Happy Release Day! I Am Just Junco Books 1-3 Omnibus (Clutch, Fledge, Flight) by J.A. Huss

Description:

Books 1-3

Clutch~Fledge~Flight

Clutch~Fledge~Flight – the first three books in the epic science fiction fantasy saga that spans five full length novels and one novella. The final book, RETURN, will be released on December 2, 2013.

Nineteen year old Rural Republic sniper, Junco Coot, has been lied to. Not once or twice, but pretty much everyone she ever trusted is totally full of sh*t. And now her father is dead, she’s on the run, and everyone wants a piece of her—including one winged alien warrior named Tier.

But the truth always catches up and Junco has to choose who she should trust. The people who have lied and trained her to kill since she was a small child? Or the warriors who want to steal her away and use her as the catalyst in a plot to fight the final battle in an ancient war?

It’s a choice that will change her fate forever. And once it’s made—there’s no turning back. Life becomes nothing but brutal killing in the name of vengeance. But everything requires sacrifice—everything has a price. And Junco is about to find out what it means to dedicate herself to saving someone else.

EXCERPT:

EXCERPT #1 CLUTCH

I swing the shotgun on the strap so it’s out in front of me, brace it on my thigh to compensate for my injured shoulder, cycle the next round into the chamber, and then point it straight at his chest. I strain to prevent the wince that really wants to spread across my face. "Look, I don’t know who you are, or why you’re here, but as a Farm Family Representative of Council 3, I’m asking you to leave under Regulation V.1.b – Aliens are not permitted in the Rural Republic under any circumstances. I have the authority to shoot and if you doubt me, I apologize ahead of time for taking your life. You are hereby legally warned."

"Look, sweetheart–"

I squeeze back and the round blasts out of the chamber but he’s high above me in the air as the shot passes into the trees. The leaves rustle and the birds are wild once again. The recoil pain isn’t as bad from the standing position, but I feel the blood leaking out under the skin on my hip, creating a bruise. I push the pain down. "I’ve been shooting since I could walk, sweetheart, and I’ve had a really shitty day. Do not fuck with me."

He flies off over the trees about a dozen yards away and I can just barely make him out as he lands in the cover of the brush.

"Is that how ya treat someone who saves yer life? Shoot them?"

I snort. "Saved my life? I must have missed that one while I was sleeping."

"Except ya weren’t sleeping, Junco. You were unconscious."

It isn’t often that I get stunned into silence, but an alien knowing my name in the middle of nowhere can do it. "How the hell do you know my name?"

Silence from him now.

The glimmer of light that was previously there is gone, and so is he.

I take stock of the mountaintop meadow. Where are you, where are you?

Silence.

I pivot on my heel, gun braced one-armed against my stomach to catch the recoil, and do a proper survey of the area. My good arm is tiring quick after all the adrenaline I’ve used up and it begins to shake. I force the bravado. "Guess you decided to take my–"

Then he is behind me, the gun is flying across the field, and he’s twisted my bad shoulder just enough to make me scream out. His lips touch my cheek as he whispers, "Look, I’m not usually the type of person who abuses little girls, but you’ve shot at me two times now and I’m not going to stand for it. I’m here for the moment and yer just gonna to have to deal with it. Ya got it?"

He eases up on my shoulder and pushes me away from him.

I rub the flaming tissue and wince. "Did you just insult me?"

He tilts his head at me. "What? Me? Ya tried ta shoot me – twice!"

"I might be little, but the way you said it implied I’m insignificant. Which I assure you, I am not. And besides, you’re the one who’s trespassing, right? That’s you." I point my finger up at him. "I have every right to tell you to leave, I’m a fucking representative of Council–"

"3, yeah, I heard ya the first time. Who gives a shit? I’m here. Get over it."

I stare at him in the dim moonlight and quite frankly, I don’t care for what I see.

EXCERPT #2 FLEDGE

“You’re not going to win this game, Lucan.”

“Says the one small girl with no power.”

“I’m just warning you. Don’t be disappointed in the end when I take back every drop of satisfaction you extract from my failures.”

