Books with author J. Ross

I’m a disgrace to the Falconess name. Yeah, that’s where this story starts. A pretty pathetic place to start, don’t you think? Well, it’s not as bad as it sounds. At least it’s pretty here.“Welcome to the family island,” Mom says, pushing me towards the towering jungle past the beach we’re standing on. “No Internet, no television, no indoor plumbing. This is where you’ll be training until Mom deems you worthy of going back. I just wish—” Mom lets out a sigh, looking at me with a sad little smile. “I wish things had gone differently,” she finishes, pulling me into a hug. “Be good Keliah, and try not to die. You have your phone if anything too bad happens.”“Wait, what?” I say, shocked. She steps back and summons her wings, taking to the air. “Mom? MOM!” I yell as she flies away, leaving me just standing there on a beach. “I don’t want to die!”She’s gone. I know she heard me, she’s just ignoring me. I’ve been abandoned on Grandma’s island, and Grandma is nowhere to be seen. All I see is a little island covered with trees and animals.

“So… what’s the lecture going to be?” I say as I look around the Science room. There are long tables lined up and a desk in front. All of the tables are covered with machinery. “Going to tell me that I can’t skip school in the middle of the day?”“You skipped school for an entire year, I figure it’s too late to go into that,” Nico says, dropping down in the chair at the desk. “I just figured you’d want to talk about it.”“About what?” I ask.“Going to meet your mother,” he says.I go still, feeling completely off-guard by that. “What?”“You found out about her, so you should want to see her, right? I know I would. I did, in a way.”“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, starting for the door.“I barely saw my father while I was growing up. He was always away, out saving the world. I was around your age at the time when I decided to do it. I’d just thrown my stepmother out of the house—”“You did what?” I say, my jaw dropping.“She was trying to make Liz tougher than I am. Liz hadn’t even come into her powers at the time,” he says. “It was pretty much child abuse. I threw her out of the house, told her not to come back. She never did. It left me with a little girl to raise and an old man that was never there.”“So you went to find him,” I say, absently sitting down in one of the larger chairs in the room.“Yeah,” he says. “I couldn’t even fly at the time, so I ran all the way to Saint Louis, just to see him at one of his appearances. He didn’t even notice me in the crowd.”“Did you have an illusion watch on?”“I wore a hat.”“How big was the crowd?” I ask. It startles a laugh out of him.“It was massive,” he admits. “But I was a kid—I was HIS kid. I expected him to be able to pick me out of a crowd. I went home, feeling completely abandoned. It felt like his job was more important than his family ever would be. I wasn’t wrong, either. Even though Sparky was gone, we still barely saw him. He would come home only when he needed to sleep. Just like I am, now, he only had to sleep once every three or four days. He would head straight for his bed and sleep so deep that I felt like I was stuck guarding him, as well as Liz.”“So… with that sob story, you really expect me to go out and find her?” I say.

“Vinny, don’t you dare,” I hiss at him.“Don’t worry,” Vinny says with a little grin. There’s a guy running towards us with a microphone, and Vinny takes it. “Yeah, I’m a gringo,” he says proudly. It startles the crowd and I hear several of them start to laugh. “And I admit, I’m a bit skinny, too. But I’m not ‘just anyone.’” He takes his hat off, having slipped his mask on, and hands the mic to Papa before lighting up.“Peligro de Incendio?” the fighter says, looking stunned. “Nuestra princesa is dating Peligro de Incendio!” he announces to the crowd.“Peli… pelican de what?” Vinny asks me. Unfortunately for him, Papa’s holding the mic close enough to pick it up. I can’t reply, though, because I’m too busy roaring with laughter.“Fire Hazard, mijo. It means Fire Hazard,” Papa says, sounding close to laughter, himself. “Oh,” he says.“Pel—pelican!” I gasp out, almost falling out of my chair. It was ABSOLUTELY worth coming today!“Everyone, give a round of applause to our newest super hero, Pelican de Incendio!” the luchador says, earning cheers and laughter from all around.“I’m never going to live that down, am I?” Vinny asks. Papa pats him on the back in a consolidating manner, but he looks way too close to laughter for it to work.

