I love great book titles, especially the ones that sum up my life at the moment. The just-released novel by Girlfriends Cyber Circuit author, Judi Fennell, is spot on! It’s called IN OVER HER HEAD (Sourcebooks, June ‘09) and I can relate. Plus, the story is a “natural” for great discussion:

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.

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.

Contest

To celebrate the release of each of her books, Judi Fennell and the Atlantis Inn (www.AtlantisInn.com) and the Hibiscus House (www.HibiscusHouse.com) bed and breakfasts are raffling off three romantic beach getaway weekends. All information is on Judi’s website, www.JudiFennell.com

I asked Judi to answer my most pressing questions about the writer’s life and her latest book. Here is what she said:

If you could get a rave review in “People” magazine, what would you want it to say about your new book? “Finny, funny, punny and smart. A great beach read. Don’t miss Judi Fennell’s debut!”

Writing a letter can be daunting. How do you even begin the process of writing a novel? Does it start with a title? A character?A plot? All or none of the above? Each story is different for me. Sometimes it’s a situation, sometimes it’s a line or a character. Sometimes it’s the black moment. With In Over Her Head, it was the idea of making him a Mer and her a Human. Then I had to figure out their conflict then how to get her in the ocean. Once I got that, I just started writing. The story flowed linearly, which can’t be said about others.

I have to print off every draft page, which means that by the time I’m done, I’ve gone through two trees in Oregon. What is your process of getting out a first whole draft? How long might it take? My deadlines for Books 2 and 3 (Wild Blue Under and Catch of a Lifetime) are pretty tight so I don’t have the luxury I had with In Over Her Head, but I tend not to print it out until I’m at the point that I’m satisfied with it before sending it off to a critique partner. I print it then on 2 column pages and go through it that way, make any corrections and off it goes. As for drafts… I tend to backtrack every time I open the story over what I just wrote (a chapter or two) so it’s always getting edited as I move forward. Track Changes in MSWord is my friend, especially the Insert Comment feature.

Do you have show and tell with your first draft? Who do you trust for honest reaction, or is so fragile you show it to one you love who you know will be kind? The friends I ask to look at it are critique partners and we’re beyond the “hurt feelings” stage. I want it to be good; I want readers to like it and I want all the necessary parts to be there. I know that they’re responding to the story, not me personally, so I want their thoughts, not any sweetening of their thoughts. Just give it to me so I can get working on fixing/expanding/clarifying, etc.

What is one of the nicest compliments that you have ever received about your book(s)? The author quotes have been amazing. How exciting and wonderful to have authors I’ve read like what I’ve written! Also, I had a bookseller who’d gotten an Advanced Reading Copy of In Over Her Head email me to tell me that she loved the book. She wasn’t a Romance reader and had picked it up for a friend, but opened it to see if it could capture her interest and found she couldn’t put it down and will buy the rest of my books when they come out. That was just amazing to me.

My author fantasy is to have one of my novels optioned by Clint Eastwood and he insists that I write the screenplay adaptation. What is your author fantasy? I’ll take yours as well, but I’d like Spielberg. And I win the Oscar.

What has brought you the greatest joy since you were published, and what has caused you the greatest angst? Reader feedback is the best thing. Knowing that what I’ve written has given someone a few good hours of enjoyment. I hadn’t realized how it would feel. Not really. I don’t think you can until it happens. The greatest angst? Deadlines. So different from unpubbed when you could work on the story as the mood hit, now you have to make the mood hit. That can be tough, especially when real life intervenes.

Please look for IN OVER HER HEAD, in addition to Judi’s other fun, romantic tales: Wild Blue Under and Catch of a Lifetime. Check out her site: www.JudiFennell.com