Judi Fennel, In Over Her Head – Author Interview…05.25.09

He lives under the sea…Reel Tritone is the rebellious second son of the ruler of a vast undersea kingdom, and he’s always been fascinated by humans…

She’s terrified of the ocean…Marina owner Erica Peck would never go swimming willingly – but she’s forced into the water and is nearly eaten by a shark.  Luckily Reel is nearby to save her, and he discovers she’s the woman he’s been searching for…

Before she knows it, Erica is off with Reel on a wild underwater adventure to recover a stolen treasure, battle a jealous sea monster, and, of course, defy a death edict from the kingdom’s high court.  But even if they make it through their madcap mission alive, can they find a way to stay together when she hates the water and he can’t survive on land? - FROM THE BOOK BACK

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…The first thing that comes to mind for me as I read In Over Her Head is the The Little Mermaid (keep in mind this was BEFORE I interviewed her to discover this was what she had in mind as well).  But of course this version of The Little Mermaid is far too delicious for little ones.  Reel is definitely THE fish under the sea that will have you panting and wishing you were in Erica’s place discovering a beautiful underworld and braving the underwater sea monsters alongside a hot merman.  Right from the first chapter Judi had me engaged and wondering how the next scene will take place.  Not once was a disappointed or felt slowed down while reading.  The imagination was delicious for this first time Mer reader.  I’m looking forward to the next book in this new series with Reel’s twin brother Rod.

Along with today’s book review, thanks to SourceBooks, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview the In Over Her Head author, Judi Fennell, about her fantastic novel and I wanted to share it here with you all!

“Thanks so much for having me here to talk about my debut novel, In Over Her Head, which comes out June 1 from Sourcebooks.” – Judi Fennell

The Book Faery Reviews: What was your inspiration to In Over Her Head?

Judi Fennell: I was working on a series of modern-day paranormal twists to fairy tales and I wanted to twist The Little Mermaid. It just so happened that when I was working on the story, I saw the movie Failure to Launch, which, aside from the blatantly nautical tie-in, had a hero that spoke to me (and Matthew McConaughey can speak to me any time he wants…) Put the two together, and voila! Reel Tritone, devil-may-care, ne’er-do-well with a heart of gold. Who happens to be a merman.

TBFR: How did you go about creating the characters and places? Are any of the characters or places you wrote about significant to you?

JF: The characters just sort of flowed (pun intended because it’s so darn easy) once I started writing. I had to get Erica in the water, so voila! Her sleazy ex-boyfriend Joey showed up. Reel needed a sidekick and Chum appeared in all his blabbermouth glory. An Oceanic Council? Check. The twin brother with the punny name (Rod)? Check. Three sisters with ocean-themed names? Check. Nasty sea monster? You got it. This one was so easy to write. As to significant characters/characteristics: the heroine, Erica, has my phobia of the ocean. Not the deep, and not the water, but what’s in the deep water. I should never have seen the movie, JAWS as a kid. But I did and even though I know it’s irrational, and I try not to let myself be guided by that fear, I am uncomfortable in the ocean. The good thing about this is it made writing about her fear, and her feelings when she wakes up under the sea, very easy and, I’m told, very real.

TBFR: Who was your favorite character to write?

JF: Honestly, I had a blast with every single one of them. From Reel’s smart-ass-ness, to Erica’s never-say-die attitude, to Chum the remora’s snark, and Great White Vincent’s bravada, Ernie the pelican’s no-nonsense practicality and his wife Amelia’s earthiness, this was a cast of fun characters.

TBFR: What was the most challenging part of writing the book?

JF: All the oceanic research and the fact that there’s absolutely NOTHING on the floor of the North Atlantic. And figuring out how to get them from the eastern coast of the US to Bermuda in a way that wouldn’t take days and days of swimming. Luckily, Google Earth exists to make my life easier.

TBFR: How long did it take to finish this novel?

JF: I’d dabbled with it here and there as I was involved with several online, American-Idol-like contests with another story, Beauty and The Best. When another contest was announced in mid-July and dozens of people who knew me from the other contests emailed me to please enter, I had a month to finish it. (I hadn’t planned on doing another contest, but when fans email you asking for you to, you do it.) I worked my tail off (yes, pun intended) and got it done in a month. Truly, this story wrote itself. Or, I guess I should say, the characters wrote it for me. And it was wonderful.

TBFR: If your book was being discussed by a book club, or a few friends meeting over coffee, what about the book do you think would drive the most discussion? (a particular character, event, theme)?

JF: Ha. This one’s easy because it’s the one question I consistently get: How do mermen have sex? (And my answer? I have a good imagination, and think of the mythology. Other than that, you don’t really expect me to spill those beans, do you?)

TBFR: Ok, can’t help it, I just HAVE to ask the question every reader starts wondering when reading a good book.  If your book was made into a movie, what actors/actresses would you like playing the main roles?

JF: If Matthew McConaughey passes (with Sandra Bullock or Kate Hudson), I could see Zac Efron, playing Reel, and Anne Hathaway playing Erica. The story would play for a mid-twenties or early thirties age (yes, I know Zac would have to “age” for that, but he’s got the perfect mien to play Reel.)

TBFR: Do you write during set hours of the day or do you write when the mood hits?

JF: I write ALL THE TIME. As I write this, it’s quarter to midnight and I have the original Dr. Dolittle playing on my DVR. This is after 8 hours of writing today, and another three or so of getting ready to go to an upcoming conference. This is my full time job. And I love it.

TBFR: When you’re not writing one of your novels, what types of books do you most enjoy reading? Do you have any favorite authors?

JF: I enjoy anything that’s engaging. I love all genres of romance, I like to read non-fiction, especially books about the Tudors. Historical fiction, a la Philippa Gregory. I discovered Katie MacAlister when contest judges likened my voice to hers and I really enjoy her humor. I love Julia Quinn, most especially When He Was Wicked. That’s my favorite Bridgerton story. Jill Barnett wrote my favorite book ever: Bewitching. It’s right up my alley and it was a total fan-girl squealing moment when she gave me that wonderful cover quote for my third book, Catch of a Lifetime and the quote for my website.

TBFR: There are many today who’ve decided to pursue their writing dreams.  Do you have any advice to those working on their first novels?

JF: Divorce yourself from your writing. Honestly. Once the story is out and you’ve poured your heart and soul into it, divorce yourself. Be willing to have others look at it for constructive criticism. Be open to it. Be willing to make changes. Work on craft. Publication is as much a business concern as it is a creative process. And a lightning strike of luck.

TBFR: Are you working on anything now you’d like to share with us?

JF: I’m finalizing edits for the next two books in the series. Wild Blue Under comes out in November and is about Reel’s brother Rod (yes, you’re supposed to chuckle. Or groan.) He’s The Heir to the Mer throne who has to go on land to bring back a Half-Mer princess. The problem is, she doesn’t know she’s half-Mer and the last thing she wants to do is head off halfway across the country with a stranger, to an ocean she’s allergic to. Deathly allergic.

Catch of a Lifetime comes out in February 2010 and is the story of one of Rod and Reel’s sisters, Angel. Angel is bound and determined to win the coveted directorship of the Mer-Human Relations Initiative and she’ll do anything to get it. Including coming onto land and pretending to be a Human. But when the Human she falls in love with finds out she’s got a tail, well, their world gets seriously rocked.

Thank you so much for having me, and I’d like to offer your readers the chance to win one of three romantic getaway beach weekends* by visiting my website to register: www.JudiFennell.com.
*Merman not included.