The Big Comb Over by J.P. Rieger | #AuthorInterview #BookReview #Humorous #Fiction $25 Gift Card |@GoddessFish @jpaulrieger
A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.
Book Details
The Big Comb Over by J.P. Rieger on April 25, 2024
Genres: Comedy, Fiction, Family Life, Humorous, Satire
Format: eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 254
Source: Goddess Fish PromotionsThree 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.
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Excerpt from The Big Comb Over
Roland looked at the bottle in awe. “Fletcher’s Dry Shampoo – Hint of Almond.” He looked over the directions and ingredients on the back. “Wow! It’s gluten-free and approved by PETA, too!” He handed back the bottle, gingerly, as though it were an egg.
“Yes! So, I’ll get things started, today, but when you use it, remember to follow the instructions carefully. You have to shake the thing like a bastard.”
He pulled off the top cap and shook the bottle frantically.
“Okay, shield your eyes with your hands, Roland.”
Morris began carefully spraying the bald spot. The bottle produced several quick spurts—the initial “targeting” move. He then pulled the can back several inches and sprayed in a wider arc, slowly filling in the surrounding areas. Excess brown powder fell gently onto the cape; iron filings mixed with cinnamon.
“Yes, there we go! Success! Let me give it a brush-through and a good zhuzh!”
Morris began to carefully run the boar’s hairbrush through the mixture of hair and powdered shampoo. There was that one tricky area, so he gave it another quick blast with the aerosol can. He completed brushing and found the most optimal place for the all-important part. Something natural. Avoiding the comb-over effect was difficult. Balance . . . balance . . .
He then gave Roland’s hair a quick blast with the hair dryer. Not too much, as there was not much to dry. The shampoo had absorbed most of the hemp oil treatment. He put the dryer aside and gave Roland’s hair a two-handed, final zhuzh. He spun the chair around, dramatically, and placed a hand mirror in front of Roland’s face so that he could check out the back.
“Looky loo, Sir Roland! Nary a hint of . . . deficiency!”
Roland looked with disbelief. He no longer had that bald spot! It was gone!
“Oh dear Lord, Morris! You are a genius! Look at this! Michelangelo!” He handed back the mirror, stunned.
“Thank you, thank you!” Morris took a quick bow and rapidly turned the chair back around, causing Roland some dizziness. “Now, let me hit you with a finishing spray to hold everything in place!”
He dramatically removed the top of the hairspray aerosol and shook the can furiously. He sprayed the mist in a near random fashion near the scalp and then away from the scalp and then back toward and quickly away again—a symphony conductor of a twelve-tone sound poem.
He spun Roland around again and thrust the mirror before his face. “What do you think?!”
“Yes, yes, Morris, this is perfect! This is what I’ve been waiting for . . . dreaming about!”
Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this post.
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Purchase Links for The Big Comb Over
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Rieger, J.P. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 257 Pages - 04/25/2024 (Publication Date) - Pearls Before Press Publishing (Publisher)
- Rieger, J P (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 254 Pages - 04/25/2024 (Publication Date) - Pearls Before Press Publishing (Publisher)
If the above link does not take you to your country’s Amazon page, please let me know, and I’ll gladly get a link for you.
Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share. Every penny helps to support this blog.
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My Thoughts on The Big Comb Over
Robbie Elders, who, in the year 2050, finds himself embroiled in the latest trend of genealogical research based on DNA. This seemingly mundane pursuit leads to unsettling results that force Robbie to confront his past, particularly his memories of his oddball, religious fanatic uncle, tim tim.
Through flashbacks, the reader is transported to Robbie’s 2019 childhood, a world dominated by comic books and the peculiar influence of Uncle tim tim,
where a Royal Wedding in London serves as the backdrop. Robbie’s uncle, Stef, is engaged to Lady Florence Stour, a distant member of the British royal family.
With Robbie’s parents unable to attend, Robbie and his older brother Doyle are left in the care of their mom’s two eccentric brothers, Roy and Roland. Roy, with his thick Baltimore accent and passion for Maryland blue crabs, and Roland, the hypochondriac actor who constantly battles with the Karens of the world, add layers of humor and chaos to the story. Alongside them is Desales, Roy’s prankster teenage son, whose antics provide even more hilarity.
As the family descends upon London for the wedding, chaos ensues. Amidst the preparations and comedic misadventures, Uncle tim tim continues to influence Robbie with his mysterious “mission,” a religious fantasy that Robbie’s atheist parents and therapists have always dismissed. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that things are not always as they appear.
Rieger balances the whimsical and the profound, creating a thought-provoking and entertaining novel. The plot lines can be challenging to follow if you don’t pay attention to the dates, but the story is worth the effort.
“The Big Comb Over” offers a tale that explores the nuances of family relationships, the search for identity, and the unpredictable nature of life. It’s a book that will leave readers laughing and reflecting long after turning the last page.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!
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About J.P. Rieger
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 the author of Clonk!, a police farce set in Baltimore and published in 2023 by Apprentice House Press (Loyola University-Baltimore). He’s also the 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.