He sighs. It hints at exasperation, boredom even, and I sense I may have miscalculated. “One of these days, Junco, we will have an honest conversation. If it’s Fledge fights you want, girl. Be my guest. Go and kill. But it won’t save Tier. He’s been on his way out for a very long time. Long before he refused orders, long before he waged war on the RR for you, and long before he gave away his genetics to a man who helped him kill more than two dozen Earth leaders.”

Shit.

I look up at him, too quickly, having misplaced that little secret Tier told me out on the rock. Lucan reads my face and smiles. “Ah, I see some recognition there. Don’t worry, Junco – when you testify the drugs will get it all out in the open.” He stops and stares into my eyes, burns into them. I look away, feeling a little beaten already.

But he continues, “So, just remember, when we are at the end, when I am standing over you as you break in half, and I am forced to leave you with nothing, Junco – don’t say I never tried to help. Don’t tell me I made your life a living hell, because you will have done that all on your own.

“And if – this is a gigantic if, Junco – but if you can take back everything you’ll lose by choosing this path, then please know that my satisfaction will come from that, and not from watching you fail.”

He walks towards the door, palms it, and then turns. “By the way, has anyone ever mentioned that your language is filthy?” His voice is pleasant, like he’s pondering the meaning of something quizzical, but he wrinkles his lip like he has a bad taste in his mouth. “I don’t care for it. Cheapens you, Junco.”

He leaves me standing there, facing the emptiness of space scowling, and feeling rather cheap and filthy, if I do say so myself.

But not minding one bit.

EXCERPT #3 FLIGHT

The bitch leaves me waiting, of course. One second it's critical for the sake of humanity that I clean up, put on a dress, and rush to her quarters for breakfast. The next I'm left sitting in this completely inappropriate and ridiculous gown, so fucking hungry I'm about to eat my fingers.

"Can I get some fucking food here, please!" My patience is over.

I watch a guard leave and then reappear with a tray of pastries. My stomach experiences a futile peristaltic wave and I begin to salivate. He sets the tray down and I grab a sweet roll and take several bites before surfacing for air. Gideon sits across from me with his eyebrows raised. "I was not kidding. I told you I was hungry. Jasus fuck, quit looking at me."

He puts his hands up and looks away.

"Junco, you don't have to be so rude. When did you get so unruly?"

My mother's voice pulls me back to attention and I stare at her with my mouth open, a wad of food sitting on my tongue. I chew a few more times and swallow before talking. "You left when I was six, so don't pretend you know me. I went through with this little reunion so I could eat, and I don't eat much, so you've got about ten minutes before I'm done here. Start fucking talking."

"This is a social call, Junco. I'm not here for your business matters. Your father–"

"He's not my father and you're not my mother. What world do you guys all live in?" I look over at Gid for help but his face is blank. I squint my eyes at him. "I won't forget this, Gideon, and I want my armor back today." I stuff the rest of my roll in my mouth and grab another, then push back from the table and head for the door. "If someone could just point me in the direction of Moju I'll be going now."

The guard stops me with a rifle to the temple.

"Sit down now, Junco." My mother's words are stern. "The rifles are on stun, but I'm sure you know firsthand how badly that hurts."

CHARACTERS INTERVIEW:

JUNCO

Character profile:

Junco Abigail Coot

Born: September 3, 2133

Physical Description:

OK, I’m short. But don’t underestimate me because that never stopped me from kicking someone’s ass.  Most of the time my hair is auburn brown, my eyes are hazel and my body has a little more muscle than most girls should.  But don’t count on me staying this way forever…I have secrets…secrets that have giant consequences!

Actress who could play you in a movie:

Cameron Phillips - the reprogrammed Terminator from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. She’s awesome.

Job:  Professional soldier, assassin, and Seventh Sibling.

Favorite gun: Ohhh, that’s a hard one. It’s a draw between the TZi .357 and the RM Elite sniper rifle.

Favorite MMA move: Shit, how does one choose? I guess it would be the tornado kick. They never see that coming, plus I got all that acrobatic stuff behind me, so I really catch some air when I make contact.  TMI?  Sorry!

Favorite Sibling:  LOL...that question is so unfair, but it definitely isn’t Irin. She’s a total bitch.

Favorite member of the 039: Nooooo…I can’t do that to them.  They are all my favorites! 

Favorite vaca spot: Well, it’s not a vaca spot, but I do love when Lucan takes me to see the stars.  It’s beyond Heaven.

