(I have no idea what that means.)

 

We Interrupt this blog day to make two quick announcements.

 

WE HAVE WINNERS!!!

 

First off, winners from the Hank Phillippi Ryan visit of last week. The winners of the THREE ARCs from Hank are….*drum roll*

 

RENEE

JANGA

Di R

 

Congrats ladies. Please contact Hank at Hank@HankPhillippiRyan.com to collect your prizes.

 

Now, for the signed copy of IN OVER HER HEAD from Judi Fennell, the winner is…*more drum rolling*

 

MELISSA

 

Congratulations, Melissa. Send me your snail mail addy to djtlo AT yahoo.com and I'll make sure Judi gets it.

 

Thanks to everyone who has helped show these authors a good, pirate time. And thanks for making this ship such an awesome place to be.

 

Now, back to the precipice…

Ahoy, maties!

Thanks for having me aboard The Revenge-though, these days, more often than not, you'll find me under it.

That's because I'm writing a Mer series and swimming with the fishes these days-and trying to avoid the nasty ones. Sharks, barracuda, scorpionfish, lionfish; you get the picture.

Kraken, too. And Ceto, the mother of all sea monsters-and I don't mean literally. In Greek mythology, Ceto is the mother of all of them, which I found out when researching my debut novel, In Over Her Head, which came out in June from Sourcebooks/Casablanca:

When Erica Peck, one terrified-of-the-ocean marina owner, finds herself at the bottom of the sea conversing with a Mer man named Reel, she thinks she's died and gone to her own version of Hell. When the Oceanic Council demands she and Reel retrieve a lost cache of diamonds from the resident sea monster in return for their lives, she knows she's died and gone to Hell.

          When they escape the monster and end up on a deserted island, she amends her opinion - she's died and gone to Heaven.

          But when Reel sacrifices himself to allow her to return to her world, she realizes that, Heaven or Hell, with Reel, she's In Over Her Head.

I had so much fun writing this story and the rest of the series because I had the chance to take what we know about the sea, and mermaids, and fish, and legends/myths/stories, and play with them. Twist them to make them my own.

I threw in a talking fish named Chum, a shark with an attitude, the Bermuda Triangle, gangs of pirate sharks, parrotfish with dental problems, I manipulated language for sea-speak, tossed in a couple of pop culture references and a dozen or so puns... the sea was the limit for this series and what a blast I had writing it!

Trivia note: in Pirates of the Caribbean, the dog with the keys is named Ceto (yes, bad use of passive voice, but it didn't make sense to say it any other way, but I digress). I got a delicious little chuckle when I heard it because I love little things like that in movies and books.

For instance, one of my favorites parts of the story, which gave me giggles for far longer than it takes to read, is when Erica, the heroine, meets the sea monster she's been fighting. Now, we all have that image from Pirates of what Kraken looks like: a hideously large, mucus-spewing octopus, right? Not in my world:

A twist of its tail, and the monster slid through the opening. All twenty muscular, undulating feet of him, an eerie kaleidoscope of glittering scales.

It was over. There was no way out.

"Erica? What happened?" Reel pulled himself up with a hand on her shoulder. Lightning shone on the monster like a spotlight. "Holy Hades. Kraken." Reel's voice went from slurred to alert in the space of a word.

"Kraken?" she yelped over her shoulder as the monster's threatening rumble rocked the water. "That's Kraken? Isn't he supposed to be a giant octopus or something? A Norse myth? What's he doing in the Caribbean? I thought you said he was killed a long time ago."

Reel's fingers tightened on her shoulder. "Ceto must have spread that rumor to keep this guy a secret." A harpoon appeared next to hers, another burst of lightning gleaming off the metal. "As to the octopus thing, where do you get your information?"

"Johhny Depp?"

The next book in the series, Wild Blue Under, comes out November 1, followed by Catch of a Lifetime in February 2010. To celebrate the release of each book, I've partnered with the Atlantis Inn in Ocean City, NJ (www.AtlantisInn.com) and the Hibiscus House in West Palm Beach, FL (www.HibiscusHouse.com) to be able to offer 3 romantic beach getaways. The first one was awarded in June, but you can still enter for the rest by visiting my website: www.JudiFennell.com.

And for commenting here today, one person will win a signed copy of In Over Her Head.

Thanks for stopping by, and watch your step - you don't want to end up walking the plank. You never know who is waiting for you down there!

What people are saying: 

"Nora Roberts? Danielle Steel? Much acclaimed romance writers should step aside. There is a new romance writer in town and she is certainly causing a great splash with her debut novel, In Over Her Head."

-ABibliophile.com

 "I truly found a pearl in my oyster when I read this delightful tale. I was surprised how good of a book In Over Her Head is. It is extremely well-written, the storyline flows and I was hooked from the first page."

-LongAndShortReviews.blogspot.com

 "IN OVER HER HEAD is a delightful, quirky blend of humor, adventure and passion. All in all, this is a fast, fun read and a great way to spend a snowy afternoon or a sunny day at the beach."

-Lynda K. Scott, Star-Crossed Romance

"In Over Her Head is a heartwarming, but action-packed story of two people-one human and the other of the seaworthy body-joined together in an adventure. I enjoyed this story immensely."

-Dawn M. Ekinia, Armchair Interviews

"A delightful underwater adventure... full of good-natured humor and fun. A strong first effort by a promising new talent."

-Romantic Times 

"A playful debut... sincere wit."

-Publisher's Weekly 

 

 About The Author:

Judi Fennell has had her nose in a book and her head in some celestial realm all her life, including those early years when her mom would exhort her to "get outside!" instead of watching Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie on television. So she did--right into Dad's hammock with her Nancy Drew books.

These days she's more likely to have her nose in her laptop and her head (and the rest of her body) at her favorite bookstore, but she's still reading, whether it be her latest manuscript or friends' books.

A three-time finalist in online contests, Judi has enjoyed the reader feedback she's received and would love to hear what you think about her Mer series. Check out her website at www.JudiFennell.com for excerpts, reviews and fun pictures from reader and writer conferences, and the chance to "dive in" to her stories.

What do you say, crew? Anyone ready to take up scuba and find one of these Mer men of your own? Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of In Over Her Head.