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Interview with the Author of The Big Comb Over
Any weird things you do when you’re alone?
Certainly. I bake recording tapes in a beef jerky dehydrator. I’ve been an amateur musician and tape-recording aficionado since the age of thirteen. I had held onto nearly every recording tape I ever made. Once I retired, I realized I needed to get rid of my roomful of reel-to-reel tapes (hundreds). I planned to digitize them, meaning convert the roomful of reels electronically to a palm-sized hard disk.
But, before doing so, there was a problem. Over the years, the glue holding the oxide particles to the tape became sticky, such that a reel of tape can’t even be played back on a tape deck. To dry the glue back onto the tape, one must literally bake the tape at approximately 135 degrees Fahrenheit for about four hours. I purchased a beef jerky dehydrator to perform the task. Every tape has now been digitized. And the jerky has been quite tasty, too.
What is your favorite quote and why?
Probably the quote attributed to Hunter S. Thompson “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” Apparently, the actual quote is about the television business and lacked the “negative side” sentence, but the quote was conscripted and embellished to reference the music business. The bleakly cynical quote aligns nicely with Thompson’s public persona.
Who is your favorite author and why?
Edgar Allan Poe. He was the originator of the detective story, and his three C. Auguste Dupin tales are masterful. Although not a Dupin story, The Gold Bug is one of the greatest puzzle-solving stories of all time. Of course, Poe took fantasy and horror fiction to new and extraordinary places, too.
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
It’s the story, whether fiction or nonfiction. Does the story grasp the reader? Does it give the reader the thrill, the ‘a ha’ moment or a good laugh? Will the reader laugh out loud or shed a tear? Can the reader put the book down or is the reader now trapped for the duration?
Where did you get the idea for this book?
From two sources. The royal wedding portions set in London came about thanks to my half dozen or so vacations in London. The magical realism part, came from my interest in the phenomenon known as autoscopic vision. Basically, some people believe that they see themselves in public or other places. The character tim tim experiences this phenomenon at certain times in the story. In fact, the original title was The Man Who Saw Himself, but I felt that the title sounded a bit too serious and wouldn’t communicate the humor of the novel.
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Giveaway!
A randomly drawn winner will receive a $25 Amazon/BN gift card – a Rafflecopter giveaway.
Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for The Big Comb Over
Full Tour Schedule:
May 7: Literary Gold
May 9: Hope. Dreams. Life… Love
May 14: Read Your Writes Book Reviews
May 16: Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
May 21: Sandra’s Book Club
May 23: Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
May 28: Sybrina’s Book Blog
May 30: The Faerie Review
June 4: Gina Rae Mitchell
June 6: Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Love
June 11: Westveil Publishing
June 13: FUONLYKNEW
June 18: The Avid Reader
June 20: Edgar’s Books
June 25: Kenyan Poet
June 27: Fabulous and Brunette
July 9: Locks, Hooks and Books
July 11: Author C.A.Milson
July 16: Country Mamas With Kids
July 18: Beyond Romance
July 23: Readers Roost
July 25: The Pen and Muse Book Reviews
July 30: Full Moon Dreaming
August 1: Teatime and Books
August 6: Long and Short Reviews
August 8: Straight From the Library
August 13: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’
August 15: A Wonderful World of Words
August 20: It’s Raining Books
August 22: Wendi Zwaduk – Romance to Make Your Heart Race
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[…] Gina Rae Mitchell […]
This looks like a book I will thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for hosting.
[…] The Big Comb Over by J.P. Rieger […]
What’s your favorite book of all time?
Hi traciemich, I’ve read so many wonderful books that picking a favorite seems impossible. But, over the years, a book I keep going back to and rereading over and over is Kurt Vonnegut’s “God Bless You Mr. Rosewater.” A wonderfully absurd satire!
This sounds like a unique and entertaining book.
Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Thanks Nancy!
I really like the cover and the excerpt.
Thank you, Sherry!
Thanks for a great day!
I enjoyed the post. Sounds like a good read.
Thanks, Marcy!
Does your beef jerky hydration process for reel-to-reel tapes work for any of those tapes? (Some of the supposedly better tapes had an additional stubborn coating.) And, I’m assuming that process can’t be used for home videotape transfers to dvd because of the plastics?
Hi mombo33,
Thanks for checking out my Q & A!
I tended to purchase mid-grade recording tapes, so I’m not sure about the super high quality ones available at the time. Most of the tapes I used were manufactured between 1972 -1988. They were Scotch, Ampex, Maxell, TDK, Memorex and BASFs, plus a few Radio Shacks. The food dehydrator worked for all of them. I didn’t have any video tapes to deal with. Thanks again,
Paul
Sounds like a great read.
Thanks Rita!
Thank you for reviewing my novel! I’m really pleased that you enjoyed it! For those interested, The Big Comb Over is available for review on Book Sirens. Thanks again for the opportunity to visit here, today! Paul
Thanks for stopping by, today. It’s my pleasure to share your book with my readers.
Thank you so much for hosting and reviewing THE BIG COMB OVER. It’s appreciated.