Sunday, April 7, 2013

Birthday Bash Day 7 - Jana Downs

And now, to end the first week of my birthday bash here's Ms. Jana Downs!

First off, a very happy 21st birthday to Emily and a big “thank you!” to her for having me on her blog to help celebrate. Let me just say that 21 was a fun day for yours truly. I had a group of friends over and we watched some absolutely terrible horror movies in a marathon that spanned 24 hrs of awesome. Coupled with copious amounts of soda and the amazingly greasy pizza we ordered, I basically ate myself into a food coma. And what is a birthday without presents? I got a 100 dollar gift card to Amazon. Needless to say, I was in heaven. I hope your birthday is filled with just as much good food, good people, and good times as I had.   


1.) Jana, thanks so much for stopping by. So, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

Well, I am a bubbly person who is five feet of awesome. ;) I'm a Taurus who recently moved to the bustling city of Charlotte, North Carolina. I enjoy long walks, sandy beaches, and as many hot men in one bed which can be supported by the bed frame. In all seriousness, I'm a full-time writer and a lover of the mm genre who was raised in a small town in North Carolina.

2.) How did you get started writing?

I think I've always been a writer in one form or fashion. :) I started writing mm when I started college after I'd taken a few creative writing classes. 

3.) Why did you chose to write M/M romance instead of a more traditional genre?

I stumbled across the mm genre on amazon. I found that I enjoyed reading the mm romances more than I enjoyed the traditional ones and so it was a logical leap to move onto something I loved in my writing.

4.) How do people react when you tell them that you write M/M romance?

It's a mixed bag of reactions. Some people are really intrigued. For example, I had an older gentleman wax poetic on the philosophy of desire and why I as a woman would enjoy writing m/m because desire was universal. Other people aren’t necessarily as supportive but I tend to ignore those people.

5.) Now, you’ve done angels, demon warriors, shifters, and vampires. You’ve done quite a few paranormal groups, so why zombies? I mean, I can see the sexy factor with all I other types of paras, so why pick the one group that pretty much grosses everyone out?

The use of zombies in my story was actually a reaction to one of my favorite creative writing professors claiming that I could never write any sort of zombie story that would make her want to read about the undead. Needless to say, she had to eat her words with Deadzone. Finding a way to make zombies sexy has been a challenge in this series but I found the Deadzone world so much fun to play with that it was absolutely worth the effort.  

6.) So, what are you working on right now? Got any releases planned, or still writing?

Right now I’m working on the edits for the next Deadzone, Relay for Life, about a Deadzone sponsored marathon runner who gets into all kinds of shenanigans on a scheduled run through the wilds. It’s set to release on April 20th

Working Stiffs

After the collapse of civilization, Ager Munez finds work as an agent, helping customers with their zombie insurance needs. He’s a bit of a workaholic and a romantic at heart, but the only romance he’s been experiencing lately involves watching his bosses in tight-fitting jeans on casual Fridays.

Jim and Jason Tanner agree they want a third in their relationship, but have never been able to find the right man. When Ager begins working at Deadzone, they know that they’ve found their match. He’s smart, funny, and adorable in a way that should be illegal in at least four sectors.

When a zombie outbreak in Sector 7 requires field representatives, the two know the perfect candidate for the job. Little does Ager know that this mission will test him in ways he’s never been tested and land him not one but two hot men in his bed and his heart.


Andrew Ainsley is a Deadzone sponsored runner participating in the most intense cross country race of his life. However, a double marathon through the wilds outside the safety zones will bring trouble he didn’t anticipate.


Marcel Carter has been in love with Andrew since he started running for Deadzone five years previously but never had the courage to ask him out. It isn’t until Andrew is lost that he realizes he’s been wasting time.

Matthew Gibson volunteers frequently for dangerous field missions, leaving little time for real relationships. He thinks he’s ready to put that life behind him until his cousin, Brooklyn, asks him to help rescue Andrew. When the three meet, sparks fly, and Matthew thinks he’s finally found what he’s been missing.

As they fight to survive zombies unlike any they’ve faced before and uncover dangerous government conspiracies, they’ll have to determine if their newfound love is real or if it only exists in the dead zone.




Jana will be giving away a copy of each books in the Deadzone series. Leave a comment along with your email address for your chance to win a copy of Working Stiffs or Relay for Life. Last day to enter is April 30.

Also, don't forget to enter the grand prize giveaway!


Author Bio:
Jana Downs lives in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina with three cats, one dog, several dozen fish, and a very understanding partner-in-crime who  hates to read but makes exceptions for her stories.

You can usually find  her either watching bad reality TV, buying way too many books on Amazon, or  dreaming up another man or two to occupy her time because life is good but several drop-dead gorgeous nonexistent men is just better.

21 comments:

  1. Sounds amazing. I have not red the first one. I need to get going.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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  2. Can't wait for Relay for Life!
    wiweaselette69@gmail.com

    Thanks Jana!

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  3. Haven't read these books yet, they are on my TBR list! Can't wait to read them.

    jkenmack@yahoo.com

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. I did read Working Stiffs and I loved it. I am waiting for the next one to come out! Thanks for writing. romanczukc@yahoo.com

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  6. Great interview. Thanks for the chance to win.

    Karl
    slats5663(at)shaw(dot)ca

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  7. Zombies are soooooo wonderful. Thanks for the interview and giveaway!
    Urb
    brendurbanist at gmail dot com

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  8. I usually avoid zombies, but I think the m/m menages could help sway me!

    Trix, vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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  9. I love zombies ^.^

    Erica Pike
    eripike at gmail dot com

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  10. Loved the blurb! Please count me in. Thanks.

    gisu29(at)gmail(dot)com

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  11. "....five feet of awesomeness..." I love that!

    books4me67 at ymail dot com

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  12. Sounds awesome!! I love good M/M stories!!
    Ashley Applebee
    ash_app@hotmail.com

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  13. Hot men and zombies. Who could ask for more

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  14. Great interview! I will definitely have to try this series.
    -Amber
    goodblinknpark(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  15. This sounds like an interesting series, can't wait to read it.

    annawelch23456(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  16. Loved the blurps.This sounds like a very interesting series.Thanks for the chance to win.

    dragonkeep62(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. Thanks for the giveaway.

    dragonkeep62(at)gmail(dot)com

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  18. Zombie insurance agent, hmmm. You captured my attention with your blurbs.

    strive4bst(At) yahoo(Dot) com

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  19. Great interview, it was interesting what reaction you got when telling people the genre you write. Thanks for the giveaway and blurb =D

    H.B.
    humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com

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  20. Zombies have never been my thing either, so I can appreciate your teacher's views. But if you convinced her I will have to keep an open mind.

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  21. Zombies eh? I might have to think about that one.

    velvet_chains(at)hotmail(dot)com

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