Title: Fish Out of Water
Author: Ros Baxter
Genre: Fantasy/Mermaid
Publish Date: April 1st 2013
Book Description
Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum meets Splash in a sexy, smart-talking debut about a mermaid in a desert, a city under water, and the secret that no one is supposed to uncover.
Dirtwater's straight-talking Deputy Sheriff Rania Aqualina has a lot on her plate: a nicotine addiction that's a serious liability for a mermaid, a soldier-of-fortune ex who's hooked on her Mum's brownies, a gorgeous, naked stranger in her shower, and a mysterious dead blonde with a fish tattoo on Main Street.
Heading home to Aegira for a family wedding, Rania has a sinking feeling that's got nothing to do with hydroporting seven miles under the sea and everything to do with the crazy situation. Now, if she can just steal a corpse, get a crazy Aegiran priest off her case, work out who the hell's trying to kill her, and stop sleeping with the fishes, she might be able to unravel the mysteries. And maybe even save her own ass while she's at it.
Fish out of Water is Stephanie Plum meets Splash, and the first book in a trilogy about Aegira, an underwater kingdom based on the historical Norse legend of Aegir.
Buy now * – Amazon US
My Review
Stories based off Norse Legends are always fun and Fish Out of Water was definitely an entertaining read for me. From the initial paragraph in the first chapter I knew I was going to like Rania. Like seriously, who wouldn’t love a Mermaid that loves to drink, smoke and shoot things with a Glock!! So funny!! She is an awesome mermaid; she is witty, down to earth and very passionate. She lives on the main land and her mother is the mayor of the small town they live in. Rania has a few close friends, mostly associated with work, but they are all very loyal to her. Rania takes her work seriously, being the deputy chief in the police force and when she is focused on something she sees it through to the very end. She holds the people that are in her life close to her heart.
After meeting Lunia, Rania’s mother, I understood where Rania got her passion from. Lunia is a wonderful person and removed herself from Aegira to make a better life for herself and for Rania. She is a mother first and that is what is important. She will drop everything to help Rania.
There were a few characters that we met in this story that we haven’t seen the last of and I am looking forward to see what impact that they will have in the next book. Doug and Rania’s father are two in particular I have a feeling that I will see again. They are both very important to Rania, for humans!
Ros has her own way of twisting the Norse Legend to build an intriguing story and I thought that this storyline was great; following with Rania to sort out the facts to the murder mystery in her hands. I loved the chemistry all the characters had and the lengths that they will go to protect on another. There were a few secrets throughout the book that are yet to be revealed, not only from Rania either, so I was left wondering at the end of the book as to what will happen next … and I am keen to find out!!
Thank you to Ros Baxter and Escape Publishing for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Interview
Ros Baxter has been writing since she was eight and penned a whimsical series of short stories about a race of tiny people who lived on a rainbow. While they were a hit in the playground, a few things intervened – including a career in social policy and four noisy children.
Hi Ros!! Welcome to Nomi’s Paranormal Palace!!
Let’s get down to the serious stuff……
When you started writing Fish Out of Water, did you have a set plan in mind or did it change direction along the way?
The story definitely started with my mermaid cop, Rania. She came to me very much fully formed. I could almost hear her first lines in my head:
Mermaids don’t wear nicotine patches. They don’t drink Southern Comfort from a hip flask, inhale twinkies or watch Dr Phil. Mermaids don’t pack heat. And mermaids definitely don’t get their hearts broken by tattooed guys who look like pirates. In fact, mermaids have always been kinda down on pirates... but that’s another story. The cardinal rule is this: mermaids don’t live in bone-dry frontier towns. Ever.
But here’s the thing. Me, I don’t leave home without my patches, hip flask and Glock. My last moment of true moderation was back in kindergarten, when I stopped myself from using my awesome strength to rip Jamie Kennedy’s pecker off when he waved it at Julie Casey in the bathroom and made her cry. And don’t even start me on my penchant for pirates.
But I am, in fact, a mermaid. So go figure.
But the rest of the story definitely took some twists and turns. And the logistics – argh! Choreographing a love scene underwater called on all my creative juices!
Have you based any of your characters off people in your life?
Not directly, but you definitely borrow traits, characteristics and aspects of real people. Sometimes people you know, more often strangers. I often say writers are at least three fifths voyeur.
What’s that line? I like to watch....
Rania is an amazing character; she is able to stay attached to both her human and mermaid sides. Do you think she prefers one over the other?
I think she has always considered herself more land-dweller, and this story is about rediscovering that other part of herself. She’s shut it away, because of what happened in Aegira thirteen years ago, but she’s coming to realise that one of her jobs is to reconcile the two parts of herself – land and sea. And that she is going to have to do that if she’s going to “save the world entire”, and her own skin!
