Glenn R.
Miller is the author of the forthcoming novel, Rough Cuts (Koehler
Books, September, 2026), and of the critically acclaimed and award-winning
novel Doorman Wanted (“A comic novel that doffs its hat to master
humorist P. G. Wodehouse”—Minnesota Star Tribune; “…sly, sophisticated wit…”
The Miami Herald). 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, public television producer,
and creative director at production agencies within the Twin Cities. Glenn and
his wife live in Minneapolis, MN, and are the parents of two grown sons.
Website:
glenn-r-miller.com
Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/glennrmillerauthor
https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennrmillerauthor
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Edina,
Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.
When did you begin writing?
I have been writing
professionally my entire life, but my creative writing began in 2012.
Do you feel your hometown influenced your writing?
Possibly. One of the best
writing exercises I ever had sticks with me to this day. It was an editing
technique taught by my 9th grade English teacher. She was young,
ruthless, and brilliant.
Do you write every day or when you can sneak in
time?
At this point in my writing ‘career,’ I attempt to
carve out 2-3 full days per week that are dedicated solely to writing. And when
I’m not actually sitting and writing, I’m thinking about writing. I need
large chunks of time to immerse myself in whatever story I’m working on. As
more of my days are filled with presentations, book-related activities, or
marketing related to the upcoming book, those designated writing days have become
that much more important to me.
What is your best advice for creating the time and
space to write?
Yes, good question. I treat writing like my
previous client work, where I simply put it on the calendar and that assigned
time becomes sacrosanct. I used to regard a writing day as, essentially, an
open day. That mindset allowed far too many interruptions to creep in. No more.
Now, with blocked-out writing days, I shut the office door and tune out all
interruptions. The only thing that allows me to leave the desk is a walk or a
bike ride, both of which I find to be surprisingly productive. I have worked
out countless plot or dialog issues while walking along the river or sitting
atop a bike.
My other bit of advice? Put the phone and all its
app-induced interruptions far out of reach.
What is this book about?
My description for Rough
Cuts:
In
Rough Cuts, the world of film in 1926 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.
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.
What inspired you to write it?
The idea came like a
lightning bolt. One day a few years back, my mother-in-law told me that she had
been going through her grandfather’s files. Included amongst his papers were
two long boxes containing 4X6 notecards. On each card were notes of changes
that needed to be made to Hollywood films issued in 1926 and 1927. Turns out
Grandpa – who was professionally a minister in Marietta, Ohio – had been
assigned to the Ohio Film Review Board. Though I had vaguely heard of the Hays
Office, I was unaware that a handful of individual states had their own review
(read: censorship) boards. That a small-town Ohio minister had the power to alter
Hollywood films fascinated me. I immediately jumped into research on this issue
and committed to writing Rough Cuts in 2023. It is a satire that looks
at power, legacy, and the fragility of creative expression in an ‘open’ society.
Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a
bumpy ride?
It actually was quite smooth. Because of the
success of my first novel, Doorman Wanted, my publisher, Koehler Books,
signed on quickly for this second novel. Compared to Doorman Wanted, which
took ten years to write, Rough Cuts gushed out of me. I had a polished
draft in 18 months.
If you knew then what you know now, is there
anything you would have done differently?
This may sound harsh, but I would not have spent
the time I did in looking for an agent. I haven’t cracked that code yet, nor am
I spending any more time trying to do so!
What is up next for you?
I have attended more than
80 book clubs and made dozens of presentations around Doorman Wanted
since its publication in 2024. At every one of them, I receive two
questions from attendees: When will the movie be made, and when will the sequel
come out? From what I can tell, I have control over only one of those two.
Initially, I was saying ‘no’ to a sequel, but by the twentieth time I heard the
question, I started to think, ‘Hunh. Well… maybe there IS a sequel!’ So, I am
currently about 3/4s of the way through writing my further adventures of the Doorman.
As I tell audiences, I’m having a great time revisiting my cast of characters,
my ‘imaginary friends.’
Purchase Links:
Publisher: https://www.koehlerbooks.com/writer/glenn-r-miller/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rough-Cuts-Glenn-R-Miller/dp/B0GXNDYXSV/
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/rough-cuts/388b5b16c8b5f574
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rough-cuts-glenn-r-miller/1149931154
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