by Judi Fennell, guest blogger and author of Catch of a Lifetime.

Thanks so much for having me again! The third book in my Mer series, Catch of a Lifetime, came out this month, and once again, the puns are out in full force.

The sea-isms were a really fun part of writing this series, and I'd never realized how many sea sayings we use in our everyday language. It made coming up with the sea-based version of the sayings easier.

I hadn't actually started out to include things like that, but when Reel, the hero of book one, In Over Her Head, was talking to his sidekick Chum, a suckerless remora fish, well, I couldn’t help but go down that alley. Chum? For a fish? It just made me laugh.

Then Reel mentions he has a twin brother named Rod, and that was pretty much it. Every sea-themed pun I could come up with decided to end up in the stories.

I'd never realized how many "sea-isms" we actually use in everyday English. Or how much fun it'd be to poke fun at our use and make it seem normal to Mers. But I'm finding that they come really easy to me - and to my readers. I will admit to taking notes on some of the funnier ones people send me, and plan to use them in Mariana's and Pearl's stories (that I'll, hopefully have the chance to write!).

I've been asked about how and why I play with the puns and clichés, because all pre-published authors are told over and over not to use clichés. I know, I was told that, too. But the thing is, if you put your own twist on anything - and other people "get" it - you can pretty much do what you want. That's held true for me with the clichés and groan-worthy puns.

But those puns are also in keeping with how my Mers think. They're not going to say, "Go fly a kite" to someone who's annoyed them. They might, however, tell that person to go toss a skate (skates are like sting rays). It's their frame of reference, much as our American slang is completely incomprehensible to someone learning to speak our language. I mean, if you're a non-native speaker and are translating something as commonplace as "take a hike," you're going to wonder where and HOW to take a hike somewhere? Do you carry it? Put it in a box? A hike is an intangible object.

When creating a world, a writer has to immerse herself in it and see it as the beings in that world do, and then build that world from the inside out. What's going to be commonplace to those inhabitants--and, conversely, what's going to seem odd for a newcomer to that world? Hence, the term "shell-fillers" for breasts. Some readers have liked that term, others notsomuch. But think of the quintessential images of mermaids: they're either bare breasted or have seashells lashed across their breasts. Shell-fillers. It's their frame of reference. Of course, since readers' frames of reference don't include that term, I have the Mers make the jump to the Human reference pretty quickly so I don't lose the reader. But that's also to illustrate the Mers' understanding of that new world.

So how do I come up with these sayings? I honestly don't know other than to say, I try to think like my characters. I try to see things the way they would and put it out there for the readers so they can see it that way, too.

Here's a bit from Catch of a Lifetime with Angel, the mermaid, chatting with Ginger, a flamingo. Two beings of two different worlds interacting in a Human one and having some fun of their own playing with language:

“Ginger?” Great. Just what Angel needed. The laziest and most opportunistic flamingo in the Eastern Hemisphere had just glommed onto her case study. And as for Ginger keeping a secret? Not so much. “What are you doing here? I thought birds of a feather flocked together and all that.”

“Those Orlando chicks are too cliquey. Sometimes it’s nice to be the only flamingo around.” Ginger twirled her black-tipped beak, striking a pose that was ineffectual on females and downright ridiculous for anyone. Even a flamingo. To add insult to injury, the bird looked down from the back corner of her eyes. “So, what do you say? Prawns for silence?”

Angel tossed a swath of hair over her shoulder—so hard to get used to it hanging against her body instead of floating around her like kelp on a current. “I say that blackmail is a filthy practice, and if you’re going to try it, you should first have a clean background. I know what you’re doing with Roger, by the way. I think everyone except his mate does.”

That took the stuffing out of the bird. Ginger deflated back to normal size and quickly set her plumage to rights. “Fine. You don’t have to get snippy about it. I just wanted some prawns. Humans have taken all the good ones around here and I’m not a big fan of fish fry. It gets boring after a while.”

“I know all about Human fishing practices, Ginger, among other things. That’s why I’m here, and I’d appreciate if you’d keep quiet so I have the chance to make a difference.”

“You don’t want your brother to find out, do you?”

“I’d prefer if he didn’t, but I’m a grown Mer. I’m allowed to live my life. If he does, I’ll deal with it. But until then, I’m going to try to accomplish something.”

“Oh? Is that what they’re calling it these days?” The flamingo clacked her beak. “I accomplished something just last night.”

© Judi Fennell, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2010

Buy: Catch of a Lifetime

I'm working on my new series which hits the shelves next year, about genies, and I'm finding that there aren't nearly as many clichés or sayings that I can twist as there are in an undersea world, but the ones I'm coming up with are fun. But, hey, I'm more than ready to take notes on any you want to shout out. So think magic carpets, genies, talking cats and magic. And let you imagination take flight! (Okay, I'm calling that one…)

Any more?

CATCH OF A LIFETIME BY JUDI FENNELL—IN STORES FEBRUARY 2010!

She’s on a mission to save the planet…

Mermaid Angel Tritone has been researching humans from afar, hoping to find a way to convince them to stop polluting.

When she jumps into a boat to escape a shark attack, it’s her chance to pursue her mission, but she has to keep her identity a total secret…

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!

Buy: Catch of a Lifetime

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.

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Contemporary, D-F, Fantasy, Guest Blogger, Merman/Mermaid, Seas, Writing Tips

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