There a couple of characters I’d like to see more of, (Doug and Arty in particular) will they have an impact in future books?
I can definitely tell you that Doug and Arty are not done.
I adored Doug, and had real trouble with him not getting the girl. But stay tuned, he’ll come into his own in Book Two. And he might even find a little sparkle of his own...
And Arty has a major role to play as the battle heats up. But that might have to involve a little jailbreak action (there you go...a little teaser).
Did you have to do a lot of research on small towns in America to base your story off?
I did research this issue, but mostly I constructed a place I thought Lunia (Rania’s mother) would seek out as a refuge. As someone who grew up in small towns, I know their highs and lows. I tried to convey a sense of the interconnections between people in these places. And the way can protect as much as they stifle.
Where did you get the idea of Mermaid travel?
Hmmm...well, mostly I needed a convenient way to move my characters quickly between the two worlds as the action heated up.
The idea of hydroporting (or song-travelling, as the Aegirans sometimes call it) was closely connected to the idea I wanted to convey of the connections between people – that in essence we are all water. We can melt down to the very droplets in the air, if activated by the right song.
Kinda wild, but fun!
Ok, so here are some fun questions...
What do you love most about Australia?
Ha. I’ve actually thought about this one a bit, having spent several years living overseas. I love to travel, but there are so many little things I love about home, even leaving aside the biggies: family, friends, freedom.
I’ll narrow it down to three:
1. Sunshine on
my arms while I’m driving.
2. The way
people say hello to each other on the street.
3. Meat pies with
flaky pastry and hot insides.
If you could travel in a time machine into a book, what book would it be and why?
Charlaine Harris’ Sookie stories. Is it shallow to say because I want one of those men she writes? And even more shallow to say I don’t mind too much which one??
Do you have any favourite authors that you read today?
I read recently that asking a book lover to choose between their books is like asking a mother to pick between her children, and I think that just about nails it. I’m an author omnivore. Winter’s-day-in-bed favourites are Amy Andrews, Nora Roberts, Colleen McCullough, Charlaine Harris, Nikki Gemmell, Stephen King, Marian Keyes...and too many more to name.
But my favourite person who is an author is definitely my sister!
Do you have a favourite book boyfriend?
Oh yeah. Bill Compton. Or Eric the Vampire. Or maybe Alcide.....
If you could travel anywhere in the world with a book, where would you go and what book would you take??
Somewhere quiet. With a big bed and 24 hour nanny service. And a kindle fully loaded with my TBR list.
And finally……When will we expect the 2nd book of the series? And does it have a name yet?
The working title is Grounded. It’s Lecanora’s story, and I’m finishing it currently, so hopefully we will see it later this year!
Here’s a little taste:
What happens when a mermaid princess hits the big smoke?
Rania and her long lost BFF Princess Lecanora have one chance to save Aegira. But it means the Princess has to leave the only home she's ever known to go to The Land.
Will she solve the millenia-old mystery and save her home?
Will she learn that even cold-blooded swimmers can find true passion?
Will she find out what's really inside a fillet o' fish?
Thanks for visiting Ros!! And congratulations on the release of Fish Out of Water!!
Thank you so much for having me, I’ve had a blast (especially thinking about those lush Bontemps vampires...)
Me too Ros…… Me too!!
About the Author
Ros Baxter has been writing since she was eight and penned a whimsical series of short stories about a race of tiny people who lived on a rainbow. While they were a hit in the playground, a few things intervened – including a career in social policy and four noisy children.
Ros started writing again in earnest three years ago. In that time, Ros has secured a two-book deal with Harper Collins Australia, published Sister Pact (a romantic comedy co-written with her sister Ali) and Fish Out of Water (Escape Publishing on 1 April), been a contributing author to the e-anthology URL Love, and finaled in the STALI competition.
Ros writes fresh, funny, genre-busting fiction. She digs feisty heroines, good friends, quirky families, heroes to make you sigh and tingle, and a dash of fantasy from time to time.
Ros also runs a successful business consulting to government and the private sector. She teaches professional writing skills and has authored a writing guide, Clarity.
Ros lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband Blair, four small but very opinionated children, a neurotic dog and nine billion germs.
You can email Ros at rosbaxterink@gmail.com or find her at www.facebook.com/RosBaxterInk, on twitter @RosBaxter, or www.rosbaxterink.com.
Wow, I hadn't heard of this book, but it is definitely on my radar now. In fact, so much so that I just bought it! :) I love a good mermaid story, and this one sounds a bit different so I'm very excited.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, ladies! If you ever come to Michigan, we have something here called pasty (not the nipple decoration lol) that sounds a lot like your heated meat pies! :)
HAHAHA Liz!! We have pasties too, but they are usually vege things.... who wants that really... Must have meat!! Lol
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy Fish Out Of Water!!