J. A. Huss never took a creative writing class in her life. Some would say it shows. Others might cut her some slack. She did however, get educated and graduated from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Equine Science. She had grand dreams of getting a Ph.D. but while she loves science, she hated academia and settled for a M.S. in Forensic Toxicology from the University of Florida.
She went on to write science curriculum for homeschoolers and now runs a successful home business that creates and offers online science unit studies. When she’s not writing science curriculum or fiction, she works as a farm inspector, traveling the Eastern Plains of Colorado in variety of environmentally friendly vehicles that never have four-wheel drive, so when she gets stuck in the mud in said vehicles, she has to beg for assistance from anyone who will help her. She is not bitter about that at all.
She’s always packing heat and she is owned by two donkeys, five dogs, more chickens and ducks than she can count, and of course, the real filthy animals, her kids. The I Am Just Junco series was born after falling in love with the ugliest part of Colorado and the Rural Republic is based on the area of the state she currently resides in, minus the mutants, of course.
Website: http://www.iamjustjunco.com/
Blog: http://jahuss.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Junco-Coot/258034560979553
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6446815.J_A_Huss
The Blurb
Junco Coot can’t even remember her trip off Earth; she was too busy being morphed into her new avian body. But reality hits her hard when she wakes up to find her new life is not what she expected. Not even close. Tier is on trial for disobeying his commander’s kill order and only Junco seems to care.
In most places the avian coming-of-age Fledge ritual would be nothing more than mass murder, but here in the capital city of Amelia, it’s called growing up. Junco has no choice; either fight to the death to prove her worth or get sent back to Earth in the hands of her enemies.
Her new military team is hostile, her body is being taken over by an illicit artificial intelligence, the avian president wants her dead, and her only friend is a ten-year old throwaway boy.
On a foreign habitat, in a foreign culture, and surrounded by people she can’t trust or count on, Junco must find a way to save herself and Tier without losing her immortal soul in the process.
Clutch (Book 1) | Fledge (Book 2) | Flight (Book 3) |
Fledge was a fun read, full of interesting plot twists and hidden secrets just waiting to escape. Action packed and so well described I felt like I was standing next to the main character.
Similar to the first book, Clutch (review here), yet so much more. It's got more excitement than the first one and loads more death. The suspense leaves the reader gripping the edge of their seat with one hand and the book in the other.
This books brings a more vulnerable side of the main character, making her even realer than she was before.
Don't think that you can just jump in with both feet to book 2, this series needs you to pick up at the beginning and ride it til the end.
I recommend this book for anyone that loves a good action book. Obviously those that loved the first book will love this one, and maybe even those that were fence sitters should pick up this one and try the series out again.

Did you always want to be a writer? If not, then what?
No, I always wanted to be a scientist and so that’s what I went to school for. It wasn’t until much later that I decided to begin writing, first non-fiction science educational materials, and finally this year, I started writing fiction.
Do your readers contact you? If so, what do they say?
Most of the time readers contact me to say they enjoyed the series, also to ask when the next book is coming out.
For aspiring writers, what three pieces of good advice would you give them?
Learn to plot and develop characters
Find an editor that understands your genre and your story
Start planning your marketing strategy early. Way before you publish.
Do you have a favorite of your own books?
I always think the one I’m writing is my favorite so right now I’m in love with the fourth book, Range. Junco is so messed up and the scenes in the beginning of the book are so emotional, I just fall in love with her all over again when I read them.
But truthfully, I think Fledge is my favorite. Junco is so ugly in that book, yet despite never catching a break, she soldiers on. She does two awful things in that story, one to someone else and the other to herself. And I could never in a million years have done either of them. But if she didn’t do those terrible things, she’d never live to complete her one true mission. So in the end I have to agree with her choices. She did was she had to do. That’s kind of the story of her life. She gets the job done.
How do you balance writing with your life?
It’s hard because I own my own business and I have an outside part-time job. But the best way for me to find writing time is to schedule it in on my calendar.
How old were you when you wrote your first book and what was it about?
I wrote my first book when I was 31. It was a middle-grade mystery about a couple of orphans who went to live with their aunt on a farm.
Where do your ideas come from?
I have no idea…they just come to me.
Do you have a writing quirk?
I plot all my scenes while walking on the treadmill. It’s very hard for me to plot any other way now.
Pantser or Planner?
Planner all the way.
Do you pick out dream casts for your books? If so, what's your favorite so far?
No, I really haven’t done that, but it would be fun to do.
Coke vs Pepsi?
Pepsi
Chocolate vs Vanilla?
Chocolate
Cake vs Ice Cream?
Cake
Do you think we dream in color or that we wake up and remember it in color?
I have no idea! I’ve never thought abut that before. I think we probably dream in black and white, but I’m not sure.
What's your favorite food?
Everything on my Thanksgiving table!
What type of food could you never live without?
Milk Duds
If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you take with you (limit 4 items)?
A solar-powered phone charger
iPhone
Pocket knife
Lighter
Favorite show growing up?
The Simpsons
If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?
Invisibility – it has so much potential!
What do you think the future will hold?
Good things, I hope.
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