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Rough Draft
Elliot “Ray” Douglas is an army veteran with PTSD and a closet full of secrets. Discharged and alone after an explosion on the battlefield and the implosion of his sham marriage, Ray is salvaging what’s left of his life. Attending a community college should help him adjust to civilian life and give him a sense of direction again—if Ray survives one hot teacher hell-bent on getting to know him.
Young adjunct English professor Brian Randall enjoys challenging his students and tends to get under their skins. Brian decides to push Ray not only in Composition I, but also in facing himself and dealing with his issues. While coping with the death of a squadmate and the destruction of the only life he's known, Ray will face his greatest fear—admitting he’s gay.
This semester is Ray’s chance at making a new life for himself, and if all goes well, Brian will make sure he’s a part of it.
Young adjunct English professor Brian Randall enjoys challenging his students and tends to get under their skins. Brian decides to push Ray not only in Composition I, but also in facing himself and dealing with his issues. While coping with the death of a squadmate and the destruction of the only life he's known, Ray will face his greatest fear—admitting he’s gay.
This semester is Ray’s chance at making a new life for himself, and if all goes well, Brian will make sure he’s a part of it.
- GenresM M RomanceContemporary
66 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2015
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 2, 2016
Rough Draft is a short story (66 pages) that doesn't feel short, but exactly right. Elliot R. Douglas (Ray to his friends) is a 31-year-old veteran returning to school after a 10-year military career, a divorce, and PTSD, to get an IT degree. Required to take a composition class, he meets Professor Brian Randall, who has "the confidence of a seasoned military officer, and the face of a catalog model".
Throughout the semester, Ray learns to shed the indifference he affected due to DADT, and begins to live a more authentic life, coming out to his family and sharing experiences through his homework essays. There is no sex in the book, and the final scene is a first date, but the story so beautifully shows a pivotal season in a life, a time for change. “If something isn’t working, change it. Life is a rough draft,” Brian explained. “You can always revise it."
Throughout the semester, Ray learns to shed the indifference he affected due to DADT, and begins to live a more authentic life, coming out to his family and sharing experiences through his homework essays. There is no sex in the book, and the final scene is a first date, but the story so beautifully shows a pivotal season in a life, a time for change. “If something isn’t working, change it. Life is a rough draft,” Brian explained. “You can always revise it."
October 30, 2015
The title of the book is so appropriate for this story. It represents life in general – something that can be tweaked, changed, and improved if we make the investment to do so. Life isn’t perfect, but we can make it want we want it to be if we just let ourselves… be. That’s exactly the message that Brian was trying to convey to Ray throughout this short story, but it’s a message that Ray needed to live and experience and realize on his own.
I wouldn’t necessarily call this a traditional romance. It’s the story of a man whose life is on the edge – who realizes he isn’t at all who he thought he was, and is scared beyond measure to discover his true self, but begins taking small steps on that scary journey nonetheless. What he finds along the path of that journey are honesty, inspiration, and fragile hope – hope not only for a different and fulfilling future, but one that also includes the possibility of a true relationship for the first time with a man.
There’s a very slow build towards any relationship between Brian and Ray. It involves lots of gentle nudges on Brian’s part, and lots of self-discovery and healing on Ray’s part. It’s more of a beginning for them with hope on the horizon than about a happily ever after. Regardless, it was beautiful to witness Ray’s growth and believe in the possibility of “them”. I loved it!
Review posted at...
- 4 hearts
I wouldn’t necessarily call this a traditional romance. It’s the story of a man whose life is on the edge – who realizes he isn’t at all who he thought he was, and is scared beyond measure to discover his true self, but begins taking small steps on that scary journey nonetheless. What he finds along the path of that journey are honesty, inspiration, and fragile hope – hope not only for a different and fulfilling future, but one that also includes the possibility of a true relationship for the first time with a man.
There’s a very slow build towards any relationship between Brian and Ray. It involves lots of gentle nudges on Brian’s part, and lots of self-discovery and healing on Ray’s part. It’s more of a beginning for them with hope on the horizon than about a happily ever after. Regardless, it was beautiful to witness Ray’s growth and believe in the possibility of “them”. I loved it!
Review posted at...
- 4 hearts
November 10, 2015
4.5 stars
Rough Draft was an extremely interesting and unique read with an original plot and great characters.
I’m not sure if I can do justice for this story. On the surface it doesn’t seem like much happens but the characters are just so engaging I was enthralled from beginning to end.
Ray Douglas is man dealing with a lot including a recent divorce and PTSD from an explosion on the battle field. There’s also the fact that he’s gay, which has affected a lot of his life. He just wants to move on and that includes getting a degree. Doing that entails taking a writing a class, which he is not happy about.