I head out the door with Rocco following me. “So what’s it about?” I ask as we head across the campus and up the steps leading out of the canyon. He’s silent for a moment, and I wonder if he’s going to drop some deep, dark secret on me. Am I ready for deep, dark secrets yet? “I can’t find Badmoon,” he says once we reach the exit.“What?” I say.“The wolf shifter that escaped from the Cape Cells, I thought I’d sit back for a month and let my old man do it, but he hasn’t found him, either. Don’t get me wrong, I pick up on his powers—but only briefly. I can’t predict where he’ll be next—and I’m almost positive that his energy changes whenever he shifts.”“So why come to me?” I ask. “Why not Adanna?”“I know you better than Adanna,” he says. “And… well, I know Adanna’s family line.”There’s a long moment of silence as I let that sink in. “Wait, you think I’M related to this Badmoon guy?” I ask finally.“Well… I—”“I’m NOT related to him,” I say quickly.“But—you don’t know who your family is, right? I mean, most of the school—”“I know where I come from,” I say as I step out of the force field that surrounds the school. “I can turn into a wolf, but I’m not a wolf shifter. I didn’t get my abilities from my dad, either. I got it from my mother… and from my granddad, and his dad, and his dad before him,” as much as I hate to admit that relation. “I’m pretty sure my father was a norm, too. Is this Badmoon guy a blonde?” I demand.“No,” he says.“Then he’s not my dad.” I’m offended. I shouldn’t be, I know. I mean, the cape world is pretty small. There’s always a chance that there’s a relationship somewhere in the past. I just don’t like him assuming I’m something less than…

Books 5-7 of the Cape High Series by R.J. Ross:Daddy's GirlAces WildSteampunk TimeAlso included short stories:Mega Movie MadnessHTV Interview: Nico"Where are we going?" I ask as I get in, pulling on my seatbelt out of habit. He doesn't bother to put his on. "The Hall."I unbuckle my seatbelt, planning on getting out again, but he looks at me. "If you don't go with me, you'll wind up talking with Mastermental on your own," he says plainly. "Do you really want to do that?"I look at him for a long moment, picturing a meeting with Mastermental without anyone else there. What would the head of the Hall do to the daughter of Mimic? He's a telepath, right? All sorts of freaky mind powers--he could wipe my memories or-- "I don't need to talk to him," I say."You do," Nico says, "because otherwise I won't be able to get you in to see your old man."It starts out simple--a visit to a father she hasn't seen in years, but when your father's a super villain and your roommate's a time traveler, things never stay that way.

"You're graduating," Dad says. I'm standing in front of his desk, trying to look as righteously indignant as possible, but he hasn't even looked up from his computer. In fact, I haven't even said anything yet--I just stormed in. "I don't want to graduate!" I say."Max, we don't have time for you to keep playing at school like you are," Dad says. "You've gotten past the telepathic wall problem you had, you're a full-fledged, fully realized super, now. Yes, you need a bit more practice with your telepathy, but that's something that I can help you with, if you would give me about an hour. You need to be--""I need to be in the school!" I burst out, knowing I'm being childish and not caring. "I need to be with my friends--with my girlfriend! I can't just--""I need you to focus, Max," Dad says, his voice far too calm for my comfort. This is supposed to be an argument, right? So why does it feel so one-sided? "Once you graduate from Cape High, I will be turning over several aspects of the Hall to you. I cannot rightfully do that to a person who has so much homework to do.""What?""I'm going to make you my second-in-command."

“So Shadowman's not in the Cape Cells… me and him, we didn’t exactly get along well that last conversation,” I admit.“You can find him,” Technico says. “Skye can find him as long as he’s not roaming the shadows, but you can find him, regardless.”“Can you?”“I can find his phone—but the moment I do, he’s usually switching to another one. Your dad is paranoid, for good reason.”“So you want me to focus on Shadowman, while you take out Herold?”“That about sums it up,” he agrees.It’s dangerous—but not as dangerous as a lot of the stuff I’ve done in the past. “If I find him, how am I going to stop him? He’s a lot older than I am, and he’s more powerful, right?”“He is,” Nico says. “And there’s a good chance he’s got a technopath behind him, just like you do. We just need to take that into account—”“But—” I jerk, since I wasn’t the one that said that. There, standing in the hall, is Carla, her hand over her mouth.“You should be in bed,” I say automatically. “You’ve got classes in the morning.”“Classes don’t matter!” she says, stepping into the room. “You’re just planning on running off on your own to find Shadowman, right? You could get caught—or killed!”“He won’t kill me, I’m his son."

