Brent Hartinger is a distinguished author and screenwriter, born in the state of Washington in 1965 and raised in Tacoma. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington, and pursued his master's degree in psychology at Western Washington University. Hartinger's literary career took off with his first published novel, "Geography Club," which features a gay teen named Russel Middlebrook as the main character. This groundbreaking LGBTQ young adult fiction novel faced challenges in American schools, with one of the schools located in his hometown, Tacoma.
Hartinger continued Russel Middlebrook's story in "The Russel Middlebrook Series," which consists of four books, offering humor and heartfelt narratives. As Russel matured into his twenties, Hartinger created a new series called "Russel Middlebook: The Futon Years," transitioning the character into the "new adult" genre, making him one of the few literary characters to cross genres in projects created by the same author. Furthermore, Hartinger introduced a new series, "The Otto Digmore Series," focusing on Russel's gay disabled friend, Otto Digmore.
Hartinger is an enthusiast of mystery and thriller stories, having written the 2016 gay teen puzzle box thriller "Three Truths and a Lie," which received an Edgar Award nomination. He also published the 2005 novel "Grand & Humble," offering a mind-bending experience. In addition, his 2007 YA mystery, "Project Pay Day," is lighter in tone and has been adapted into a feature film, which he also wrote. Hartinger's extensive bibliography includes "The Otto Digmore Series," "Russel Middlebrook: The Futon Years," "The Russel Middlebrook Series," and other books like "Project Pay Day," "Three Truths and a Lie," and "Grand & Humble."
Traveling is one of Hartinger's passions, and he has adopted a nomadic lifestyle with his husband, writer Michael Jensen, moving to new countries every few months. They document their "digital nomad" journey on the website BrentandMichaelAreGoingPlaces.com. Hartinger aims to create captivating stories in his books and films by focusing on strong concepts, plots, characters, and voice, ensuring that they are engaging and accessible to his audience. As a storyteller, he believes that a compelling narrative is more important than beautiful language or complicated camera angles, which he finds self-indulgent and distracting. Hartinger encourages readers to contact him on social media or through his website, BrentHartinger.com, and he is always open to answering questions.