Q&A Judi Fennell and Giveaway!

Today on My Overstuffed Bookshelf, author Judi Fennell is here to answer some questions for all of us.  She is the author of the wonderful stories Catch of A Lifetime, Wild Blue Under and In Over Her Head.  Each story is a wonderful paranormal romance based under the sea!  Following the Q&A,  there is also a giveaway of Catch of A Lifetime that Sourcebooks was generous enough to donate!  So let's get started!

Thank you so much for joining us Judi let's get to it! 

1. To start off, can you tell the readers a little about yourself?

Sure, and thanks so much for having me!

I’ve always written. Ever since I can remember. I’ve also always been a voracious reader and I’m finding that the two go hand-in-hand the more authors I meet. I gave a writing career a brief thought in college, but listened to my parents when they said, “It’s not possible.” Silly me. That’s why I don’t mind the hours writing takes from my family life – it’s my full time job now and my kids are seeing that dreams can come true. I want them to make theirs happen.

2. Can you tell us a little about your new or current releases?

Catch of a Lifetime, out this month, is the third—but hopefully not the last—in my Mer series. This is the story of Mer princess Angel Tritone, the middle younger sister, who is fascinated by all things Human. Including Logan Hardington, a man who wants nothing more than Normal in his life. Sadly for him, a Mer(maid) is as far from Normal as he can get.

Next up is a genie series, launching in January 2011. It was pitched to my editor as “I Dream of Jeannie meets Indiana Jones.” I had a blast writing that first story and am working on the second. It has all the adventure, chatty characters and humor of the Mer series, only this time there are flying carpets and magic.

3. How did you come up with the idea of Mermen?

I’d been writing a series of twists on fairy tales (Cinda Bella, Beauty and The Best, Fairest of Them All) and figured I’d try to twist The Little Mermaid. The easiest way to twist that was to make him the Mer. Voila! Reel was born. It wasn’t until the heroine, Erica, met him that I learned he had a twin brother named Rod. From there, the family and the world fell into place.

4. When you're not writing, what kind of books do you like to read? Do you have any favorite authors that are must reads?

My writing time is limited these days, due to the demands of my writing schedule and real life, so the first ones I grab for are other paranormals (Virginia Kantra, Joey Hill, Stephanie Julian), but I read just about anything. I love historical (Julia Quinn is a must-read, and I still re-read Jill Barnett’s Bewitching!), Romantic Suspense (Roxanne St. Claire, Allison Brennan, Jordan Dane, Cindy Gerard), Contemporaries (Diana Holquist, Robin Kaye)… The lists go on and on. One incredible benefit of being in this career is getting to know these great writers personally.

5. What are 3 things that are "must haves" for you when you sit down to write a new book?

Besides my laptop? LOL.

I need quiet or white noise. I can’t immerse myself in the story if there are distractions. For example, I can’t write with music that I can sing to. It just doesn’t work. I’ve got a playlist that’s a mixture of classical and new age, all instrumental. I also have another playlist of nature sounds. Writing the Mer series, I listened to a lot of waves hitting the beach and dolphin/whale-song.

I need a clean workspace. I can’t work if there’s clutter. I know, the sign of a sick mind is a clean desk, but there you have it. If there’s too much mess where I’m working, I either have to clean it up (yeah, right) or I go to my office and lock the door.

I need a water bottle. I have no idea why, but I get really thirsty when I write. And I never noticed until I had to come up with the answer to this question.

6. Do you have a blog or website that your readers can keep up with you and your books?

My website is www.JudiFennell.com and I’ve got deleted scenes on there, excerpts, reviews, and some pictures of hot cover models from conventions I’ve attended, as well as a chance to win a romantic beach getaway at the Hibiscus House B&B (www.HibiscusHouse.com) in West Palm Beach, Fl. The drawing is February 28, 2010.

My blog is www.JudiFennell.wordpress.com, and on March 25, I’ll, once again, host a Golden Heart/Rita Nominee Announcement party. Feel free to stop by and “squee” with your favorite authors as their names are announced.

7. List your favorite:

fast food spot- Taco Bell
perfume- White Shoulders
song- That’s What Friends Are For – our wedding song
car- Mercedes 450 SL
MerMan- my husband at the beach J

Thank you for visiting with us today!

              Thanks for having me!

GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks, I have 2 copies of Catch of A Lifetime by Judi Fennell to give to 2 lucky people! Here are the rules:

1. You must be a follower of my blog! ( I will be checking)

2. Leave a comment on this post with your email address so I can contact you.

3. You must live in USA or Canada.  No PO Boxes.  

Contest will run until 2/6/2010 with the winners being announced on 2/7/2010.  

GOOD LUCK!