IN OVER HER HEAD By Judi Fennell

What a fitting title to be blogging about today, since that's exactly how I feel. Apologies, my friends. I've been so consumed with this new novel I'm working on that I've been neglecting my poor blog. I should have posted about Judi's book day's ago. And so now I'm putting off my usual Friday update because I really want you to know about this exciting new title.


Here's the quick plot summary:

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.

Darling Judi was good enough to answer some interview questions, so here goes ...

How would you describe the genre of IN OVER HER HEAD, and what pulled you toward it?

In Over Her Head is a tongue-in-cheek, light-headed paranormal. I loved I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched growing up and I tried to capture that funny, something-else-is-going-on-other-than-what's-on-the-surface feeling those shows had. Plus, I got to make sea creatures talk. That was fun.


What can you tell us about the genesis of the idea for this book?

I'd been writing a series that was a twist on fairy tales: Bauty and The Best, Cinda Bella, and Fairest of Them All, and I wanted to do a twist on The Little Mermaid. The easiest way to twist it was to make him the Mer. Once I had that idea, the story just flowed (pun fully intended).


Is there a story behind the title?

I love manipulating language: puns, double entendres, plays-on-words, cliches, etc. and this saying just fit the bill on all accounts. Erica is In Over Her Head, both in the water, fighting against the sea monster and falling in love with a merman. I couldn't pass it up.


Did you have any input on the cover, and are you happy with the finished product?

They did ask me about the story and what I envisioned. That being said, the cover is nothing like what I envisioned but I absolutely love it. The font that's wavy, HIM, the ocean, the color, the placement of the quote... It's superb. They did an amazing job on the cover, as well as the ones for the next two books (Wild Blue Under, November 2009 and Catch of a Lifetime, February 2010)


Can you share some particularly memorable fan mail you received about this or previous books?

I recently had a book seller email me. She isn't a romance reader but had a friend who liked paranormal romance and picked my book up for her. Since the friend was out of town, she opened my book to see if it could hold her interest. Not only did it hold her interest, but she said she read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down. And that she'd be buying the rest of my books. As for her friend, well, she's going to have to buy her own copy of In Over Her Head. That was a great email to receive.

Thanks so much, Judi! The book sounds terrific.

You can buy IN OVER HER HEAD at your favorite chain or independent bookstore. To purchase online, visit amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, borders.com or any cyber retailer. For more information--or to learn about the exciting romantic beach getaway Judi is raffling off--visit her website at judifennell.com.