Don't let the illustrated cover of The Roughest Draft fool you - this is a romance, not a rom com. Written by wife and husband Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, the plot features a pair of aspiring authors who met at the Iowa Writers Workshop, cowrote a best-selling romance, abruptly ended their partnership, and haven't been in contact for years. When external forces bring them together to write a second novel, questions abound. Can they overcome their differences and work together again? Might they find the magic that made their first book so successful? Will this collaboration change their careers? their lives?
This is written with chapters alternating between hero Nathan and heroine Katrina's points of view and also with flashbacks, usually to four years ago to recall their initial writing experience. I listened to the audiobook performed by Dan Bittner and Imani Jade Powers, and was sometimes confused if a scene was happening in the present or in the past since both involved the same characters at the same place doing the same activity.
This story felt very "real" to me - the emotions were often raw and intense and felt honest. I prefer my novels grounded in reality (rather than escapism) so that was a plus. I enjoyed the glimpse into the dual author writing process, especially the relationship between author and agent. It was so interesting to learn that the authors liked the cover illustration so much, they edited the book to add the scene to the plot.
I'm thankful Annie B. Jones and Bookshelf Thomasville put this story in my hands via the From the Front Porch podcast.
This is written with chapters alternating between hero Nathan and heroine Katrina's points of view and also with flashbacks, usually to four years ago to recall their initial writing experience. I listened to the audiobook performed by Dan Bittner and Imani Jade Powers, and was sometimes confused if a scene was happening in the present or in the past since both involved the same characters at the same place doing the same activity.
This story felt very "real" to me - the emotions were often raw and intense and felt honest. I prefer my novels grounded in reality (rather than escapism) so that was a plus. I enjoyed the glimpse into the dual author writing process, especially the relationship between author and agent. It was so interesting to learn that the authors liked the cover illustration so much, they edited the book to add the scene to the plot.
I'm thankful Annie B. Jones and Bookshelf Thomasville put this story in my hands via the From the Front Porch podcast.