“Tabitha,” she starts out, “is… yes, I believe she IS a super,” she says. “But whenever I tried to tell Bishop Frances that, he refused outright to believe it. I… I should not speak ill of anyone, especially a bishop, but he has his head so far up his—his KEESTER that he can’t see what’s under it!”“That’s surprising,” Isotonic says, sitting when she motions to a chair. “I would think that even the clergy would have to accept our existence, by now. What, with how the Hall has practically blown up over the past few years.”“Oh, he believes that supers exist,” she says, scoffing. “It’s not that. The problem is Tabitha—no, the true problem is Bishop Frances! He took one look at her the moment she started showing signs, and said it was clearly impossible!”“Why was it impossible?”“Because Tabitha just doesn’t LOOK like a super!” she says, her frustration showing as she throws her hands in the air. “What sort of Godly representative judges someone based on their—” she stops herself, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Isotonic has a stunned expression on his face.“How do you ‘not look’ like a super?” he asks after a moment. “I’m afraid I’m confused.”“Tabitha is a little person,” Sister Agnes says.

You're probably wondering why we're trying to be so quiet. Well there's a reason. A really BIG reason. He's standing over there--no--to your right--no, THROUGH the fence. Yes, on the other side of the big, nasty looking security fence that is literally shaking because of electric jolts. Yes, him. He's pretty scary looking, right? He's got to be six five, and he's got the face of a serial murderer. It's all sharp and needing shaved. And that whole skin tight prison body suit thing--it's really not fashionable at all, I admit. What? Why's he got a streak of white in his hair? Well, see, that's why we're here. He's a super villain. So why is an innocent little freshman like me and her annoying twin brother sneaking peeks at him through a prison fence? Well... He's our father. At least, that's what we think.

Fairies exist. But they aren't living in a magical world on the second star to the left, no, they live right here, fighting nature, predators, and other fae for survival. They each come with an ability--an influence over a specific animal, or plant, or even rock, and use those abilities to support the clans that they live in.Eighteen years ago a rebel Raven Influence terrorized both the Fall and Summer Clans. He spread destruction and mayhem, ruining crops, terrorizing innocent fae, and creating panic before he disappeared. For years nothing was heard of him, until now. Raven's back, and he's looking for a certain Squirrel Influence. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. Unfortunately for him, this time the Fall Clan's leader, Visal, has no plans on letting him get his way.Secrets from the past will be revealed, and a war is about to start in the Fae world, one where a flock of crows really deserves the title "Murder." Raven's Return is the first book of the Season of the Fae series.

Fairies exist. But they aren't living in a magical world on the second star to the left, no, they live right here, fighting nature, predators, and other fae for survival. They each come with an ability--an influence over a specific animal, or plant, or even rock, and use those abilities to support the clans that they live in.Now that spring has come and gone, along with the danger from Sparrow, life seems peaceful for the three tribes. Relationships are growing, a wedding is being planned, and the Spring and Fall Tribes are planning an inter-tribal games. Unfortunately, trouble is never far away from Visal and the others, and shows up when least expected. Visal's half-brother is back, and is out to take over the tribe, with the backing of one of the most influential elders of the tribe. He's supposed to bring them back to the Holy Tree, but the Holy Tree is dead.Almost.Something sinister is happening in the background, something that will have an impact on all of them, regardless of who the tribe leader is. Death of a Dryad is the second book of the Seasons of the Fae series.

Fairies exist. But they aren't living in a magical world on the second star to the left, no, they live right here, fighting nature, predators, and other fae for survival. They each come with an ability--an influence over a specific animal, or plant, or even rock, and use those abilities to support the clans that they live in. Life moves fast for the fae, especially when the weather starts to get colder. Visal is intent on getting the Fall Tribe moved to their new home before winter sets in, but there’s a slight problem. Two of the Winter Tribe are still alive, and one of them doesn’t like the idea of her old home being taken. Meanwhile there’s a hawk in the area. When Raven and Oscar go for a flight they’re attacked by it. Now Raven is missing and Oscar has to take on his job--and hunt down the hawk before it can attack again. But there’s something off about this hawk.It has a rider.Water Wielder is the third book of the Seasons of the Fae series.