What do you think?
Rough Cuts
Not yet published
Expected 29 Sep 26 "If you love history with a comic edge, this one is for you." -Randy Susan Meyers, internationally bestselling author of The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone
It's 1926, and the world of film is about to change forever.
On the cusp of "talkies," directors and actors fear their greatest days might soon be behind them. Patrick J. Shepard, a director at the end of his career, has just completed his masterpiece, his vehicle for eternal fame. But there's one problem: Ohio.
Harold Dawdry, the young, second-string minister at a small church in a corner of Ohio, has been appointed to the State Film Censorship Board. He regards this appointment as his ticket to the power and relevance he desperately craves. And there is one director who has particularly rankled his delicate sensibilities: Patrick J. Shepard. The minister feels Ohio is best served if Shepard makes drastic cuts to his final film.
The silent film era is about to get loud.
It's 1926, and the world of film is about to change forever.
On the cusp of "talkies," directors and actors fear their greatest days might soon be behind them. Patrick J. Shepard, a director at the end of his career, has just completed his masterpiece, his vehicle for eternal fame. But there's one problem: Ohio.
Harold Dawdry, the young, second-string minister at a small church in a corner of Ohio, has been appointed to the State Film Censorship Board. He regards this appointment as his ticket to the power and relevance he desperately craves. And there is one director who has particularly rankled his delicate sensibilities: Patrick J. Shepard. The minister feels Ohio is best served if Shepard makes drastic cuts to his final film.
The silent film era is about to get loud.
312 pages, Paperback
Expected publication September 29, 2026
About the author
Glenn R. Miller
2 books52 followersGlenn Miller launched his professional career by working on television soap operas and game shows on the back lots of NBC Burbank. He holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and has served as a CBS-affiliate news producer, an executive speechwriter, and creative director at production agencies within the Twin Cities. His novel, Doorman Wanted, will be published on March 26, 2024.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
“Rough Cuts” intrigued me with its premise: At the tail-end of the silent movie era, a director is making his last film before he retires, and he hopes to make it a worthy legacy. But first he’ll have to get his swan song past Ohio’s state review board – which has fallen under the control of a show-boating young minister who wants to make a name for himself by riling people with his calls for censorship.
The director, Patrick J. Shepard, is flawed but likeable, with a good career behind him … but he wonders if it’s good enough. And, poignantly, he’s dying, although his cast and co-workers don’t know that. Under that hidden pressure, Shepard tries too hard; at one point, a loyal colleague tells him he’s not getting the performance he wants from his lead actress because he’s over-directing her.
The minister, Harold Dawdry, was more problematic for me. Young and ambitious, he serves under an aging senior pastor, and he’s itching to make a bigger impact. But it’s difficult to imagine why our rookie chose his line of work, as he shows so much contempt for his parishioners and just about everyone else around him. I wouldn’t think a freshly-ordained minister would be such a cynical misanthrope. But when the senior pastor hands off the Ohio review board assignment to Dawdry, the young clergyman starts previewing movies … and his mouth begins to water. He decides that stirring up moral outrage over Hollywood’s decadence is just the thing to spice up his sermons.
It’s a great set-up, although the first half of the book lags a bit. Shepard’s half of the story spends a lot of time on a couple of subplots involving the movie’s cast. We get some glimpses into the director’s long history and quiet internal struggles, but I would have liked to spend more time with him. Meanwhile, in Ohio, Reverend Dawdry is full of himself and caught up in literal theatrics. He has it both ways by directing members of his congregation to re-enact some of the “objectionable” material that he’s ordering Hollywood to take out of films. Clearly, both the reverend and the congregation are loving these scandalous scenes. This is amusing, but it’s a lot of “more of the same,” and he’s still a one-note character.
Eventually, of course, these worlds have to collide. For me, this is where the story finds its stride. When Reverend Dawdry previews Shepard’s last film, he sends vigorous objections to the state review board – which threatens the movie’s distribution not only to Ohio, but many important surrounding states.
