Saturday, December 1, 2012

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR J.A. HUSS

 


First of all J.A., thank you so much for being with us.
 
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

 

Hi Jerlyn, thanks for having me on your blog.  I’m a fairly new fiction writer, having only started in January 2012. But I’ve been writing non-fiction full time since 2008.  I have a science background and I love science fiction, so I decided that I’d like to write science fiction that young people (new adults) might like to read.

 

2. Can you tell us about your current release?

 

My current release is actually the first three books in the I Am Just Junco series.  I hate cliffhangers and I knew that book one, CLUTCH, would have to end on a big question mark, so I decided to write and release the first three books in the series at the same time.  The second book, FLEDGE, immediately picks up where CLUTCH left off, while the fourth and fifth books have a different storyline, so the end of book three, FLIGHT, was a good break for readers.

 

3. Have you always written New Adult Science Fiction?

 

Yes!  (Because these are the only fiction books I’ve ever written!)

 

4. For the readers who may not be familiar with the New Adult Science Fiction, could you tell us a little about this genre?

 

The new adult genre deals with young adults that have left high school and are just starting out in their adult lives.  This is a time of high conflict, life-changing decisions, and anxiety – so basically the perfect backdrop for stories!  My books just have a touch of science and fantasy mixed together with a high-intensity heroine who is dealing with her new-found independence for the first time.  I think this captures the struggle of new adults perfectly.

 

5. Could you tell us about your three book series, I Am Just Junco?

 

Sure!  In the first book, CLUTCH, we find Junco on the edge of a major decision.  Will she enter a restricted area of her futuristic country?  This choice, and each subsequent one, changes her life forever.  She’s coming to terms with a lot of things in this book, but mostly she is coming to terms with herself.  Who is she?

 

FLEDGE begins right after CLUTCH ends and Junco finds herself in a new environment, surrounded by strangers, and expected to do things that she’s not entirely on board with.  And FLIGHT concludes this three book plot-line and sets the readers ready for the final two books.

 

All three books are exciting and not for young adults!  Junco has a major potty-mouth and there is a lot of realistic violence.  They have twisty plots, severely flawed characters, and a lot of emotion. 

 

 

6. What inspired you to write these books?

 

Before I started my non-fiction business I got a part-time job traveling all over Colorado inspecting farms.  I’d spend entire days just driving around by myself.  I fell in love with the state and started world building for a future novel so I had this story in my head for about five years before I actually started writing it. That’s pretty much how I was able to write all three books so quickly. 

 

7. Your NEW ADULT ADDICTION blog, http://newadultaddiction.blogspot.com

you mentioned that you write under two different pen names and you also have 190 non-fiction titles that caters to teaching science to home learners. Can you tell us more about these?

 

Basically I write science curriculum for homeschoolers.  I started my company, Simple Schooling, in 2008 and started writing nature studies for elementary age kids.  At the time I was just finishing up my master’s degree in forensic toxicology so I decided to write a high school forensic science course.  It took off from there and I ended up writing a complete high school anatomy and physiology course and a middle school physics course.  After that I switched from long courses to unit studies, which areshort in-depth courses that take one topic, like butterflies or caves, and allow kids and parents to break science down to these high-interest areas. 

 

8. What else have you written and where could we find them?

 

All my printable non-fiction is available at an online homeschool mall called CurrClick and I also run a classroom called TheSimpleHomeschool.com where parents can purchase online course subscriptions to go with the workbooks.

 

7. Can you tell us about your next great New Adult Science Fiction?

I’m currently finishing up the Junco series, but after that I have a paranormal romance series scheduled.  I can’t say too much about it because it’s still in the planning stages, but it will be a true romance (unlike Junco, which has romance in it, but only as a subplot) and it will have a lot of exciting action.  :)

 

Thank you so much for having me on your blog!  It’s been a pleasure!

 






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