English professor Brian Randall is the type of teacher I wish I’d had more of in college. He cares about his students and wants to make sure they learn, not just skate by. He takes an interest in Ray and pushes him to really try on the assignments and not just do the bare minimum.
I loved how Ray and Brian are first introduced to each other, it’s a total meet-cute but it works. Their slow building relationship, mainly as teacher-student but also as friends, was portrayed perfectly. It wouldn’t have worked done any other way.
This isn’t really a romance story, though there is romance in it. Brian and Ray are attracted to each other, but neither act on it until after the class is over. I’m glad they didn’t jump into bed right away or a couple reasons. First, it would’ve been against the rules for a teacher to get involved with a student. Secondly, Ray was in no way ready for romance or sex in the beginning. In fact, Ray only becomes ready for love because Brian pushes him to write about personal issues, deep personal issues.
I’d almost call this a coming of age story if it weren’t for the fact that Ray is a grown man. For him it’s an all-new coming of age, a second coming, if you will. He has to learn to accept his sexuality and deal with everything he’s been pushing to the side. And he does it all with Brian’s help.
I would’ve loved to have seen more of Brian and Ray’s romance. Maybe the author has plans to write a sequel. Leo, I would give you a huge hug if you write that story.
Rough Draft was an extremely interesting and unique read with an original plot and great characters.
I’m not sure if I can do justice for this story. On the surface it doesn’t seem like much happens but the characters are just so engaging I was enthralled from beginning to end.
Ray Douglas is man dealing with a lot including a recent divorce and PTSD from an explosion on the battle field. There’s also the fact that he’s gay, which has affected a lot of his life. He just wants to move on and that includes getting a degree. Doing that entails taking a writing a class, which he is not happy about.
English professor Brian Randall is the type of teacher I wish I’d had more of in college. He cares about his students and wants to make sure they learn, not just skate by. He takes an interest in Ray and pushes him to really try on the assignments and not just do the bare minimum.
I loved how Ray and Brian are first introduced to each other, it’s a total meet-cute but it works. Their slow building relationship, mainly as teacher-student but also as friends, was portrayed perfectly. It wouldn’t have worked done any other way.
This isn’t really a romance story, though there is romance in it. Brian and Ray are attracted to each other, but neither act on it until after the class is over. I’m glad they didn’t jump into bed right away or a couple reasons. First, it would’ve been against the rules for a teacher to get involved with a student. Secondly, Ray was in no way ready for romance or sex in the beginning. In fact, Ray only becomes ready for love because Brian pushes him to write about personal issues, deep personal issues.
I’d almost call this a coming of age story if it weren’t for the fact that Ray is a grown man. For him it’s an all-new coming of age, a second coming, if you will. He has to learn to accept his sexuality and deal with everything he’s been pushing to the side. And he does it all with Brian’s help.
I would’ve loved to have seen more of Brian and Ray’s romance. Maybe the author has plans to write a sequel. Leo, I would give you a huge hug if you write that story.
November 18, 2015
I was given this book by Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this story. It was a short story but didn’t feel that way. The author was able to give us enough detail but it didn’t feel rushed and there was no instant-love here that was the best part. This was more about Ray trying to deal with life after the military. I enjoyed how the author was able to show how Ray was able to really embrace life again. There was no sex in this book and I didn’t miss it at all. In fact this book felt more like a Prologue and would love to hear more about Ray and Brian.
I really enjoyed this story. It was a short story but didn’t feel that way. The author was able to give us enough detail but it didn’t feel rushed and there was no instant-love here that was the best part. This was more about Ray trying to deal with life after the military. I enjoyed how the author was able to show how Ray was able to really embrace life again. There was no sex in this book and I didn’t miss it at all. In fact this book felt more like a Prologue and would love to hear more about Ray and Brian.
October 13, 2015
Will review later on. I hope.
December 12, 2020
2,5 estrellas.
Estuvo bien y me entretuvo, aunque creo que en el final le faltó algo.
Estuvo bien y me entretuvo, aunque creo que en el final le faltó algo.
October 28, 2015
3 Heart Book Review by Cindy
Ray is a soldier who’s making the transition to civilian life. It would be hard to NOT sympathize with him just for that fact alone. Throw in him coming to terms with the fact that he’s gay and he’s a character you can definitely care about.
Brian is a young professor who genuinely cares about his students and is determined to make a class that is usually just taken as an unwelcome requirement into a true learning experience. His dedication is admirable and we all would have been lucky to have a teacher like him.
There is a lot of good things about this story. An excellent premise, stellar writing and editing, characters that are compelling and likable. I loved the interactions between Ray and Brian and I was definitely cheering them on.
