Today we welcome m/m romance author Harper Jewel, whose new book RIPPING OFF THE MASK has its roots in holiday memories...
Thank you for the warm welcome! Now that the 2017 holiday season has begun, I’m sure
everyone has a fond holiday tradition that has been passed down through the
family. A family memory/tradition--one that my family stopped following once my
grandmother passed away--I will forever cherish is helping Grandma make Uncle
Leon Soup.
Grandma, although not born in Italy, spoke fluent Italian
and French as her parents immigrated to the United States shortly before she
was born. Whether the recipe for Uncle Leon Soup was one passed down from my
great grandmother or whether Grandma came up with this one all on her own, no
one in the family knows, but it’s something I miss at Thanksgiving and
Christmas Eve.
I firmly believe being in the kitchen and cooking for the
holidays always made Grandma happy. One thing my brother and I could count on:
being kitchen helpers when it came time to make Uncle Leon Soup. Of course, we
always asked how this yummy recipe ended up with the name Uncle Leon Soup, and
no matter how many times Grandma told us the story, it never got old or boring.
When growing up, Grandma’s
best friend Rose, my mom and her sister called her Grammy Rose, married Arthur Weingartner
and they had a son named Leon. Grammy Rose and her family were always included
at Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas Eve dinner. The first Thanksgiving dinner
to which the Weingartners were invited Grandma made this soup, which consisted
of breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, eggs, and a dash of nutmeg, Leon claimed it
his favorite dish ever. Thus the name Uncle Leon Soup was born.
My brother and I never had the opportunity to meet Grammy
Rose or her family, but pictures remain of Grandma and her friends. Watching
and participating in the making of Uncle Leon Soup always put smiles on our
faces. Grandma would lug her huge crank-handled meat grinder--remember this is
from a six-year-olds perspective--up from the basement and attach it to her thick
wooden kitchen table. We took turns mixing the ingredients in a bowl then
shoving handfuls of the mixture into the top of the meat grinder. Turning the
crank was a chore as it required lots of elbow grease, but my brother and I
shared in the duty. As the “noodles” came through the holes at the other end of
the grinder, Grandma would cut them into a bowl. Once all of the noodles were
ready, they’d be put in a pot with chicken broth and simmered on a low flame
for at least an hour before it was pronounced ready to eat.
I suppose if I got my hands on a new electric meat grinder,
I might someday try making my own Uncle Leon Soup, but I don’t think it could
ever compare to my memory of Grandma’s creation.
In RIPPING OFF THE MASK, Cooper Brandt’s holiday memories
are marred by a tragedy that took place the night before his high school
graduation. Unfortunately as self-imposed penance for the heartbreaking
misfortune, Cooper forced himself to wear a mask much like a hair shirt.
When Sergeant Cooper Brandt, thirteen years later, let his
mask slip while in pursuit of some bank robbers, a second gut-wrenching
catastrophe takes place. Taking full blame for this debacle, Coop swears he’ll
never make that mistake again.
Upon meeting aqua therapist Dr. Westley James, Cooper curses
the fates as he begins to believe that Karma has decided to retaliate for his misstep.
Westley’s first impression of Cooper isn’t a good one, but
he’s willing to give the sergeant another chance.
Several more hairpin turns in the road await Cooper and
Westley as they both strive to make holiday memories of their own. To find out
if they succeed, be sure to read RIPPING OFF THE MASK by Harper Jewel,
published by Loose Id.
Blurb:
Can injured Sgt.
Cooper Brandt, with the help of Dr. Westley James, rip off the mask he donned
as self-imposed penance at the end of high school, or will fate determine a different
path for both men?
Thirteen years after high schooler Cooper Brandt suffered a
life-altering tragedy, Newark Police Sergeant Cooper Brandt suffers yet another
earthshaking misfortune while on duty. As a result, he lets the mask he donned
because of his first grief-filled setback slip. When overwhelming guilt
consumes him for a second time, an unexpected, and oftentimes unwanted, helping
hand tries to force him into making a choice: face his demons and rip the mask
off, or continue living a lie while his facade stays put.
Upon his move to New Jersey, aqua therapist Dr. Westley
James meets his toughest patient yet when a snarly police sergeant accuses him
of duplicity at the start of their first session. When he discovers the reason
for Cooper’s ornery attitude, an odd, empty feeling he’s lived with for as long
as he can remember begins to fill in like missing pieces of a puzzle.
As a fragile relationship between Cooper and Westley grows,
an unhinged sociopath threatens to ruin everything. Will fate force the
emotionally bruised sergeant to fasten his mask on even more tightly or will
the couple’s blooming love and partnership be strong enough to help Cooper rip
his mask off for good?
Excerpt:
They made
their first stop at Dunkin’, and as promised, Silvio ran inside while Coop
remained in the police vehicle. A few minutes later, with coffees in hand, he
returned to the squad car and handed Cooper his iced coffee—black, no milk, no
sugar.
“Thanks, Sil.
Did you get your regular?”
“Sure did.
Why wouldn’t I?”
“Oh, I don’t
know. Because you might surprise me and forgo the coffee-milk you favor and go
with something different for a change.”
Silvio stared
blankly at his partner. “Coffee-milk?”
“Come on, you
can’t possibly call what you have in your hand coffee. You tell the baristas to
give you a medium but put it in a large cup and then ask them to add at least a
full cup of milk to it. Seriously, man, how hot can it be after that? And why
would you want to drink something even remotely warm when it’s already close to
eighty degrees outside?”
“I don’t like
my coffee too hot, but I don’t like it iced either. Besides, haven’t you heard
that milk does a body good?” Silvio shrugged and gave his partner a smug,
tooth-baring grin.
Coop burst
into laughter. “You’re such a dork.”
“At the risk
of sounding too dorky, suck it up, buttercup. You’re stuck with me. So you keep
your end of the bargain and drive since I did the buying.”
Purchase
Links:
Author Bio:
Harper Jewel lives in northeast New Jersey with her husband
and college-age daughter. She has two cats, enjoys reading, and taking trips to
Walt Disney World. With her outgoing personality and vivid imagination, she can
create characters and plots that are believable as well as memorable.
Although she began writing male/female romance/erotica, she
has finally found her niche in Gay Romance. She thoroughly enjoys her male
characters as they speak to her quite loudly while proving love is love. She is proud to have the honor of being the first M/M
author accepted at the now-closed Lush Publishing.
Ripping
Off the Mask, her first full-length novel, published
by Loose Id is now available at most e-book retailers.
Author Links:
