Q&A with J.P. Rieger

 

 

 

J.P. Rieger is the author of the new novel Sunscreen Shower. His other books include the novel Clonk!. Also an attorney, he lives in Maryland.

 

Q: Why did you decide to bring back your character Kev Dixit (from Clonk!) in your new novel?

 

A: A lot of folks who read Clonk! really enjoyed my protagonist, Kev Dixit. He’s truly an “everyperson.” Like all of us, he’s constantly confronted with daunting challenges but he never fails to make lemonade from those bruised lemons. Granted, the beverage is not always terribly sweet, but isn’t that the way it is for us, too?

 

Q: Should a reader start with Clonk! before reading Sunscreen Shower?

 

A: Not necessarily. I wrote Sunscreen Shower to also function as a standalone. The reader need not ever read Clonk! But, of course, what right-thinking, creative and intelligent person wouldn’t read Clonk!?

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: I love writing mystery and crime fiction but also consider myself equally a humor and satire writer. So, the Sunscreen Shower notion is one of several comic injections.

 

My actor character, Chris Waxley (famous for his guided tours of Baltimore Beltway acoustic barrier walls) has teamed up with his high school bud and physician, Alan Switzer. They’ve co-written a book, essentially their joint bio, centered around how Alan saved Chris’ life after Chris was nearly shot to death in a hair salon while thwarting an armed robbery. (Which occurred in Clonk!).

 

Chris is a dreamer and has come up with an idea for an ingenious invention, the Sunscreen Shower, that he shares with Alan:

 

“But imagine. A Sunscreen Shower stall at every intersection along the Boardwalk! Unlike a regular shower with water, you get sunscreen! You walk in, dial up your favorite brand of sunscreen at whatever SPF you choose, and press the button! Out comes a wonderful, refreshing, light mist of sunscreen. And it hits every part of the exposed body. No bending over or contorting yourself. And, to protect the eyes, disposable eye goggles are provided for each session, fully biodegradable, of course. Relax, and within a short fifty seconds, you’re done! Out you walk from the Sunscreen Shower, fully protected! Only two bucks per application. Contactless payment, of course.”

 

He and Alan are moving forward with their vision for the Sunscreen Shower while participating in a disastrous book tour. Kev tries to advise them of things like permits and leases and hygiene and necessary maintenance, all to no avail, of course.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: Hopefully a sense of fun and the absurd, but with a heavy dose of suspense and mystery too. I tried to tone down some of my experimental tendencies and make Sunscreen Shower a bit more digestible.

 

It’s essentially a police and legal procedural with (hopefully) a bunch of laughs along the way. With Clonk! I had tried to write a Jackson Pollock painting. Sunscreen Shower is a bit more Pierre Bonnard.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’ve decided to take this gang of characters into a third Kev Dixit novel, a sequel to Sunscreen Shower. It will be my fifth novel. I figured by then I’ll have some idea as to whether there’s an appetite for my troop of Baltimore misfits. If not, I’ll probably move on to a new thing. Perhaps macramé. Or scrapbooking.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Yes. I want to send a “thank you” to everyone who’s taken the time to read any of my books. I truly appreciate it! And thanks again, Deborah, for giving me an opportunity to participate in your blog, one of the best on the web!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with J.P. Rieger.