Blog Tour: THE BIG COMB OVER by J.P. Rieger
THE BIG COMB OVER
J.P. Rieger
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GENRE: Family satire; Farce; Magical realism
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BLURB:
Threenephews and three eccentric uncles.
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It’s2050 and Robbie Elders has all but forgotten about his oddball, religiousfanatic uncle, tim tim. He’s taken up the latest fad, genealogical researchbased solely on DNA. But Robbie’s “inconclusive” DNA results are unsettling. Hecrashes back to his childhood, back to his world of comic books and tim tim.
“Iopt for posh and London” declares Lady Florence Stour. It’s 2019 and time for aRoyal Wedding. Robbie’s uncle, Stef, is engaged to Lady Florence, a distantmember 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 bigbrother, Doyle, to their mom’s two eccentric brothers, uncles Roy and Roland.Roy, a weathered waterman with a severe Baltimore accent, lives for Marylandblue crabs. Roland, a mildly hypochondriacal actor, lives to survive the Karenshe unavoidably encounters. And then there’s Desales, Roy’s smart aleck, teenageson. He lives to prank. They’ve descended upon London. What could possibly gowrong?
Meanwhile,tim tim has been coaching Robbie on “the mission.” A silly religious fantasyaccording to Robbie’s atheist parents and the therapists. Or perhaps not?Things are not always as they appear in The Big Comb Over.
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ExcerptTwo:
“Thanks, bud! So, how has your travel thing worked out? Youhad said you were doing, like, covered bridge destinations?”
“Well, yes. I started with that because, you know, a lot ofpeople really connect with covered bridges. There’s a peacefulness. A return to simpler times and virtues. A lotof people like that.”
“Sounds nice.”
“But I’m not the only agent with that idea. There areactually a lot of travel consultants doing covered bridges. Old railroad linesare also big these days. Anyway, I upped the ante. I’m now working in acousticsound barriers.”
Chris saw Roland’s puzzled look.
“Okay. So, it’s interesting. You know you drive along theBeltway or other highways and see they’ve put up all those sound barrier walls,right? That way it’s not so noisy for the people in their houses. The walls areall prefabricated and look about the same. But I noticed, every now and then,they stick a door in one. I always wondered why. I learned that it’s so thatthe highway people can get access for maintenance or to get to fire hydrants orwhat have you.”
“Yes?”
“So, I had been curious about that and thought, ‘You know,if I’m curious about that, other people will be too.’”
“Okay.”
“So, I surveilled various sound walls throughout thestate—mostly around Baltimore—and made a list of the most interesting ones withdoors. Some of them have been around like twenty years, so they have, like, ahighway patina. A lot of them have plants and vines growing around them,randomly, but sometimes in very beautiful ways. So I reached out to some of thefolks whose homes are affected to get a tour, as it were. The coolest thing isthe ‘before and after.’ You know, you listen first with the door open. At peaktimes the noise is unbelievable. But once you close that door, there is animmediate calm. Much more peaceful. Very Zen. And like I said, the naturallyoccurring flora and fauna are quite amazing. Besides the plants, there werethings like rodents and birds nesting near the doors. Some right on the wallsabove the doors. You could tell because of all the droppings.”
Roland blinked twice.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
J.Paul (J.P.) Rieger is a born and bred Baltimorean and mostly retired Marylandattorney. As such, he’s well acquainted with the quirkiness and charm ofBaltimore’s unique citizens. He’s author of Clonk!, a police farce set inBaltimore and published in 2023 by Apprentice House Press (LoyolaUniversity-Baltimore). He’s also author of The Case Files of Roderick Misely,Consultant, a mystery novel featuring a wannabe lawyer anti-hero. The Big CombOver, a slipstream comedy of manners featuring three nephews and their threeeccentric uncles, is Paul’s third novel. Paul is married and lives in Towson,Maryland.
Website:http://www.jpaulrieger.net
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