Dirty Little Secret by Judi Fennell

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Dirty Little Secret by Judi Fennell

Tammie, thanks so much for having me back!

The third book in my Mer series, Catch of a Lifetime, is out in stores now, and I'm loving the feedback from readers. So many have enjoyed the world-building and I have to say, I didn't know I could create a world like this.

Why? Well, here's my dirty little secret: I hate descriptive scenes, and to me, that was always the world building part. Sad, but true.

I remember, in the "old days" (AKA the 70s), reading pages and pages of description. I would skim over them. Oh, trust me, I do know all the research that went into those descriptions and, at times, I would read through them, but for the most part, I didn't want to read them. I wanted the action and the passion! The romance!

So when it came time to write about my world, I remembered that I didn't like to read gobs of description and tried to focus on the immediacy of what the characters would be seeing, all the while cognizant of making sure to show the world to the reader.

With Catch of a Lifetime, I had an easier time of scene-setting and world-building than I did with the first book in the series, In Over Her Head, mainly because most of it is set on land which is a common reference for my readers, and I'd already figured out the world in my head. Let me tell you, it's much easier to add on than to start new.

But I didn't want to rehash the same old-same old. We've been to Atlantis in In Over Her Head, so the underwater scenes in Catch of a Lifetime had to be different.

That's the great part about writing paranormal - I could make up whatever I wanted. And since we'd already been to Ceto's palace in the first book, I got to give her a new palace in Catch. New fish, new construction, a whole new look. And it was fun.

I hope people don't skim over those passages, but I've realized that if they do, they must still be "getting" the world. Still seeing the scene. If they weren't, they'd be devouring each and every word to see what I wanted them to. At least, that's my theory; you'll have to tell me if it's true or not.

Here's a passage from Ceto's second palace. What do you think?

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Harry followed him down a long, domed tunnel decorated in abalone and oyster. Chandelier squid mantles, lit by hatchetfish and strung with pearls, dangled from the ceiling, making the whole place sparkly and girly. Ceto had invested heavily in her palace—taking the I-am-goddess-hear-me-roar thing a bit too seriously, in his opinion.

The tunnel opened into an amphitheater—which it had once been. Ceto floated—of course—on a raised dais made of glass, beneath which the most colorful of the local tropicals swam. Ionic columns held a canopy of sailcloth above her head. Probably stolen from one of her victims—she did love to live up to her Queen of the Bermuda Triangle reputation. Her chair was a sea sponge she’d bewitched into a throne for that very purpose. Ceto liked true creature comforts.

“Ah, Harry. To what do I owe the pleasure?” She swept a taloned—that is, manicured—hand before her, indicating the kowtowing area of the orchestra pit in front of her.

When the previous dynasty had ruled Atlantis, this building had been the in place. Full of hedonism and free spirits, it’d been their final corruption. The gods had reclaimed the throne for Poseidon’s heirs and moved Atlantis under Bermuda, giving Ceto, he’d heard, the opportunity to get this place for a song. Literally.

Harry tried to keep the smile off his face. The orchestra pit. She was really overdoing it. But Harry went along with it. Sometimes playing to her vanity was the best offense.

“Good day, Ceto. You’re looking lovely, as usual.” Her malachite hair squirmed around her head, also as usual, and her twin tails shifted through the full spectrum of colors. The false image of relaxation didn’t fool Harry for a second.

No one showed up at any of Ceto’s palaces without reason. This wasn’t a swim-by visit and they both knew it.

Harry settled himself in the pit as best he could while still managing to writhe enough to keep water moving over his gills. It was the one thing he hated about being a shark. Other fish could remain still, but sharks, for whatever reason, weren’t granted swim bladders. If he stopped moving, he’d drown. Rumor had it that some ancestor had annoyed a god so severely that the god had forced this on the shark’s descendants. Probably a Great White.

“Ah, Harry, such a charmer.” Ceto motioned for one of her Serving Nautiluses to offer him a snack.

Harry didn’t have as much luck keeping the smile off his face this time. The cephalopod acted as if Harry was going to take a bite of him. A little too self-important was that Nautilus. They were even worse tasting than Bipeds.

Harry shook his head, and the Nautilus left as fast as his gaseous escape mechanism—very appropriate term in Harry’s opinion—would allow.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Ceto, but I’m here on an urgent matter.”

“Oh?” The sea monster leaned forward, her shell-fillers almost spilling out of the Human top she wore.

He didn’t get the fascination she had with their clothing. It tasted awful, was a pain in the tail to pick out of his teeth, and ruined the presentation as far as he was concerned. Still, whatever floated her boat.


When he finds out what she really is, they’re both in mortal danger…

For Logan Hardington, finding a beautiful woman on his boat is surely not a problem—until he discovers she’s a mermaid, and suddenly his life is on the line…

The third novel in Judi Fennell's mermaid series, a fresh, exciting, and different entry in romance fiction!

About the Author

Judi Fennell is an award-winning author. Her romance novels have been finalists in Gather.com's First Chapters and First Chapters Romance contests, as well as the third American Title contest. She spends family vacations at the Jersey Shore, the setting for some of her paranormal romance series. She lives in suburban Philadelphia, PA. For More information, and a chance to win a romantic ocean getaway, visit www.judifennell.com.