“It’s a tank full of warm water. What’s the worst that could happen?” Seventeen-year-old Ollie is out with his best friends on a Saturday night, and they decide to try the “sensory deprivation” tanks at a store called Infinite Drift. But when he gets out again, the world seems vaguely… different. And it feels like he’s being watched. Could he have somehow crossed over into a different dimension? Or is he going insane? After all, he’s still distraught over the death of his little brother eight months earlier—an event no one knows he accidentally caused. Ollie tries to "reset" things by going back into the tank. This time, he emerges into a world where the Yellowstone "supervolcano" erupted four years earlier, almost wiping out human civilization, and one of his best friends is dead. But Ollie’s little brother is alive again. Unfortunately, Ollie is being watched — by the robot-like creation of a cosmic monitoring station left in operation by a civilization that died out eons ago. And the being is ruthlessly trying to eliminate a strange "disruption" in the Ollie! And so he has no choice but to go back into the tank yet again… Infinite Drift is the latest book from Brent Hartinger, the author of the LGBTQ teen classic Geography Club, but it’s unlike anything he’s ever written a page-turning mind-bender with a bonkers bisexual love triangle. REVIEWS “A nonstop thrill ride filled with great twists and turns. Both exciting and thoughtful, the story asks us to consider what makes us who we are, even when the world all around us turns upside down.” - Michael Thomas Ford, author of Suicide Notes and Every Star That Falls “Hartinger gives a master class on the modern queer coming-of-age sci-fi/mystery story… I laughed, cried, gasped, anticipated, and ultimately smiled.” - Abel’s Reviews “This is a truly original story with an intriguing plot, vivid characters, and artful twists, delivered in sharp prose with great pacing. Brent Hartinger has created yet another winner!” - Matt McMann, USA Today bestselling author of the Monsterious series PRAISE FOR BRENT HARTINGER "Hits the narrative sweet spot."- NPR's All Things Considered "Downright refreshing."- USA Today "I really think this guy could be the next Judy Blume." - Pop Candy BRENT HARTINGER is a screenwriter and author of many books for teens and adults, including Project Pay Day, which he adapted as a 2021 feature film co-starring Superman’s David Corenswet. Geography Club was also adapted as a feature film.
Author
I am Brent Hartinger, a novelist and screenwriter. I’ve published fourteen novels, had nine screenplays optioned, and had two of my projects turned into feature films. My first novel, Geography Club (2003), is the story of a gay teen named Russel Middlebrook. It was one of the first in a new wave of break-out LGBTQ young adult fiction, and it was adapted as a feature film in 2013. I subsequently wrote three more books about Russel, calling them The Russel Middlebrook Series. I tried to give these books a lot of humor and heart. In 2013, I continued Russel’s story as he grew up, into his twenties, in a new, stand-alone series called Russel Middlebook: The Futon Years. These books are “new adult” (making Russel one of very few literary characters to “jump” genres in projects created by the same author). In 2017, I released a new, stand-alone series starring Russel’s gay disabled friend Otto Digmore, called The Otto Digmore Series. I love mysteries and thrillers. My 2016 gay teen puzzle box thriller Three Truths and a Lie was nominated for an Edgar Award (this, and my 2005 novel Grand & Humble, are real mind-benders, trust me). My 2007 YA mystery, Project Pay Day, is much lighter, and has also been adapted as feature film (which I wrote), to be released in 2020. Here are all my books: THE OTTO DIGMORE SERIES * The Otto Digmore Difference (book 1) * The Otto Digmore Decision (book 2) RUSSEL MIDDLEBROOK: THE FUTON YEARS * The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know (book #1) * Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams (book #2) * The Road to Amazing (book #3) THE RUSSE MIDDLE BROOK SERIES * Geography Club (book #1) * The Order of the Poison Oak (book #2) * Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (book #3) * The Elephant of Surprise (book #4) * Two Thousand Pounds Per Square Inch (a free short story) MY OTHER BOOKS * Project Pay Day * Three Truths and a Lie * Grand & Humble * Shadow Walkers I also love to travel. In fact, I no longer have a home. Instead, I travel the world indefinitely with my husband, writer Michael Jensen, moving to a new country every few months. You can follow our "digital nomad" journey at BrentandMichaelAreGoingPlaces.com I try hard to write books that are page-turners, and movies that are fast-paced and accessible. If I had to describe my own writing projects, I would say, “Strong central concept, strong plot, strong character and voice.” Basically, I see myself as a storyteller. But I think “story” is a lot more than “beautiful language” or complicated camera angles, which I often find self-indulgent and distracting. In most cases, I think the important thing for a writer or filmmaker is to get out of the way and just tell the damn story. I answer all questions, so feel free to contact me on social media, or through my website: BrentHartinger.com Cheers! Brent Hartinger