To save his final labor of love, Shepard takes his small cast to Ohio to confront the enemy. From here, the story builds to a heartfelt, satisfying payoff. While the storytelling could have been tighter for this reader, I truly ended up loving the story.
NOTE: Thanks to Koehler Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The director, Patrick J. Shepard, is flawed but likeable, with a good career behind him … but he wonders if it’s good enough. And, poignantly, he’s dying, although his cast and co-workers don’t know that. Under that hidden pressure, Shepard tries too hard; at one point, a loyal colleague tells him he’s not getting the performance he wants from his lead actress because he’s over-directing her.
The minister, Harold Dawdry, was more problematic for me. Young and ambitious, he serves under an aging senior pastor, and he’s itching to make a bigger impact. But it’s difficult to imagine why our rookie chose his line of work, as he shows so much contempt for his parishioners and just about everyone else around him. I wouldn’t think a freshly-ordained minister would be such a cynical misanthrope. But when the senior pastor hands off the Ohio review board assignment to Dawdry, the young clergyman starts previewing movies … and his mouth begins to water. He decides that stirring up moral outrage over Hollywood’s decadence is just the thing to spice up his sermons.
It’s a great set-up, although the first half of the book lags a bit. Shepard’s half of the story spends a lot of time on a couple of subplots involving the movie’s cast. We get some glimpses into the director’s long history and quiet internal struggles, but I would have liked to spend more time with him. Meanwhile, in Ohio, Reverend Dawdry is full of himself and caught up in literal theatrics. He has it both ways by directing members of his congregation to re-enact some of the “objectionable” material that he’s ordering Hollywood to take out of films. Clearly, both the reverend and the congregation are loving these scandalous scenes. This is amusing, but it’s a lot of “more of the same,” and he’s still a one-note character.
Eventually, of course, these worlds have to collide. For me, this is where the story finds its stride. When Reverend Dawdry previews Shepard’s last film, he sends vigorous objections to the state review board – which threatens the movie’s distribution not only to Ohio, but many important surrounding states.
To save his final labor of love, Shepard takes his small cast to Ohio to confront the enemy. From here, the story builds to a heartfelt, satisfying payoff. While the storytelling could have been tighter for this reader, I truly ended up loving the story.
NOTE: Thanks to Koehler Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An historical-comedy novel focusing on a silent film director battling a “zealous” state censor.
Patrick J. Shepard or Shep is making his “masterpiece” film, or so he believes just before the talkies are set to arrive. Shep is in Hollywood. Meanwhile in Ohio, a “power-hungry” minister, Howard Dawdry joins the state censor board to obtain influence and power - he’s a second string preacher so what else do you have to do to get noticed. We follow Dawdry as he sermonizes against movies - in a period when movie theatre attendance is on the rise, these drive more viewers to the cinema. Eventually Dawdry’s titillating sermons at 9:30 drive congregants from the 11:30 service - that of Reverend Cox, head preacher - resulting in a feud. But Dawdry persists. Meanwhile in Hollywood Shep figures out a way to rein in Dawdry.
Set in 1926 when movies were changing, this book brings to life that raucous and golden period of silent movie making. The mention of movie stars like Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Gloria Swanson adds glitz to the story. The mechanics of silent movie making is enjoyable to read. This was also the Prohibition Era where Midwest and Pacific Coast sensibilities differed so the book’s theme of censorship makes this a fascinating topic even today. What was especially interesting to learn - some of this I looked up - was that besides Chicago there were eight states that had censorship boards (Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, Kansas and Massachusetts). While this kind of oversight made the movie industry nuts they didn’t want federal interference so Hollywood set what was known as the Hayes Code which eventually shut down the states. Be sure to read the Author’s Note.
The theme of hypocrisy and censorship are handled beautifully in this book giving it great relevance for today. It’s a fun read especially for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a spark of tongue-in-cheek humor.