Favorite food: Blueberry pancakes

Age: In Clutch, Fledge, and Flight I am 19 (it was a pretty big year for me)…Range takes place when I’m 22.

Birthday: September 3, 2133

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Favorite Color: Yellow

Favorite Song: Road to Paradise by Tat

Words to live by: Do the job you’re trained for, and if you’re not trained for the job at hand, shut up and stay the fuck out of the way.

Perfect Saturday Night: At home with Tier, or shooting with Gideon, or watching horror screens with Ashur, or letting Selia treat me like a Barbie head, or playing cards with Braun, or…well you get the picture.  I enjoy all of them!

Three words that best describe me:

Feisty, powerful, relentless.

What did you want to be when you grew up:

A mother.  :)

Day or night: DAY!  Although I do enjoy a good stargaze, I could go a million years and never see another nightdog and die happy.

TIER

Character profile:

Raubtier, Aves 039-1

Junco asked me (Ashur) to introduce Tier’s interview since I happen to know him best.  I thought I’d spice things up a bit and add my take on his questions…enjoy!

Physical Description:

6’1, 185 lbs. black hair, green eyes. I think this is a stupid question, let’s move on. No one cares what I look like, only how well I fight. (ASHUR: Next)

Actor who could play you in a movie:

Next… (ASHUR: Next)

Job:  Second in Command to Lucan, Captain of the 039. (ASHUR: So he thinks…)

Favorite gun: Whatever’s available when I need it.  (ASHUR: Tier only uses guns if they’re handy, otherwise he’s all about slashing throats.)

Favorite MMA move: The flying knee, that throws them off every time. It’s like, splat, there goes your jaw.  Bye… (ASHUR: Yeah, I agree.  That shit hurts.)

Favorite Team Member:  Ashur.   (ASHUR: Awwwww…he loves me.)

Favorite vaca spot: Next… (ASHUR: Secretly, Tier loves Disney World)

Favorite food: I’ll eat anything, who cares? Food is food.  Although Junco is an excellent cook and I enjoy her human meals. (ASHUR: Junco makes an awesome pineapple upside-down cake)

Age: In Clutch I’m 24. In Fledge and Flight I’m 25…Range takes place when I’m 27.

Birthday: I have no idea when my birthday was – sometime in the Clutch year of 2127 maybe.  The only day that counts is your morphday. Mine is March 9, 2139 and since the 039 were all sent back from Earth at the same time, we all morphed together. So all the members of the 039 share the same morphday. (ASHUR: We have a raging fucking party every year.  Invitation only.)

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Favorite Color: Black

Favorite Song: Everything by Metallica (ASHUR: Dude, do you remember that time we saw Ozzy and Metallica, and Van Halen and Metallica, and all those other times we saw Metallica?  If you do, let me know – because they’re a little fuzzy in my memory for some reason….)

Words to live by: Trust me. (ASHUR: pffft.)

Perfect Saturday Night: At home with Junco.  (ASHUR: That’s mine too!  We’re so much alike!)

Three words that best describe me: Short-tempered, driven, and serious. (ASHUR: Well, I’d say asshole, asshole, and asshole.  Is three all we get?)

What did you want to be when you grew up: A good guy. (ASHUR: Good guy?  You don’t even come close, brother. Sorry.)

Day or night: Night. The best part of my day is sleeping next to Junco. (ASHUR: Rub it in.)

LUCAN

Hello dear readers!  It’s Lucan’s turn to have his character profile and Junco has asked me (Sera, your favorite artificial intelligence) to introduce him, begged, really. (I mean, she was all up in my face pleading with me – it was almost pathetic!)

Being the loving and caring being that I am, of course I agreed. :::insert devilish grin here::: So without further ado, hold on tight kiddies, we’re taking the corners at full speed!

Character profile:

Lucan (Sera)

Physical Description:

LUCAN: This is difficult…I cannot say any more. I have several forms, none of which look anything like the other.

SERA: I’m a stunning 5’9 redhead, natural, of course. My skin is smooth and fair, and my fashion sense is unmatched on habitat or planet.

JUNCO: Oh for fuck’s sake Sera, this is not your profile. Butt the hell out!

SERA: I’m ignoring Junco.  Everyone, please join me.

Actor who could play you in a movie:

LUCAN: Leonardo DeCaprio

SERA: Evan Rachel Wood – she’s perfect and did you see her as Sophie-Ann in True Blood!!! And that little brat she played in Mildred Pierce! I loved her, so nasty, and self-absorbed!  She’s perfect!

JUNCO:  Hmmm…surprisingly, both of you hit that nail on the head.

Job: 

LUCAN: President of the Avian.

SERA: Unemployed at the moment, but I have big plans for Earth.

LUCAN: I fired her ass thousands of years ago.

SERA: You wish, I quit because I could not stand you for one more second.

JUNCO: Am I gonna have to pull this car over?

Favorite AI:

LUCAN: Obviously NOT the one who abandoned me two thousand years ago.  So, Amelia, of course.

SERA: I thought you said you fired me? 

JUNCO: She’s got you there, Lucan.

Favorite Junco moment:

LUCAN: The first time she told me off…which was about five minutes after we met. :)

SERA:  Oh, this is a spoiler!  I cannot tell!

JUNCO: Good girl, Sera.  You know how I hate spoilers.

LUCAN: Kiss ass.

Favorite 039 Team Member: 

LUCAN: They are all equally important to me, but obviously Raubtier is who I count on the most to deliver what I require.

SERA: Hmmmm…I love Isten the most, I think.  He’s so hot and typically up for just about anything.

JUCNO: Oh, please. Spare me the details.  Lalalala….lalalala….I can’t hear you.  I really don’t need that image in my head.

Favorite vaca spot:

LUCAN: Australia, especially The Kimberly. Crocodiles and Cuckoos, how can you top that?

SERA: Earth!  I love Earth.  I can do so many things with…errrr…I mean ON Earth!  It’s spectacular!

JUNCO:  :::sigh::: I’m gonna regret this.

Favorite food:

LUCAN: Cheeseburgers. Junco got me hooked on these, especially In-and-Out Burger.  The wait in the drive-through is exceptionally long most of the time. But yet, it’s worth it when you take that first bite of burger.  Mmmmm…burgers are the best thing about Earth.  Besides the Kimberly, of course.

SERA:  I do not eat. 

JUNCO: Hey, if you don’t eat and you’re not hooked up to a reactor, then where do you get power?

SERA: I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you.

TIER: She steals her power from-

SERA: Raubtier, you will regret spilling that secret.  I’m warning you.

JUNCO: Oh shit, not another one?  I have no interest.  Zero.  Move on, please.

Age:

LUCAN: I have no idea.  Many hundreds of years past seven thousand.

SERA: Twenty-nine.

Birthday:

LUCAN: Every day is a birthday for me.  I’ve been morphed hundreds of times, each time I came out I was reborn.

SERA: What he said.

Zodiac Sign:

LUCAN: All of them.

SERA: :::Yawn:::

Favorite Color:

LUCAN: Red

SERA:  Oh, me too!  You know why he likes red, don’t you, Junco?

JUNCO: Why?

SERA: Because of my dress.

LUCAN: Sera, the only thing larger than your ego is your propensity for lies.  I love red because it’s my true eye color.

Favorite Song:

LUCAN: I prefer classical avian music and rarely listen to anything else.

SERA: My Humps, Black-Eyed Peas.  LOVE that song.

JUNCO: That song is old.  You’re dating yourself now, Sera.

SERA: At least my favorite song isn’t opera.  Loser.

Words to live by:

LUCAN: To the victor belong the spoils.

SERA: Oh, yes.  I like that one.  I also like all’s fair in love, war, and life.

JUNCO: That’s not how it goes, all’s not fair in life.

SERA: Junco, whose interview is this anyway?

JUNCO: Lucan’s!

Perfect Saturday Night:

LUCAN: Watching tennis or golf.

JUNCO: :::snort::: This is true, too!  He’s so boring.

SERA: I party every weekend.  You ever been to that club downtown, Junco?  You know that one in the church?

JUNCO: That’s a BDSM club, Sera, so no.  I’ve not been there.

SERA:  Oh, well Isten and I go all the time.

JUNCO and LUCAN: Lalalala….lalalala….We can’t hear you. 

JUNCO: OK - this interview is over. 

Thanks for stopping by Dear Readers!  Until next time!

Sera

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About the author:

J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

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