But I had one big problem with this story….it seems to be missing something. Like the middle of it. In a few paragraphs Ray goes from “I’m never going to come out of hiding who I really am” to “I want everyone to know the real me” and I was left there, wondering what in the hell happened!
At the point where I felt that the angst and anticipation should have been growing and pulling us along the story with it, Ray does a complete one-eighty degree turn with very little provocation or reason that I could discern. It’s like we go from the point where he first starts to admit to other people who he is to the beginning of the happily-ever-after and it kind of ruined it for me.
Everyone he tells is smiling and helpful and supportive and it’s all sunshine and roses and if you like your stories virtually angst free then this is definitely the story for you.
But I’m kind of a story snob and I wanted a lot more details about Ray’s struggle with himself and the huge changes he was making in his life. This story just seems to gloss over the pain that he would have been in, like the author just couldn’t deal with writing it and we end up in the middle of everything going perfectly. And life is rarely perfect.
I also would have liked to know more about Brian. He seems like an interesting man but we only get the barest of facts about him and that’s a shame.
I’m giving this three stars because the stuff that’s good is really good, but this had the potential to be so much better.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
Ray is a soldier who’s making the transition to civilian life. It would be hard to NOT sympathize with him just for that fact alone. Throw in him coming to terms with the fact that he’s gay and he’s a character you can definitely care about.
Brian is a young professor who genuinely cares about his students and is determined to make a class that is usually just taken as an unwelcome requirement into a true learning experience. His dedication is admirable and we all would have been lucky to have a teacher like him.
There is a lot of good things about this story. An excellent premise, stellar writing and editing, characters that are compelling and likable. I loved the interactions between Ray and Brian and I was definitely cheering them on.
But I had one big problem with this story….it seems to be missing something. Like the middle of it. In a few paragraphs Ray goes from “I’m never going to come out of hiding who I really am” to “I want everyone to know the real me” and I was left there, wondering what in the hell happened!
At the point where I felt that the angst and anticipation should have been growing and pulling us along the story with it, Ray does a complete one-eighty degree turn with very little provocation or reason that I could discern. It’s like we go from the point where he first starts to admit to other people who he is to the beginning of the happily-ever-after and it kind of ruined it for me.
Everyone he tells is smiling and helpful and supportive and it’s all sunshine and roses and if you like your stories virtually angst free then this is definitely the story for you.
But I’m kind of a story snob and I wanted a lot more details about Ray’s struggle with himself and the huge changes he was making in his life. This story just seems to gloss over the pain that he would have been in, like the author just couldn’t deal with writing it and we end up in the middle of everything going perfectly. And life is rarely perfect.
I also would have liked to know more about Brian. He seems like an interesting man but we only get the barest of facts about him and that’s a shame.
I’m giving this three stars because the stuff that’s good is really good, but this had the potential to be so much better.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
October 16, 2015
Just to be clear, this isn't much of a romance. This short novella is the growth of a wonderful character. The very end of that personal growth involves starting a very PG romance with another man but this is in no way a HEA romance. Still, I really liked this character, Ray, and his journey to self acceptance and personal life growth. This happens very organically, perhaps because this is the novella's focus, and not a romance. Readers see Ray as an angry, isolated man at novella's beginning to one who reestablishes familial relationships and begins new ones with pets, friends, and a potential romantic one.
Romance traditionalists should pass on this novella as its barely-there romance will disappoint. Readers who don't mind a foray into character-driven fiction should enjoy this one as I did.
Romance traditionalists should pass on this novella as its barely-there romance will disappoint. Readers who don't mind a foray into character-driven fiction should enjoy this one as I did.
December 15, 2015
My second book by this author and I just loved it. Does such an amazing job putting us inside the brains and feelings of these charaters.
Ray is starting he second part of his life, by going to community college and with that reentering civilian life, again. Going through this journey with Ray is just amazing, the struggles, the small wins. Brilliant.
When we meet Prof. Randall, we know he’s going to be the downfall, but easing that downfall was a perfect way for them to have a courtship.
These two together, taping around each other was a fun to read. Who will break first.
The nice surprise was the family, especially the father.
My only small complaint, I would like to see them together longer before the book ended. Instead of just really getting to know each other. Couldn’t even call it HFN.
I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review by Crystals Many reviews
Ray is starting he second part of his life, by going to community college and with that reentering civilian life, again. Going through this journey with Ray is just amazing, the struggles, the small wins. Brilliant.
When we meet Prof. Randall, we know he’s going to be the downfall, but easing that downfall was a perfect way for them to have a courtship.
These two together, taping around each other was a fun to read. Who will break first.
The nice surprise was the family, especially the father.
My only small complaint, I would like to see them together longer before the book ended. Instead of just really getting to know each other. Couldn’t even call it HFN.
I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review by Crystals Many reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews