book of the Riders of the Apocalypse series is officially coverfied. Many thanks once again to the incredibly talented Sammy Yuen and the terrific folks at Harcourt/Graphia!
Did you notice the spiffy “Riders of the Apocalypse” logo? Didja? Didja? **happy dance**
Here are more cover tidbits:
Back cover copy:
Fight back.
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.
Does one bullied teenager have the strength to stand his ground—and the courage to save the world?
And a terrific blurb from author Saundra Mitchell:
“I lost sleep to finish this, and I’m not sorry at all. Jackie Morse Kessler’s prose illuminates an ancient, disintegrating king as poignantly and effortlessly as it does a bullied teen; it’s easy to see ourselves reflected in Mita’s grief and Billy’s desperation. LOSS is whip-smart and elegant, a truly worthy companion to HUNGER and RAGE.”
—Saundra Mitchell, author of The Vespertine
You can preorder LOSS at Amazon, your favorite local indie via Indie Bound, Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble and the Book Depository.
I’ve got to say…it might have taken me 22 drafts to write, but I truly believe it was worth it. I hope you think so too!
Tags: Billy Ballard, King Mita, Loss, Saundra Mitchell
Posted in Loss | 10 Comments »
Friday, July 15th, 2011
Psst. Want to know what will be on the LOSS back cover copy?
~
Fight Back
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.
Does one bullied teenager have the strength to stand his ground—and the courage to save the world?
~
I am so psyched.
For those wondering, LOSS will have a lot more worldbuilding than either HUNGER or RAGE. And there will be a lot more of Death in the book — including a whole other side of him. **rubs hands gleefully** LOSS is also significantly longer than either of the previous books — almost 20,000 words longer than HUNGER.
And the incredible Sammy Yuen will once again be doing the cover. **happy dance**
Guys. GUYS. I am so thrilled about this book! It’s due to hit the shelves in spring 2012; once there is an actual launch date and preorder information, I’ll blog about it.
Tags: Loss, Sammy Yuen
Posted in Loss | 4 Comments »
Thursday, May 5th, 2011
Yes, RAGE had a huge blog tour in April. No, I didn’t blog a lot about it (although I was pretty good about tweeting every day). Sorry, sorry, sorry. I suck. I was on deadline with LOSS.
Here’s a list of all the terrific sites I visited on the official RAGE Blog Tour, with their reviews of RAGE or their interviews with me, or my guest posts (whew!) :
Literary Escapism
Bitten By Books
The Compulsive Reader
The Book Smugglers
Presenting Lenore
Mundie Moms
The Story Siren
Book Faery
Bookworming in the 21st Century
Green Bean Teen Queen
The Neverending Shelf
Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf <--- An A+ review!!! Yow!!!
In Bed With Books
Wicked Awesome Books
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Tales of the Ravenous Reader
Rebecca’s Book Blog
SciFi Guy
A Backwards Story
The Hate-Mongering Tart
Thank you again, everyone!
The good news: I handed in the draft of LOSS to my editor, on time! The manuscript (66,600 words) is much longer than either HUNGER (44,000 words) or RAGE (55,000 words). It looks like LOSS will be a spring 2012 publication. Rah! Details to follow when they are available.
The great news: RAGE had a terrific launch, with lots of amazing reviews, including this one from Mrs. Giggles, who says: “The vicarious beat down that leaves me feeling wonderfully bruised all over is the sign of a story that succeeds in reeling me in, emotionally and intellectually, and damn if it doesn’t feel great.”
**grin**
To everyone who has been reading and reviewing RAGE: Thank you, hugely. I hope you’ll enjoy LOSS even more! (Yeah, okay, you have to wait a year. Sorry about that!)
And hey: a new Post Mortem interview! The amazing Jeri Smith-Ready’s latest book, SHIFT, is now available ((DROOL!!!!!!!! CAN’T WAIT TO READ IT!!!!!!!!)), and her character Logan is interviewed by Death. Complete with playlist! Rah!
I’ll be at the Rochester Teen Book Festival next week, and I hope to see you there.
Tags: Jeri Smith-Ready, Loss, Mrs. Giggles, Rage, Rochester Teen Book Festival, Shift
Posted in Loss, Rage | No Comments »
Saturday, June 5th, 2010
Publishers Marketplace has officially announced what I learned last week:
Italian rights to HUNGER and RAGE sold to Newton Compton in a four-book deal!
Yes, this means I’m working on books three and four of the Riders’ Quartet. Working on Book Three right now. The working title is LOSS, and this time, the Horseman is Pestilence.
Rock on!
Tags: Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Hunger, Loss, Rage, Riders' Quartet
Posted in Hunger, Loss, Rage, Riders' Quartet | 6 Comments »
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