Today’s guest is J.P. Rieger to chat with me about his new family satire, The Big Comb Over.
During his virtual book tour, J.P. will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn participant. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
J. Paul (J.P.) Rieger is a born and bred Baltimorean and mostly retired Maryland attorney. As such, he’s well acquainted with the quirkiness and charm of Baltimore’s unique citizens. He’s author of Clonk!, a police farce set in Baltimore and published in 2023 by Apprentice House Press (Loyola University-Baltimore). He’s also author of The Case Files of Roderick Misely, Consultant, a mystery novel featuring a wannabe lawyer anti-hero. The Big Comb Over, a slipstream comedy of manners featuring three nephews and their three eccentric uncles, is Paul’s third novel. Paul is married and lives in Towson, Maryland.
Welcome, J.P. Please tell us a little bit about your new book.
Three nephews and three eccentric uncles.
———
It’s 2050 and Robbie Elders has all but forgotten about his oddball, religious fanatic uncle, tim tim. He’s taken up the latest fad, genealogical research based solely on DNA. But Robbie’s “inconclusive” DNA results are unsettling. He crashes back to his childhood, back to his world of comic books and tim tim.
“I opt for posh and London” declares Lady Florence Stour. It’s 2019 and time for a Royal Wedding. Robbie’s uncle, Stef, is engaged to Lady Florence, a distant member of the British royal family. Stef’s Baltimore clan have been invited, but Robbie’s mom and dad can’t attend. They’ve entrusted Robbie and big brother, Doyle, to their mom’s two eccentric brothers, uncles Roy and Roland. Roy, a weathered waterman with a severe Baltimore accent, lives for Maryland blue crabs. Roland, a mildly hypochondriacal actor, lives to survive the Karens he unavoidably encounters. And then there’s Desales, Roy’s smart aleck, teenage son. He lives to prank. They’ve descended upon London. What could possibly go wrong?
Meanwhile, tim tim has been coaching Robbie on “the mission.” A silly religious fantasy according to Robbie’s atheist parents and the therapists. Or perhaps not? Things are not always as they appear in The Big Comb Over.
Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
The Big Comb Over is, in part, a throwback to the ancient comedy of manners. Fans of Sheridan, Goldsmith, Oscar Wilde and P.G. Wodehouse may enjoy the whirlwind of mistaken identities and misconstrued conversations.
Excerpt from The Big Comb Over:
He was thinking that the man’s accent could be Irish. But more Cockney, almost. Odd. He saw the man thrust his hand forward.
“Name’s Roy.” He shook Roy’s hand, earnestly.
“Name’s Dixon. Pleasure to meet you.” He glanced over at Roy’s suit. “Nice couture! A refreshing play on seersucker! ‘Maison Dixon’ is mine. Curious to hear about yours!”
Roy felt a bit confused. He had already introduced himself. He figured maybe those white things were hearing aids. And he had a crazy name. “Ya said yours is Mason Dixon?”
“Yes!”
“Like your Mason-Dixon line?”
“Well, thank you, Roy! Which particular line do you favor?”
Roy felt confused again. “Favor? Well, I was thinkin’ of the long one? The old one?”
Bertram nodded, knowingly. Nice to know the “Smart Man” line was still revered. Teddy had been encouraging him to drop it. “Yes, Smart Man, a long and successful line.”
Roy nodded. “Why, thanks, Mr. Dixon. But I would reckon everbody ’roun here’s heard of it. Don’t take too much brains. Historical, like.”
“Brilliant! Thanks, Roy. That’s my job. To keep those lines out in the public’s mind.”
Roy scratched at his rusty beard stubble. “So, like, ya do surveys, still? Ta mark the lines?”
“Well, certainly. But those are a little old school. We don’t always attach a survey to each line we produce. We get things done more with social media. Influencers, mainly. Good judges of the zeitgeist.”
Roy was thinking that surveyors setting lines without surveys didn’t sound very safe. And he wasn’t sure about the rest. “Ya done anything here in Bawlmer? Any new ones?” Roy had been shopping at that new supermarket in Middle River. He wanted to make sure the building was safe. He was hoping Mr. Dixon’s company was not involved.
How long have you been writing?
I learned the alphabet at about the age of four and basic sentence structure at the age of five. I am 68 now. Oh. You mean fiction writing? Well, I had always loved the Edgar Allan PoeDupin mysteries and, of course, the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. Once I established a fairly predictable law career in my 30’s, I decided to try my hand at writing mysteries. The result was my first novel, The Case Files of Roderick Misely, Consultant, written over the course of a decade and self-published in 2013.
What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
“Get out while you can. This is not for you.” Such advice reduces competition for good publishers. But seriously, new writers need to stick with it and not let themselves be overwhelmed by the notion of getting published. Ultimately, new writers should ask themselves, “If absolutely no one reads what I am writing, would I continue writing?” Unless the answer is “yes,” the new writer should consider some other means of expression.
Is your life anything like it was two years ago?
Fortunately, yes. I became a mostly retired lawyer two years ago. To say that I’ve enjoyed retired life is an understatement. Finally, I have the time and energy to devote to writing and music. And my spouse still puts up with me!
Do you have any offensive body hairs? Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?
Like most aging men, I’ve suffered a proliferation of unwanted hair, while losing truly vital scalp hair. Yes, I’m speaking of nostril and ear hair. Why would Nature do this to us? Why couldn’t those unwanted hairs relocate themselves to the scalp where they are sorely needed? It all began in my 40’s. Suddenly, I found myself purchasing ear and nose hair trimmers. My acquisition of those devices has been inversely proportional to the growth of new hair on my scalp.
Thank you so much for hosting today – we appreciate you.
Do you find it easier or more challenging to write during the summer months?
Sorry for the very late response! I got used to writing during vacations in the summer, so I probably do tend to write a bit more during the summer.
Sounds good, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing. This sounds really good.
Looks fantastic
Very nice cover and also sounds interesting.
This looks like a great read. Thanks for sharing.
Enjoyed the short interview.
I liked the excerpt and author interview!! Thanks for sharing it!!