My thanks to NetGalley and Köehler Books for granting me access to this ARC.
Patrick J. Shepard or Shep is making his “masterpiece” film, or so he believes just before the talkies are set to arrive. Shep is in Hollywood. Meanwhile in Ohio, a “power-hungry” minister, Howard Dawdry joins the state censor board to obtain influence and power - he’s a second string preacher so what else do you have to do to get noticed. We follow Dawdry as he sermonizes against movies - in a period when movie theatre attendance is on the rise, these drive more viewers to the cinema. Eventually Dawdry’s titillating sermons at 9:30 drive congregants from the 11:30 service - that of Reverend Cox, head preacher - resulting in a feud. But Dawdry persists. Meanwhile in Hollywood Shep figures out a way to rein in Dawdry.
Set in 1926 when movies were changing, this book brings to life that raucous and golden period of silent movie making. The mention of movie stars like Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Gloria Swanson adds glitz to the story. The mechanics of silent movie making is enjoyable to read. This was also the Prohibition Era where Midwest and Pacific Coast sensibilities differed so the book’s theme of censorship makes this a fascinating topic even today. What was especially interesting to learn - some of this I looked up - was that besides Chicago there were eight states that had censorship boards (Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, Kansas and Massachusetts). While this kind of oversight made the movie industry nuts they didn’t want federal interference so Hollywood set what was known as the Hayes Code which eventually shut down the states. Be sure to read the Author’s Note.
The theme of hypocrisy and censorship are handled beautifully in this book giving it great relevance for today. It’s a fun read especially for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a spark of tongue-in-cheek humor.
My thanks to NetGalley and Köehler Books for granting me access to this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Review of advanced copy from Netgalley
Patrick J Shepard is at the end of his illustrious movie career. Reverend Harold Dawdry is at the start of his. Shepard is making his magnum opus, and there's only two things in his way, Dawdry and Ohio.
I loved the concept of this novel, the glamour and dark side of Hollywood, the end of silent film, censorship and the power of the church. However, for me, it didn't really land. The novel began very slowly, dividing chapters between Shepard's life and Dawdry's, til their inevitable overlap. Unfortunately it took so long for their meeting that I was more interested in their own separate stories than how they came together, and whilst the set up felt slow, the denouement felt rushed.
That's not to say there weren't some gems in there like: “Depends on how aggressively the tiddlies fall into the winks" being a favourite. And the characters were vivid and fleshed out. But this one's just not for me.
Thanks again to Köehler and Netgalley for this ARC.
Patrick J Shepard is at the end of his illustrious movie career. Reverend Harold Dawdry is at the start of his. Shepard is making his magnum opus, and there's only two things in his way, Dawdry and Ohio.
I loved the concept of this novel, the glamour and dark side of Hollywood, the end of silent film, censorship and the power of the church. However, for me, it didn't really land. The novel began very slowly, dividing chapters between Shepard's life and Dawdry's, til their inevitable overlap. Unfortunately it took so long for their meeting that I was more interested in their own separate stories than how they came together, and whilst the set up felt slow, the denouement felt rushed.
That's not to say there weren't some gems in there like: “Depends on how aggressively the tiddlies fall into the winks" being a favourite. And the characters were vivid and fleshed out. But this one's just not for me.
Thanks again to Köehler and Netgalley for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Intriguing look at pioneer film making and early censorship. The color, dialogue, and storyline is more documentary than fiction. Enjoyable, historical reading with references to stars in the early film industry. The storytelling does bog down at times but is a quality read for movie history buffs. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was an interesting story about the early film industry during the change from silent films to talkies. The writing captured the tension of a changing era well, and overall I found it to be a thoughtful and engaging read.
I received this book from NetGalley. Thank you Glenn R. Miller. All opinions are my own.
I received this book from NetGalley. Thank you Glenn R. Miller. All opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews