Sharing Links and Wisdom: Jana Downs

Showing posts with label Jana Downs. Show all posts

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Throwback Thursday - Working Stiffs by Jana Downs

I've talked about this book before, but I've never actually posted my review of it. So, after 3 years, here it is: my review of Working Stiffs.

Blurb:

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.

Amazon | Bookstrand

My Review:4 stars - Originally read July 11, 2012

I loved this book! It was a quick, funny, fluffy read, which is what I was looking for. I also enjoyed the interesting take on zombies. Most zombie novels and movies focus on the outbreak or the immediate aftermath, or the fall of civilization. This book however is set 75 years after the outbreak in a world that continues on, except now we live in a world not only aware of zombies, but in a world where zombies are a part of life. Heck, they even sell insurance for zombie attacks. This is a fascinating world, and I can't wait to read more books set in it. I also love the jokes and funny lines. I now have several new favorite quotes:

“Of course I didn’t, Jim. How could you think that? He was just so damn beautiful sitting there with his cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk’s.”

Ager hesitated. This was an unusual situation. “Can I get to know the two of you a little more first? I don’t want to jump into this just because you get me hard.”

I loved it! I can't wait to read Brooklyn's story and Jack's. If you're looking for a quick and funny zombie read, I definitely recommend giving Working Stiffs a read.

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

http://www.bookstrand.com/working-stiffs

Relay For Life

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.

Coming April 20th: http://www.bookstrand.com/jana-downs

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.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Virtual Zombie Walk 2012

Welcome to my stop on the Zombie Walk! When I heard about this, I just knew I had to join.

So what's the big fascination with zombies? I mean, why would you want to be a mindless creature that eats humans and runs on pure primal instinct? I know I wouldn't want to be a zombie.

Photo from http://djcandidout.deviantart.com/

But my fascination with them is the aftermath, the zombie slayers, the survivors. I like reading about zombie apocalypses and how humanity tries to survive. I mean, would you watch Walking Dead if everyone was a zombie? How boring would that be? Living humans and zombies out to get them? Now that's entertainment. And on that note, I'm going to share my top unusual and unique zombie picks (meaning not your run-of-the-mill zombies). I've also thrown in random zombie pics that made me laugh.

First up is a series by Jana Downs called Deadzone. The first book is Working Stiffs. And just a warning folks, this book is M/M/M.

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.

My Review: 4.5 stars
I loved this book! This was an interesting take on zombies. Most zombie novels and movies focus on right after the outbreak, or on the falling of civilization. This one is set 75 years after the outbreak in a world that continues on, with zombie insurance companies and special forces specifically designed to fight zombies. Zombies have become a part of life for people now. This is a fascinating and unusual world (US has districts now instead of states, etc.). This book is exciting, hot, and just plain awesome. I also love the jokes and funny lines. Two of my fave quotes are:

“Of course I didn’t, Jim. How could you think that? He was just so damn beautiful sitting there with his cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk’s.”

Ager hesitated. This was an unusual situation. “Can I get to know the two of you a little more first? I don’t want to jump into this just because you get me hard.”

Wise words that make me laugh and more. I love it! I can't wait for the rest of the series. Would definitely recommend this to everyone.

Photo from http://djcandidout.deviantart.com/

Next up is XOMBIE Volume One by Brody Sommers.

After an industrial accident destroys their investment, two men are left with huge losses and an ever expanding pool of oversexed victims to exploit.

They quickly find a way to capitalize on the aftermath, and introduce a new twist to the world's oldest profession.

Zombies have never been so hot.

My Take:
Now, in case you didn't get it from the blurb, this book basically has the idea of zombie prostitutes. Now, this book is actually free right now on Amazon, which is how I ended up reading it. I must admit, this is an oddly interesting book. The zombies here aren't all mindless creatures. The zombies are still people who feel, think, speak. They just happen to be undead. Now, I don't know if there will be future books, but I kind of hope there are, as I'm curious to read them, just for the sheer oddity and unusualness of the premise. Like I said, it's free on Amazon, so give it a try, it won't cost you anything and let me know what you think.

Now, in the movie department, I have two zombie movies that I like a lot. The first is Shaun of the Dead.

A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

My Take:
Now I love this movie. How many zombie movies do you know that are horror comedies that end happily and are actually good? Not many. I'm not a big horror fan, so I loved the comedy. And the ending? Amazing. This movie was fun to watch and it's actually pretty highly rated (8 out of 10 at IMDB). If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it.

And finally, Zombieland.

A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, and a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the Last Twinkie and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America.

My Take:
Alright, so technically this movie isn't too unique compared to other zombie movies (except for the fact that it's a zombie horror comedy that's good). Number one reason to watch this movie? Woody Harrelson. I absolutely love Woody and he doesn't disappoint in this movie. This movie is violently gory, but hey, they're fighting zombies, it's gonna get messy. Zombie slaying has never been this cool. It's funny, it's gory, and it's filled with zombies. What's not to love?

Photo from http://www.coolcategories.com/

So now that I've shared some of my favorite zombie entertainment with you, what do you think? Have you read/seen any of these? Did you like 'em, hate 'em, what? Let me know and feel free to share some of your fave zombie picks (I'm always looking for new ones).